rc51owner wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 7:37 pm

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 5:27 pm

rc51owner wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 4:16 pm
P.P.S. It would have been nice to know that the previous voucher was the last one so that fence sitters like me might have taken advantage of it before they were phased out.

Why? We have all had the same opportunity to use the voucher, and the same amount of warning. If you want to make good cider harvest your apples before winter.

Why? Because apparently some people got advance notice - i.e. see the post below your response to mine - and others weren't so privileged like the gentlemen booked in to visit the showroom on Jan 4th. Why are there separate "rules" for some people and not others? What a sh*ty way to run a business!

If I had know that the pre-Christmas voucher was the last, I would have taken advantage of it - now I am staring at an approximately 10% price increase for a purchase.

Cheers,

M

Well if you are going to reference my post - it would be good if you had actually noted what it said!

I wasn’t given advance notification, such that I could have used the last £100 voucher. That was clear from my post…

The previous voucher expired 24 December! Telling me last week, was…

after it had expired.

The only reason I was made aware, was because I had asked a specific question that was relevant to my showroom visit that had already been booked for 4 January (same day as the other forumite you mentioned).

Oh by the way had CW been issuing a voucher, as per the past few years, it wouldn’t have been issued by the time of my visit.

I thought that CW giving an honest answer to a specific question was an appropriate, not sh*tty way to run a business.

Neil

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 5:27 pm

rc51owner wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 4:16 pm
P.P.S. It would have been nice to know that the previous voucher was the last one so that fence sitters like me might have taken advantage of it before they were phased out.

Why? We have all had the same opportunity to use the voucher, and the same amount of warning. If you want to make good cider harvest your apples before winter.

Not like parsnips then?

rc51owner wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 7:37 pm
If I had know that the pre-Christmas voucher was the last, I would have taken advantage of it - now I am staring at an approximately 10% price increase for a purchase.

Cheers,

M

Some people, or maybe just me, discovered the brand at full price and only later discovered the whole price reduced/sale discount malarkey so you aren't alone in your present feeling.

Right now I'm in to two Limited Edition watches, this forum's and a Facebook Group's watch: so they're full price with no voucher discount and available in 2023 sometime.
We've all got different wants and needs and purely personally I'm waiting for the January sale before making a Bel Canto decision.

missF wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 6:49 pm I don’t think the provision of vouchers in the past ever came with a guarantee that there would always be provision of vouchers going forward? In fact, we’re getting better notice than anyone else in the whole world that there won’t be any vouchers next year or ever more. Then again I don’t manage to plan anything in life so whether or not there’s a voucher with the summer copy of Loupe when I was going to buy a certain this or that watch is moot.

I thought the vouchers were a pretty good thing. Does that mean I should be personally grumbly about CW for taking them away? I don’t think it really works that way.

I agree with everything that has been said. It’s not about me.

As far as I understand it is from this year, not next year, that vouchers will be stopping and that there won't be any with the Spring issue of Loupe rather than the Summer issue.

Is there really advance notice - we know there isn't a current voucher, the previous finished in December and I'm not sure the Spring Loupe is in many minds at present.

Stuart1 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 7:00 pm
The Trident 300 is £695 for a Swiss mechanical watch with 5 year warranty. I personally cannot think of much that beats it.

Maybe a Trident 300 at £595 ?

Going back to Kip's original post - "CW .... will no longer be using discount vouchers on a regular basis". Does "regular" mean they still intend to use them now and again?

I delayed a purchase in December when I had the last voucher code, thinking I would see what pops up in Jan sale and if nothing to my liking, I would then wait for the next voucher - had I known the vouchers were going to become extinct, maybe I would have made that purchase in December?

Moving forwards however, I agree it makes sense to stop the vouchers.

I have taken the time to look at the posts here and on the CWE and CWA Facebook groups. I must say that, from some, there seems to be a serious amount of entitlement showing. Some have taken the whatever will be will be attitude and others have stated the obvious that this company can do what it feels is in its best interest.

The vouchers were a promotion/marketing tool. The promotion has ended. Simple. I will acquiesce that they could possibly have given some warning, but they don't have to. The notice is now and it is prior to the expected January sale and the release of the next Loupe.

CW margins have always been at 3X cost. They don't add in £100 after that to set the retail. It is not a price increase. Retail prices haven't changed. One point that seems to be missed by most is that the take up of vouchers have been steadily declining and is actually very small. It probably costs them more to produce the vouchers, insert them in loupe and mail them then they are getting in return value.

I am certain that CW has evaluated what they think the impact and impression on the business will be. Will they lose a few sales? I bet they will in the short term. Obviously, at least to me, they expect that. The discontinued vouchers will not have a serious impact on the bottom line short term. I played with the numbers and I bet they are only profiting an additional 1-2%. Not much of a price increase, if you view it that way, if you ask me. CW did have a price increase last April. Since then, inflation has continued in most parts of the world. CW has continued to absorb the cost increases. Nobody says anything about that. Eventually they will need to raise the prices again as will everyone else at some point.

Will discontinuing vouchers help the perception of the brand? Based on prior comments on this forum alone, the answer would be yes. Time will tell us, rather CW, the answer to that.

Are the vouchers/codes permanently discontinued. That is the word now. I am sure that CW reserves the right to use them again for specific promotions when they want or see the need. Business is always evolving. Never say never. Perhaps CW never should have started using the vouchers, but this was a decision made years ago and the opinion/effectiveness, usage has now changed. So has the strategy at CW. Some probably did, but I don't recall much banter when the frequency of sales was reduced.

Regardless of whether the discontinued vouchers were to stay or go on, not everyone will be happy. That is the way of the world. We all have our opinions.

As long as the product, quality control, after sales and customer support lives up to the higher price points I don't care about the vouchers.

I am surprised that CW has maintained this impression that the forum customers really matter when a certain level of integrity left the business some time ago. The C60 300 could be seen as an example of really listening to forum customers and delivering what they asked for. However it could also be seen as an invaluable resource with a free customer focus group to produce a watch for the many thousands who don't log on here. I am not saying this is wrong, it is business and they are in it for CW. MF and their recent investors.

They now have their Watchfinder mates and new watch buying crowd to rely upon, or at least sell their spin to.

Tonywalker wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:55 pm I delayed a purchase in December when I had the last voucher code, thinking I would see what pops up in Jan sale and if nothing to my liking, I would then wait for the next voucher - had I known the vouchers were going to become extinct, maybe I would have made that purchase in December?

Moving forwards however, I agree it makes sense to stop the vouchers.

This is exactly what I was planning on doing.

Cheers,

M

nbg wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:33 pm Well if you are going to reference my post - it would be good if you had actually noted what it said!

Sorry that was a misunderstanding on my part.

Cheers,

M

The 3X cost has always perplexed me....
It was mentioned earlier the vouchers /sales were just marketing.....
Are we that gullible as consumers......

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

A1solmownas - "As long as the product, quality control, after sales and customer support lives up to the higher price points I don't care about the vouchers."

Spot on - CW will always get my custom and respect so long as the above!

If it helps.... I'll up my CW in sales corner by £100 and will accept the recent expired voucher for any that are interested in buying

LOL Tally - love it.
I'll politely give it a miss though if you don't mind, unless of course, your list price + £100 is still cheaper than equivalent offers and you're selling what I'm seeking