Misco - GONE one minute and BACK the next!

[synaesthesia]

I second this. Free delivery on any order and will more often than not give you their best offer first time instead of these other suppliers miraculously wiping off a few pound per unit here and there when you say they’ve been beaten! Good honest and reliable suppliers are few and far between these days.

 

Also, anyone that feels the need to call me every other week asking me if there’s “anything coming up?” will quickly find themselves on my blacklist!

 

Likewise, we've always found them honest. Pricing sometimes, as with anyone can now and then come in above off the shelf prices from the likes of Ebuyer and what-not but that's nearly always down to those suppliers bulk purchasing or stock shifting; and when that happens rather than getting the spiel so many others (insert Total Recall "I've got 5 kids to feed!" quote) give us, it's a simple "Argh, sorry we can't help this time, keep us in mind though". Human beings, we have a good laugh with them, we generally only deal with one guy (Chris W) and there's an element of trust that gets built up as a result.

Plus their pricing on networking/HP stuff is always damn near impossible to beat

[Sheridan]

We always got a discounted delivery rate, and found them very competitive for PCs - generally speaking if they were second cheapest they would find a way to get their price down! Our account manager was the same for years and always easy to deal with. A shame to see a company go down, and good luck to all those involved in finding new jobs.

[DavR]

and good luck to all those involved in finding new jobs.

 

By the looks of it, they haven't hung around on that score.

 

I've just had an email from my old account manager who is now at PCM, pretty much offering to pick up where we left off. Even the logo is weirdly similar.

 

Apparently PCM did try and buy Misco out but it didn't happen, so they've mopped up most of the Misco staff. Anyone know anything about PCM?

[simpsonj]

Anybody else still getting emails from Premier Sales at Misco?

 

It's like being haunted

[network41]

Our reception just called me asking if I wanted to speak to Joe Bloggs from Misco !!! eh no thanks

[DJ-1701]

Our reception just called me asking if I wanted to speak to Joe Bloggs from Misco !!! eh no thanks

 

Shouldn't it be Misgone now?

 

Yeah, I never trusted the Joe Bloggs either.

[jthompson]

Anybody else still getting emails from Premier Sales at Misco?

 

It's like being haunted

 

Yes! Asking me "Where have you been?".

[OverWorked]

I can't say I'm surprised. I stopped using them a few years ago.

 

Misco were great through the 2000's but went on the slide around 2013ish. I'd order stuff that was "in stock" and it would take three weeks to come - it was always three weeks.

 

I tried them a few months ago to see if they'd improved. I ordered an item that was "in stock", only to get an email saying that they couldn't supply those.

 

I've used Insight for bits since then, but even they're not as good as they once were.

[Mistert89]

Don’t they all play the same game? Never in stock at their own warehouses, but in stock within central distribution.

When I wanted a large number of an item, I had three suppliers effectively quoting the same stock! So there wasn’t enough in the supply chain....

[synaesthesia]

They're all in the same business but more often than not they're merely box shifters. Some will go to great lengths to compare their operations to Amazon yet give you the above "not in stock" issues, some will be upfront and tell you exactly what they do; source and delivery. Absolutely fine with the latter.

[DJ-1701]

Remember Misco? Staff win protective award at employment tribunal

 

Reseller's owner axed staff without proper consultation before pulling down the shutters

 

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/12/10/remember_misco_staff_win_protective_award_at_employment_tribunal/

[Sydders01]

Hi Please did you set up DEP on the Misco Ipads? am Stuck as I need their reseller number

 

 

 

Sad news for the staff, but not entirely surprising. Misco have been on our suppliers list for a long time, but recently have been very wide of the mark on prices when we have gone out for quotes.

[Brimstone]

Hi Please did you set up DEP on the Misco Ipads? am Stuck as I need their reseller number

 

This won't solve this as Misco would need to put in a request for DEP with the serial numbers.

 

All I can suggest is you put a call in with Apple DEP support to see if they can help you, numbers are below..

 

0800 9127302

 

 

[Arthur]

Coming soon!

 

https://twitter.com/Misco_UK/status/1136938936025145346

 

[bald_pig]

I don't get why people buy the names of failed companies and think "This time will be different"

[FishCustard]

Brand recognition - if you just buy the brand name and build a different (read: hopefully better) company under it, it can be successful.

 

It's not the name that causes companies to go bust, it's the business mechanics.

 

There are exceptions where the name is so tarnished it'd be a bad idea (

).

[mikeprice]

They are buying the reputation not the shops - works sometimes because people remember the good bits of the old company and keep some loyalty

 

 

Many many years ago there was a good brand of women's clothes called Bergatex - they disappeared then Littlewoods (who I worked for at the time) bought the brand and started labelling their best stuff as Bergatex

My Mum was over the moon - the concept that it was just the same Littlewoods stuff - but the better Littlewoods stuff was not something she could see

Same with a lot of her friends

 

 

Failed when some idiots in marketing saw the great sales for Bergatex and so started putting the labels on lower and lower quality stuff - but there you go - marketing

 

So - it can work - you just need to keep the good bits and the loyalty and ditch the parts that made it fail

[FishCustard]

@mikeprice - wasn't that "Berketex"? I recall seeing the ads in the 90s.

[LeMarchand]

They are buying the reputation not the shops - works sometimes because people remember the good bits of the old company and keep some loyalty

 

 

Many many years ago there was a good brand of women's clothes called Bergatex - they disappeared then Littlewoods (who I worked for at the time) bought the brand

 

Qualcast and Spear & Jackson are also just "branding" rather than manufacturers too.

[bald_pig]

Brand recognition - if you just buy the brand name and build a different (read: hopefully better) company under it, it can be successful.

 

It's not the name that causes companies to go bust, it's the business mechanics.

 

There are exceptions where the name is so tarnished it'd be a bad idea (

).

 

I've never needed something and thought, ooh, I'll check Misco. Nor have they ever turned up the cheapest for something I'm looking for.

[FishCustard]

Just like M&S had "St Michael" for their higher-quality stuff. Tried to give it an air of sophistication.

[mikeprice]

@mikeprice - wasn't that "Berketex"? I recall seeing the ads in the 90s.

 

Could be - I don't spend much time looking at womens clothes labels:o

 

At the time I did spend a lot of time looking at the conveyor systems that sent them out to stores and warehouse shelves - but the clothes themselves were just incidental and got in the way

[E_G_R2]

Good luck but hope they don't the constant churn of 'account managers'

[dgsmith]

I've never needed something and thought, ooh, I'll check Misco. Nor have they ever turned up the cheapest for something I'm looking for.

 

We used to use them a fair bit for open-box stuff (which wasn't really a profitable arrangement for them, but I guess someone else would have bought the kit at the lower price anyway). Occasionally I may have added 1 or 2 other "new" bits to save getting these elsewhere.

 

In years gone by, we did do reasonable business with Misco, but I value account managers highly and having worked with some elsewhere for many years, the relationship you build up is second to none. In Misco's latter days, we had a different account manager every 1-2 months, so simply just stopped using them. I think the business model had more to do with the collapse.

[FishCustard]

Could be - I don't spend much time looking at womens clothes labels:o

 

At the time I did spend a lot of time looking at the conveyor systems that sent them out to stores and warehouse shelves - but the clothes themselves were just incidental and got in the way

 

Hahaha fair enough! I just recall that our local Littlewoods had a massive Berketex promo poster on its outside window. You could see it from the other end of the high street!