sharps bedrooms

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by wood basher, May 19, 2007.

  1. wood basher

    wood basher New Member

    hi there wanting some info about sharps bedrooms.
    has any1 out there had any experience working for them?
    also whats the pay like?
     
    Rileymuk likes this.
  2. dirtydeeds

    dirtydeeds New Member

    my GUESS is be careful. sharps are sold on comission to the salesman

    any outfit like this pays the minimum possible

    they make NO payment whatsoever for "problem fits"

    slow payment

    AND

    you get the call backs from customers who have had VERY VERY expensive bedrooms that are not 700 million percent perfect
     
  3. dirtydeeds

    dirtydeeds New Member

    clearly sharps may be the exception to the rule
     
  4. Chekhov

    Chekhov Member

    I agree with "dirtydeeds". I could be wrong but I think Sharps Bedrooms are part of the same consortium that owns Kitchens Direct and Dolphin Bathrooms. They are all sold by salesmen who work on a commission only basis and they also design them which means they frequently don't fit and they expect the fitters to "bail them out" all the time. It will more than likely be price work with next to no support if everything goes pear shaped due to incompetence on their part. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole!
     
  5. peterob

    peterob New Member

    hi basher. i worked for them about 3 years ago for 6 months i didnt really have a great time i joined them when they where going through a bad period sending things out the wrong hand, bits missing, customers taking delivery of components and waiting for six weeks for fitting nice piece on watchdog about them. you just didnt know what you were walkng into. you work on a percentage which can be really good . the best i did was 150 for a day no probs and 5 miles down the road. i also have a friend who works for them and has done for years and is happy and earns good money. you basically have to take the **** no one wants for a while then once youve done that you can throw your weight around if your any good demand a bit more money or turn jobs down if you dont like the look of them or you think they are too far. i was too soft and travelled up to 60 miles for 80 quid a day sometimes. you dont get payed till the customer signs your sheet only ever had one customer do this coz they thought they where getting wardrobe backs and they didnt i had to wait 3 weeks for my money.Basically you will be slow and not earn great money to start you will work late get stressed and make a few mistakes coz your chucked in at the deep end but if you can get through that you will do ok, your money is always there unless customer doesnt sign. to sum up when its good its really good when its bad its really bad
     
    tore81 likes this.
  6. Binfield Carpenter

    Binfield Carpenter New Member

    Sharps are the same group as Dolphin, Meuben etc.

    In the last year I have had to remove a kitchen and a bedroom installed by them. In each case the customer (different ones each time) had been pressured to agree, sold an inappropriate design. The fitters had been under such time pressure that they had to bodge to get it done and were unable to deal with missing components, design snaffus or inapporpriate time estimates. In both cases the fitter had disappeared at the end promising to get the remaining items sorted and didn't .....

    My wife used to advise at Citizens Advice and found that the sharpes/dolphin/meuben group were one of the top problem retailers - high pressure sales, rip off credit terms, bad quality, no customer service etc etc.

    Whether as a customer or as a fitter/subcontractor my advice is have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM.
     
  7. foxy

    foxy New Member

    I've done a fair bit for them and chekov and peterob have covered most of the bases. The main problems are very poor surveys that result in designs frequently not fitting, frequently damaged or poor quality materials (especially worktops!!), long hours due to tight deadlines/distance, having to fit a ship in a bottle and most of all being expected to constantly sort out everyone else's incompetence for ** all more money. I never thought of it as good and you will quickly become angry and disheartened.
    Also, I don't know what's going to happen with the CIS changes as I understand you can work more than about 60% of the time for one employer and Sharps expect their subbies to be at their beck and call at ALL times.

    [Edited by: admin9]
     
  8. foxy

    foxy New Member

    The last sentence should read can't work.
     
  9. Rollover174

    Rollover174 New Member

    I've just done the training for sharps with 10 other lads. After week two we have all left. You get 7 or 8% for the fit which would be ok in a perfect world but bad designs, two hour drive to the job or a room full and carpet down to try and work in.
    After petrol blades there's not much left in the wage
     
  10. goldenboy

    goldenboy Super Member

    I am not surprised you have left. I have done a few "designed" kitchens by various "kitchen designers" in DIY stores. Without fail they have been designed by idiots. I imagine the same scenario with Sharps. Some sharp suited salesman takes a massive chunk for being able to use a computer badly and then leaves the fitter paddleless.
     
  11. mark cobell

    mark cobell New Member

    really bad company went under because of them Keep AWAY FROM THEM !
     
  12. Mark Trundell

    Mark Trundell New Member

    Just a revival to this thread. I started subbing to Sharps about four years ago. But didn’t see this until about 5 months in which in hindsight was probably a good thing as I probably wouldn’t have given it a go.
    I just want to add that over the time I’ve subbed to them, things have improved a lot. I’m not saying it’s paradise (what job is?), but I can earn exactly what I want, as in, if I need more, I ask them to throw work at me and if I have a lot of private work on, I tell them in advance and they’re fine. They are ridiculously busy with a constant supply of work. I think some guys struggled with the way you go about signing off jobs and ordering stock/materials etc, but it can all be done online now, so it’s much simpler.
    I hope this helps people consider this as a good option as I honestly think some of the above comments are outdated and need some present input from someone who is actually working for them.
     
  13. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I saw a thinly disguised advert for Sharps fitters and passed it on to a friend. He has been with them for 5 years and much as yourself uses it to back fill other work. He hasn't had any problems over payment or supply of components.

    The only problems he has had is whit customers not preparing for the fitting - not emptying the bedroom or even the wardrobes !
     
  14. Mark Trundell

    Mark Trundell New Member

    Yeah, that does happen. Maybe 2 in 10 jobs you have to move a couple of things about. But if it’s excessive Sharps will postpone the fit and pay you for your time. I’ve had one job I refused to do in the whole time. The rest, I’ve moved the stuff myself, It takes half an hour max. Tbh I make more effort sorting private jobs. Again though, they have a fitter feedback system and are aware of this problem. I believe they are currently moving that instruction to the customer,so it is far more prominent on the paperwork.
    It’s the same as anywhere, the fitters just need to make the company aware of the problems and if it is big enough that it’s affecting the numbers, they’ll change it!
     
  15. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    He is quite happy and he prefers doing wardrobes as there is less pressure from the homeowner than if he was fitting a kitchen
     
  16. Sam Clarkson

    Sam Clarkson New Member

    I'm surprised reading through this the amount of negative comments, I've been working for sharps as a fitter for a while now and have not a bad comment to say. Materials are not only deliverd to site but also put into room where the fit will take place, all fixings are supplied by sharps all you really have to do is build the wardrobe. With all new jobs it will take time to adjust but once into the flow of things money will increase substantially as you get quicker. There admin side of things is great also loads of support from managers other fitters aswell as people in the office. Would recommend working for them as I've had no bad experiences so far! Only reason I can see for people not having a good experience is not giving themselves enough time to get up to speed with there system and jumping ship to early.
     
  17. Dizzy Rob

    Dizzy Rob New Member

     
  18. Dizzy Rob

    Dizzy Rob New Member

    Hi Wood Basher

    Good to hear you’re getting on at Sharps.
    I joined Sharps as a subbie in 2005 and I’m still here; so it can’t all be bad.
    A lot has changed in recent years/months as the business adapts to changing economies etc’.
    Much of the negative stuff you read on these posts is based on past experiences. True, Sharps ain’t for everyone; but if you’re organised, motivated, have good carpenter/bench joiner skills, and want to get on, then Sharps is worth a look.
    No one should brag about earnings potential because some guys like to work faster/longer than others, but I do ok. Certainly better rates than site carpentry, and my customers are mostly ok.
    I rarely travel more than 30 miles but on occasion I’ve been asked to do a VIP,or similar, a bit further away.
    You’re right about the support from Installations Managers and the Admin staff. If you’re polite, helpful and keep you’re cool, help is plentiful.
    Hope this helps anyone out there considering joining us.
     
    Sam Clarkson likes this.
  19. Dam0n

    Dam0n Screwfix Select

    Lots of new members mysteriously popping up just to say good things about Sharps...

    Just saying...:rolleyes:
     
  20. Scott Green

    Scott Green Member

    What sort of money can be earnt doing wardrobes?

    I'll throw it out there and say i fit new build kitchens 75% of my work and doing that, i usually earn 200 - 275 a day without breaking sweat. I do have to supply fixing and silicone ect though.
     

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