Tag Archive for 'recession'

Mandy discovers motorhome competition celebration arrangements might have hidden problems

Published on February 9, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

It was a hot lazy afternoon the next day and Mandy decided to look through the guest list for the motorhome competition celebrations  that were taking place on Saturday now only 48 hours away.

She was pleased to see that many of the motor home competition entrants were bringing families and friends to swell the numbers and a few Council representatives and officials were also going to be present.

“Typical Council officials, always keen on a free lunch,” moaned Ruarc, focussing only on the cost.

“We need them on our side,” chided Mandy, gently. “They may get a free lunch but, afterwards,they are less likely to stand in the way of any plans we have. Plus we might be able to get some advice from them on what we can or can’t do to develop the motorhome business and remember they are not charging us for their advice on this occasion.”

Ruarc nodded grudging agreement, he liked the idea of getting assistance for free.

Mandy looked down the list that Gladys had prepared and saw an entry she didn’t fully understand.

‘Ruarc’s family’, it said.

“What’s this entry described as ‘Ruarc’s family’”, she asked.

Ruarc was non-committal.

“A few of the family are coming over from Ireland.” He grinned wolfishly. “They like a free lunch too!”

“How many of them will there be?” said Mandy.

“You’ll have to talk to Rita about that. She’s the one whose been doing all the telephone calls.”

“All the telephone calls? Have you a big family in Ireland?” pressed Mandy. She didn’t really want to have to talk to Rita.

“For sure, our family is big – but they won’t necessarily all come over at the same time. You’ll have to talk to Rita, she is the one who does family stuff.”

On a day that Mandy saw as being critical to the future of Ruarc’s motorhome sales and its survival through the recession, the thought of possibly hundreds of surly Ralphs, Ruarcs and Ritas with their general lack of social communication skills mingling with prospective customers and business contacts suddenly filled Mandy with dread.

Mandy had hardly spoken to Rita for weeks. Her surly attitude and open contempt for what she regarded as hired and unnecessary help made it an event Mandy didn’t look forward to. Ruarc recently had largely accepted Mandy as a driving force for the business but Rita was a different matter and, ultimately, she had a lot of influence over Ruarc.

Filled with trepidation, Mandy resolved to see Rita later that day.

Mandy makes steady progress with motor-home hire and rental strategy

Published on February 6, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

The next few days passed for Mandy in a blur of activity. Katerina, who was slim and small, slept in Mandy’s motor-home luton. Since Ruarc point-blank refused to agree a wage for her, Mandy said she would reimburse Katerina out of her own pay.

The wages Katerina said she’d previously been paid whilst in the UK were so pitiful it would be no great hardship, Mandy thought.

At least, Ruarc agreed for Mandy to take a laptop from the farm shop and install it in her motor-home so Katerina was able to make a start with improving the Web site design aspects of the motor-home business.

Customers came and customers went. Sometimes Mandy felt optimistic and sometimes she felt in the depths of despair. The recession was biting hard and everybody had horror stories to report about shops closed down and businesses failing.

But the motor-homes were looking spic and span and the customers were reading the information now sellotaped to the motor-home windscreens alongside the price and obviously valued the information.

Entries for the motor-home competition were also now going strongly and the telephone and email information was proving invaluable for follow-up calls made by Gladys who looked in her element.

Gradually the motorhome rental side of the business was growing and, although no motor home sales seemed imminent, Ruarc had begun to treat Mandy more like an employee and advisor than a lackey.

Perhaps he had warned Ralph off too because his son hadn’t been  around causing problems with Katerina.

For a few days, Mandy had been worried about the gang-master coming around for his share of Katerina’s wage however, as it turned out, it seemed the gang-master had so many workers that, if one went missing, it was not so important, especially one as weak and tiny as Katerina.

A group of fishermen entered the competition and then came around to make a regular motor-home hire booking. Seizing the opportunity of regular business, Mandy was even able to agree a special deal price with them which left them very satisfied.

It seemed they needed the motor-home to go away together for regular sea fishing expeditions.

After the first trip, the four fishermen  left the motor-home they had rented in quite a state but Katerina with a shrug and a smile quickly set to work to make it spic and span and good as new.

One day, a middle-aged man turned up and quite took to Mandy. He was going into hospital soon for radiotherapy and didn’t want to travel the 60 miles each day for treatment. His plan was to park the motor-home at a campsite near to the hospital for the duration of the treatment. He told Mandy that, when his treatment was over, if it was successful, he would come back and try to persuade Mandy to go out for a date with him. Mandy found herself shedding a tear as the man drove away in his rented motor-home.

Which made Mandy wonder about Tom Hutchinson. For somebody who seemed so keen, it had now been several weeks that he had not called. Perhaps his plans had changed or perhaps she had mis-read his intentions.

Each day, Mandy went to work at the motor-home sales office, greeting customers and working hard to make sales. Katerina started her day cleaning the motor homes then sat studiously updating Rick’s motor-home sales web site on the laptop.

When the month-end came, Mandy handed Katerina her share of Mandy’s wages and was pleased to see Gladys was also continuing to be paid.

The grand finale to the motor-home hire promotional competition was rapidly  approaching and Mandy made arrangements with the local press and media to televise the prize-giving. It would be good public relations for Ruarc’s motor-home sales business.

Mandy’s only worry was that Ruarc was insisting his suppliers should come down and join in the celebrations.

Mandy had not forgotten Ruarc’s special relationship with his suppliers and, according to him, their special needs.

Motor home hire – Mandy prepares do or die strategy

Published on January 26, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

The next morning Mandy arrived at work feeling in a good mood. Music from the little wind-up radio had cheered her as she woke up in her ancient motor home and the tiny trickle of water from the old motorhome’s shower had even felt a bit warmer and more plentiful than usual.

After crossing the short stretch of grass between the motor home where she slept and the old motor-home that served as the business sales office, she immediately saw a note on her desk from Ruarc, her boss, in his untidy scrawled handwriting.

‘Staff meeting 11 o’clock prompt at the farmhouse with Ralph and my sister. Be there! And you’d better have some ideas about how this motor-home sales business is going to make money – or else!’

Mandy sat down at her motor home sales desk and wondered if this was going to the last day of her employment. Of course, it was completely unfair for them to expect her come up with solutions that they had probably missed for years and, anyway, perhaps there  weren’t any. The UK, like the rest of the world, was a recession and people were not buying motor homes, cars, boats or anything else that cost a lot of money.

Mandy sat down at her desk and leafed through the comments left by the visitors who had taken a look at the motor homes but decided against buying. Perhaps there were aspects of the business prospective customers might have criticised which could be improved – apart from customer care when Mandy wasn’t around, she thought bitterly.

Several visitors had mentioned the lack of an up-to-date Web site. It seemed that they were unable to identify whether there was any new stock. They thought it was a long way for them to drive just to find out the same motor homes were available as at their last visit.

Also a telephone call was not as good as a picture, especially as in one case the poor customer had been told that there was new stock only to arrive and find the new stock, probably entirely fictitious, had just been sold.

Perhaps a new or more up-to-date motor home sales Web site would give Mandy an excuse for ringing around her list of previous visitors and jolt somebody into action.

Mandy looked out through the window of her little office. The window really did need cleaning and the draught caused by the window being partially open all the time to allow the telephone wire through was still a nuisance.

The motor homes stood, solidly and immovably in the weak sunshine. They were a dream of adventure and freedom but they were also very expensive.

To buy a motor-home, the prospective owner had to put down a large amount of money, perhaps from a retirement settlement, or they had to be able to raise credit from a lender and credit was exactly what had stalled with the credit crunch.

It was a pity, Mandy mused, that the motor homes couldn’t be rented out until the economy got better. Motor home hire would help people who wanted a go on holidays and it would help Ruarc’s business because it would provide him with a positive cash flow. He might even be able to keep his suppliers happy by taking on some more motor homes, perhaps even provided on credit from his grateful suppliers.

Armed with these two ideas and wishing that she was armed with a crowbar  to knock some sense into Ruarc and his family, Mandy crossed the grass to the farmhouse where the motor home sales meeting was to be held.

Motor home sales needed to save Mandy’s job

Published on January 22, 2009 in motor home. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

The next day the sky was overcast and everything looked slate grey outside. As Mandy gazed across to the motor home sales office, it seemed an oasis of light in an otherwise dark and damp day. The weather perfectly matched the way Mandy felt.

Nothing that Ruarc said, when she got to her office, made her feel any better.

“When you going to get a sale out of that Mr Hutchinson,” said Ruarc, belligerently. He had taken his favourite spot leaning against the wall opposite Mandy’s desk with his arms crossed.

“I don’t think he liked the price you suggested for his VW camper van,” Mandy stated flatly. “It was practically insulting.”

“Insulting was it, “Ruarc’s face suddenly became red and suffused with rage. “I’ll give you insulting.” He leaned forward and glared into Mandy’s face.

“Okay, the price you offer is the price you offer. It’s nothing to do with me. I passed the price on to him and there was nothing else I could do. He obviously didn’t like it. I suggested that a bit could be shaved off  the Adria Twin motor home but it didn’t seem to help, however, and I think he’s coming back again so there is always the chance that he might change his mind.”

“We need to make some more sales, gal,” said Ruarc, grimacing. ” It’s almost the end of the month and, at this rate it’ll be you that’ll be paying me wages for you being here.”

It was more than Mandy could take. She stood up angrily, glaring at Ruarc and stabbing her finger at the air between them.

“How dare you say that. After all the hours I have put in and the sales I’ve made, not to mention the cleaning I’ve done of your dirty old motor homes. In return, all I’ve had from the farm shop is a few provisions so that I could eat and some cleaning materials so that I could make that tatty motor home hygienic you are renting me to sleep in and a few threads of curtain material so that I could have some privacy from peeping-toms. Furthermore, why won’t your sister ever tell me how much I spend when I visit the farm shop. I ask each time and she always gives me some evasion. I want to know how much I’m spending as I go.”

“You are spending more than you can afford,” snarled Ruarc, pushing his face into hers. “And you’d better pull your stockings up, otherwise you’ll be out of a job. There’s a recession on you know and you can’t be choosy. Unless this business is profitable we’ll be shedding staff like the thousands of other businesses that are putting their workers on the dole all over the country. It’s your choice. Stay or go. I don’t care. And if you stay, I want more from you. That’s your last warning!”

Ruarc stormed out of Mandy’s office, crashed down into his executive’s seat and, minutes later, Mandy was not surprised to hear him calling for Gladys. Perhaps she knew how to handle him, thought to Mandy. Without any doubt, whatever Gladys did for Ruarc was certain to be out of Mandy’s league.

Wearily, Mandy started going through the telephone lists she had compiled from the visitors’ book and which she had separated into hopeless and not completely hopeless.

Sighing deeply, she started telephoning the ones that she hoped were not completely out of the question once again.

Unfortunately, her original assessment had been largely correct and not one revisit could be squeezed from the list of telephone numbers. By 6 o’clock in the evening, Mandy’s mood was as dark as the evening outside.

Then the telephone rang and it was Tom Hutchinson. He wanted to know if she would like to go with him to a local pub where there was some live music playing that evening.

Lost for any reason why she shouldn’t, but with strong misgivings, Mandy agreed.

Tom meets Mandy to try out an Adria Twin motorhome with the fixed double bed

Published on January 14, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Tom Hutchinson arrived on time with a cold box and Mandy and he were soon bowling down the road in the Adria Twin motorhome with the fixed double bed.

Tom Hutchinson drove and Mandy sat in the passenger seat keeping quiet while he got used to the controls.

They climbed up the hill along quiet country lanes until they reached a viewpoint with the countryside spreading all around them. In the distance there was an estuary and behind them they could just see in the distance Ruarc’s motorhome sales and  farm.

Tom Hutchinson pulled into the parking area and switched off the engine.

“It runs very nicely,” he said. “A bit different from my rattly old VW campervan.”

Mandy smiled sideways at Tom Hutchinson. She was feeling very mellow.

“If you move the Adria Twin motor home over there onto the grass, we can pull out the motorhome awning and I’ve got a table and two chairs I put on the back earlier so we can eat in comfort… and I brought an apple.”

Tom Hutchinson started the engine again and pulled over to the grass as directed. Mandy felt relieved that the awning wasn’t difficult to open and retrieved the table and two chairs from the back of the motor home.

Tom opened up his cold box. Mandy observed that he had far more than he needed for himself and even a bottle of white wine at the bottom keeping cold.

“You are going to have to help me eat this,” Tom Hutchinson said.

“It looks an absolute feast,” said Mandy. “What on earth are those?”

“Caviar vol-au-vent!” Tom Hutchinson gave his easy smile.

“Don’t you think that caviar is a bit expensive for a working lunch? You must be a very well paid writer!”

“I get by. Unfortunately, my income is only ever as good as my next work. That’s the way it goes in my occupation. It’s a winner takes all market. I’ve been a winner a few times but that gives no guarantees for the future. How about you? Have you always sold motor homes? ”

“Certainly not. I did a degree in music but it’s a very difficult way to make a living – probably like writing – so I turned my hand to office work for a while. Then I got married and my career seemed less important as I followed my husband around Europe with his job in Finance. When we split up, after five years, I didn’t know what to do with myself so I started a ladies boutique but it never worked and I lost a lot of money.”

Tom Hutchinson passed Mandy the dish containing the caviar vol-au-vent and a glass of white wine with a smile of sympathy and pointed towards the motorhome sales business in the distance.

“Your Ruarc seems to be making money, even in the recession, how does he do it?”

“He tells me that he provides customers with what they want,” said Mandy. “He keeps quite a big stock and relies on turnover to make it worthwhile which benefits the customers through low prices so they keep coming back.” It was the official line and, even if Tom Hutchinson’s eyes were gorgeously brown, it wasn’t the time to change it. How about you? Are you successfully married as well as being a caviar and white wine writer?

Your dream motorhome

Published on January 12, 2009 in motor home and motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Silly me, thought Mandy, as she checked her hair and repaired her make up in the small mirror behind her desk. He’s probably short, fat and ugly with sweaty hands.

But Tom Hutchinson wasn’t. As he got out of his VW campervan and Mandy walked towards him across the grass, she saw, instead, that he was tall, slim and athletic with brown hair. As they shook hands, his grip was firm and his eyes seemed to draw her into his soul.

“Now you must tell me absolutely everything that you want … in your dream motorhome,” said Mandy, smiling her best smile.

“Sales are down, are they?” Tom Hutchinson was clearly looking for a bargain.

“There’s a recession, everybody knows that,” said Mandy. “It’s hurting everybody but of course it means that you can get some really good deals.”

Tom Hutchinson wandered over to an Adria Twin.

“That’s the sort of thing that I want,” he said. “It has a good dining room up front where I can do my writing – I’m currently writing an online novel – and a fixed double bed at the back which I can fall into after a long day’s work.”

“It also has a very good bathroom”, observed Mandy. “Do you travel alone or would they be somebody with you? ”

“Mostly alone,” admitted Tom Hutchinson. Then a twinkle came into his eye… “unless I’m lucky of course.”

Mandy gave Tom Hutchinson a rather prim and proper sideways look to put him in his place. There was no mistaking his innuendo but it was said gently, with humour and a very endearing smile which Mandy rather liked.

She opened all the cupboards for him and stood back as he tried the bed.

“If you like the Adria Twin, you may also like a Ford Transit camper van over there,”  said Mandy. “It is very similar to the Adria Twin and about the same price. Would you be wanting to trade in your VW camper van?”

“It depends on the price you’d give for the the VW camper-van in part exchange.”

“Ruarc, the owner here, tells me he gives the best prices in England for motor home part exchanges.” Mandy had chosen her words carefully. She didn’t want to lie. It was true Ruarc had told her that he gave the best prices but then he’d added the word ‘not’ and hugely enjoyed the emphasis.

“I can’t stay too long this afternoon, “said Tom Hutchinson, “but perhaps I could come back another day and get your Ruarc to give me a price on my VW camper. Then I will know what I have to play with. I can check out the Ford Transit at the same time”

As he drove away down the road, Mandy stood watching. His cheery wave made her stomach feel strange in a way it hadn’t for years.

Mandy resolved to call him the next day to make a date, then stopped herself and rephrased it in her mind to ‘appointment’ to get his VW valued.

Mandy starts motorhome telephone sales

Published on January 9, 2009 in motorhome. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

When Mandy arrived at Ruarc’s motorhome sales office the next day and sat down at her desk, she felt a cold draft blowing on her shoulder.

The reason was easy to spot. The motorhome office window was open and a wire had been passed through which now meant that the motorhome window would be permanently open thus causing a draft.

The purpose for the wire was obvious. A rather antiquated telephone now rested on Mandy’s desk and there was a note besides the telephone saying:

“It’s time to get the sales going, gal! Get phoning.”

A scruffy visitors log lay besides the note. A brief inspection showed, in extremely scrawled handwriting, details of potential customers who had visited Ruarcs motor home sales office, left their telephone number and sometimes their address, but had somehow managed to escape with their money intact and without buying a motorhome.

“Have you seen the note?” roared Ruarc from the other end of the motorhome.

“I could hardly miss it given the draught through the window that the wire is causing,” snorted Mandy.

“I’ll get it fixed properly, when you get the sales up – as a bonus. The whole country’s panicking because of this recession and I’ve got more motorhomes coming in to put up for sale soon. You’re my great white hope! Get going gal! I’ll make it worth your while. Anyway, the fresh air will keep you awake! Think positively.”

Wearily, Mandy opened the visitors book at the first page and started telephoning.

As the morning wore on, there were no drop-in visitors to the Ruarcs (wrecks) motorhome sales, as Mandy was privately beginning to call his business. So Mandy was able to concentrate of her telephoning. It seemed that Ruarc was not the only one to hear the doom and gloom on the radio.

The feedback that Mandy received as she telephoned around previous visitors was that they had come away with an impression of really bad customer service. The general comment was that they thought the motor homes were OK but could rarely get anybody to answer to their questions or even open a motorhome for closer inspection. Few showed any interest in coming back, partly because of the transport cost of getting to such a rural location and partly because the unprofessional ambiance of the business had completely put them off.

Mandy put the telephone down once again after yet another unsuccessful sales pitch. Ruarc was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets watching her moodily.

“I’m getting a lot of negative feedback from previous visitors to your motor home sales, Ruarc,” she said.

Ruarc’s response was graphic and included references to the customer’s parentage that didn’t bear repeating. He then slouched off back to his office, hands deep in pockets, shoulders slumped.

After a while, he called his secretary, Gladys, into his office, presumably to cheer him up. Since she appeared to have done nothing so far that day except file her nails and check her bouffant blonde hair. At least he was at last giving Gladys a reason for being there, thought Mandy, bitterly.

After another ten calls, Mandy came across a man who currently had a VW campervan and wanted to buy something bigger. Like the others, he’d been unable to find anybody to talk to him when he’d previously visited but was prepared to try again, especially as Mandy promised to look after him personally.

There was something about his voice that Mandy liked. He came over warm and friendly. It had been a while since Mandy had spoken to anybody who was warm and friendly. She found herself looking forward to his visit at two o’clock in the afternoon and, surprised, even wondered if she’d been a bit flirtatious. Perhaps that was what it took to get people to come back to Ruarcs wrecks, she thought.