There’s an announcement on SharePoint that says that with immediate effect we have to buy our own ID badges.
Does anyone know:
A) how we do that?
B) whether we can claim the costs back from HQAC
C) what the current process is (I can’t remember and want to know for comparison)
TG Supply Form 001 was the old way. Guessing you could call up the people mentioned on that and see what they think the new way is.
I would guess reimbursement is a no as HQAC are trying to save cash.
Scrolling announcement states green frog (wonder why they didn’t go through cadet direct?)
I would hope that we can claim the cost back - here’s something you have to wear, but you need to pay for yourselves…
I’m left wondering why this hasn’t been made more of a big deal? (unless this topic is about to “blow up”)
From that announcement, it very much sounds like a cost for the sqn to soak up!
Surprised they stopped there, tbh. I know a lot of people who are now buying the PTS badged directly, because the official way is so dire!
I think that will soon become the only way to source the badges. I don’t doubt that supply issues have been artificially introduced in order to force units to make it the ‘norm’ to buy badges. Less complaints from the ground when they eventually then withdraw the HQAC supply.
I have the details of the original manufacturer…
Details are as follows:
Company: Franklins Intl. Ltd.
Tel: (028) 406 22230
Four week turn around of items (I got mine within 2 weeks of payment)
Costs:
£0.55 per badge (50 badges - minimum order quantity)
£12.50 - Postage + VAT
Therefore…
50 Units - £27.50 + £12.50 (postage) + VAT = £48.00 (total)
100 Units- £55.00 + £12.50 (postage) + VAT = £81.00 (total)
150 Units- £82.50 + £12.50 (postage) + VAT = £113.40 (total)
It used to be a centralised contract - HQAC have been blacklisted by all suppliers as Sqns did not confirm receipt and therefore HQAC did not pay.
Cost now transferred to Sqns
because CD would approach Green Frog for the manufacture.
Green Frog have been the supplier for some time when it was centralised. this change is only how/who is managing the orders ie at the coal face (place order, pay…items arrive) rather a month long paper trial getting approval from Wing, Region, HQAC, order placed, items recieved, confirmation sent to Wing, Region, HQAC and payment made…
Be good if you could get to the Green Frog website.
www.greenfrogpromotions.co.uk ’s server IP address could not be found.
Don’t think they want to know the Air Cadets!
Green Frog Promotions are shut down until 12th September. They’ve gone on holiday!
Green Frog are effectively a 1 man band, a very nice chap runs it but if I was his bank I wouldn’t think much of his business plan.
What really makes me laugh is they “Make” the PTS Badges, except they don’t, it’s subcontracted our and the Badges are then shipped to them for onward shipping to us. (Which explains the fact that every batch of PTS Badges I have had have been subtlely different!)
ID badges for who?
As I understand it the business plan did hold water.
HQAC show massive interest in supply of badges, order is placed and is deemed too big for the X number of sewing machines Green Frog could cope with.
Three brand new machines were bought and assigned specifically (primary role at least) to HQAC/RAFAC orders*
So far so good – the sales these machines will generate from HQAC justified their purchase
Badges were made and shipped out (to Wings and then on to Sqns)
Invoice sent (to HQAC)
HQAC waits for confirmation from each Squadron (via a WingHQ) that the badges ordered have been delivered before paying the invoice.
HQAC waits until every badge on the order has been received and been confirmed before paying.
If the order had 5 units great, but this was not the case, 30, 40, 50 units at a time, from different Wings and Regions. So Green Frog was left out of pocket for months waiting for HQAC to pay for badges which had been made and shipped. The odd few get lost along the way, which means that whole invoice is held up. Where have 123 Sqn ID Badges gone? No one at unit had them, nor at Wing, yet Green Frog indicates they have been sent…[HQAC] well we’re not paying for anything until the whole order has been received….
And of course from the point shipping to confirmation of delivery isn’t just a week….leaving Mr Green Frog out of pocket
*all the RIAT merchandise is made by him (No3 wicking tshirts, RIAT branded “CI tops” and Hoodies)
It still amazes me how much business Green Frog are getting from HQAC considering they were a previously unknown business.
Surely the issue you are taking about is Franklin’s in Northern Ireland who HQAC haven’t been paying due to not getting the forms back from Squadrons and who most of us have been buying Badges from direct?
Green Frog are the company who as you state do a lot of merchandising (T-Shirts & Hoodies) for which he has the machines and for which I don’t question the quality of.
However as we all know they have been buying in the PTS Badges from overseas, why would we move to a company who are already buying in Badges to provide all of our badges rather than just changing the system with the Company we already use.
So are they getting sqns to buy identification badges (if so what/who for) or PTS badges? I am confused. Very much confused.
A400m - Identification Badges are your Squadron Number Badges.
I love Greenfrog and the guy that runs it. But after ordering from Greenfrog and Franklin’s, it will be Franklin’s that gets my order for Squadron ID badges everytime. The quality was so much better and I prefer their colouring.
Oh! Silly me