And for my two cents worth - some of these merchants who are selling product to the public are also running Road Shows etc with points and are supporting the CPD schemes because they think it is important that practitioners keep up to date and remain competent - how does this sit with selling product to the public who are so NOT competent.
They want it both ways - selling to the public, lobbying parliament so that CPD scheme stays and they have a captive audience for selling stuff, and then also giving discounts to builders etc who shouldn't be putting this stuff in and are shafting the plumbers etc.
We have a merchant in Wellington who is having a big Stocktake sale at the moment. They are selling Infintiy 26's with a free controller cheaper than I can buy from my merchant. Rinnai support them and their sale, but yet expect practitioners to purchase Rinnai product all year around. It just makes me so bloody wild that these suppliers are shafting us left, right and centre. Joe Public will go and buy one Infinity from this merchant and won't need another one for 20 years, practitioners miss out on their margins and livelihood, and yet we might purchase 100 or 200 Infinities in a year and help keep Rinnai in business. If this merchant can sell this stuff at this price and still make money then a) Rinnai are giving a damn good one off price 2) our regular merchants are shafting us 3) This merchant is an idiot and not making any money.
Just a clue (3) isn't an option. They aren't idiots - just don't really give a stuff about practitioners and are not a merchant who contributes anything to wider industry - but in my opinion more like the cut price bargin bin of merchants you know the sort, open the box and bits missing, once you walk out the door we don't want to know about it... That sort, but a wealthy that sort.