Re: RH Campbell - Talk about price gouging

["R.H.Campbell" <rh.campbell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually your right ! Just about anyone else's prices are a good deal
compared to mine when comparing just the prices themselves. I originally put
up a  DIY page on my website some time ago, and as I say on my site, my
prices are high....VERY high. But if you also read correctly, and were not
so quick to take things out of context, you will also see there are
conditions... I sell only in the local Ottawa area, I can design the system
for him on site, and I supply TOTAL support to the DIY'er, even delivering
the equipment. I will assist the client in just about everything except
running the wire and actually doing the installation work. And I tell him
right up front that my prices are higher than he can get on the internet (or
just about anywhere else for that matter). There's nothing hidden here !

So if he still chooses to buy DIY from me, he knows what to expect,
including premium pricing. I will also be the first to tell you that I have
sold very little, with the exception of two complete systems, which included
a couple of full days of my time handholding both of them during
installation, including on site visitation and system design. So if you
factor in many hours of support, the prices are no way near as high as they
might seem on the surface. Both clients paid me just about what they could
have had another company install a full system for actually. But the hooker
that always goes with that one is the industry standard long term contract
!! One client didn't want monitoring, and the other chose to go for $9.95
monitoring from The Monitoring Station in Toronto. I told him that if he
wanted me to monitor it, he would lose the ability to go into low level
programming and this didn't suit him.

This page was an experiment put up some time ago to see just what the DIY
market is really looking for....low prices like many give over the internet,
or high prices INCLUDING a high personal level of support from a
professional installer. It seems they are looking for low prices primarily
!! So be it ! DIY'ers seem to feel they can do things right off the bat the
way you and I have spent years learning. They quickly find out they can't
and in the two cases I sold too, my expertise after the fact was well worth
the extra money (their words, not mine....)

This is also in keeping with the way I sell professional security services,
and there there clearly IS a market for that......full but fair market
pricing for the alarm system, including physical security options and
locksmithing work, and low pricing for a bundled package of service,
warranty and monitoring for $10 less than national retail on a month to
month basis. The clients who come to me know they can avoid long term
contracts and get a very real, personal level of support with their system.
It seems, there is a great demand for that in the market niche where people
want a reliable system so they can get on with other more important things
in their lives.

So criticize all you want. On the surface, you are right ! But in fairness,
put it in perspective. And frankly, for all the sales the page has made in
the DIY market where price seems to be the ONLY consideration, I might just
as well take it down. But if it helps you guys in any way, I'll leave it up.

And one other bit of advice ! Read, then THINK a little about things before
you stick your foot in your mouth....:))

RHC

"Stanley Barthfarkle" <sbarth@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:GmT6g.2034$fb2.599@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>> RH operates a DIY website.He sell a Paradox 646 keypad for $90.00 that
>> cost the dealer $25.75. Everyone thought Bass's price were insane. See
>> it for your self  http://www3.sympatico.ca/rh.campbell/do-it-yo.htm
>> Talk about price gouging. Shame on you RH. The way you present yourself
>> in this group as one who helps others. No wonder you never mention this
>> DIY web site here. You sure showed your true colors.
>
>
> OK- so he sells high priced equipment. That helps everyone. Why? Because
> folks like him make it easier for folks who price things reasonably to
> sell more. He is also raising the average price that folks see when they
> do a search for item prices. Let him sell high- it just gives the rest of
> us yet another comparison as to why our stuff is such a good deal.
>