Sigh.....supplier Screw Ups

shelf guy

This has been the bane of my existence lately.

I try to be as professional as possible, and do what I say im going to do, when i say im going to do it

But thats all a moot point if custom order material is screwed up by the supplier twice in a row and delays the job by a month

Yes i knot its NOT MY FAULT but it pisses me off to no end, and I HATE having to explain to customers "its not my fault"

You guys feel me on this one?

curapa

My last job was a complete supplier screw up. I ordered flooring that was supposed to be in, in a week. It ended up taking four weeks to get the flooring in. The supplier gave me two different dates that fell through so I looked stupid twice, Not to mention it threw my scheduling way off.

buildenterprise

We're getting ready to drop our main decking/railing supplier for this very reason. EVERY SINGLE ORDER we've placed in the past 3 years has had a problem with it. Only reason we've stuck with them for so long is that they are the ONLY supplier in our area for Veka decking, which is one of our best sellers. Dirty/scratched rails, only certain lengths of decking in stock, and no firm answers on when new stock will arrive, wrong stair brackets, etc. We found a new supplier for our favorite vinyl rails but still haven't found another local supplier for Veka deck, so we've been upselling our customers to Pro-Cell/Azek Deck which is a superior product anyway.

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Mud Master

Not a home remodeling contractor...

But I just tore off my first & second floor decks & rebuilt the way I wanted to in the begining & used PRO CELL...I LOVED it!!!

Never used that before..just used PT Lumber the first time..but I wanted to go with something more elegant, and it turned out amazing.

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Tscarborough

Submit special orders in writing and insist on a signoff of the order as placed and 99% of your problems will go away.

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It ain't Rocket Science unless you are building rockets.

mdshunk

I know what you mean. Reminds me of the indoor generator I went to install last month, only to find that the vendor shipped an outdoor generator. The indoor generator won't arrive until January.

Home Serve

Yes, I've started faxing all of my orders in that way you have something to go back on.
Dave C

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Missouri Remodeling Company with services for Replacement Windows Vinyl Siding and Entry Doors

shelf guy

i do have my original copy of the order. its very blatant that they screwed up.

Home Serve

I've had to dump a good supplier or two because of this also. It doesn't get any better. They just kept screwing the orders up. When the customer talks to others about the job even tho youve done your best the delays and supplier screw ups they remember also.
Dave C

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Missouri Remodeling Company with services for Replacement Windows Vinyl Siding and Entry Doors

dirt diggler

great advice - ive begun doing this

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Thanks in advance!!!

Tscarborough

Faxing in the order is great. That is step one. Next you should insist on seeing the order from the supplier to the manufacturer/distributor and sign off on that as well.

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It ain't Rocket Science unless you are building rockets.

wackman

I use email as much as possible with all my customers, subs and suppliers (some are in the stone age) for this same reason. It's even easier than fax.

I have a record of every conversation, order, etc... It has come in handy often.

There was a guy who did all the window orders for my main supplier and he was notorious for screwing up. On one house he screwed up the window order 7 times before it was all fixed and the last time (actual fix) was done by his replacement. He's the reason I started doing the email system. I'd call and tell him what I needed and he'd write it down. Later when it's not what I said, he'd ALWAYS say "that's not what I remember" but he could rarely find his notes and even when he did I know it's not what I said. He just wasn't listening and wrote it down wrong. After the email system it was clear he was wrong everytime.

To this day he is the only guy I complained about to a boss. I told the boss I was getting my windows elsewhere unless they get me someone else to deal with and showed him why. Guy was gone 3 weeks later.

I felt a bit bad, but this guy literally screwed up EVERY order I EVER had with him.

Wack

Tscarborough

If you are going to use email, be sure that you have "return receipt requested" turned on. This gives you a document that shows that they opened your email.

I will not accept a special order over the phone, and for customers without an in-house account, orders have to be paid for upfront. This ensures both the veracity and the accuracy of the order.

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It ain't Rocket Science unless you are building rockets.

deckman22

I hate to sound like a jerk, but it is your fault. You should have gotten another supplier if all they do is screw up your orders. Even if you have to go the next big city to find another competent supplier the little extra shipping is worth it compared to the lost time.

I guess I'm lucky that my decking supplier is on the ball, it's rare that I even get a bad board delivered. The company I use isn't the cheapest, but the service is unmatched. I can order a load today & it's there tomorrow morning, all there & looking good. You can bet if it that wasn't the case I'd be using another place tho.

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Deckman
www.alscustomdecks.com

Bone Saw

ditto that, I had been using one supplier for my first 5.5 years, first 3 years were descent to ok, then it just went down the tubes, this past feb was the last straw, I cut em loose and went elsewhere, only wish I had sooner.

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Custom Decks & Carpentry LLC.
Chester County Custom Decks
Custom Deckbuilder Mainline
Philadelphia Deck Builder
Custom Decks & Carpentry on Facebook

RidgeWalker

I submit "ALL" orders in writing via eFAX which give me digital proof my fax was recieved. I also require my suppliers to fax back the invoice they create for my orders so I can make sure they have it correct.

Now with that said I've still had some orders screwed up on custom shingles that are not stocked. I just have my supplier call my client to appologize to them for making a mistake and delaying thier roofing project. That has worked very well for me in the past.

Ahren

I'm gonna have to give a big 10-4 on this one too. And I'm not even talking about special orders. I use multiple suppliers, and for the last 2 years, I can't seem to have an order go right. I get the wrong material, the wrong lengths, it's stacked wrong, it shows up at the wrong time, I'm short material, there's extra material, they send me junk, my bill is screwed up, etc., etc., etc. The people at the lumberyards just don't give a crap anymore. And people wonder why their jobs get outsourced. But that is a whole different thread.

thom

I haven't done a call-in order in years.

Every order, even for a single item, is faxed in with a phone call the the correct parson preceding the fax then a follow up to insure they have received it and processed it.

On trusses, I do a written takeoff, give the plans and the takeoff to the truss company, then verify each truss design against the plans. (I order trusses off the plans not off a measurement)

And it works. It's rare that I have a problem, none in at least 2 or 3 years.

rancov

With the wave on consolidation, the big suppliers have reduced their costs by firing expereinced people and hiring and then not training the replacements. You are going to have to start dealing with more, smaller, more professional suppliers in order to bring sanity back to your business. Buy your windows from window professional s that depend on good service and custom satisfaction not some giant company that survives by moving tons of lumber a day tot he the major publicly held builders that have been killing the independents.

The day of the independent builder is rising again.

gofrugal

i too like the idea of Tscarborough .