leaflet distribution! scam??

[tnichs]

Update on my last post - I have had communication from the webdesigner concerned - They say that they used my text as a placeholder to show the client and that it should not have been indexed.

In fairness to them, they have taken the site down.

Therefore if this is the case, I can draw no inference on the quality of National Flyers - Just the shoddy practices of the webdesigners that caused the issue.

 

[Leaflet Distribution]

In my experience there is one simple reason that blights the whole leaflet distirbution industry, and that one fact is cost.

When will all companies involved start to charge the correct price for the job, and when will all clients stop trying to get cheaper rates?

If you are trying to organise a leaflet distribution, is it not better to pay a higher rate and get the distribution done well ? If you did so, you would very quickly indeed realise that it made much more sense.

Pay a good rate, get a good distribution and then you have the best chance of getting leads

Or,

You could as most people always do, try to drive the price through the floor, and wonder why they dont get a good response...

I have some great figures over costings that would turn this industry around, and get far better results for all clients......

 

[Gaskell]

How much do you charge for say, 5000 leaflets to be distributed. What areas do you cover?

 

[Leaflet Distribution]

Hi Gaskell,
That post was not trying to generate business just start a conversation, perhaps I should start a whole new thread.

The point I am trying to make is that leaflet distribution can and does work very well, but if there is a client trying to drive the price down, how can they expect the same level of service to someone who pays a good rate.

I would guess that most people who experience less than ideal results will have somekind of influence on the results in one way or another.

As for rates, some of the rates that are quoted, or get driven down to by clients are simply stupid.

In a business world you have to be realistic, if there is a client who wants to pay a rate that we shall call £#, which is far less than it should be, that business will go to somewhere, some company will get the work, so lets be honest, whilst it may not be ideal, I am sure most leaflet distribution companies would take the contract and give a service based on the contract price.

You get what you pay for !

 

[Jonny - Flyerettes]

I agree!! We have a takeaway, who just "tops up" our distributions if we have an available slot. He will distribute anywhere (within a set area) and therefore it allows us that flexibility.

In general though people do seem to want a lot, for very little, it just isnt possible and in the long run will affect them.

 

[Leaflet Distribution]

Hey Jonny,
May I ask what you think rates should be around ?

 

[lindab43]

It seems that you have heard of these people. They have emailed me asking for £35 for a tracker and uniform. I am worrried that they are trying to scam me. I haven't paid anything as yet, but I need to know. Are they an actual company or fraudsters? It's funny how whenever I try to ring them, I am put hold and kept there with no answer. They won't even give me any answers to any emails that I send them.

Linda.

 

[Mpg]

Double post

 

[Mpg]

It seems that you have heard of these people. They have emailed me asking for £35 for a tracker and uniform. I am worrried that they are trying to scam me. I haven't paid anything as yet, but I need to know. Are they an actual company or fraudsters? It's funny how whenever I try to ring them, I am put hold and kept there with no answer. They won't even give me any answers to any emails that I send them.

Linda.

In that case I would treat it as a scam and move on.

If its this hard to get hold of them now imagine when they have your money

 

[Flying Hippy]

Hi,

If you remember what their internet address maybe was you can try to use "way back machine" on the internet it will allow you to see how pages use to look.

Another idea is to get someone who nows what they are doing to find the website from your PC cache for your browser likey it is still there its very often people now how to clean their browser.

then try to track them using the domain info.

Only ideas but maybe the effort will pay off

 

[ADAMATKIN84]

It is companies like this who give our industry a bad name. I always say do research first. I always google copanies for reviews etc first and I always suggest to pour customrs that they do the same. Cost is another thing. Some companies offer the distribution too cheaply. We have one not far from us who charges halfd our price and we are competative, so this is something else you should think about when using a company. Unfortunetly in yourn case it looks like you have lost your money.

 

[Minuteman Press]

Use Endeavour Distribution in future - excellent service and they do what they say they'll do!

 

[A.McVitty]

Hi All,

Being involved in the distribution business myself, I like reading about the views people have on our various services. Sometimes it makes for very scary reading, but it is nice to finally see some sensible views on the subject of pricing.

It is a tragic fact that there are a lot of cowboys in the leaflet distribution business. Obviously it is not necessary to have any sort of skill to do the job...just a white van on many occasions. However, if you do have leaflets which need to go out just follow a few simple steps and it may go smoother:

1. Speak to someone on the phone or in person. Ask for their name. Their landline number. Their company name. References or testimonials from other companies who have used their service. Ask them what other leaflets they have delivered. Clients they have had. If anything sounds dodgy or evasive don't use them. Visit them to drop off the leaflets. If they are not local, visit the local warehouse of their transport company.

2. Visit their website. Does it look professional or has it got stock pictures of smiling phone marketers with headsets waiting to take your call. Does it give you prices or does it look like one big advert. If it looks suspicious, walk away.

3. If anyone tells you they can put your leaflets out as a solus (one leaflet alone) for less then £50/1000 walk away. They either have slave labour working for them or aren't planning to do the whole amount.

4. Don't be afraid to approach a larger distribution company (one you have heard of - WHsmith/TNT/etc). Even one that may seem like it will cost a bomb. Even if you are a small business, ask them if they will be able to offer you a deal to suit your budget. They may not be able to accomodate, but it doesn't cost anything to ask.

5. Finally...remember this and everything will be fine. If it looks to good to be true then it probably is too good to be true. You pay for the service you get. £25/1000 will get you a service at that level. A reputable company will charge more and offer a much improved, if not fully verified service. In some industries cheaper doesn't mean better. If you are willing to pay a fair price, then you should get a fair service. Remember an honest man can't be conned. These companies prey on the fact that people want something for nothing. Hey, they want the same thing.

And no, I don't work for WHsmith or TNT before you ask...

 

[TimWalters]

I (and i'm sure other leaflet distributors) get p'd off with hearing this, and these companies make it hard work for others to start up and keep going.

We have taken a couple of simple steps to ensure our customers remain confindent in our service.

1. We tell the customer when and where we are during their leaflet campaign, this way, you can (an belive mem customers do) call in to the area to make sure that we are doing what we say we do.

2. We offer new customers .. "payment on completion" and existing customers.. 14 or 30 day accounts for our services. This gives time to follow up on the campaign to ensure that we have done our bit.

3. We provide a report at the end, of when and where and quantity per street, including a list of properties that we may not have dropped at for various reasons : No letter box, appears not to be lived in, currently a building site etc etc, Again, this gives a little bit of proof that we have actually been there, if you want, you can then go to this address to confirm what we have reported.

2 years of leaflet dropping - 2 years of 100% happy customers.

Why would a company need money up front if they are confident in what they do????

 

[TimWalters]

I (and i'm sure other leaflet distributors) get p'd off with hearing this, and these companies make it hard work for others to start up and keep going.

We have taken a couple of simple steps to ensure our customers remain confindent in our service.

1. We tell the customer when and where we are during their leaflet campaign, this way, you can (an belive mem customers do) call in to the area to make sure that we are doing what we say we do.

2. We offer new customers .. "payment on completion" and existing customers.. 14 or 30 day accounts for our services. This gives time to follow up on the campaign to ensure that we have done our bit.

3. We provide a report at the end, of when and where and quantity per street, including a list of properties that we may not have dropped at for various reasons : No letter box, appears not to be lived in, currently a building site etc etc, Again, this gives a little bit of proof that we have actually been there, if you want, you can then go to this address to confirm what we have reported.

2 years of leaflet dropping - 2 years of 100% happy customers.

Why would a company need money up front if they are confident in what they do????

 

[Cheapest Printing]

We provide print to a lot of distribution companies and actually have one ourselves.

It is alarming to see just how easy it is for someone to a>rip you off and b>give the whole industry a bad name.

Having spoken to our clients and from our own experience, leaflets can be delivered at an average of 100 homes per hour, making a thousand take approximately 10 hours! We deliver 3 leaflets at a time and charge £45 per thousand ( which seems to be more than most of our clients are charging ) however for that amount we are able to use reliable delivery agents as well as get them to fill in paperwork if they are unable to deliver to a specific house etc. We then present all of this info to the client on completion of the delivery schedule.

It is looking likely that you have been ripped off, which not only means the money you gave them was wasted, but also the money you spent on producing the leaflets in the first place. As the other have said, I think you are going to have to put this one down to experience, learn from it and move on.

Good luck in finding them and getting some answers

Matt