Reply With QuoteThankfully you have a choice and can go elsewhere, quite a few options out there. [It probably went downhill once Kerry left.].
Good evening, I don’t know what other members interactions with Blowers has been but must admit my latest interaction with the company has been far from what I would expect. I enquired after a watch advertised on their website. I asked what the best cash price would be for a purchase outright and also submitted a separate part exchange request. I have today some 2 weeks later received a px value, never had a best cash price.
I have had previously dealt with Blowers and I received a great service from Ian, all I can think is that my business is no longer of interest which is rather disappointing. If anyone from Blowers reads this please note that a prompt reply goes a long way and if there is a px you are not interested in just say that, a very slow reply or valuation just makes you look bad and uninterested in potential customers.
Thankfully you have a choice and can go elsewhere, quite a few options out there. [It probably went downhill once Kerry left.].
I did indeed go elsewhere and purchased a watch from a dealer called Will Wiseman. Will could not have been more helpful and was a pleasure to deal with, even sent a detailed video of the watch prior to purchase.
Funny how everyone has a different experience, Will Wiseman never had the curtesy to reply to me .
Blowers , I’ve always had a positive experience .
'Best cash price' carries little weight these days.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Agreed. And such a blunt question is, sorry, a little lame from a negotiation point of view.Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK
Whilst we all live in the online/e commerce world now there are certain higher end products that if you’re a committed consumer you will pick up the phone to talk directly with the retailer.
And, playing devils advocate here, who is to say that the O/P’s email enquiry didn’t (maybe) fall into a spam folder for the recipient. Just a thought, for sake of balance, as I’ve always found Blowers great to engage with.
Last edited by Gareth-W; 10th June 2023 at 00:27.
Agreed. When I first read the OP's comment I did wonder if anyone offers a best cash price any more. Let's face it, discounts for cash were almost certainly because they were 'off the books' and in effect, money laundering. These days, with so many transactions being recorded, most business bank accounts charging for cash deposits and less branches left where you can actually deposit cash, why would a business choose to do so? From a business perspective, someone asking for a 'best cash price' might send up red flags and discourage the business from making contact.
Ah yes, I've used Will in the past. My Panerai went there. Best selling experience to a watch dealer IMHO. I still use Blowers and a couple of others depending on who gives the best price.
I'll even use Watchfinder every once in a while (although 99% of the time they bid me in the nuts - I sigh slightly when hitting the submit/send button every time). They did surprise me in a positive way once.
Will is very good, real passionate about his business, what did you end up buying from him?
So to answer a few questions, the question about best cash price was based on a question of paying directly via Bank Transfer rather than a card and from experience most dealers will offer a better price if there are no card fees involved. Obviously in an ideal world I would pop in and chat face to face but as I am over 200 miles away that is not really easy or practical. I have previously dealt with Blowers and as I said in my original post had a great service. This time it seems to have gone awry sadly. As for the junk folder thing that did not happen, my initial enquiry was responded to after approx 2 days (Not Great) and then after supplying the P/x info as requested it took 2 weeks to come back which was not great.
I purchased a PAM 511 Oro Rosso 8 days from Will and was looking at the same model at Blowers.
The watch was well over the threshold for any cash sale, I believe the limit on any one transaction is around 7k. Anything over that has to be reported to HMRC as far as I understand. I know a few who still deal in cash but it is becoming more and more difficult to use.
Ian retired about ten years ago. I have dealt with Mark (Blowers) and Rich many times over the years, both very genuine, engaged, professional and straightforward to deal with. Two weeks is tardy, but I suspect is reflective of overall busyness or something being missed, rather than a general reflection of level of interest/service.
It is funny how literal an interpretation can be given to ‘cash’ in this context, I always assume it just means best price without finance etc. That said, I have had a couple of people asking to pay in actual cash for one or two of my watches at c. £6-9k. No thanks!
Last edited by Berty234; 10th June 2023 at 10:23.
there isn't a limit on how much you can pay in a cash transaction, only that as a business you have to be registered with HMRC if you plan on taking payments for goods, in one transaction, in excess of 10k euros or the currency equivalent (around £8.5k). It's purely an attempt to stop money laundering.
I actually can't see why a dealer would offer a better deal for a bank transfer than for a debit card payment. Debit card charges to businesses are next to nothing usually. Credit card, yes, that would be understandable but even that, on a £10k watch, might only be a couple of hundred pounds, if that. Of course, there's less risk for the dealer with a bank transfer or debit card.
Cash is cash, there's no other interpretation. Other ways that aren't on shop finance include bank transfer, debit card, credit card or wait for it, yes, cheques are still acceptable.
bear in mind that cash is the only form of finance that you can personally secure. Anything digital can be subject to errors and losses. As an example, if you have £100k in cash, that's all yours. £100k in the bank and the bank goes under, you've suddenly lost £15k.
Cash goes down in value every year.
Cash in a house could be stolen, burnt or eaten by a a pet.
Very sure that. Anything physical is subject ot losses.
Back to the OP, 2 weeks does see a longtime. Any Company if busy should set expectations via an automatic responce.
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I’ve dealt with Blowers numerous times (local to me) both via the website and face to face and have found that they don’t always get to the website queries as quick as you might like/hope/expect. If you pick up the phone and alert them to a website query they usually respond pretty quickly and usually with a fair offer. I’ve used them on multiple occasions and always been happy with their service and (mostly) pricing.
^^^ That’s how I read it too. Cash to me normally means someone having the money to buy it outright without finance.
That said for me too someone local offered me cash for a watch a couple of years ago and I just said no.
Out of curiosity I asked an AD once if they got offered cash much and I seem to recall they could only take something like £5,000 in cash. Might be different now.
If a business or individual are defalcating cash the one thing they will not do is deposit it in the bank.
Your 'best cash price' "enquiry" would likely ring alarm bells with any established quality watch dealer. Your "enquiry" 'comes across' as that of a potential money launderer / chancer / time waster, & tyre kicker – furthermore, you mention the PX deal request was a 'separate' enquiry. Maybe you were lucky to receive any reply at all from Blowers. Other established quality watch dealers might have chosen to completely ignore your enquiry. Maybe put yourself in the position of an established dealer and what they might say before assuming they'll oblige you with what you want them to say. There are more subtle and 'polite' ways of agreeing a discounted sale price, i.e., without using the clichéd expression, "best cash price". And this also applies to TZ UK SC buyers who try the same 'gimmee yer best price' tactic. I advise them, "Sorry, I do not advise a best price!! I only respond to firm offers" I have bought several Rolex watches from Blowers and managed to negotiate discounts – but did not and would not request a 'best price' – which would make me sound like a car boot sale customer.
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
That's not how I understand it. Cash means cash...i.e. £ notes.
Which reminds me, I offered cash for a Rolex 16613 at Goldsmiths in Bath way back in 1996. I can't remember exactly what the RRP was (maybe somebody can recall?) but I offered £3000 in actual cash & they said ok. I'd just been round to Mallory's of Bath & they declined my offer.
It was the first 'nice' watch that I'd bought. Still got it & I doubt I've lost much of my £3k
Been a while since I read such a pile of poo outside of the pit. True top tier nonsense.
And the OP is still waiting for his 'best price' ...
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
People used to get 3% off rolex for paying by bank transfer instead of bank card. That was classed as cash.
Think you’ve gone for a little walk around the houses on your own adventure with what you posted.
OP's original post stated "I asked what the best cash price would be for a purchase outright" ... no mention of card payment in the original post ... but never mind, and please continue with your own, "adventure"
Last edited by sundial; 11th June 2023 at 17:50.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
If I may add my experience as the man who ran Blowers Mayfair for 6 years and continues to have strong ties with the team.
When clients enquire on a cash price we would clarify that with them by explaining that only a set amount could be received in cash and that it is actually more advantageous to receive a bank transfer or debit card payment. Physically handling cash is laborious and costs whereas Bank transfers or debit cards are slick.
In general cash means you are visiting the store and whilst we will always take cash it is not the preferred method of payment.
Hope that answers the question
Secondly the team handle 50-70 emails a day on average often outside of working hours as customer facing during the day and allowing for a small team of just 6 to have one day off a week. Only 2-3 of that team are employed and experienced enough to deal with requests and on this occasion Mark has been away for a week or so hence the delay.
Should anyone have any dramas in the future please continue to highlight and I will personally ensure they are directed to the MD.
I have reached out to the OP and spoken with him.
RIAC
Good of you to step in
There’s a world of difference between asking for a ‘best price’ via e-mail and standing face to face making an offer to buy! That’s a basic fact, it applies to any negotiation, OP’s being a little naive if he doesn’t accept that. You will only find the best price when attempting to buy an item.
Hate all of this best price nonsense. Why not advertise at that price and save all the shenanigans?
It's the way of the world, always assume a price is negotiable. If you don`t ask you don't get, some folks are more comfortable with the process than others. My wife's a good example, she'll haggle on the phone but can`t do it face to face......that's always my job. When buying anything I have 2 distinct stages, first stage is to look at the item and decide whether I want one or not. If I decide it's what I want I visit again and state that I'm here to buy, then get straight into the numbers, no messing. Where appropriate I'll get my wallet out and start opening it.......that always helped at the antiques fairs!
In my limited experience with Blowers I always found their prices to be high, with limited scope for haggling, but generally the watches were top-notch examples.
Blowers advertise the prices of their stock. I assume the OP was looking for a discount and asking for their 'best price' was a way of opening negotiations to get a discount, which is fair enough.
I meant advertise at their best price.
I'm sure they do, but that 'best price' can change with the wind. Prices have taken a dip in recent months, and some models can hang around. Today's best price might not be tomorrows best price – if they hold the stock for a couple of months, or get offered one or two similar watches for less.
Used retailers will advertise a price they want, but as always there may be some wriggle room if a target is to be met, a part-ex to be done, or a deal for a particularly good customer. Most firms don't have time or feel the need to keep updating prices on a regular basis.
So by your logic, in a different wind it might be more expensive than advertised.
As a retailer you have a margin. Thats an acceptable amount you wish to acheive to in order to maintain your business model.
There will always be occasions when that margin can be compromised such as returning customers, method of payment, a desire to move a watch on behalf of a client but it is rarely when asked 'best price'. Its not the market in Turkey!
RIAC
Purchased twice from Blowers, both great experiences
On my second purchase I brought up the fact I bought a Sub previously (not remotely a hint) and they thanked me and knocked a few quid off a BLRO which was super hot at the time and prob unnecessary for them. Was a nice appreciative gesture.
I had planned to do a high end trade with them last summer and had nice comms with Mark etc however I was not in the UK long, blew my achilles in the gym and never made the trip up to Hull sadly.
I did call them once and it sounded like Wall Street in the background- got the impression they get crazy busy
Anything in a bank account goes down in value every year, inflation depending of course. Until recently, in pure growth terms, someone was no better off having money in a regular bank account than they were having the cash in their hands.
A watch in a house could be stolen, burned or even eaten by a pet, yet we're happy to keep those at home. That's what safes are for.
Actually it wasn't classed as cash, the correct term was "cash in the bank" meaning that the money was there straight away and you didn't have to wait for it. It was a term first used in the era of a bank transfer vs hire purchase when those who could afford to would pay by bank transfer but there as no discount to be had as usually hp agreements had a bonus for the retailer and so a discount was more readily available on hp. Move forward to the era of debit and credit cards and everything changed. Debit cards are also cash in the bank and are as appealing to retailers as cash was but carry less risk as there's less chance of criminal enterprise. Credit cards on the other hand have never been appealing to retailers as there's a chance of fraud which always ends up as a retailer loss and there's also a reasonable fee attached (2 to 3 percent usually except for Amex which charge far more)
I agree in principle but that's a very "old school" way off thinking. More and more purchases are made online and so face to face negotiation is becoming a thing of the past. At work, we get emails that regularly ask for the best price, curiously usually from overseas customers. The problem that a lot of retailers have with email negotiations is that it's all recorded where as traditional face to face negotiation was always in the moment and if the customer walked away, there was no proof of the negotiation ever taking place.
Would reply to this but too busy emailing Asda and asking for their best price on a jar of marmite.
Best price would be £500 for a small jar so you wouldn’t buy the horrible goo.
Cheers..
Jase
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