Why Avoid the Cheap Bargain Box-Shifters?

Once you have chosen a decent brand then you need to decide where to buy the product from.  On the internet there are many places offering you low prices for some models of the brands that we stock.  If you purchase it on ebay, Amazon, Google or Wayfair then it will most likely be from one of the cheap “box-shifters” such as Creoven who are in Germany or Casabruno which is Spain.  Check out the reasons to buy from us.

These retailers are cheap for a reason. Think about it, how can they sell the same product but 20%, 30% or even 40% cheaper? It is simple, they just sell you a box which may contain sub-standard or even fake product and with no service.  Then sooner or later when problems arise – and they certainly do – then you are on your own.  They just want to take your money, hold on to it and run!

1. No after-sales support and service – Good quality staffing and responsive service costs money.  Your time is valuable, you don’t want to be wasting it sorting our stupid problems with a lot of hassle.  Often even with quality manufacturers there can be installation problems, eg screws missing, parts missing, receiver not working or light kits blowing.  Your electrician will quickly blame the product and happily charge you for the multiple return visits. You need technical issues to be dealt with quickly and the problem solved with the minimum of cost and fuzz to you which is what we aim to do.
2. Sub-standard Product – The fans are are also quite likely to be returns, seconds or even cheap Chinese copies (very hard to tell the difference until they break down after 2 years). Yes you can save some money upfront but it is risky, you take your chances and may well end up paying heavily down the line.
3. The fans are 110v – You might also be tempted to buy a 110v fan from ebay in the USA which won’t work here even with a transformer as it is not only a different voltage but a different frequency and so it will buzz even if it spins.  Furthermore it is not made to EC standards as the 240 volt version is in fact a completely different product.
4. No next-day delivery – You might not mind waiting a week or two but what if something is not right on installation?  Do you really want to be hanging around weeks or months to get replacements sorted?
5. No UK Stock – The box-shifters do not hold their own stock but drop ship from the distributor in Germany or other countries.  We hold over £0.5m of ceiling fans, accessories and spares in our warehouse in the UK that we can despatch from quickly and send replacements if needed.
6. Limited choice of old models and no accessories – The box-shifters just want those models that will move quickly and so provide a very limited choice of older models and little or no accessories.  We have the largest choice of in-stock models in the UK with over 65 models including the latest designs and technologies.
7. No Spares – If you need a spare part due to fault developing then they will not only not be able to tell you what part you need but also won’t be able to supply it leaving you with a dead investment.
8. Disappear quickly – If your fan develops problems after a number of years will they still be there to assist you?  Highly unlikely!  We have been selling fans for over 17 years now and have seen many internet shops appear, sell cheap bargains and great “deals” to unsuspecting shoppers only to disappear owing debts to their suppliers only to be replaced by a new shops who pop up and work in exactly the same way.
9. No extended warranties – These firms operate on low margins and try to avoid a lot of the normal costs of running a business which is why they go out of business regularly.  They then re-emerge as a phoenix company to scam the next lot of unsuspecting customers.  One of these costs is that of providing a long or lifetime warranty.  By avoiding that they save money but it can leave you high and dry.
10. The miser always pays twice! – We believe that when you consider the total cost of ownership we will save you money.  The headline purchase price is only a part of the total cost.  The cost also includes selecting the best fan for you in the first place with the right accessories and controls, getting it delivered quickly, the installation costs, the costs of dealing with any after-sales visits or replacements and availability of technical assistance and spares.  Add in the costs of your time too.  It is hard to put a price on something as annoying as a buzz or hum that develops on a ceiling fan after a few months or years.

We get a steady and increasing number of calls from frustrated people who have bought from these people two or more years ago and they now have a fault or noise developed. They cannot get any support or if they do they don’t want to spend a lot of money, time and hassle sending their products back to other countries.  The manufacturers provide this warranty support via their international distributor network and will not engage directly with disgruntled customers who have not purchased their fans from their approved distributors or their resellers.

True “Peace-of-Mind”

There is nobody who has been selling ceiling fans anywhere as long as us in the UK.  We provide excellent value and great service by avoiding the High Street and its costs.  This means we cannot offer a showroom but there are plenty of our models installed in restuarants around the country that you can look at.  We invest in stock, staff and service.  If you want true peace-of-mind, good quality advice about the best fans for your situation and a good quality backup and after-sales service then buy from us – you will pay a bit more but won’t be disappointed and will quickly forget the extra cost as you have years of painless enjoyment knowing that should a problem ever arise then it will be quickly dealt with.