The Auswine Forum

Hi all

I just received my yearly rental hike from Kennards for my offsite storage. Up over 20% and a massive 62% price hike in 2 years

I have argued again and again with them over their "justification" of how they can ramp up prices as such. If I increased my prices to my customers to that extent I would be out of business.

So I need to build a cellar under my house. I'm not looking for something showy and flash - I just want an insulated space that I can fit around 1500 bottles in boxes and put a cellar conditioner to keep the cost down.

Anyone know some people that I could talk to in Sydney to make this a reality at a reasonable cost or ideas of how to make it happen?

Cheers

The Kennards pricing model is based on demand, so the pricing is not uniform across all sites. A bit like surge pricing on Uber, but it's permanent based on location. The pricing for the Jumbo sized locker I've got varies by over 100% depending on Kennards location in Melbourne.

I just got my first price increase of 10% in the 3 years I've been with them. This is at Kennards Huntingdale.

The pricing is negotiable, at least at Huntingdale. When I upgraded from 2 Mini lockers to 1 Jumbo, they gave me a good deal.

It sounds like you've complained a lot to them and they still won't budge. I feel your pain. If I had a 62% increase over 3 years, I would have to take my business elsewhere.

Time to start pulling up floorboards at home Teisto.

Might be worth shopping around Tiesto. Inner city Sydney might be more expensive than a bit further out. Retrofitting a cellar would be serious dollars.

you could try one of these. Not sure on cost though.
http://www.bromicrefrigeration.com.au/m ... _Range.pdf

Here are some with prices. Looks like you'll have to supply your own cooling unit.
http://www.refrigerationconnect.com.au/ ... lroom-Kits

My old cellar was created with the help of a guy named Laurie Bilsborough who can provide insulation, air conditioning and also racking, although I used gal mesh. Info including phone number here: https://www.aussieweb.com.au/business/c ... ne/2465506

Check online during winter for the latest prices. Every couple of years, during winter they drop the price to move vacant lockers. Last year I dropped my price from $340 to $160 by having my wife rent a new locker. I also use the opportunity to do a stock take of what is in the cellar and then sort of update cellarmaster.

Yep. I just received a 20% hike and expressed my displeasure and am looking for another facility in Adelaide if possible. I was a founding renter of a large space and introduced to them a number of customers.

I have quite an extensive property portfolio and I asked for justification in the % increase when there's no economic indications I'm seeing in commercial nor residential holdings justifying massive rental increases.

Rates now are way higher than my current plan (which I got on special), so I decided to pay for an extra couple of years in advance in order to lock in my current rate. By the time that expires in late 2018 I'll re-evaluate...

I bought a house with a cellar. Was the best thing I've ever done. Kennards were bleeding me.

-- George Krashos

George Krashos wrote:I bought a house with a cellar. Was the best thing I've ever done. Kennards were bleeding me.

-- George Krashos

+1. When we bought our Adelaide house with a cellar in 1990 my wife asked what we would do with it. I took it as a rhetorical question......

Carl

Thanks all for the feedback.

Glad to know I'm not the only one in the same boat.

I have kicked up a stink, renegotiated when they dropped prices to new customers - not existing etc etc.

Even responded to let them know I would be sharing my displeasure and their "inventive" justifications with the wider wine community and social media presence. Nothing back as yet

I have plenty of room to put something under the house and build something - I need some asbestos sheeting removed though to reframe. I can comfortably walk under the area it would go I just need to look at some of the plumbing underneath and work out how to avoid it

Thanks Hacker for the contact - will investigate. Bobthebuilder and I were talking about it around xmas a couple of years ago - never quite got back to that conversation and building something out.

Likewise, more than once they have attempted to hike my locker price to greater than new customers, they do not reward customer loyalty.

Currently new locker prices for 24 case minis are in the stratosphere at Artarmon, so not many negotiations available, although bizarrely the 8 case micro minis are currently $18 (or $54 for 3) whereas the equivalent 24 case minis are $95....

Once they've got you, they know it's a hassle to move elsewhere IF you can find somewhere convenient and reasonably priced. They probably also realise people don't like to move their wines in the summer.

For every angry customer who moves out there's probably lots who just bite the bullet and stay put. Inertia is a strong force and laziness common!

I've recently moved into a new home. I have a door from my studio into the underfloor space. Plenty of room to put in some form of "grotto". Put a thermometer in their to check the diurnal variation and have been tracking that since winter to now the middle of summer. I've got a 9 deg variation which I believe is just a bit much. The humidity varies but goes from 20 - 80 percent. I don't want to go with air conditioning if I can avoid it. Probably get some Hebel blocks and build in a bit of a grotto. I think the hebel blocks would bring the temp variation down to well under 6 degrees. Not sure what to do about the humidity though. Perhaps in a closed door environment that actually might come down a bit. We have our water storage tank under the house which is the main cause of the humidity... put a closed door in there and I should be able to drop it. I'll keep mulling whilst I do some sums.

I had my increase reduced somewhat. I still don't get the massive mark up though it was explained in an email. It's Adelaide, not London !

odyssey wrote:Likewise, more than once they have attempted to hike my locker price to greater than new customers, they do not reward customer loyalty.

Currently new locker prices for 24 case minis are in the stratosphere at Artarmon, so not many negotiations available, although bizarrely the 8 case micro minis are currently $18 (or $54 for 3) whereas the equivalent 24 case minis are $95....

I have no idea how much I Pay for the 6 x 24 case lockers I have at Artarmon... thanks for shedding light on this.... might be time to shop around

JamieBahrain wrote:Yep. I just received a 20% hike and expressed my displeasure and am looking for another facility in Adelaide if possible.

I could squeeze a few cases into my bunker close to the city centre. Modest rent too. A bottle or 10. . Scotty Vino may be able to squeeze a few into his recently uncovered bunker. We are always accommodating of wines that you drink Jamie.

Carl