Bumper show issue - Gift Focus magazine

all the answerscover in the USAQNeil McFarlane says: If you distribute productsto the USA because of the strict liability lawsAthere and in Canada, having the correct coverin place is very important. Insurance policiesavailable in this country may restrict cover soas the policy will only respond should a claimbe made against you in a court not operatingunder the jurisdiction of either USA or Canada.Cover can even be further restricted to onlyrespond to claims brought under a courtoperating under UK jurisdiction.Very few insurers are able to offer coverwhich operates under the USA/Canadianjurisdiction and premiums required by insurerswill be high. Check with your current insurer/broker to ensure you have the necessary coverin place.Product liability and the USA – am Icovered?Qco-ordinating coloursAs a regular reader of your answers,I am persuaded that I should changethe colour of my window back andfloor more often in order to show offmy stock. The reason for not doing soup until now is cost and the time andeffort involved. Are there any cheapshort cuts that I can take?AAlan Springall says: Having fresh, co-ordinatedcolours will always make your merchandiseand shop look more attractive. There are asome effective ways that should make the jobsimpler and cheaper.Firstly it’s worth investing in some removablefloor panels cut from 15mm or 18mm thickMDF. If your budget allows cut two sets so thatone can be covered at leisure ready for a swiftchangeover. These are quicker and neater tocover, by wrapping fabric around the back andstapling, rather than fixing the covering directto the existing floor, and if the size is calculatedcarefully, bearing in mind standard fabric widths,less material will be used.As for the background, this could be moredifficult. If you have a solid backed window andwant it covered in one piece, you will almostcertainly need to sew widths of fabric togetherand hide your fixings with ribbon or by ‘blind’stapling. One solution is to paint the existingback wall in a neutral colour and use smallerpanels that can be covered more economicallywhich can be hung in front or fixed to it. Thesecan create an attractive feature if consistentgaps are left around and between them. Thepanels can be made from 12mm MDF andhung from the ceiling by chains and ‘S’ hooks,although they will probably need a couple oflengths of 25mm x 50mm timber fixed to theback to stop them warping. If they can’t behung, they can be fixed to the wall with specialbrackets called ‘flush mounts’ or simply with apiece of 25 x 50 timber sawn along its lengthat an angle. One half of this is fixed to the wallwith the high edge outwards and upwards, theother half is screwed across the width of thepanel with the high edge outwards and facingdown. The panel is then simply dropped ontothe wall timber and locks into position. Like thefloor panels, careful sizing can make the backpanels very economical to wrap with fabricand fix with staples.If a larger budget is available, lightweight,reasonably rigid panels can be obtained.For open-backed windows similar panels canbe hung from the ceiling or supported bydiscrete floor brackets but will need to beneatly finished on the back.As for covering materials, the range isextensive, although the choice is slightly limitedif the covering has to be fire retardant (FR).FR fabrics usually need to be obtained fromspecialist suppliers. If FR is not a priority andonly small quantities are required then the localmarket stall is a good place to start looking.Coloured bed sheeting is particularly usefulas it is made very wide. Plain coloured PVC ischeap and vibrant but will need another thickfabric or thin wadding underneath it to ensurea smooth finish. Be careful when ordering PVCas the plain colour high gloss type is produced‘kiss laminated’. This means that the gloss sidesare pressed very firmly together on the rolland need to be separated before use. It alsomeans that if you order 5m it will be suppliedas two lengths 2.5m long pressed together.For large quantities there are many specialistdisplay fabric suppliers. Whatever your choicecan I insist that you avoid the temptation touse crepe paper no matter how attractive thecost might be.telecoms customer serviceHow do you know if a telecomscompany provides a good level ofcustomer service?QChris Earle says: The telecoms industryis based on communication so firstly it’sAimportant to ensure clear communicationchannels are available for you to keep incontact with your telecoms provider.Before opting for a certain telecomsprovider, find out if they use automated menusand off shore call centres. When running abusiness you need to be able to pick up thephone and speak to a real person when youhave problems. Many telecoms firms use offshore call centres so check where call centresare based.It’s also good to check if the company hasbeen independently assessed for nationallyrecognised standards such as CustomerService Excellence, ISO 9001 and Investors inPeople. Look on potential company’s websitesto find out what accreditations and standardsthey hold.Many companies now provide a dedicatedpoint of contact within their company for youto go to with any problems or questions. Askwho will be responsible for your company’saccount and get their full contact details. g132 giftfocus