Would you pay to have your child seat correctly fitted?

[CoolHands]

Hi

This is not an advert it's just something I'm thinking about doing, and thought I'd canvas opinions.

Given that around two-thirds to three-quarters of car child seats are fitted incorrectly / dangerously, (many, many reports on this, and below is links to latest), and that half of retailers also fit them incorrectly (see which? link below for detailed info) would you consider paying a properly trained and qualified technician (me!) to come to your home and check your current install, or install a new seat properly, and demonstrate how to do so, a viable proposition?

I live in north london, and would be able to service quite a large area since I travel by a (large & fast) scooter. I am thinking I could do 'areas' on certain days to arrange bookings. Eg, I could do Harrow area on Wednesday; Edgware on Thursday etc and run a proper booking system. Each customer would get a time slot, for when it's most convenient for them. I could even visit their workplace etc if necessary (i.e. they drive to work).

Off the top of my head I'm thinking something like £20 set fee for the above service.

Am I crazy? Or are there enough people out there that would consider that one-off expense worthwhile? I also happen to be a qualified car mechanic so I am very practically-minded (i.e. I'm not a roofer who has no idea about the product, if you see what I mean).

Thoughts welcome, and I'm think-skinned so if it's a Dragons Den "I'm Out" response, I won't take it personally!

thanks

http://www.which.co.uk/baby-and-child/baby-transpo...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/18/childr...

[edc]

CoolHands said:

Hi

This is not an advert it's just something I'm thinking about doing, and thought I'd canvas opinions.

Given that around two-thirds to three-quarters of car child seats are fitted incorrectly / dangerously, (many, many reports on this, and below is links to latest), and that half of retailers also fit them incorrectly (see which? link below for detailed info) would you consider paying a properly trained and qualified technician (me!) to come to your home and check your current install, or install a new seat properly, and demonstrate how to do so, a viable proposition?

I live in north london, and would be able to service quite a large area since I travel by a (large & fast) scooter. I am thinking I could do 'areas' on certain days to arrange bookings. Eg, I could do Harrow area on Wednesday; Edgware on Thursday etc and run a proper booking system. Each customer would get a time slot, for when it's most convenient for them. I could even visit their workplace etc if necessary (i.e. they drive to work).

Off the top of my head I'm thinking something like £20 set fee for the above service.

Am I crazy? Or are there enough people out there that would consider that one-off expense worthwhile? I also happen to be a qualified car mechanic so I am very practically-minded (i.e. I'm not a roofer who has no idea about the product, if you see what I mean).

Thoughts welcome, and I'm think-skinned so if it's a Dragons Den "I'm Out" response, I won't take it personally!

thanks

http://www.which.co.uk/baby-and-child/baby-transpo...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/18/childr...

What happens when the seat is removed?

How would you make a living? Travel time, install time, and average 5 visits a day will hardly cover your cost.

[Amateurish]

All my seats are Isofix, so no need for that service.

[littlebasher]

Let's be honest, i expect the majority of seats are bought from Mothercare or Halford.

Both of which fit the seats for you free & in my experience are very conscientious about it (My local Halfords wouldn't sell me a seat that they thought didn't fit nicely).

I don't think there's any money to be made from this!

Round my way, it would be nice to see a kid in a seat rather than climbing all over the back seats while mum or dad is driving.

[voicey]

£20 seems worth paying for an expert opinion. If you do decide to take this forward it might be worth trying to drum up business through the NCT - lots of first time middle class parents join them (your target market I expect).

[groomi]

I'm not sure how much of a market there would be. You'd have three scenarios:

1) I don't trust anyone else to install my kids seat/I'm too cocky/tight/proud etc. to want someone else to do it.
2) I believe all the branding at Mothercare et al (and the convenience) and will only trust them to install my kids seat.
3) I want this independent individual to install my kids seat in preference to the above.

So how are you going to convince people to go for option 3. What will be your USP? Why would I trust a bloke with a website more than a huge retail chain, or my own skills?

[CoolHands]

edc said:

What happens when the seat is removed?

Part of the service would be to educate the owner to enable them to fit the seat correctly. (Most people clearly do it wrong in various ways: eg use the wrong seat for the weight / height of the child; don't know / realise that the shoulder belts need to be correctly positioned according to the childs shoulder height; leave the seat too loose to the car; leave the belts that hold the child too loose etc).

[thinfourth2]

20 pounds = someone who has no idea what they are doing

120 pounds = you must be an expert and parents can tell all the other parents how much they spent and if their friends don't pay the same they might as well just perch the children on the roof rack

[alcovrugbyfan]

You being serious?

I take my car seats in and out all the time, I've got 3 kids now so I kind of know how to do it. When you buy a seat from Halfords and the like they fit it for you and show you how to do it for free. Why would anyone pay someone to come and fit it?

It's a rubbish idea so for that reason I'm out

[LooneyTunes]

Potential demand aside, can you get yourself insured for this sort of activity (at a sensible cost)? With this "where there's blame" mentality, there's no way I'd even contemplate doing it without cover in place...

[CoolHands]

groomi said:

3) I want this independent individual to install my kids seat in preference to the above.

So how are you going to convince people to go for option 3. What will be your USP? Why would I trust a bloke with a website more than a huge retail chain, or my own skills?

It is possible to receive correct training eg Britax (child seat manufacturers) run training days for professionals in the car industry.

Re: mothercare etc, 49% of stores incorrectly fitted the seats.

Re: isofix many people still don't purchase them. Also, they still need the belts that hold the child to be correctly positioned adjusted. The 'advice' would still be relevant for them

[y2blade]

A good and very plausable idea..with a need for this service

BUT IMHO
No-one should have to pay to have their child seats fitted



Frank will be along in a moment

Edited by y2blade on Tuesday 20th September 10:03

[Simbu]

I expect you'd need to offer a comprehensive service, educating customers on the correct installation of child seats, and perhaps making recommendation on products? For example, what seats fit well in which cars? Perhaps you can expand the idea into general child safety in cars (those window blind things for example).

Educating customers sounds like a plan with potential risks - if the customer subsequently installs a seat incorrectly and their child is injured as a result, is there any comeback?

[boobles]

Can I ask what you're background is coolhands?

[thinfourth2]

^^^^^

Is that the guy who spends all day firing children into concrete blocks

[boobles]

thinfourth2 said:

^^^^^

Is that the guy who spends all day firing children into concrete blocks

[thinfourth2]

boobles said:

thinfourth2 said:

^^^^^

Is that the guy who spends all day firing children into concrete blocks

So you are a bus driver then

[alock]

LooneyTunes said:

Potential demand aside, can you get yourself insured for this sort of activity (at a sensible cost)? With this "where there's blame" mentality, there's no way I'd even contemplate doing it without cover in place...

First thing that came to my mind.

Can you imagine how much you would be sued by if one of your customers had a fatality?

[boobles]

thinfourth2 said:

boobles said:

thinfourth2 said:

^^^^^

Is that the guy who spends all day firing children into concrete blocks

So you are a bus driver then

Dam it, been caught out!

[Davie]

I'm not sure if this still applies but many many moons ago I worked for Halfords and was sent off on a course through Britax to learn how to sell baby seats correctly. The policy was that you could advise, recommend, demonstrate but you had to remove the seat from the car and the parent/adult/person in charge of said sprog had to fit it before you waved them off into the sunset. That removed some degree of liability should things go wrong. But as for offering such a service, to echo what's been said, most retailers should offer that service for free and if they don't, I wouldn't buy a seat from them. But you are correct, there are a scary ammount of kids riding around in poorly fitted or unsuitable car seats so maybe you're on to something... but as a full time source of income, I'm not sure.

Regards