So i decided to self service my pd vrs and not bother with dealers/indys, they have only recently opened a tps near me so i phoned up this morning and asked if they would serve me as a non trade cash customer and they said no problem,so 20 minutes later i went and collected quantum oil,oil filter,air filter,fuel filter,and pollen filter,plus sump plug and washer all for £75 including vat so glad i did i have saved myself quite a lot of money so very happy.     

Best not telling one and all,

because Employees can end up in trouble and then branches end up serving only the Trade as they are supposed to.

They had a sign up on tps headed paper when i walked in saying excellent discounts for taxis they are not trade customers ? 

They have accounts and records and that is what the HMRC end up checking, and when they have a clamp down of Self Employed Mechanics on the grip and not doing Tax Returns or declaring income then that is when there is trouble at the Parts Counters.

But new branches find that out soon enough.

They have accounts and records and that is what the HMRC end up checking, and when they have a clamp down of Self Employed Mechanics on the grip and not doing Tax Returns or declaring income then that is when there is trouble at the Parts Counters.

But new branches find that out soon enough.

I paid vat on all my parts it went through the books ? how can they get into trouble with HMRC ?

The same way as in the areas they do clampdowns on with Trade Counters at Wickes, B&Q etc (Trade Cards / Discount) when doing checks with the DWP / Council Housing Benefits / HMRC.

They check the persons Name, Post Code and Benefits or Housing Benefits Claim to see if they are on the Grip.

(Underclared Income / Employment, sometimes starting with Local Authority Emplyees.)

They have been doing it with Avon Sellers, Ann Summers Party holders, Ebay professional sellers, Couriers, Airport / Private Hire Drivers in areas around the UK.

 

It is no big deal, but it has meant Trade Retailers having to stick to Trade Sales, 

then obviously with the Motor Trade other Motor Factor Businesses in an Area get peeded off where the Public use a VW Owned Parts Supplier to get cheaper parts.

 

http://thetradepartsspecialists.co.uk

There's a whole fully accessible thread here detailing which branches have been found to cooperate with "Joe Public" and which haven't.  

Doesn't seem to cause anyone much concern.

Willy..........that's a brilliant price to say the least for what your saying......I feel really fleeced by my Indy Garage who charged so much more than that albeit labour included. Your a lucky boy but well done.

Willy..........that's a brilliant price to say the least for what your saying......I feel really fleeced by my Indy Garage who charged so much more than that albeit labour included. Your a lucky boy but well done.

Your independent garage isn't a parts store.  They have to buy the parts and as they are fitting them, provide some form of warranty.  They are quite within their rights to put a significant mark-up on the parts.

 

When I was running a workshop and tyre store in the '80s, we carried about GBP20,000 worth of "fast moving" spare parts so that we could turn the customer cars around ASAP.  We tried using the local parts store as our "warehouse" but they couldn't provide the level of service we wanted to provide to our customers.

 

I'd suggest you learn to DIY if you wish to take advantage of trade priced parts.

I'm lucky in that my local garage have been quite happy to fit anything that I supply for my cars over the years but the problem is when things go wrong who's to blame ... has a drop link failed because of a duff part or has the garage not fitted it properly so in the end it's easier to pay the little bit extra and iv something goes wrong just take the car back and let them replace it under warranty.

I work at TPS and they sell to the public.. have been for years! Nothing dodgy about it either. Retail customers pay retail price just like if they walked into any VAG dealership. The advantage for retail customers being we have 12 people on the end of the phone to take orders and a massive warehouse full of parts. I have worked in dealerships and they have 2-3 parts staff whos main job is to serve the techies in the workshop and alot smaller stores.

Trade customers pay trade prices (discount varies on the size of their business and how much they spend with us). Taxi's also get discount but have to collect. We only deliver to garages with an account (cash or credit) and cannot deliver to any residential address.

Why would we turn away paying customers? Simples..

Edited 5 October, 201510 yr by mattvrestate

And just remember TPS isn't always cheaper.

I asked for a part today that was more expensive than rainsworth skoda.

Always shop around.

The retail prices are exactly the same at all VAG dealers/ TPS. The discount given may have been different

Dealers have less incentive to sell as they sell 90% to their own workshop

Edited 5 October, 201510 yr by mattvrestate

The retail prices are exactly the same at all VAG dealers/ TPS. The discount given may have been different

Dealers have less incentive to sell as they sell 90% to their own workshop

I like the lottery of not having any idea what mood they'll be in and how much discount they'll give

West Glasgow is very reluctant to sell to you and gives no discount, east end Glasgow couldn't be more helpful and give much better discount. As is Medway City estate