Supplier foolishness.

Do you guys have much trouble with a supplier or suppliers that seem to be more trouble then they are worth?

Over the past three years, I have been using 3 suppliers for my window cleaning business. One was a local janitorial that I just can't deal with. No supplies and no advice EVER that was worth a hill of beans.

One in particular, I decided this year I was going to use exclusively. After having trouble all this year getting tools and supplies in a timely fashion, and after having more than one discussion about the piss poor service I have been receiving, I blew.

I came to the realization that this "small independent" supplier was a lying sack of crap. They are actually owned by a large corporation and I called them on it. It's no big deal they are owned by a big entity, but they are misleading and lying to fellow cleaners.

Needless to say, I am no longer going to work with this supplier in the future. I don't like shysters. I don't like dealing with a supplier that screws around not getting my tools and supplies to me. And I REALLY don't like a supplier that could give a F%&* less if their screw ups and delays are costing you money.

It has happened to me as well over the years. For me, the owner would take what we discuss and provide that information to his larger clients in order to take contracts from me. He would also delay my orders or give my order to his more lucrative customers.

Like in all business relationships, there is always another supplier out there so if they perform, you fire them. Sounds like you met a bad one.

It's not that they were bad at first. The two previous years they did fine. Even though some of their prices are higher, I decided this year to exclusively use WCR for all my supplies. ONLY because they seemed to be dependable at getting me what I ordered.

All three of my orders this year have been total crap. Delays, delays, delays, and excuses. I've spent several grand there this year.

No more. I'll use two other suppliers, and one I have ordered from twice now. Both times from them I have my complete order in hand in less than a week.

It's hard for me to be loyal to any one supplier. One, it's hard to get everything I need from ONE place. Two, I have a very LOW tolerance for having my chain yanked. If you say you are doing something, I expect nothing less. Excuses tick me off.

I just loved the BS excuse from WCR "It's busy season, so it takes us longer since there are more orders". Yeah, I'm busy too. How many clients would I lose using a WEAK excuse like that? Lots of window cleaners hire seasonal help, when things get crazy. I guess these clowns figure our clients don't mind waiting, since they can't be bothered to hustle a little more or hire a few extra hands.
It wasn't even about it being "busy" season. They have 3rd parties drop shipping half of their listed inventory. That was adding an extra week to every order.

In one way though, I'm glad for it. Now I know where to buy my rubber factory direct, and my resin as well. Easy enough to cut them from the equation.

Not to defend them here, but if they were not stocking these items, then the delays may have been beyond their control and they were working wit a bad supplier.

Either way, performance matters and if they will not stock enough supplies to prevent delays, then they were not going to be very helpful to your business either.....moving on makes sense.

Oh, I'd understand running out of stock in a busy time of year. I'd also understand delays from the 3rd party.

However, these items all listed as "in stock", and the sales rep I have been dealing with, assured me every time, they had them on hand.

It just wasn't true. They lied. Multiple times. And truthfully, many "in stock" items are not even in their warehouse. They are ALWAYS drop shipped.

So with your chatty supplier, did you just leave the situation at moving on to another supplier, or did you tell the others local to you about what they did to you?

I'd have lost it over something like that.

No, I just let it go by shopping elsewhere. I just thought that he would implode over time doing that kind of crap to people.....he sold the place 3 years later to avoid going under.

I do understand your frustration, I had that problem with Interlink for awhile. I would place the order, they would confirm in stock status, and then call me a few days later saying that there was a problem with the order and that parts of it would be back-ordered. No refund options, just that it would be back-ordered.

I walked away from them as well. I spend my money with suppliers that are supportive, local when possible, but always with those that I feel are really trying to help as much as make a sale.

I just dumped Jon Don for three strikes! not little errors or minor things either....three big mistakes with me and no personal sorry or understanding...your gone! I purchased my new wand with a new company and feel they are big enough and a family business that I will be with them a while, I tried with Jon Don but they couldn't answer a question and sent me to a tech (who supposedly knew it all AND ACTED THAT WAY WHEN WRONG). I dumped JB because of not seeing eye to eye and now Jon Don.....when I was in business before I stayed with one company for 15 years....they were good, if ever a problem he would point blank tell me whats going on....even if it was him. I'm getting to old for my screw ups to be from someone else.

The biggest issue with the window cleaning industry, is the sheer lack of suppliers.

The biggest companies are all owned by one corporation. Interlink is getting to be that way in the CC industry.

I only know of three suppliers that I do not believe are owned by these large corporations. Windows 101, Detroit sponge, and ABC windows. And truth be told, I am only SURE that ABC is independent.

Any small suppliers that I have encountered are usually double the regular price of stuff that I can find, and if I break something and need an immediate replacement, it usually won't happen until they get it in a week later.

If I was in a huge market, maybe suppliers actually carry enough stuff.

It's just sad, that we are out there sticking our necks out, working hard to earn a living, and you have to deal with this type of foolishness.

It really is starting to become where you have to keep a lot of stock on-hand to get by. Not just the obvious expendables, but the stuff that you may not need for months just to have access without having to wait for weeks.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just become a cleaner / vendor?

Yes I certainly have !
One was the one I seriously thought a genuine help, honest, and upfront with everything, turned out the opposite.
The local distributors just act like we need them ! Nothing I hate more than people that think their customers need them, we need them as much as they need us.
Now I'm surprised with Scott's response, I don't have issues with Jon don, when I did in the past they always took good care of me.
Scott, when you call tech support, talk to Jason, he's very knowledgeable and he's willing to call some resources if he doesn't know the answer to your problems.
I stick with Jon don now, due to excellent customer service and really good pricing.

They have been sending me wrong products on my order and will fix it BUT it sucks when I need it. I recently had a tech question and the girl was kind of acting like it was some foreign language I was talking...she sent me to a Tech guy and he was trying to act like I was calling something by the wrong name...SS lips vs Glide, I corrected him so we could have a talk and NOT get the wrong product and he said whatever! It's not "Whatever" that's how I get wrong products shipped....I was forcing him to understand me....then they tried to sell me a product I didn't call for....I don't want to be sold something I didn't call for. I love the fact shipping is fast and usually next day WHEN they don't have UPS take it to the post office to bring to me (third party?)....that turns into 5 or 6 days! Why does UPS take it to the USPO? think it's a rural thing but either way....I'm not buying in. My last call was about the wand I just purchased....They didn't have the knowledge to pull off the sale...I realized I was working harder than the sales rep to work with them. I gave several chances for this to be a one time problem. So, I'm gone. When they were good, they were good......they are only as good as their worst day(s) I'm a small company and expect service and performance.

When they sent me a wrong product once I told them and she said "I" must not of clarified size....lol then why did she not ask when choosing for me? Own your mistakes...I do!

Watch the pricing too DP...I find it to not always be cheaper. (maybe on common stuff) I wont leave someone over price generally....especially small O/O companies.

I challenge anyone here to separate all the prime paying invoices they have against all the small job invoices and decide you wont do small jobs anymore.....mine make up close to 40% of my income and they have much better margins, they are cash a lot of the time too....so, I want a little respect when I shop. This is the same problem these big chain carpet cleaning companies have! O/O is always better IMO.

I am kind of surprised how cleaners can have such a wide difference in experience with the same companies. Interlink failed me too often and that local was a BS artist and yet there are probably many out there that feel they were the best companies on Earth.

JB is the perfect example...there are many on both sides of the argument with very strong opinions as well. It is strange how the extremes can exist with the same business.

Maybe it is a matter of timing or a matter of personalities. Sometimes everything clicks and sometimes they just don't. As long as the supplier isn't lying to me or trying to cheat me, I can normally accept some failings.

Suppliers can be just like the cleaners themselves. A small O/O will provide better service, but might struggle working big jobs while the big franchises can handle the big jobs, but not provide very good service to the smaller jobs.

It is a shame that there are not more small local independent suppliers, but they might be getting blocked by the larger companies who contract to carry the same products. One would almost have to carry a more obscure line of products to make it work....chem-spec, harvard, etc.

Such is the industry.

That's very true Rob, I'm pretty easy going most of the times and won't burn bridges unless being disrespected greatly like what happened last time ( not going to pour fuel to the fire ), I generally won't order through Jon don if I need the parts soon due to the possibility of delay shipment or wrong parts sent, I will go to the lesser of the 2 evils local suppliers that carry the parts locally just to be sure I get the right parts and get it now.
Saying "whatever" to customer is never acceptable in my book, I would talk to supervisor and address that if I were you Scott, I have in the past address something similar ( not as extreme as saying "whatever" ) and the supervisor is very apologetic.
I also have a personal sales rep that I deal with for 4 years or so now, she understand how I am and I understand how she is, we have a great relationship, her name is Tina Willer, if you're ready to give Jon don a second chance I would strongly suggest to talk to her, tell her Dp sent you, she will treat you good and forward your call to the most experienced tech support.
Tina knows I research prices from time to time, so she always gives me the best prices.

That is the key.....dealing with the same person each time. I think you have the right idea.

DP...I will keep them on my seconds list...I wont talk to management because I have my own business to manage. They had several chances and kind of pushed to far. I'm really hard to get rid of. I bet I have purchased 30 times from them and dont even know one name there.

That's weird Scott, my first or second purchase was for a few boxes of scotchgard worth like $ 700 or something ? And the following week Tina called me up and told me that she was assigned to me and if I ever need anything to give her a call, I always talk to her ever since, I do however agree that a couple of sales people there kind of have that ignorance attitude, just by talking for a few seconds, that's why I always talk to Tina and Jason ( parts and service ) and no one else, cause they treat me like I treat them.