UK The truth about CEF and why is it so expensive.

[Stingray]

So after reading through some of the threads on here, I think its worth mentioning why you all pay so much at CEF.....I'm a former employee who left for a career in a completely different field (just so you know I'm not a disgruntled leaver).

So first of all Proteus and MCG as we know are CEF products, along with firesafe, tamlight and many more. The problem is as a branch we're told to push the living daylights out of these "in house products" because at the end of the year we all get a huge bonus based on the sales of in house products! A few years ago as a sales advisor I received £5700 bonus in June for inhouse sales.....as a van driver!!! So you can only imagine what we then got working inside.

When someone gives you a "discount" using the price which CEF paid for the item, the price actually has a hidden 5% mark up which only certain members of the CEF food chain know about.

"You want something ordering in? Yeah we can do that.....but you'll have to pay a carriage". You pay the carriage and the branch actually just orders in enough stock to fill a carriage paid order with the company.

Have you ever received a paid invoice from CEF but you haven't used them in a few months? Maybe it was something small like batteries or a light bulb? Branches need to have as many Live Trading Accounts (LTA's) as possible monthly so if a your branch is falling behind on those figures they'll usually trade something on the account to make you look active.

If you use another branch other than the one where the account is held ( a double booking) ring your branch first and get a price quite because as soon as you enter the second branch and as them to get your quote it'll be much higher as both branches must share the profits.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Going back some years certain wholesalers had special deals from certain manufactures which made them more competitive than other wholesalers. When I worked for a big electrical contractors they used WF for near everything but they got any MK gear from Edmundsons due to the cheaper price. I remember picking up gear from Edmundsons one day and asked about this special price and they in effect were selling MK to the big local contractors at cost price but MK gave Edmundsons a 5% rebate. Still to this day I am not sure how this worked but the contractors didn't complain as they were getting MK boards and Logic plus gear at cost price

 

[UNG]

Going back some years certain wholesalers had special deals from certain manufactures which made them more competitive than other wholesalers. When I worked for a big electrical contractors they used WF for near everything but they got any MK gear from Edmundsons due to the cheaper price. I remember picking up gear from Edmundsons one day and asked about this special price and they in effect were selling MK to the big local contractors at cost price but MK gave Edmundsons a 5% rebate. Still to this day I am not sure how this worked but the contractors didn't complain as they were getting MK boards and Logic plus gear at cost price

They get price breaks on their turnover if they hit target A then it might be 5% rebate if they hit target B it's 7.5% rebate target C and it's 10% rebate
I once got a quote from Edmundson's for £5K for some Thorn fittings that was substantially cheaper than everyone else quoting £7K turned out that Eddy's were quoting at £1500 below cost to them to get the order because the rebate from Thorn was worth much more ISTR around £10K - £12K

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I use Rexel (Wilts) and screwfix. It's too much hassle to price match with screwfix, but as their prices are good anyway it doesn't really matter. With Rexel, I always have an online price handy and then ask them to better it. They match/better it perhaps 60% of the time. It's definitely worth having a friendly haggle as @Gavin John Hyde suggests. In fact one chap at the branch always asks me straight away what price he needs to beat. I used to tell him, now I've cottoned on to the fact it's best to let him go first with a price!

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I use Rexel (Wilts) and screwfix. It's too much hassle to price match with screwfix, but as their prices are good anyway it doesn't really matter. With Rexel, I always have an online price handy and then ask them to better it. They match/better it perhaps 60% of the time. It's definitely worth having a friendly haggle as @Gavin John Hyde suggests. In fact one chap at the branch always asks me straight away what price he needs to beat. I used to tell him, now I've cottoned on to the fact it's best to let him go first with a price!

A good example is the Bath Rexel sales guy asked me this morning if i wanted any Zappis without the buitl in hub, these will still be compliant come 1st July via software update but people now want the ones with hub inside. I said hed have to knock a bit off.
offering untetethered for £462+ VAT and tethered £482+VAT which is actually a bargain.
CEF by coincidence called me about chargers yesterday evening, they will price match Rexel on the zappis, I will be happy to send a few orders there way to keep them primed for the time i need a godo price on something only they have.