The Letterville BullBoard: What would you do?: SUPPLIERS

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Posted by Felix Marcano (Member # 1833) on :

Me again. This may be a long one.

This morning I drive up to San Juan. I go into the sign supply store I'm truly loyal to.

As I go in, this other gentleman also walks in & asks the lady at the counter if they could cut some window graphics for him. (At this point I think 2 things: She'll say yes, or, she'll say no, but he can, meaning me)

She says: "No, we only sell the material...but..." & She asks the other employee for the # to some other sign shop.

%$#@! I felt like someone had opened an umbrella up my rear end!

I kindly tell her: "Um, excuse me, but don't I make signs?" & she says "Oh but we usually give them #'s for the shops in their area.

I mean C'MON! I'm RIGHT THERE & I'M THE ONLY ONE THERE! Plus she knows I service the whole island! Not only that, but the sign shop she wanted the # for wasnt that close either.

I dunno but that really ****ed me off. If I found another arlon distributor I think I'd change suppliers.

Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :

I understand your feelings, and wonder if the other shop does a far larger volume business with this supplier?

Posted by Steve Barba (Member # 431) on :

The paint store where I've been buying my paints for 12 years, (me and alot of other shops), recently had his van all lettered up. He had a friend of his from outta state do it. I didnt get jerked- I thought it was funny how much nerve this guys got.

Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :

I used to buy a lot of latex paint from a store...we got to know each other by name over the years. One day when I went to buy more paint...they had their windows all done up for a sale. I saked who did the job, and all they could do was look embarassed...so I said "It was fun doing buisness with ya, time to go elsewhere!" and walked out!

Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :

Come on guys, give me a break.

The suppliers deal with hundreds of businesses.. what about the other shops that didnt get the call? The only reason they didnt raise a stink is cause they didnt know about it!

If you were right there standing next to the customer, why didn't YOU hand him a business card?? Seems like a simple concept to me, and if the supplier is brazen enough to give them someone else's number with you standing right there, there's no shame in promoting your business at their counter.

Business is business.. you dont owe them anything and they dont owe you anything, unless you had a contract.

Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :

That's right Mike, no ethics in business!

That's why I found another store! If after being a loyal customer for 16 years doesn't matter to them, time to move on!

Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :

My printer friend had a customer who bought lots of business cards and stationary from him.. One day the customer comes in and shows my printer friend his new fancy full color broshure. WOW says the printer, why dint u ask me for a quote. The customer says,, hell i thought all u did was b-cards and stationary..
hmmmmmmmm.
Curtis

Posted by roger bailey (Member # 556) on :

I have to support the supplier here, he did the most fair thing !!

When we get "end users" (like yourselves)calling for "a local supplier" to purchase Rapid Tac products, we feel it only fair to give the name of multiple suppliers in that area.
It would not be fair to single out only one of our suppliers and not mention the others !

However, if I were standing next to the person, I would "blow my own horn", simple as that.

Roger

Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :

I'd have been pretty P O'd myself. My Arlon distributor recently had a change in management. The new guy isn't half as gracious & professional as the women he replaced.

An order of vinyl I needed right away sat for 4 days so they could include some back-ordered grommets. (after specifically advising them not to wait for grommets) I ended up calling the day it shipped "Priority" to wonder why it was late. I had to have another roll FedEx'd and told them I would not want to keep the second roll when it finally arrived.

I ended up getting accounting phone calls, special "overlooked" payment requests by mail, & duplicate invoice faxes for months even after several phone calls by me to attempt to arrange them issueing a call tag for a pick-up.

I finally wrote them a reminder about the $30,000.00 I had spent there, & said I'd spent $70 worth of my time on the $66 bill, & they should write it off, or write me off as a customer.

Then I got the call tag!

I still plan to do a little comparative shopping I haven't done in years.

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