There are a number of reasons for this regrettable decision and the main reasons are as follows.
LESS NEED TO UPGRADE:- fi 1st Impressions has always been based on "Old fashioned service" - however there has been a steady decline of individuals and businesses who require a personal service and the associated costs. Added to the fact that more and more people are looking to cut costs is the performance of today's computers - up until two or three years ago it was necessary to upgrade your computer every two or three years. At the moment there is not a huge performance boost to be gained from upgrading to the latest crop of computers.
VISTA:- Vista, which was expected to give a boost to sales is a disaster and and that's not just my opinion - both versions of XP outsells all four versions of Vista by quite considerable numbers. I refuse to sell Vista (except for high end stand alone laptops where there is no choice) and I have no interest in it or its problems. Remember Windows ME - well I refused to sell that as well.
PRICE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SERVICE:- More and more I am being asked for advice before people purchase a new piece of equipment, only to then find those people have bought elsewhere at prices much less than my quoted price. I can spend quite a lot of time giving my reasons for my choice and a price that includes delivering it, un-installing the old one and installing the new one plus setting up drivers and software - for that service I add around $70. Here's an example - my favoured brand of monitor is Viewsonic, my local wholesale price for a 19" VA1918WB is $218.90 including GST - my retail price $289. However you can buy it online for just $218.43 plus delivery.
The big guys around town (who due to their huge buying power get special deals from the manufacturers and are reducing their margins to compete with the online stores) are also now selling at prices I just can not compete with. Hardware sales have always been my bread and butter and less and less people these days want to pay for the service I offer (some want it, they just don't want to pay for it).
When it comes to computers and laptops then the price difference between me and the "box floggers" has been $200 to $300 - quality components, formatted hard drives and individual set up as opposed to hard disk loading, free anti virus/anti spyware/backup/office package/up to 300mb of windows updates etc etc (nobody else does that), delivery, installation, set up of printers/internet/email and the transfer of data/documents/emails/photos/songs/address book etc etc from the old to the new - and last but not least I provide the Windows disk not just the licence - unfortunately more and more people only consider the bottom line. This has not been the case with all of my customers by any means as many have been appreciative of the value I have offered and it is for those valued clients that I have the most regrets.
LESS NEED FOR MY SERVICES:- Quality computers such as those that I have supplied have never been so reliable. Young family members and work colleagues are a lot more computer savvy, less and less are my services required to fix viruses, install or upgrade software, fix software problems or give tuition.
BUSINESS MODEL:- One of my major suppliers closed up shop last week, which left me with a big hole as to sourcing the products that only they distributed locally. My business has always been based on locally sourced products. There are a number of reasons for this, one of which is based on giving the best possible service, especially when it involves down time, as it is always quicker to resolve problems locally - a day or two not weeks and weeks. Although there is more profit to be made buying interstate or overseas, the costs and time involved in interstate or overseas trading does not suit my one man service based business model.
ECONOMY:- The current downturn/economic crisis has hit many of my customers pockets - most of which are of the older generations - they have shares that have plummeted in value, their superannuation is in a downward spiral, everything seems to be going up in price, the cost of fuel etc. I have never known the phone to be so quiet for such a long period since I started and I can no longer afford to sit here waiting for the phone to ring.
LOST CUSTOMERS:- Unfortunately I am unable to recommend anyone as to who may serve your computer needs in the future. I had recommend a couple in the past whom I thought were my friends but unfortunately due to their lack of business ethics and the golden opportunity to make some money at my expense they did my business a lot of damage, I lost a lot of customers.
THE BOTTOM LINE:- With the downturn of hardware sales, virtually non existent profit levels, the large reduction in my customer base plus the present economic climate I have no choice except to close up shop and look for an alternative source of income.
AS TO MY FUTURE:- Keep my eye out for a job that takes my fancy, if nothing turns up I may go back to carpentry, not that that is important at this stage as I have a number of jobs that need doing around my home and a trailer to fix. It has been suggested that I set myself up as a handyman cum odd-job-man which has some appeal as I can do most jobs around the home. There may indeed be a need for someone to do those jobs that are too small to engage a builder - carpentry, painting and decorating including wall paper hanging, tiling, pavers, plastering and plaster board repairs, gardening and small landscaping jobs, pool maintenance and maybe even some selective non-urgent computer sales/repairs and services to those who want some good old fashioned service - we will see.
David