“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” – except when it’s copying
At Piranha, we go to enormous lengths to design our products. Very careful consideration goes into everything from style through to the quality of the materials and the long-term durability of our products to ensure our customers get the very best product we can produce.
Our products are so good that others attempt to copy them. They look similar but that’s where it ends. No-one else uses our highest grade commercial grade laminates or such high quality fittings.
For a first time purchaser, it can be difficult to judge the quality of a product from a picture on the Internet, and that’s why reviews can be so helpful. See what others are saying about the companies products. See whether they have guarantees and ‘no quibble’ return policies. We’d even go so far as to say that if a company doesn’t permit people to review their products, you should buy with caution – they may simply be just poor copies of an original product.
Developing quality products takes time and money, and those who copy them just reproduce something in the cheapest way possible to make it ‘look the same’ but do it so cheaply that it probably won’t stand the test of time and regular use.
So, always check the authenticity of the products you buy, when you buy from Piranha, you’ll get a quality product with a full two year guarantee. And they are all pretty cool designs too, with wonderful features which enhance your experience and functionality.
Who cares?
You know that feeling when you find the perfect item you’ve been searching for, you order it, and then…….everything goes wrong.
You’ve read the company blurb – “We value our customers” “We listen to our customers” blah blah blah, but the reality turns out to be quite the opposite.
We’ve all had this experience at some point and it’s very sad that so many companies talk the talk but when it comes down to it, don’t appear to really care about their customers.
Then, often, we avoid those companies in the future even though they might have our chosen product but we can’t bear to wrangle with their ‘so called’ customer service, so everyone loses.
Of course, life isn’t always straightforward, and even in the best run companies things can go wrong. The test of any company is how they then deal with the problem to ensure the customer is satisfied and happy with their purchase.
Here are a few things that we, at Piranha, have done to ensure our customers are happy, both with our products and our service;
You can ring us, email or chat through our website with our knowledgeable and helpful Customer service staff with ANY queries you may have.
We changed our delivery company – a huge step – but our customers said that’s what they wanted.
We have now extended our ‘No quibble’ return period to a huge 30 days to ensure total satisfaction.
We have upgraded all our laminate finishes to a heavy duty commercial finish, very resistant to any damage.
We could go on however, to answer the question – “Who cares?” – WE DO.
Working from home – the easy option?
There’s a popular misconception about working from home that it’s a soft option. Anyone who does work from home knows that far from relaxing, putting their feet up and catching the sport on TV, organising their time and space can be quite challenging.
In a busy household, simply finding a quiet space to concentrate on work isn’t always easy. Add to that, the isolation of working alone for hours on end and this can be a quite a different proposition.
There are some helpful ways of dealing with these issues that some have found worthwhile.
Firstly, find a space that can be dedicated to work only. This sounds obvious but it’s important to get that balance between work and home life and work doesn’t take over completely.
Secondly, take regular breaks. Research has found that many home workers often forget to take breaks from their desks and, unless this is seen as a priority, hours can quickly become excessive.
If your job is solely working from home rather than occasional, attending networking events can be useful. These allow for interaction with others whilst also gaining useful contacts too.
The workspace itself is very important. Having sufficient space for paperwork, good lighting if working from a computer and also, ensuring that your chair positioning is good, preventing back and shoulder problems created by poor seating posture.
Here at Piranha, many of our customers work from home either as students or in their jobs so we take the design of our products very seriously and work hard to ensure that your needs are met.
Our desks are designed for spaces large and small, and their carefully considered benefits mean that everything from storage to keyboard positioning has been taken account of.
A couple of examples are – our Regal corner desk – very popular for its space saving corner design with built in storage for your paperwork.
And, for those looking for a more compact design, our Makro folds into itself when not required, and when fully opened, forms an excellent working space.
So if you are working from home, we understand just how productive you are and you deserve the best. We aim to provide that for you and are always happy to advise on the best product for your particular needs.
Buy well, buy Piranha.
Internet shopping
When buying goods on the Internet, what can you do to ensure that you’re getting the best quality at the best price?
Here’s a few tips to help you –
Check out the reviews – these are a good indication of the quality of the products, you may read something that tells you if the product is right for you.
How long has the business been trading? – There are a lot of ‘fly by nights’ on the internet who get a consignment of something and offload it cheaply but have no interest in long-term customer satisfaction.
Customer service – How accessible is the company? Even in the best run companies, things can go wrong and excellent customer service can turn this around for you. Not being able to speak to a person who will take ownership of the problem or issue can drive any of us to distraction. Dealing with a company who encourage contact can make buying a pleasure.
Do the company offer any guarantees on their goods? – Low prices are all well and good but that old saying ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ can ring true when the lowest priced product turns out to be shoddy. A company who offers guarantees clearly know their product is good quality and are prepared to ensure you are happy.
Are there any ethical considerations with the product you’re buying? – More and more we need to know that the money we spend is being used ethically by the companies we buy from so – Do they pay their tax? Do they employ people on zero-hours contracts? Do they contribute to charities or support good causes? – When there’s a choice, these can be deal breakers.
And finally, when buying office furniture – buy from Piranha – we fulfil all the above.
BRING ME SUNSHINE – in the form of great Summer offers!
PIRANHA FURNITURE are well known for our great value, high quality Office Furniture and this summer, we’re bringing you some amazing offers on selected pieces of our furniture.
THE OSCAR COMPACT CORNER DESK AT JUST £44.95
THE MAKO REVERSIBLE FOLDING CORNER DESK AT JUST £48.95
THE BALLAN BOOKCASE WITH 4 SHELVES AT JUST £33.95
THE BLENNY LOCKABLE 2 DRAWER A4 FILING PEDESTAL AT JUST £35.95
THE ELVER COMPACT DESK WITH CABINET AT JUST £45.95
Be quick, these offers will only run for a short while so don’t miss out. You can be assured of our high quality products and great customer service.
The importance of Ethical Business
In the last few years we’ve seen a huge increase in commercial businesses who are going to great lengths to establish their ‘ethical’ credentials, but how do the customers really know whether this is simply a PR stunt, or whether the business is really trading ethically in all areas.
Well, you might have to do some digging with some companies, as much of the customer facing PR points to the business being ethical, but behind the scenes it might be a different story, for example – zero hours contracts being applied to their workers.
PIRANHA believes that for a business to claim it is ethical, it must follow through on all areas of its activities and so, the PIRANHA went through a huge change in its business model, and now gives a significant 25% of all its profits from its website sales to Charities.
Here is how it works :-
25% Of All Profit From Piranha Furniture Website Will Go To Charity
25% of all profit made from sales on this website will go to charities nominated by our customers, employees and shareholders. Every time you buy an item from us you will be given the opportunity to nominate up to three UK registered charities from the list below. Each time you shop with us your chosen charities will receive points, giving them a larger share of the profits. If you choose not to nominate any charities, the full 15% will still be given to the charities selected by our other customers.[1]
CHILDREN
NSPCC
ENVIRONMENT / COUNTRYSIDE
The Wildlife Trusts
The National Trust
The Woodland Trust
ANIMAL WELFARE
RSPCA
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
MEDICAL
British Heart Foundation
Cancer Research UK
Diabetes UK
Alzheimer’s Society
HEALTH CARE
Macmillan Cancer Support
Marie Curie Cancer Care
St John Ambulance
HUMAN RIGHTS
Amnesty International UK
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF & POVERTY
Oxfam
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)
WaterAid
British Red Cross
The Salvation Army
MISCELLANEOUS
Terrence Higgins Trust
The Royal British Legion
Guide Dogs
Help for Heroes
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
The Prince’s Trust
Samaritans
– See more at: https://www.piranhafurniture.com/about-us/25-of-all-profit-from-this-website-will-go-to-good-causes/#sthash.38a9aqwC.dpuf
GREAT SUMMER SPECIAL OFFERS
To bring some cheer to this summer, we have some amazing summer offers on our Quality Office Furniture.
Piranha Furniture is made to a very high quality standard and carries a 2 Year Warranty too, so always be sure to buy genuine PIRANHA FURNITURE.
SUMMER OFFERS
MAKO REVERSIBLE FOLDING CORNER DESK
Brilliant design giving you good workspace which folds out to create a useful corner desk, ideal where space is at a premium. Just £48.95 while stocks last
Great FREE Prize Draw!
We recently set up our new Facebook page and to launch it we’re running a FREE Prize Draw.
Just go to – Facebook.com/piranhatrading
The lucky winner will be drawn from the First 200 Likes of the page and can choose 3 pieces of our furniture.
Here’s a few examples of what you could win –
Our customers have recommended many of our products and our reviews are excellent!
So DON’T MISS OUT! Just a little click and you could be the lucky winner 🙂
The loneliness of the distanced worker
As a direct result of the expansion of the digital tools available to us all, remote working is becoming a large part of mainstream working activity. There are those too who work from home as small businesses and freelancers.
For the most part, it’s generally agreed that the flexibility of remote working has huge benefits, both to the worker and for the organisation they may work for. Less stressful without long periods of travel; being able to work at hours which suit the worker; often a more peaceful environment outside of a noisy and busy office.
What is discussed less is the isolation and loneliness that can occur when many days pass without face to face human interaction for remote workers. This isolation can become loneliness and in turn lead to a less productive work life and unhappiness.
How can this be alleviated? Depending of the circumstances of the worker, for example, if you’re working for a company and some days are spent working from home, these could be staggered. So, for example, rather than spend three consecutive days working alone, it may be helpful to work one at home, two at work then two at home.
For people whose work is all done from home then different measures can be taken. It’s amongst this group that the most isolation can take place. Here are a few tips which were gleaned from people who work from home 100% of the time.
* Schedule your work to include periods out of the home office, where you will talk with others. Sometimes, even a quick trip to the shops can help.
* Consider joining business networking groups, there are many who meet in less formal sociable spaces and where there is a common interest, sometimes this can be good for business too.
* Don’t forget the telephone! Most of us use email all the time and yet, having a telephone conversation can break up that isolated feeling.
* Use social media to chat to people when you’re taking a break. It’s just another way of keeping in touch and there are others out there too who experience this kind of working isolation – you might be helping them too.
* Vary your workspace. With widespread free wifi available in many public spaces, take time out to work from different places occasionally, just being amongst people can be a great help.
* Joining something like a gym where you will meet others whenever you wish to can be useful, the exercise is good too!
* You’re not alone. Good to remember. Working alone can be tough and it’s not for everyone. In extreme cases some people find that having a regular workplace with colleagues is the only way they can work so consider this aspect if you’re considering working for yourself.
* Don’t be afraid to share your experience with others, you might make new friends and find you can create a little support network.
Remember, isolation is not a natural state of affairs for humans, if you feel that it’s becoming too stressful that’s not a failing in you, that’s natural, and ensuring that you interact with others on a regular basis is good for your general health as well as your working life.
Piranha Trading 