The No1 Metal Detector Repair and Refurbishment Company

OK, this is a no hold barred comment, AIMED AT a large dealer, to show you the sort of people YOU come into contact with when you deal with a large dealer.

A certain "dealer" has shown themselves to be a little more than creative with the truth.

What they have put in an advert is tantamount to an insult to the people in Taunton, who I must say ALL seem to believe in supporting LOCAL business. I mean just WHO do they think they are fooling?? It's really quite sad to think that they are struggling for sales so much that these people claim to be making "Daily Deliveries to Taunton", Hmmmm.. from where they are? I somewhat doubt that, and just HOW big would Taunton have to be to support that level of interest in the metal detecting hobby? About the size of LONDON!!

Consider the FACTS. Some 60,000 (optimistic at best, more like 1/2 that number) people in the UK are "detectorists" and buy from the "main stream dealers" and, allegedly, most would NOT buy from this particular one. Translate this into the fact there are around 60 million people in the UK, this equates to 0.1% of the population. NOT VERY MANY at all in fact. Now consider that Taunton on the surrounding area has around 100,000 people. The SAME percentage of this who, according to the UK wide number, SHOULD be detectorists would be around 100 people in the WHOLE area around Taunton.

NOW, take this into account too. When I set up THE ONLY CLUB IN THE AREA three years ago, I advertised in the internet, in the local press and on the local community radio station, result? After SIX MONTHS I had around 40 enquiries. Under HALF of the predicted amount, and after THREE YEARS the club STILL only has 50 members and a waiting list of 20 or so, so quite where this LIAR get's his figure of 365 from is beyond me. OH I forgot to mention, three or four of those members were overspill from the East Devon Club too!!

So this dealer is claiming that there are over 730 metal detectorists in Taunton as they have run the same advert for the last two years. can you smell that farmyard smell too, or is it just me??

The Tone Vale club has ALL the sites in the area sown up, I know ALL the farmers for a 40 mile radius and NONE of them contact me to ask if they can allow a new person to go on a club site OR one of my sites!! I think that claim is looking a LITTLE bit false now.

I've also pulled their accounts from Companies House and to me, they don't look very healthy at all.

Their so called top selling machine has been knocked off it's spot by the Teknetics T2, which has become a cult machine in a very short space of time, and WHO made this machine a cult? Well I wonder who was the FIRST to import this and sell it at a devastating £499 (now £459 by the way). Hmmmm. ME THAT'S WHO!

OHHH that must stick in their craw..

Their advert is a BLATANT and UNPROVOKED attack on me and my business, how so? well because when I travel a round the UK on my consultancy business EVERY where I go I check their advert in the locale, NOT ONCE yet have I found a similar version in any area where there is another dealer so quite why this company thinks they can get away with this sort of illegal and anti competitive behaviour is anyone's guess. It's also the guess of the Trading and Advertising Standards AND the Office of Fair Trading who now have investigations open regarding this matter and the anti-competitive behaviour that is prevalent in this industry.

Considering I sell more on EBay than they do I may be tempted to start selling the same stuff they sell at such low prices, they won't be able to compete. With their high overheads I wouldn't take me more than six months to push them into obscurity

Now I won't name this dealer, because I don't need to. People know who they are. I would suggest that you BOYCOTT them. Show your revulsion at this childish behaviour and buy from the smaller shops. Oh I forgot to mention they even mysteriously change names just to get at the top of the list in the advertising, something which has been complained about numerous times before. SOONER of later the authorities will top watching this industry and start acting, and when they do, there are a few people who will be looking at heavy fines and probably prison time too. THEN their names will be printed, then, AGAIN I can say "I was right", and again no one will listen or care, because as long as the latest machine and fad is there to be bought, no one cares who takes their money off them do they?? _________________________________________________

FISHER SOLD!!!

TOLD YOU SO!!!

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XP MULTI FREQUENCY?

Well look who's jumping on the bandwagon now! Due out in August 2007?? We'll see how much hype gets used to sell this Minelab wannabe! It won't outsell the FISHER 75, or the T2 anyhow. HAHAHAHA.

VIVA FISHER, TEKNETICS AND MINELAB!!

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PURCHASING EUROPEAN DETECTORS

Do you realise that under EU law, iF you purchase a metal detector from a European dealer (outside the UK) that the warranty is STILL VALID in the UK? No? Well it IS. Dealaers will tell you it isn't, but if you ring the Office of Fair trading on 0845 4040506 they will advise you of your rights. So that dealer that told you I was spouting off again? GO BACK AND CALL HIM A LIAR TO HIS FACE, and tell him I told you to!!

So NOW you have NO REASON TO SUPPORT ANY UK dealer wit ha bad reputation or one that you don't like. If ALL OF YOU bought Minelab from outside the UK, how long do you think a certain dealer would last? NOT LONG and that would be beneficial to ALL concerned in the UK. AND because you purchase from within the EU you will probably get away with paying the VAT too that would make your machine a LOT CHEAPER THAN BUYING IN THE UK!!

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WEEE Regulations

This one has got me laughing my socks off because the UK detector industry is about to be dealt the biggest blow in 40 years, and it's going to cost dealers a FORTUNE, ALL except one that it....ME

Here's how the EU plans to kill this hobby. The reg's mean that ANY piece of electronics equipment sold in the EU will, upon no longer being required, i.e You don't want it any more, HAVE TO BE RETURNED to the original manufacturer or importer for disposal in an authorised manner. In other words, you old broken detector goes back to the shop you bought it from and they have to pay for the disposal costs.

Now certified disposal contracts, even for small amount of hazardous waste are HORRIFICALLY EXPENSIVE, and that is going to be passed onto YOU the customer. HEY you think detectors are expensive in the UK now..JUST WAIT!!!

Oh, I forgot to mention, I wont cost me so I wont have to put my already MUCH FAIRER prices up at all. Again as part of my consultancy work, I deal with WEEE compliant manufacturers and companies who are more than happy to accept any items I need to dispose of free of charge. SO, again, my knowledge of the electronics industry brings MORE SAVINGS TO YOU.

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