Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

DIB:

When COSTCO sold out of the DC18 months ago, they were priced on clearance for $300 each.  I never cared for the DC18 because of it's tipsy tilty top and small bottom.  The worse of all the dysons per CR ratings save the one you mentioned the DC15 ball. 

BTW, got another email for a free DC25.  5 now in 2 weeks and counting.  And it's not not launched yet on HSN.  Gotta love it! 

Up to now, the DC15 is IMHO the worse of the worse of all the dyson vacuums save the very short-lived canister DC11.  Have to see what bodes for the latest and greatest of the dysons the DC24/25.  

Everytime I scroll down this thread and see that pic of the DC25 with the hideous bowling ball sized wheel I cringe and have to close my eyes.  Not to mention getting the pics of the DC25 in my email box every few days.  Oh the pain and agony.

Carmine D.

M00seUK wrote:

Hello M00seUK:

I had to do a double take on the last part.  I initially read it as "a one trick phony."   And I thought perhaps we were finally in mutual agreement.  Until I reread.

I don't believe he's done one good trick, let alone branch out to others. 

BTW, what's the dyson market share [for vacuums] in the UK lately?  Increasing/decreasing?

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
I'm afraid I can't offer any insight in to Dyson market share figures or recent trends. To do this, I'd need to either work for a retailer or know someone who does.

M00seUK wrote:

Hello M00seUK:

No need to apologize.  I was making a point.  I don't know the exact market share figures either for dyson in the UK.  I know this:  Since 2004 the dyson market share has gone down in the UK.  Whether you use sku's or dollars and any other measurement.  Reports vary.  From a high of 46 percent in 2004 to as low now as 25 percent of the households in the UK buy/use dysons.  That's a big difference.  Agree?   

Mr. Dyson knows the numbers very well, I'm sure.  If they were good and trending upward/even stable year over year, everyone who reads and posts on this Forum would be able to quote them chapter and verse.  Especially from this thread.  You're in the UK, and you have no idea.   Why?  Now I'll  apologize to you in advance for saying: "Not for the reason you state."

Did I make my point? 

Carmine D.

I would say its about run its course,the inventor has had his 15 minuets of fame in the states. I find it very amusing watching these guys gasp for air,but i quess that what happens to companies that are run by personal that no nothing about the vacuum industry. I just might sell these vacuums to people i dont like.

Please stop trying to pass this thing off as a premium quality cleaner,the only thing premium about it is the price, what a piece of plastic junk............

THE GIG IS UP.............

MOLE

Carmine, to put it another way, if I *did* work for a retailer, I would be able to answer your questions with statements such as:-

1) We sell lots of Dyson vacuums every week, it's by far our number one seller by unit / value.

2) We used to sell a lot of Dysons, but these day's more people are buying x brand in large quantities

3) When suggesting Dyson as an option, people often say to me "I'm not buying that make because of x"

What I can mention, is that I was looking after someone's house the other week. Under the stairs was a recently purchased Dyson canister - so based on that sample, so some folks certainly are still buying them.

People still negatively associate Dyson with moving UK jobs to the far east. If the 'D' word comes up in conversation, it almost always leads to this fact. This is the result of a mixture of ignorance to the situation and a printed media who take immense delight in building people up, only to knock them down again. The irony is, if Dyson had simply developed his technology in the UK and built it overseas from the outset, no one would have said a word against him.

But despite the bad publicity, people are still buying Dyson. Almost everyone is aware of the brand and its values, which mean that like Apple, Dyson only ever has to do the occasional print / media adverts to highlight their latest lines. The simple fact is that there's very little choice at the high end for any brand to complete with the Dyson's features. The vast majority of sales are from out of town retail parks and it would appear that Dyson pays handsomely to be prominently displayed at these locations or is rewarding the retailer with high margins / constant unit sales.

Dyson is a purchase that most people who have the disposable income, are prepared to aspire to. Take me, as an example. If I had to go out tomorrow and buy a new vacuum, it wouldn't be a Dyson. In my personal situation, I'm busy building my business, so right now drawing as little as possible - 300 GBP vacuum cleaners don't get a look in. I'll get a 30 GBP canister and although I'll detest using it, it will do the job to a certain degree. But as soon as I can budget for it, I will take great delight in investing in a Dyson - no question... unless someone else is going to offer me something better (which they can't at the moment).

Objectively (trying to get in to the mind of the consumer), if someone has 200 GBP spare for the entry level Dyson upright / canister, doesn't have a preference for a bagged cleaner and wants a bagless without the useless filters that need maintaining all that time, it's tough to discover an option that isn't Dyson. I've been waiting since the first patents expired in around 2000 for this situation to change, but it hasn't developed yet.

Objectively, I see Dyson as a healthy business for the moment. They've added The Ball, they've got this digital motor, they've simplified the DC15 into the DC25, they've introduced a lightweight, they've reintroduced a powerhead, they've upped the ante with Level3 cyclone, new colour schemes (already being copied by others) and branched out in to the washroom with AirBlade. They appear to be investing large sums in to R&D, they don't have institutionalised shareholders to keep happy - creaming off the profits in the process. Of the dividends that the Dyson family is taking, a large proportion is earmarked for the Dyson School, to provide a long term solution in helping them to nurture new talent and generating a bit of PR.

mole wrote:

Thats enought Haterade for you!

M00seUK:

If I recall, Mr. Dyson withdrew $289 Million US from the company in a last minute Board meeting on the eve of March 31, 2008.   Put the company in debt.  What part of that amount is earmarked for the new school? 

Engineers make terrible business people.  Inventors even worse.  I've known two good ones:  Henry Ford and Thomas Alva Edison.  Mr. Dyson is neither one, sorry to say.  Just think, he hand selected and approved his Board of Directors too. 

Carmine D.

 CarmineD wrote:

Surprisingly enough, I don't know the status on expenditure for the Dyson school - but he's certainly withdrawn a tidy sum over the years. There's only so much a man of a certain age can buy. Perhaps he's investing it in other design areas? Just speculating (which is all we can do for now)

Engineers make terrible business people - I'm in full agreement of that statement. I've been working with an inventor-type person. He's a great inventor, but I'm far from convinced he's a good business person (which is what he's trying to be). My father is an engineer - again his detailed knowledge and the tasks he can turn his hand to are amazing, but I can't think of anyone further from the business person category. I also work with a software engineer, great talent - but also nowhere near being a business person.

As for myself, I do consider myself a business person, but I'm creativity-led. So I'd never, for example, serve of the board of company just because - it would have to appeal to me in some way first. So, to say with my own business, I'm confident of being able to run it up to a certain level, but if it was to get beyond a certain size, I'd be more than willing to let someone take charge of the day-to-day, because it would bore me and conseqently, I wouldn't be the best person for the position.

So, getting back on topic. As I understand it, day-to-day running at Dyson is handled by CEO Martin McCourt, with James Dyson in the chairman role, as the public figurehead and ultimately getting final say on the direction of the company, when he's not looking over people's shouders in the R&D department.