problems with red letter days

[pricethat]

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I think whether an associate buys them or not is irrelevant, i had the unfortunate task of putting a company into liquidation, it wasnt desperacy but i had a duty to my staff and the companies creditors to do my job as a company director. You have to tell someone thats its available and of course its going to be people you know or you can sell it to. The fact is the administrator is the one that calls the shots and or reverses directors decisions if they were not in the best interests of the company, if a better offer was forthcoming then it would of been accepted.

Of course someones going to get a nice little earner out of this but thats business.

[Ultralife]

I personally thought this women was the weak link in the TV programme and that fact that her company has failed is testerment to that, so of the things she said to people were disgusting, hope she has a very sour tast in her mouth now...thats the way the cookie crumbles

[Rich]

There is now a statement from PETER JONES and THEO PAPHITIS on red letter days home page.

We have already committed to honour all Red Letter Days experiences that have been purchased directly from the Company through Visa and Mastercard.

but not debit cards?

We have also managed to secure the position of a substantial number of our voucher holding customers and will be working hard over the coming days with our retail partners to put in place a package of measures that will endeavour to ensure all voucher holders that purchased through retail outlets will be able to enjoy their experiences.

Do you think they will tell customers to contact the partners and use this as a way of saving money without as much bad PR?

We have been hugely encouraged by the support we have received from the company’s suppliers over the past few days. Even despite the fact they are unlikely to receive any monies from the Administrator, a significant majority have expressed in letters, emails and telephone calls that they want to support the business going forward now that it is under new ownership.

I guess if you supply services in that market you have to work with the biggest suppler of leads, but its definately going to leave a bad taste.

[OLBG]

I dont know too much about their business but didnt they supply the "boxed experiences" to stores like sainsburies, Virgin megastore, Boots etc. If so then it wouldnt surprise me if that + their TV advertising campaigns is what crippled them.

Always been a Buyagift fan myself so never did any business with them fortunately

[drivetowin]

Could well be - few outside of the industry understand how most TV advertising deals work.

A few years ago I helped develop the marketing plan for a new home consumer electronics product in the UK. When we approached most of the major high street retailers to stock the item their first question was "How many TV adverts are YOU going to pay for which say XXX available now at THEIR STORE NAME" - i.e. although the ads would drive customers to the retailers door, it is the product manufacturer/distributor who pays for the TV advert - and as affiliates we feel bad about merchants who get their banner shown free on our sites when sales dont convert - lol

[Graham@Buyagift]

Thanks for the update Graham... 150 employees? Cripes!

How many have you got at buyagift?

Green2K.

We've got around 25 at the moment, which increases over the Christmas period.

My view is it was generally not a very well run business (obviously). In some instances they purchased bulk slots from suppliers, and then resold them putting more risk on themselves. As a general rule they booked the time slots themselves, therefore increasing their customer service requirements - as a business we give the customer the supplier details and they book in themselves.

I see they've been pulled by Tradedoubler...

Graham

[alison]

Morning Possums
Another big outlay RLD have is their catalogue, which although i'm sure pulls in big revenue, requires payment upfront for design/printing with no guaranteed generation of revenue. Also I found a few errors in the 2005 one: the date of British Grand Prix was incorrect as were the dates for Wimbledon, Cowes Week...

Also I read this with interest from the Retail Week article

"One of the retailers that will not be dealing with the company is Debenhams. A spokesman for the department store group confirmed that concessions within its stores including Birmingham Bullring and a number of stores across London were closed yesterday and it does not intend to re-open them. Debenhams customers who hold vouchers have been advised by the retailer to make enquiries with Red Letter Days.

Debenhams decision to cut ties with the company could have serious repurcussions for its new owners attempts to get it back on track, as the department store chain represents 60 per cent of the gifts company's retail channel to market. Other retailers with Red Letter Days concessions include Harrods, Selfridges, Beales, Bentalls Jenners and Fenwicks."

Ouch
Alison Mary