Buy online or traditional store? - Page 2 - Electrician Talk - Professional Electrical Contractors Forum

brian john · 09-05-2009, 08:30 PM

I typically buy local but do on line for difficult items. Last week I needed 400' of 646 DLO and 24-two hole hypress connectors. I called the supply house twice and no success, with them. These guys hate to do any work outside the norm. I called Cobra Cable and had the stuff in my office on Friday.

About an $8,000.00 dollar lost sale for the local supply house.

Heck many times I do not even have to call the on line suppliers, I email them. I have asked 3 local supply houses about emailing orders and they look like a deer caught in the head lights.

jdsmith · 09-05-2009, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian john

Heck many times I do not even have to call the on line suppliers, I email them. I have asked 3 local supply houses about emailing orders and they look like a deer caught in the head lights.

Wow, I must have well-trained suppliers. I can usually email an RFQ and have a quote and delivery time back within hours on any standard or semi-custom industrial parts.

MDShunk · 09-05-2009, 08:53 PM

What's worse is when the local vendor says, "Yes, we can get that for you", but they are unable to tell you exactly when. That doesn't help me one bit. I need to know that they can get it AND exactly when. Without knowing when it's going to arrive, my business is going to the vendor who can tell me when I'll have it. Answers like, "it usually takes a week" doesn't fly with me. I want to hear, "Tuesday, after 10am" or something along that line. That way, Tuesday at 4pm, if I don't have the items, I have a legitimate reason to be mad. I don't have to grit my teeth and tolerate a, "maybe tomorrow" answer that you get if you settle for a "usually a week" delivery estimate.

bobelectric · 09-06-2009, 04:40 AM

I usually fax my orders in at night,but I still like to talk to my salesman every so often to keep abreast of what's going on around the area.

brian john · 09-06-2009, 08:41 AM

This guy a Cobra cable was an EXPERT salesman, with a good lead in and follow through till the material was in my warehouse.

MDShunk · 09-06-2009, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian john

This guy a Cobra cable was an EXPERT salesman, with a good lead in and follow through till the material was in my warehouse.

I've got a contact now at Comcast that's like that. She's fantastic. I get regular phonecalls and email updates about the status of work I've ordered done on behalf of business customers. Communication is key, in this day and age. Particularly since new Comcast Business Class installations require three site visits (site survey, prewire, and cut-in).

Heck, I ordered something from Northern Tool the other day, and I got no less than three emails over a couple days related to the status of my order payment and shipping status. I had the same experience with Dee Sign company. They must have sent out a half-dozen emails, keeping me abreast of the payment status and shipping dates.

brian john · 09-06-2009, 09:36 AM

Try Verizon, THEY STINK their customer service is the poster child for what is wrong with customer service.

Spend millions on advertising telling the public how wonderful you are while in reality you blow.