Diamond Training Group - TilersForums.com

[Dan]

I wish I'd have known mate. Our whole training side to the forums are based on feedback and it takes a lot of time to cut out the crap, lies, unfair comments and even keep public the fair comments that are negitive towards any of the training centres, as it's that fact that keeps us trusted.

Now other than our feedback sections which we feel we're doing a good job of, we rely on feedback send in via email. And these are often the most trusted as they're 110% from a disgrunted customers. Though we don't act on anything until we've heard both sides and try to encourage a resolution between the customer and training centre, whether it's a sponsor or not.

But I tell you what, I think if I'd have heard this from you 6 months ago Diamond wouldn't have had more leads from the forum from then on. Wouldn't have stopped them leaving somebody in the lurch, and would have still meant a thread was posted about them, but at least less people would have been left in the lurch.

Thankfully AbleSkills.co.uk are already helping a couple of the guys to get back into training and on their courses.

I've often thought about vetting the centre's more than I do now. We make sure our sponsors have been trading for a couple of years, and have decent prices on their products and services, and we love active sponsor as they get to really get to know the forum and it's members, and diamond fit into all of those categories just fine. That was when Kenny ran it.

Danny of ETT contacted us regarding sponsorship and we said no, he responded and said he's taking over diamond and I wished him all the best, Kenny then told me the investment Danny was making and the promise regarding keeping all sides of the business going. The transfer went fine as far as I was aware and I was happy to let Danny sponsor us under the Diamond name due to that fact.

Perhaps bad judgement on my part but if I didn't back the sponsors, they wouldn't and couldn't back us.

I do my best to get the right sponsors and I couldn't have guessed diamond were suffering. I just wish I'd have had some feedback like this before mate.

 

[White Room]

Hinesite is a great thing, an e-mail would haved helped though

 

[andy8758]

I wish I'd have known mate. Our whole training side to the forums are based on feedback and it takes a lot of time to cut out the crap, lies, unfair comments and even keep public the fair comments that are negitive towards any of the training centres, as it's that fact that keeps us trusted.

....I do my best to get the right sponsors and I couldn't have guessed diamond were suffering. I just wish I'd have had some feedback like this before mate.

Dan, I appreciate the dilemma you may face, and my perspective on this is as a businessman as well as a tiler. A Training company does not get customers unless it targets markets where potential customers exist - your forum is a perfect market for all Tile Training Groups - they will work hard to get highlighted on this forum. You did not not get it wrong with the quality of training provided by Diamond.

My experience is that I chose to train with them because of the recommendations on your forum - I actually contacted 3 companies recommended on this forum. Of the 3, Diamond dealt with me the most positively, quickly and had the best feedback. Of the other 2 - one did not even return my phone enquiry, the other phoned 3 days later (and they are both still recommended on here). I started a 2 week course with Diamond to supplement my house renovation work in April. I was so impressed with the instructors Sam and Paul, and enjoyed tiling so much because of what and how they taught, that I decided to take up tiling full time and booked the remaining 4 weeks to make the full 6 week course. I also noted that other students I trained with were similarly impressed back then. I interspersed the training with my work, doing a further 2 weeks in June, the final 2 weeks in August and have been full time tiling now for about 6 months.

I and many other students of Diamond will tell you that the training was excellent. I did note a real lowering of staff morale during the 6 months - but it was not really my business. I did wonder how long that situation would continue, but with the benefit of hindsight, the money problems were looming and I believe the staff and the training suffered because of that.

So overall, I do not think you made a mistake allowing Diamond to sponsor the forum. They provided excellent tile training that only started to fall off during the summer - the quality of my tiling work is now professional standard, and I am already getting close to professional speed by applying tips and skills passed on by Diamonds trainers. Are you now only going to accept sponsorship from long established training centres? What constitutes an established training centre? That may ultimately leave you asking only local authority colleges to become sponsors, and with the public expenditure cuts that may be fraught with danger too!

I see the other private colleges making hay from the outfall of Diamond Training, but in this economic climate we (businessmen) are all facing potential dangers of going bankrupt - and sometimes it is necessary to take some risks to survive. It may be that Danny (who I described as giving me the impression of being a wide-boy) was a bad businessmen, but that is a very difficult conclusion to reach without detailed analysis of the business he was running.

There are many other folk out there who will explore this forum looking to buy tile training through this forums recommendations. Many will be satisfied. A few will suffer loss when another training centre fails (I do not think Diamond will be the last). By all means look at your system of accepting sponsors to ensure that folk are less likely to lose out, but don't be too hard on yourself.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for the reassuring feedback Andy.

 

[faithhealer]

good post andy

 

[charliejamesuk]

Their website is now finally offline!
http://www.diamondtraininggroup.co.uk

 

[Deleted member 1779]

And to be honest mate I need the inside info from the customers of the sponsors more than I need the sponsors. So please do in future tell me anything you have an issue with regarding a sponsor as it could affect their sponsorship.

Aww my Gawddd - We better behave ourselves then !

 

[Dan]

Aww my Gawddd - We better behave ourselves then !

We've never had a single guy email us with an issue regarding your products and / or services Richard mate. Only lots of emails and thread praising the products. Keep up the good work.

 

[Degzy]

Hi guys, I've only just heard, I'm really sorry for all of you who are still there.

I did my six week course back in January and I've been waiting months for Danny to sort my NVQ out. The liquidation of the company explains why I haven't had one reply to my hundreds of emails! They've got all my photos on disc... Anyone know how I can get them back or how I can complete the assessment part of the NVQ, preferably without paying for it again?!

Good luck everyone :yes:

 

[Deleted member 1779]

You will probably have to write to the liquidators. Not sure if there is an address or name available for them?
One of the plus points (may be?) is that they (the owners) cleared the unit of anything significant on the Saturday prior to the Monday.
It could well be that you disc is part of that. Then its a matter of getting a messages somehow to the ex-owners to ask for the disc.