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3M Direct – Opinions?
So flicking through Facebook over the weekend, I see an advert from 3M direct, advertising DIY wrapping kits.
Two kits are available including, gold squeegee, snitty, and cleaning wipes, and either 1500x2500mm 1080 from 118.99 (inc VAT) or 1000x1500mm from £52.49 (inc VAT)
The product description includes the following:
"Whilst 3M™ Wrap Kits are simple to apply, for complex or full vehicle wraps, please visit our vehicle wrapping website to locate your nearest professional installer."
What is you opinion on this? We’re not talking William Smith, or Spandex selling direct to the end user, but rather the manufacturer bypassing those and selling directly to the customer.
Whilst we don’t do much on the car wrapping front, it still irritates me.
We all know there’s a correct way to install a wrap, and 3M emphasise this, yet they’re now letting anyone have a go. When the wrap fails due to incorrect fitting, 3M’s material will get the blame, devaluing their material and damaging their reputation?
More over when a customer pop’s in for a price to have a bonnet/roof/mirror wrapped, and you’re asking for £200+VAT, to cover your time, knowledge, material, overheads, the client walks away and buys it direct from 3M, and has a go himself at the weekend for £120!
As I say it won’t affect us massively, but for the guys who do this more often, what’s your opinion, seem’s to have upset a few sign writers on Facebook.
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5 Replies
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I realise you will have read my reply to 3M on this already David, so I will add it here also:
3M is advertising:
quote :Car Wrapping Kits
Ever seen a bespoke wrap and wondered how it’s done? Fancy a colour-change without the cost? 3M Vinyl Wrapping Film is used by professional installers worldwide to create custom looks that turn heads and set vehicles apart from the crowd. Our DIY kits bring the same, professional-grade film to car enthusiasts at home – giving you the chance to personalise your ride.My Reply to 3M:
This is a direct attack on every vehicle wrappers livelihood. 3M you are targeting our customers and you are devaluing our trade as well as belittling our professionalism.
You dictate that installers should charge a premium because we use your media and should push “your brand” to our customers that the combination of your premium film professionally installed by us using your wrapping products, combined, will give them peace of mind on their wrapped vehicle.
Yet here you are pulling the carpet from the same people who trust and invest in you on a daily basis! Moreover, how can the UK distributors such as William Smiths or Spandex be happy you are now pushing your wrapping films direct to the public? Because let’s face it, you are side stepping us all as a result of your greed to meet targets!
January Sale alert right enough, an alert to us lot to boycott our next purchase of your film! -
Part of me thinks let them get on with it. The DIY brigade will soon change their minds the first time they try and wrap a vehicle wasting a fortune in expensive wrapping vinyl in the process. Once they realise how difficult it can be then perhaps they will pay the going rate for a professional installation.
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I think they did something similar in the States and it didn’t go down well their either. It’s not as if people aren’t buying stuff on eBay already though. We either get asked to fit these vinyls for people or asked to re-do it when they have mucked it up. There are also plenty of other companies selling wrap vinyls at cheap prices.
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quote Phill Fenton:Part of me thinks let them get on with it.It does give people a marker for material costs…..I suggest that an informed customer who knows margins etc. is in a better negotiating position than one who is not.
John
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quote John Thomson:It does give people a marker for material costs…..I suggest that an informed customer who knows margins etc. is in a better negotiating position than one who is not.
I completely agree John. the last thing i want is a customer telling me to justify why i charge what i charge after the deduction of the film. There is a pile of reasons for what we charge, but will/do they care?
I think the fact that 3M are happy to do this is very underhand…
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