GE Sues Whirlpool, Other Suppliers for Price Fixing

Offered from Dow Jones Business News without comment. From the article:
GE alleges that it was hurt by an international conspiracy to set prices at "supra-competitive levels," to decrease manufacturing capacity and to limit product availability by a group of global manufacturers of refrigerator compressors. 

Tip for Thursday: Learning the Business

The tip here is to try to remember what drew you into the repair business and why you love it in spite of it's frustrations. In that light, here is an article by a guy who started his own repair business 6 months ago that is sharing a bit of what he is learned. His optimism is refreshing and maybe some of his experiences can be helpful.

Wednesday WL May Profile : Brad Cantor

Reposted from What's Cooking Vol.1 No.1-Brad Cantor was born and raised in Southern California, where he was an avid baseball player during his youth. He relocated to Oregon in 1976, and attended the University of Oregon for 3 years, where he studied Business Administration, before actually receiving his diploma from Oregon State University majoring in Forestry. After multiple jobs in customer service, Brad found himself at W.L. May Co in 1991. Over the last 20 years he has provided superior customer service to his customers, as his focus is always on his customers' success. If you've never met Brad, give him call. His years of experience can help solve the toughest of challenges you may face in the success of your business.

Tuesday Tips: Refrigerator Door Gasket Replacement

Like any industry, the world of appliance repair has several training conferences and conventions each year. A regular attendee at these events is the Fred's University. Fred's University is a complete training program for aspiring technicians. On his blog he shares how to replace a gasket on a refrigerator door. From the article: "For most refrigerators, all you need to get started is a replacement seal, a screwdriver and a wrench."

Monday Motivation

Fun Friday: Funny Price Shoppers

Here's a fun take on some of the persuasive tactics folks use to try to get lower prices. I think everyone in business can relate to some versions of these offers. Happy Friday and keep on smiling!

Thrifty Thursday: The GE Motherboard

Here is a thrifty tip is for repair companies. Most techs know that a large number of GE refrigerators use the same motherboard. Due to the prices of computer boards some service companies hold off on stocking that board until they come across a need for it. BUT... Because it is so commonly used. because of all the hidden expenses involved in making a second trip out to the home. And because quickly repairing your clients appliance improves your reputation in the community, the thrifty thing to do is to keep the WR55x10942 board on your truck, ready for when you need it.

Wednesday Web Tools: Internet Browsers

There are a lot of useful tools online to run your business more efficiently, engage with your customers, and to stay informed about the marketplace. But first you need to be on the internet. Obviously if you are reading this you've made it that far. However, I'd still like to start by talking about the most basic of subjects, your internet browser.

The internet is the network of computers. Web pages make up the World Wide Web, and those are what you access with a browser. Most PC's come with Internet Explorer from Microsoft built in. If you are on a Mac Safari from Apple will be your default. But you also have a few more options that are also popular.

Mozilla Firefox is an open source browser. What that means is that the browser was created by some smart users to be used as a free way to connect to the web. Firefox has become a popular browser due to it's reputation as being less susceptible to viruses. It also has a wide variety of extensions and add-on's that can be used to customise the browser and to add features for many websites. A few add on extensions I like are ad-block, which removes ads from web pages you might visit. I also like Pocket, which bookmarks web pages to be read later at a more convenient time.

Google has also thrown their hat in the ring with their Chrome browser. I find Chrome to be a very good browser and it, like Firefox, can be customized with a wide variety of extensions and add-ons. My favorite of these in KanbanFlow, which I find to be a quite useful to-do list. The largest criticisms I hear about Chrome is that it is heavily tied into Google, which causes some people concerns regarding privacy. Also, there is the precaution against "putting all the eggs in one basket" since Google is involved in so many different web services.

This has just been a brief overview. Like choosing a car, your best choice is a blend of performance, style, and features. I recommend trying them all to see who is your best fit. You may find, like me, that using different browsers to do different things is your best choice.

Set Up an Efficient Laundry Room

Came across this tip filled article on Twitter. Thanks to Appliance Specialists, LLC for sharing it. From the article:

Few moments are more absurd than the times you beg your loved ones for their dirty laundry. That's why you should put a few receptacles in strategic locations that will make transporting and sorting clothes easier, says Linda Cobb, author of Talking Dirty Laundry With the Queen of Clean.

Tuesday Tips: Partnering

Todays tip for service companies involves expanding your customer base. A great way to do that is by partnering with other organizations that also might reach your ideal customer for other reasons. For example, a successful company we know of partners with Susan G Komen for the Cure (breast cancer) to reach women and they partner with the local sports radio to reach men. This has done wonders in introducing themselves to people who might also have need for their services. Who can YOU partner with to meet new potential customers?

Creative Commons license on image.

Think Like a Rookie

Jon Gordon's leadership blog posted an article of caution to those of who have been around the block a few times in this business. It is so easy to get caught up in our own expectations. It is easy to remember those times when things didn't work out. It is easy to build mental barriers. The article offers an alternative idea.

Think Like a Rookie

Happy Presidents Day

LAST DAY TO SAVE $100

A great educational opportunity for companies and individuals in the appliance service trade. Its the Appliance Service Training Institute being held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL March 6-9, 2013. This really is a great training opportunity and From personal experience I can tell you early March is a great time to visit Walt Disney World and the Orlando area.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SAVE $100
Discounted pricing still available until Feb 15 with your parts distributors discount code-WLM001.
ONLY $449.00 for USA members after discount
4(really 5) days and over 120 hours of training with meals included.

Click here to view event summary and register or go here for the PDF.


Creative Commons license on image.

What service business owners said about previous ASTI events :

"I consider the convention to be a very valuable training event and place it high on my list of events to attend and to send my employees to. I was impressed with the level of professionalism that was evident with the trainers and organizers and highly recommend that this program be continued. Thank-you for the privilege of attending this convention." Martin Appliance

"This was a phenomenal event offering extraordinary opportunities for personal and corporate advancement powered by knowledge and networking. I am very excited about implementing the remarkable ideas and methods that I learned at ASTI and am very grateful for having the opportunity to attend this awesome event. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Alpine Appliance

"The ASTI was great! While I didn't attend very many classes, I did a lot of networking which proved to be very beneficial. I have had almost all of the classes offered, and mainly attended the convention for the networking aspect. You guys did a great job of pulling off this venture. Kudos to all for your hard work!" Paul's Certified Appliance

Fun Friday: Vintage Appliance Commercial

Here is classic commercial from the 80's for Highland Appliance. Think Red October meets Top Secret. Classic!

Happy Valentines Day!

Workplace Wednesday: Appliance Samurai's Tool Kit

If you have spent any time online looking for educational material about appliance repair, then you have probably crossed paths with Samurai Appliance Repair Man. In this video he shows off his tool kit. We don't necessarily agree with him on all of his tool brand recommendations, but we have to admire his well organized and thoughtfully laid out tool kit. How do you organize and carry your tools? We've seen backpacks (like in the video), buckets, tool belts, tackle boxes, and briefcases. What do you use? Let us know in the comments.

Truck Stock Tuesday: Linteater

Here's an item that not only makes a great truck stock item, but is also a good tool for the do-it-yourselfer. The Linteater duct cleaning system is a great way of cleaning lint from dryer ducts, which is important since lint filled vent lines can be a major fire hazard.
Servicers, this is an easy way to increase your invoice while providing a valuable service to your customers. DIY folks, this is important maintenance and can save you the cost of hiring a repairman to do the job for you. In addition to dryer ducts the manufacturer recommends using the Linteater to clean baseboard heaters, under appliances, pellet stove vents and even gutter downspouts!

Monday Munchable: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Today on our Facebook page we shared a recipe that we found online for Red Velvet Cupcakes. Perfect for your sweetheart on Thursday.

Fact for Friday: Product Testing

Consumer Reports explains how they test dishwashers for review. While they don't specifically make any brand recommendations, they do point out some factors to consider if you are in the market for a new dishwasher.

How Whirlpool Survived A Rough Recovery From The Housing Crash

Last week Forbes posted an interesting article about Whirlpool and the ways it has adapted to the economic upheavals of the last few years. From the article:

By mid-2011 it was clear that the current earnings stream the company was producing was not sustainable. “With low demand and high costs, we determined ‘we’re not gonna wait for a recovery,’ and re-sized the business” to meet the North American and European demand levels at the time.

The response the company crafted was threefold — cut capacity and costs; raise prices where possible to offset raw materials inflation; and invest in new product innovation with better margins and higher prices as a goal – but it was not painless.

Tip for Thursday: Facebook Timeline

Your Facebook timeline can be a great read, but be aware not everything your friends post necessarily show up in your timeline (and not every thing you post will show up in theirs!) So the tip is to go to your friends pages (and pages you have liked) to look at their wall and see what you might have missed.

Workplace Wednesday: Uncle Harry's Tool Bag

"Uncle Harry" runs an online program to train people who would like to start and run an appliance repair business. This video shows some not so common tools that the "Uncle Harry" carries on his truck for those unusual jobs. What unusual tools do you carry and what do you use them for? Let us know in the comments.

Woman Involved in Internet Scam Receives Washing Machine

A reminder that some things are not always what they seem. From the article:

She was skeptical at first, but he earned her trust. So much so, Brooks gave him her mailing address. "Jones" ended up sending her a card and chocolate. After that, things started to get sketchy. She felt something was wrong when he told her she'd receive something else. "I'm like what are you sending out this time. He was like oh, not for you, it's for me and I'm sending it to a charity," Brooks remembers. That something turned out to be a $1,000 washing machine, delivered to her about ten days ago. Police say it was bought from a Home Depot in Jackson by a man in California who had his identity stolen.

Tuesday Tips: Range Hood Filters

Did you know? There are a wide variety of grease filters used on range hoods. We stock many of them in the most common sizes. Just call us with the dimensions, including the thickness of the filter. If the filter you are looking for is an unusual size, we can have them made to order to meet your needs.

Cost cuts help Whirlpool counter weak demand

From the article:

Whirlpool has benefited from cutting costs and manufacturing capacity, raising prices and adopting a string of measures to boost productivity. In recent quarters, the company decided to focus less on the lower-end appliance segment to protect margins.

Whirlpool files lawsuit against supplier

Delivery problems have caused Whirlpool to sue one of their suppliers. From the article:

A lawsuit filed by Whirlpool on Jan. 24 in Ohio Northern District Court states during one 10-week period Core Systems LLC failed to meet its delivery deadlines nine times, “including one instance in which Whirlpool had to shut down an entire line and send workers home, at considerable expense to Whirlpool.”

Monday Motivation

Our First Post-Welcome!

Welcome to the WLMay blog. Many of you have visited our Facebook page in the past or received or monthly newsletter. Neither format was perfect. Emails can be hard to refer back to later and Facebook limits who receives updates. To better inform our readers, the plan is to use this format to continue our educational outreach to the appliance repair industry as well as interested do-it-yourselfers. Of course, we also plan to mix it up and post some fun and inspirational stuff as well.
The best way to get all of our posts is to subscribe to this blog. Subscribing is free and will alert you any time we post new items. This is called RSS, for more information on how RSS works look here. You can also subscribe to receive daily emails by entering your email adress into the appropriate field on the right side of this page. If you don't want to subscribe, visit us weekdays for new posts.
For those of us on Facebook, we will still be posting and sharing, but we hope you will agree that the blog format is more useful for referencing older posts and for reaching out to those who are not "into Facebook". Also we will now be on Twitter. You can follow us here.
We are excited about the changes and, as always, look forward to your comments and input.