Happy with your suppliers?

Don't sweat it... I'm pretty awesome and my wife doesn't see it.

I have a great relationship with my main supplier.
The kitchen dept recommends me for cabinet removal and renovations, they look after the install of cabinets. I quite often get the backsplash job.
If I get the customer, I will look after the install.
I get lots of work out of the door and finishing dept, and have done work for a lot of the emplyees and their families.
When my tools were stolen, they gave me a dewalt chopsaw and a compresor and said, pay for them when you get payed for the job.
Seriously you can't beat the service, so I don't shop around.
Sometimes, but not often I will pay a bit more just to not shop at home depot. :no:

I am happy with my local suppliers - lumber, flooring, paint, roof, tile. I'd say service in the last year has been outstanding. Big boxes, internet suppliers of specialized stuff, not so much - lots of delivery and quality failures. Locally run locations of national trade suppliers - great service and products.

I haven't much been dealing with windows and doors in the last year. In the past they've been horrible offenders, whether local or national.

We have too many that don't keep up with the products, or don't stock basic stuff anymore..or don't know something even exists..even the older guys in the shop. If I don't remember which place carries the shelf brackets I need, or the thresholds, or the trim pieces, etc., or the odd plumbing part, or that particular casing, then I get slowed down yet again. I'm talking about real yards and suppliers, too.

Around here most of the yards don't exist anymore. For certain supplies I go to certain manufactures that my family has known for years. Most of my building materials I get at RONA, and some things at HD and Lowes.

I'm happy with where I purchase my stuff from. I seem to get upset when trying to find new suppliers. I went to this one window and door manufacture through the referral of my aluminum railing guy for a price on a door. The people took my information down and said they will call me back. I get the run around and well long story short (as its gets long) I get a call asking if I want to put the order through, and I says I want a price and well they wouldn't give me a price unless they fax it to me. So screw that I just use my places and thats it.

Our lumber supplier is complete garbage. There's been about four times this year we've had to wrap up and go home early because they didn't arrive with material on time. They'll send trucks that are missing a bunch of the material we've ordered, then will refuse to send the rest of the stuff until they have another truck going out in the area (a big problem, since a lot of our work is out in the country). Also I don't know where they get their lumber from, but they must know of some secret location where trees are shaped like the golden arches in front of those fast food joints.

Plus their pencils always break and the free tuque the gave me is crap.

But they are the cheapest in town, so our builder won't let us switch.

What the hell is a tuque?:blink:

spazman said:

What the hell is a tuque?:blink:

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Canadian for stocking cap.... or here in Kentucky they call it a "toboggan"...don't ask me why.

I am happy with my supplier now I have a new account rep, got tired of constantly having to follow up with the old rep regarding placing special orders.

I'm happy with mine, occasionally they piss me off, but always make it up to me

I love my supplier!
But seriously, since I am a supplier, it's very helpful to listen to both your rants and your praises of providers. I know that it's a pain in the butt when you have to worry about materials for a project when you should have to only worry about doing the job right.

Per all y'alls comments, this looks like it means on-time delivery, great customer service/willingness to listen and respond to issues, openness about pricing, always having products in stock, top quality products, and knowledge of what you do to assist you in finding the right product. Is there anything else you love or hate about your suppliers?

I love my supplier as well. Occasionally i have to pick something up at home depot b/c they don't always have EVERYTHING available but they do the best they can with the resources they have. I'd always rather shop local than at the big box chains.

I love my supply house, rarely if ever shop else where. They are local family owned with numerous branches.

Like, when they are busy I write down what I took and leave. I park stuff there, I get pallet wood for my boiler I use their dumpster. Just a great place to deal with. They will deliver me a 1/2" black 90.

I notice that any of you that are happy with suppliers are from up north. Try it down here I Fl. My wood supplier has screwed up the last four orders. Shorted me on BDFT twice and today I ordered 250 BDFT of poplar and got 50. I call for current price to bid and when the product comes it is different price.

My rep is one that my Dad traded with for years. Ive known him since i was a kid. He's the sweetest man but he's getting up in years. He gets my orders wrong at times and I have to go over invoices with a fine tooth comb, often having to get adjustments. None of this is on purpose mind you. He's been there for 50 years. So im guessing hes 75+. My guys get frustrated but I am loyal and could not, would not change.

My Grandma said Toboggan too. She lived in Mississippi. What's up with that?

T-towngirl said:

My Grandma said Toboggan too. She lived in Mississippi. What's up with that?

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Definitely a southern thing .. even in central IN I hear toboggan... I'm from up north, a toboggan is a wooden sled you go down a hill with 2-4 people!! I prefer beanie, stocking hat, sock hat...

Back OT, occasionally use a small family supplier for specialty stuff. Great millwork, delivery and I need some cedar shiplap siding last year and they had it in stock. I know 84 lumber isn't a 'mom and pop' operation, but they have the feel of a local supplier and we've used them a lot. Local paint store we get BM products from has great service and prices. Another formerly True Value has a bad a$$ rental department.

I use Menards more then Lowes here.. HD is 25 min away so not so much.

There are three main Hardwood Flooring suppliers here in the Denver Metro area.

I use one for about 95% of my supplies. The other two aren't bad but the prime one has been more helpful to me over time and has upped the rate of my $pending.

They have tuned me on to jobs, called me when an upgrade to the products I'm getting to my clients (i.e. 3 1/4" material for the same price as 2 1/4") for next to nothing, and generally acted like they wanted my tiny assed, little fish in a Big Pond business from the day I went out on my own.

Great suppliers are a lot like great customers. Worth their weight in gold.

Why would you ever wear a toque, toboggan, whatever you want to call it, in Mississippi?

Itchy, static head, world class hat hair, and those things are hot!

That last one is kinda nice at -35 deg C