Dealing with misbehaving suppliers...

[InspirationToolworks]

So I've had a rash of issues with various suppliers...

People who don't ship, don't ship when they say they will, or when they do ship, ship crap.

I've stopped taking COD orders, and I've started asking for quality samples before comitment. I'm now sending e-mail like "Either I get a tracking number today or the PO will be canceled and any shipments arriving later will be refused" a month after I was supposed to get the parts.

My orders are in the $200 to $2000 range, with most $400 to $600. Am I just too small potatoes to get good service?

Anyone have any pointers?

Thanks!

-Jeff

 

[Ken_Shea]

Jeff, your problem is not untypical of what I am increasingly experiencing myself only in the retail sporting goods field. Having been self employed for 40 years I have seen it all in regards to suppliers taking care of business, today good service seems frequently relative to how much you spend.

This has become for me a two edged sword where I bleed no matter which way I go. Dealing with manufacturers/distributors with best pricing so one can be competitive and get lousy service or deal with the supplier who takes care of you but who's prices are difficult to keep competitive.
Most seem polite, until, there is a service issue, then they often clearly do not give a rats butt, for me this is becoming almost intolerable.

I take care of a $20 customer exactly like I do a $500 customer, because of this it becomes even more frustrating when I do not get treated the same way.

I see no simple solution, other then money, but to just try and roll with the punches and go on as best you can.

I have been reasonably fortunate of not having the problem of second rate products to deal with on top of delivery and order filling.

 

[DareBee]

Quality, service and product warranty all cost money - this is a "you get what you pay for" scenario

 

[Ken_Shea]

While in many cases Darbee what you are saying is so true and I could not agree more with you, however, what seems to be increasingly going on now is more a attitude and/or lack of ethics issue. It is a oversimplification to try and wrap this up with a cliché. This is not just a USA problem as several of my “points in fact” were Canadian manufacturers. Had I been spending 100’s of thousands instead 10’s of thousands, or had my name been Cabelas instead of what it is, my suspect is that their interest in taking care of business instead of ignoring and lying to me concerning problems would have been very different.

 

[StealthDumpTrucks]

About all you can do is bring everything in-house. That's what I've been working on for the past year. Certainly alot of attitude problems out there, everyone seems depressed or preoccupied with their personal life. It doesn't matter what your name is, or how much money you spend, or even what a bright future you can offer.

I shulda concentrated my efforts toward a career playing video games or a porn star....

 

[DareBee]

Definately a cliche Ken
and absolutely, most definately a severe over simplification of the situation.
My typing skills suck, I am no literary and I debate best while hanging out over beer - would you guys like to come visit O

 

[Ken_Shea]

I debate best while hanging out over beer

Who doesn't

 

[InspirationToolworks]

Quality, service and product warranty all cost money - this is a "you get what you pay for" scenario

I can see that where I am paying a small amount per part, but there have been times where I felt I was paying a premium and still get crap.

Oh well... I am just going to have to find good shops and make sure I keep ordering from them. I just didn't think it would be this hard.

-Jeff

 

[innovative]

Quality, service and product warranty all cost money - this is a "you get what you pay for" scenario

That's the problem. If you can't deliver quality service for the price agreed upon, why take the job at that price? On the other hand I guess your learning who not to use.

 

[Larry1]

I think some small shops are quoting jobs that they hope they can complete but find they can not. I always send a tracking number and have never been late on any delivery. However if some day I find that I will be late I will contact the customer as soon as I know so they can decide if a late delivery is ok. Suppliers should never ship crap,if they want any return business,also if the customer is not satisfied then the work needs to be redone or the customer refunded.

 

[DareBee]

Suppliers should never ship crap,if they want any return business,also if the customer is not satisfied then the work needs to be redone or the customer refunded.

I see this all the time (and lose work to them because of price cutting). They go out of business quickly in most cases, problem is there is usually another jackass takes their place - such is life

 

[SamLS]

I had a seminar on this very issue. It was put on by the former owner of the Macinac kite company. He bought and sold of all things YoYo's in addition to making and selling kites, the YoYo supply company was on the east coast a serviced all the big chains Kmart, toys R us etc. He said I always got my Yo Yo's even when the larger companies didn't. Because there was a certain person who was in charge of distribution and every day she got beat up by Mr. Almighty purchasing agent for " insert problem here". But the Macinaw kite company always got their orders on time, why. Because we treated that person like a part of our team I needed most. I never bitched as their customer when my order was late I sent flowers, then fruit baskets etc. One day she called and said you made your point please stop sending gifts. The biggest mistake made by a customer today is treating a vendor like a piece of dirt and not an integral part of your team and success. The Macinaw kite company sold millions of YoYo's when no one else had them on the shelf. Just food for thought, treat them like you want your customers to treat you.

 

[diemaker1]

Give us a try

So I've had a rash of issues with various suppliers...

People who don't ship, don't ship when they say they will, or when they do ship, ship crap.

I've stopped taking COD orders, and I've started asking for quality samples before comitment. I'm now sending e-mail like "Either I get a tracking number today or the PO will be canceled and any shipments arriving later will be refused" a month after I was supposed to get the parts.

My orders are in the $200 to $2000 range, with most $400 to $600. Am I just too small potatoes to get good service?

Anyone have any pointers?

Thanks!

-Jeff

Jeff,

We are new to this site but send us your requirements and we will be very interested in quoting for you. We are a small shop, opened in 2000, with a great attitude, we will work to help you become successful, because when you are succesful so are we.

Thanks
Bob

 

[InspirationToolworks]

I think I've got one part of it figured out. I've been accepting bids that were *too* low. The job shops bid low as they aren't busy, but as soon as better paying jobs come in, they ignore me, and my parts never ship.

Of course, I can only know it's too low when I'm working on a part or process where I know roughly what it should cost

The learning continues...

-Jeff

 

[jjasshipley]

Machining at its worse

I have a machine shop here in Indiana. I cannot believe the way some shops treat their customers. The worst part of that is, the customers will stay with them for the price. I've actually pointed out stress cracks in a part for a passenger bus ( a passenger bus!!!!!!!!), but the customer was not willing to pay the 2% higher price of my part. Go figure!!!

 

[DLMACHINE]

It's not a matter of accepting bids too low. It's a matter of screening your vendors better. I can say there are low priced shops out there that can produce very well. I spend a few calls talking to the vendors and getting a feeling for their ethics. You don't have to bring it all in house, in fact I like the crappy shops out there. They generate a grateful attitude in the customers that have moved to our shop.

Try increasing your lead time where ever you can. On small quantity items, stock them in house. This isn't ideal for JIT manufacturing but it's better than delivering late. Switch to PO arrangements that carry price penalties for each day delivered late. Use test and see purchases for trying out new vendors, these would be items where the delivery isn't critical (they don't know that). Be vigilant searching for new vendors. I've seen tons of purchasers that stop looking after 2 or 3 quotes are returned. There are good shops out there, once you find one treat them well and in will be recipicated. Use shops that invest in good equipment, old WW2 surplus equipment doesn't cut it anymore.Production designed machines and you have a better chance at getting parts on time. They are faster producing.

Pay promptly, be courtious, make communication easy, don't try to beat them up on price with every order, most importantly try to be flexible.

As a plug for me -> 2 man shop, 6 years in business, only 3 orders were delivered late due to customer changes, several of our contracts were pulled back from China because we were cheaper. Our downside for many is that we specialized in swiss turning only.

Dale Swind
D&L Maching
DLMACHINING@frontiernet.net