One Girl in the Mix Archives - One Girl and her Thermie

With people across the globe practicing social distancing — or in some cases, on a national lockdown, we’re in Tier 4 again in London — and I’m stranded in Goa until the borders open between UK and India, traditional media channels that have taken a bit of a hit. Subsequently, there has been a huge spike in people spending time online — reading the news and using social media platforms.

I’m so fortunate that during 2020, Vorwerk offered us social media training for any Advisor and Team Leader who wanted to partake in it – all 30 hours cover Facebook, Instagram, and content by Lisbon Digital School. I’m not sure if it was the soothing voice of Paulo Rossas who personalised the Complete Digital Marketing Program to Thermomix UK and Ireland, but I learned so much from it.

How has online behaviour changed since the talks of a lockdown?

According to ComScore, the number of minutes spent by readers on news sites has increased by 46% in the same period last year. And since people can’t hang out with their friends in real life, they’re connecting virtually — on every platform possible.

It’s not only Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram seeing increased traffic — Zoom and Skype user numbers have skyrocketed since the global pandemic began.

What is most interesting about this perhaps, is to consider how these behavioural changes are likely to shape the future of our world, not just now but in the future too. Undoubtedly, we’ll see more businesses offering remote working opportunities, but we’re also likely to see people utilizing more online communication channels to stay in touch with their teams.

Why is social media usage increasing?

The most obvious reason for the rise in social usage is the fact that people are social creatures by nature. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, after a couple of days of self-isolation, you’re likely to miss your friends or colleagues.

The gap that is left from the lack of social interaction with social communities is significant, and social media offers a way to fill this void. The global pandemic has left most people feeling anxious and looking for support amid the ongoing uncertainty — and as such, people need to feel connected more than ever before.

To stay connected, albeit virtually, video interaction is on the rise. In particular, the rise of traditionally social, external events being streamed online. From business conferences to DJ sets — you can stream just about anything today. We went overnight from offering face-to-face demonstrations in people’s homes to virtual cooking experiences via video calls. I was hesitant at first but it’s been a huge success.

How has the value of social media has changed?

Social media has always been the place where people talk, but with people being isolated, it has become the only place people talk. Because of this, it is undoubtedly the most important channel for brands to focus on right now.

With people spending more time online, social platforms are the perfect place for brands to connect with their audiences. There has never been a better time to spend time on building relationships with my audience and giving them more of what you want. More themed content.

To do this, I have revised my social media marketing plan for 2021. Instead of simply posting what I am cooking each day, I’ll be a little more creative.

To do this, One Girl Social Media plan includes:

New and different content on Instagram and Facebook. So no more posting from one platform to the other. The photos and content will be the same theme but slightly different, so you will want to be on both.
Weekly content themes – I have previously struggled to define my niche purely because it’s diverse. I am an Indian married to a Pole who has lived and traveled to many countries and eats many cuisines. I am a mother with young kids, so am always cooking child-friendly meals for the whole family instead of just what I would choose to eat if I didn’t have kids. I like fine dining but love street food too. I’m a non-vegetarian but would like to eat more vegan and vegetarian meals for my own fortysomething health goals. So it’s been hard to narrow this down to a handful of topics but I think I have managed it.
- Meatless Mondays (vegan and vegetarian recipes, plant-based diets)
- Workout Wednesdays (healthy lifestyle recipes for detoxing, good gut health, and weight management)
- Friday Indian Fakeaway (Indian food, converted to the Thermomix)
- Weekend World Wonders (everything else from converted Japanese favourites to celebrity chefs I love and follow such as Yotam Ottolenghi, Ferran Adria, and Wolfgang Puck, who is a huge fan of Thermomix.

I really hope that my readers do like and appreciate the new content. I’d really like you to be engaged, like, and give me comments and feedback as soon as possible.

And while One Girl in the Mix accounts will be streamlined to this new type of content, I’ve created a new feed, WhatAnkitaAte to show you what I’m also eating during 2021.

Here’s wishing you the gift of prosperity throughout 2021. Thank you for being a supportive client to my small business Your support has always helped us grow. We wish you a happy new year.

(SCAM Website Warning) If it’s too good to be true, it probably is

21 Comments / Blog, Pinned

Don’t be fooled by Thermomix website scams offering discounts. Buy a Thermomix from an authorized Thermomix Advisor (previously 210220044, from January 1st it’s 8000000068) and someone you can trust. I didn’t want to write this post but have had to out of necessity. I wanted to warn my client base and those who search online about scam websites selling Thermomix. My title says it all, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”, so read on why you need to buy only from an authorised Advisor.

Vorwerk sells Thermomix via direct sales model, through Advisors. Since COVID we have also started selling online (see below) but we do not offer discounts on Thermomix TM6 ever, although occasionally we have head office customer offers. Below is an example of the last 3-months’ offers from Thermomix UK.

December 2020:

Bundle of Festivity – buy a Thermomix TM6 and get a Thermoserver, Christmas Apron, and ‘A Very Thermomix Christmas’ for an extra £20.

So our Thermomix TM6 remained at £1149, but you were paying an extra £20 for the bundle.

Black Friday 2020 TM6 Bundle

For Black Friday, Vorwerk UK had a bundle of the Thermomix TM6/ Thermomix TM5 for £1599.

A fabulous deal for anyone who was gifting a Thermomix as a present (which many of you did) or keeping one for their main house and taking a second to their second/ holiday home.

So our Thermomix TM6 remained at £1149 with the Thermomix TM5 costing £450. The Thermomix TM5 was only sold for a 2-week period and was never available on its own. We only ever sell the latest and current model. I’ll be honest, we had TM5s lying around in the warehouse and we wanted to sell them on and this was a good time to do it. Vorwerk got rid of their stock and many, many customers took advantage of our class digital model at a substantial reduced price. As soon as the Black Friday offer was over, it was over.

October/ November 2020:

Rockstars – we introduced our Stoneware Collection and our offers were various different packages of the Stoneware collection. You could take the Ultimate Bundle which retailed at £1284 which included all 4 Rockstars and the Betty (£85), our most expensive stoneware casserole dish was free.

Other options included Starter Kits (Paul and Anna), and 10% off individual stoneware.

So our Thermomix TM6 remained at £1149, but you were paying an extra for Rockstars which were discounted.

September 2020

Thermomix TM6 at £1149 on a zero-percent interest offer which worked out at £95.75 per month.

Again, the Thermomix TM6 remained at £1149.

We offer finance options all the time, usually 9.9% with Ikano bank. Customers can choose 12, 24 or 36-month options and it works out at around £5 a month extra. But when we have a zero-percent offer, it’s a great way to spread the cost of the Thermomix out with no interest charges and it’s a high sales month for us as a result.

As I mentioned earlier, as we’re on COVID working practices, the head office has temporarily offered online ordering to make it easier for customers. However, as you can see it’s still at £1149.

https://www.vorwerk.co.uk/shop/thermomix/thermomix-tm6/p/62149

You will need to add my Advisor number for your sale and TM6 account to be linked to me. My Advisor number 210220044 (up to 31st December 2020), and from 1st January 2021, my new Advisor number is 8000000068.

Mostly, my clients pay over the phone with me after they have had several email exchanges/ phone calls/ demonstrations with me so they already know me and have a relationship with me personally. I use my online Advisor portal and during the checkout process, you receive a one-time-password over your banking app/ to your mobile, which authorizes the sale. A one–time password (OTP), also known as a one–time PIN or dynamic password, is a password that is valid for only one login session or transaction, on a computer system or other digital device. This creates security for you as the client and trust that I am an authorized representative of the company.

For those who are shy of online sales, then we also have a third option, to create an invoice for you. A proforma invoice is a preliminary invoice, created and sent by a business to outline its intent to deliver goods or services to a customer. Proforma invoices usually include a price quote, information on how to make a payment, and other details about the transaction. This is usually the preferred method for business and commercial customers but can be done for domestic purchases too. When I am dealing with clients, for example, a mother living in Hong Kong buying a gift for a daughter in the UK, this is the method I use too. I need all the purchasers/ delivery details before creating an invoice but once it’s done, the head office sends you the invoice and you can then pay into the authorized Vorwerk UK bank account. Transfers for UK banks can take 1-2 days and for foreign transactions can take 7-10 days. Once Vorwerk has received the money in their bank account, the Thermomix is dispatched the next day.

With a purchase from Vorwerk UK, you are buying directly from the manufacturer with products delivered from our central warehouse in Birmingham via DPD. You receive a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. All Thermomixes come with 6-months Cookidoo. You get an Advisor with an official Advisor number to offer you pre-sale, post-sale demonstrations, and on-going support. We have Branch offices that we will be inviting you to for cooking classes and workshops; we do virtual classes while we are in lockdown.

So nowhere are we offering a discount on the newest, latest model of Thermomix TM6. So when you see a post like this online – do not believe it. It’s too good to be true. Vorwerk UK is aware of these websites but it takes us a long time to track them down and close them down.

Another fake site that has been brought to my attention is this one

Yes, it looks official but it’s not.

Yes, they have cleverly used a domain name like https://thermomixonline.com/ or https://buythermomixlonine.com but they are not an official channel. You cannot buy a Thermomix for £977 or anything less than the RRP of £1149.

Yes, they are offering freebies such as cookbooks, a scraper (what is that??), a bowl brush, etc, but any decent Advisor offers thank you gifts anyway. We don’t advertise this publicly but all you have to ask and usually we are happy to bundle something up for you.

But once you go down the checkout process with their websites, they start giving you bank account details and asking you to make transfers, rather than going through an online checkout process they as you do a bank transfer with a dodgy bank account.

We as a company never discount the Thermomix TM6. We don’t need to. Whether you are an individual buying one or a commercial restaurant buying 10, the price is the same (those registered for VAT can get their VAT back). As a consumer myself, I actually like this as it keeps the value of my purchase. With one price, I don’t feel I am being cheated by buying a Thermomix this month and then realizing that in the sale a week, a month, or even 6-months later, it will be less. The Thermomix is an investment and a considered purchase which is why we offer a full-no-obligation cooking experience pre-sale to help you make informed decisions. No pressure, just a helping hand to answer all your questions. It’s like buying a Louis Vuitton Handbag or diamond ring, it’s an investment. You buy a brand or a quality product for a reason. Or an Apple phone or a BMW. You are buying not only a product but a brand that is reputable and trust-worthy. A brand that you can trust.

So if you have stumbled on my website and this blog post, know that you can trust me. I have been an Advisor for over 12 years with an Advisor number 210220044 (from January 1st 2021, its 8000000068). Check out the rest of my website, and social media such as my Facebook and Instagram pages. Customer feedback and testimonials are some of the most trusted forms of independent feedback, so see my Google reviews.

I have had too many clients reach out and been stung by this scam/ fake websites, so please don’t let it happen to you. STOP. Think, it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Ankita Stopa, One Girl and her Thermie

Thermomix owner, blogger, recipe developer…expert!

Independent Thermomix Advisor and Team Leader, Canary Wharf

Mobile: 07977563537