Dapol 'releases'

[Crepello]

I'm puzzled by Dapol's monthly ads in the mags; past experience has taught me not to get too excited as the model doesn't seem to be available in the shops or online until some time after. Perhaps somebody would kindly explain exactly what 'releases' means!

[The Stationmaster]

Perhaps Dapol will also explain what their 'special offers to the trade for the Warley show' means?  Especially as it has been made only to traders exhibiting at the show and includes items which have not yet been distributed to retailers who have long standing orders for them.  I wonder if they consulted their legal dept (??) before making what on the face of it appears to be a restrictive offer?

[jivebunny]

"Release" for Dapol seems to mean "we've called dibs on it and told retailers we might produce it... one day".

 

Even when you call them directly they don't seem to have a clue about their own production schedule. I phoned them in March and was told the new version of the IC Swallow DVT was in production and would be available in the summer... December is just around the corner and my pre-order still hasn't arrived.

 

I won't be bothering to pre-order anything from them again. Most of their products come up on eBay after a while so it's just a case of keeping an eye open.

 

JB

[The Stationmaster]

Perhaps Dapol will also explain what their 'special offers to the trade for the Warley show' means?  Especially as it has been made only to traders exhibiting at the show and includes items which have not yet been distributed to retailers who have long standing orders for them.  I wonder if they consulted their legal dept (??) before making what on the face of it appears to be a restrictive offer?

I'm surprised my post was 'indecipherable' or people were unsure of its meaning as I thought it was pretty clear.  However to remove all doubt I'll try again - with a sort of indicative example of how it could affect a model shop customer.

 

1. Dapol might (or indeed might not) like to explain what their 'special offers to the trade for the Warley show' means?  That seems to me to be a simple and very clear question.

 

2. They might also like to explain (or might not) why it has only been made to traders exhibiting at the show (or maybe it's 'only some traders exhibiting at the show?) and not to other retailers who are their customers - and from whom we buy Dapol products.  

 

To be blunt I would be rather miffed if I happened to have a Dapol loco on order from my local model shop at a particular price with the retailer waiting delivery from Dapol to then turn up at Warley today and find I could buy exactly the same thing for £14 less and that my local retailer can't offer me a similar reduction in price (when his stock finally arrives).

 

3. They might (or might not) like to explain why items which retailers already have on order and are waiting for are not being offered to those retailers at the 'special offers' prices.

 

Which means that any potential saving is not passed on to me - the end customer.  Simples - if you don't want me as a customer that's your choice, not mine.

 

4. And is it or is it not a restrictive trade practice to favour particular retailers solely because of where they happen to be selling?

 

I hope that is now clearer.

[Bomag]

I'm surprised my post was 'indecipherable' or people were unsure of its meaning as I thought it was pretty clear.  However to remove all doubt I'll try again - with a sort of indicative example of how it could affect a model shop customer.

I hope that is now clearer.

 

Its not clearer; it sounds like a rhetorical whine posted on the wrong thread and without making reference to what you are taking about. Is this referring to the ATW class 67 set flown over for Warley or the Malcolm Class 66 and container set (or something completely different).

 

And to answer point 4 the answer is no (unless it is also a breach of contract), but from the tone of the posing I am not certain you actually wanted an answer. The price of the reserved model is between you and the shop, not Dapol.  

[justin1985]

Dapol's show special offers tend to be old stock that they can't shift, which they also offer to the retailers at the show to sell at a comparable discount. The idea seems to be for the manufacturer not to be accused of undercutting retailers at the same show. At Ally Pally this year I seem to remember the cheap offers having been mainly class 86s, 153/156 dummies, East Midlands HSTs and yet more of those awful attempts at LNER B1s. Certainly nothing people had been waiting for.

[woodenhead]

Model railways direct seemed to have a lot of Dapol wagons on 3 for £x offers, none of it was new stuff. Don't know whether this was Dapol's special stuff or existing stock that MRD was trying to get rid off, they had a good price on M7s £3 less than Dapol and Kernow.

 

I picked up a blue 26 for £78 but it was not part of an special offload from Dapol.

[The Stationmaster]

Its not clearer; it sounds like a rhetorical whine posted on the wrong thread and without making reference to what you are taking about. Is this referring to the ATW class 67 set flown over for Warley or the Malcolm Class 66 and container set (or something completely different).

 

And to answer point 4 the answer is no (unless it is also a breach of contract), but from the tone of the posing I am not certain you actually wanted an answer. The price of the reserved model is between you and the shop, not Dapol.  

Definitely not a 'rhetorical whine'  - they were neither rhetorical questions (as I was seeking an answer) nor were they 'whines'.  and you did appear to ask me to clarify what i had first posted - so I did, and I now find it difficult to understand why you don't find it to be any clearer as it seems to me that 4 questions listed are pretty clear.

 

Thank you for your answer to point No 4.  However that still leaves the question of why a shop I order a product from is not able to supply it to me at the retail prices seen at the Warley show and which were offered to other retailers (or at least some of them?) who were attending that show - the only way a trader who did not get that offer could give me that price would be to reduce his margin.  That sounds rather like the way Hornby changed their trade terms, although seemingly not universally applied in this?

 

 I wonder if anyone will be able to answer No.s 1, 2, and 3 ?  BTW I wouldn't have asked the questions if I didn't want an answer would I?  Or is that perhaps some new fangled idea of how business is conducted nowadays - customers or potential customers ask questions because they don't want the answers, how peculiar!

 

BTW the thread is very clearly headed 'Dapol releases' which seems to me to fit the bill nicely - because surely offering stock at a specially reduced price is 'a release'?

[Bomag]

Definitely not a 'rhetorical whine'  - they were neither rhetorical questions (as I was seeking an answer) nor were they 'whines'.  and you did appear to ask me to clarify what i had first posted - so I did, and I now find it difficult to understand why you don't find it to be any clearer as it seems to me that 4 questions listed are pretty clear.

 

Thank you for your answer to point No 4.  However that still leaves the question of why a shop I order a product from is not able to supply it to me at the retail prices seen at the Warley show and which were offered to other retailers (or at least some of them?) who were attending that show - the only way a trader who did not get that offer could give me that price would be to reduce his margin.  That sounds rather like the way Hornby changed their trade terms, although seemingly not universally applied in this?

 

 I wonder if anyone will be able to answer No.s 1, 2, and 3 ?  BTW I wouldn't have asked the questions if I didn't want an answer would I?  Or is that perhaps some new fangled idea of how business is conducted nowadays - customers or potential customers ask questions because they don't want the answers, how peculiar!

 

BTW the thread is very clearly headed 'Dapol releases' which seems to me to fit the bill nicely - because surely offering stock at a specially reduced price is 'a release'?

 

As you have not clarified things so I will ask some questions:-

 

Which models are you taking about?

 

What discount?

 

Given that manufacturers giving discounts to only a limited number of agents are common e.g. cars, TVs, computers (and presumably Hornby - not that I would buy any) why should Dapol be any different?

 

Why ask the three questions to members of the board when they can be only be resolved by Dapol. Come to think of it you ask if Dapol may want to explain (or not explain) three points; having failed 'O' Level English three times I am a bit shaky on this but the three 'questions' are probably statements.

 

Finally the OP was about release dates being a work of fiction, or widely inaccurate, it was not about Dapol giving discounts.

 

Back OT, given that it takes several weeks for them to ship products from China (except the aforementioned ATW 67 book set et.al. which were flown in) in addition to the manufacturing time, Dapol should be able to get stuff in the shops within the month they put on their adverts  - I could live with being up to a couple of weeks late but the Cl 27/1s and Cl27/2s were advertised as arriving three months ago!

 

Perhaps Dapol has a set budget for adds in mags every month, so they have to advertise something as arriving each month.

[The Stationmaster]

As you have not clarified things so I will ask some questions:-

 

Which models are you taking about?

 

What discount?

 

Given that manufacturers giving discounts to only a limited number of agents are common e.g. cars, TVs, computers (and presumably Hornby - not that I would buy any) why should Dapol be any different?

 

Why ask the three questions to members of the board when they can be only be resolved by Dapol. Come to think of it you ask if Dapol may want to explain (or not explain) three points; having failed 'O' Level English three times I am a bit shaky on this but the three 'questions' are probably statements.

 

Finally the OP was about release dates being a work of fiction, or widely inaccurate, it was not about Dapol giving discounts.

 

Back OT, given that it takes several weeks for them to ship products from China (except the aforementioned ATW 67 book set et.al. which were flown in) in addition to the manufacturing time, Dapol should be able to get stuff in the shops within the month they put on their adverts  - I could live with being up to a couple of weeks late but the Cl 27/1s and Cl27/2s were advertised as arriving three months ago!

 

Perhaps Dapol has a set budget for adds in mags every month, so they have to advertise something as arriving each month.

Clearly our understanding of the word 'clarified' differs - but then it is an awful long time since I left school or passed a later 'business English' course at college.   However I remain of the view the first two sentences of my original post were pretty clear and I can see no further need to elaborate.

 

 

Whether Dapol want to comment is - I would presume - entirely up to them (and not up to you).  But maybe, unlike other manufacturers, Dapol do not look at RMweb and therefore won't be able to make any comment even if they wish to?

[brianthesnail96]

I think the confusing is arising from the fact that I (and I presume also Bomag) were not aware of any beneficial trade terms placed on Dapol traders attending Warley Mike- your posts are normally very clear, but I am only assuming the above based on your questions and have no idea who or what items specifically it refers too From the original post I gather it's from Dapol's magazine advert, which I haven't seen, so the confusion is probably somewhat self inflicted...