Let down by a supplier with a bad attitude
Discussion
As some of you know I've started a promotional gift business, which is now after a lot of hard work is starting to work.
Recently I won an order for some promotional gifts for visitor centre in Scotland. I placed the order with a supplier we had never worked with before but who I had met at a small trade show. This particular supplier’s MD who I meet at the show is on the board of one of the industry leading Trade Bodies.
All my suppliers have been 100% reliable. So today our client asks what time her delivery will be?
We contact our supplier to find the goods have not left the factory! After advising the supplier that they are required today, we are told they will be delivered on Saturday. We tell them this isn't good enough to which we are told 'she will have to sit in a room on Saturday crying her eyes out over them then won't she'.
I spoke to this director and his attitude didn't get much better; informing we that gift houses get let down several times a week and his deliveries from China can be weeks late. He informed me he's been in this business 40 years and if it was for an important airline he would have done something. I explained to him that each customer’s order is important to them and they should receive it one time. Once another supplier forgot to send out a pen order but they had a driver delivery it that evening several hundred miles away.
I explained we had a 100% on time delivery record and he hadn't even informed us of late delivery.
He seemed total put out to have to spend £35 on a Saturday delivery despite, myself having paid him several hundred for the product.
He gave me the usual waffle about staff been ill etc, given threaten cancelling the order.
All the time, I felt like I had to be very careful in what I said in case he didn’t send the order out. In the end he put the phone down on me.
I’ve tried to get hold of the MD but no answer so far. If the order arrives on Saturday, I really feel like giving the guy both barrels.
I’ve advised my customer and she has hinted at financial compensation.
Any suggestions on handling the situation sensibly would be appreciated.
Recently I won an order for some promotional gifts for visitor centre in Scotland. I placed the order with a supplier we had never worked with before but who I had met at a small trade show. This particular supplier’s MD who I meet at the show is on the board of one of the industry leading Trade Bodies.
All my suppliers have been 100% reliable. So today our client asks what time her delivery will be?
We contact our supplier to find the goods have not left the factory! After advising the supplier that they are required today, we are told they will be delivered on Saturday. We tell them this isn't good enough to which we are told 'she will have to sit in a room on Saturday crying her eyes out over them then won't she'.
I spoke to this director and his attitude didn't get much better; informing we that gift houses get let down several times a week and his deliveries from China can be weeks late. He informed me he's been in this business 40 years and if it was for an important airline he would have done something. I explained to him that each customer’s order is important to them and they should receive it one time. Once another supplier forgot to send out a pen order but they had a driver delivery it that evening several hundred miles away.
I explained we had a 100% on time delivery record and he hadn't even informed us of late delivery.
He seemed total put out to have to spend £35 on a Saturday delivery despite, myself having paid him several hundred for the product.
He gave me the usual waffle about staff been ill etc, given threaten cancelling the order.
All the time, I felt like I had to be very careful in what I said in case he didn’t send the order out. In the end he put the phone down on me.
I’ve tried to get hold of the MD but no answer so far. If the order arrives on Saturday, I really feel like giving the guy both barrels.
I’ve advised my customer and she has hinted at financial compensation.
Any suggestions on handling the situation sensibly would be appreciated.
It's not the customer's problem. I promised delivery and it should be there now. I have a good relationship with the customer and I hope that will survive. But it is very difficult creating new business and I don't need poor suppliers screwing it up.
What really gets me is this MD is a Trade Body director so should have ensured his operation was the best of the best. He's trading off the Trade Body's reputation. They've been in business since 1800 something! What does it say about the trade body - are they bunch of money grabbing bunch of F**kers who could give a cr*p?
What really gets me is this MD is a Trade Body director so should have ensured his operation was the best of the best. He's trading off the Trade Body's reputation. They've been in business since 1800 something! What does it say about the trade body - are they bunch of money grabbing bunch of F**kers who could give a cr*p?
I am in a industry riddled with incompetent suppliers and customers who don't know better. We have expanded our business to be more in control of the supply chain and offer a "end to end" solution.
Perhaps you could cut them out and go direct? If the volumes are there its a no-brainer.
Perhaps you could cut them out and go direct? If the volumes are there its a no-brainer.
jamoor said:
tell them to shove it and deal with China direct, I doubt you will have any problems then.
But then you'll have to buy a container-ful.The supplier has let you down and has a result you've let your customer down. I know, it stinks because you care and the supplier doesn't. I'm often in the middle too and I'm only as good as the weakest link.
I suppose if you want to try some dirty tricks (seeing as you're unlikely to use them again), take delivery then play silly buggers paying the bill, or send them a cheque for 90%. Be as lackadiasical paying them as they were delivering the goods. They can hardly complain.
Simpo Two said:
jamoor said:
tell them to shove it and deal with China direct, I doubt you will have any problems then.
But then you'll have to buy a container-ful.The supplier has let you down and has a result you've let your customer down. I know, it stinks because you care and the supplier doesn't. I'm often in the middle too and I'm only as good as the weakest link.
I suppose if you want to try some dirty tricks (seeing as you're unlikely to use them again), take delivery then play silly buggers paying the bill, or send them a cheque for 90%. Be as lackadiasical paying them as they were delivering the goods. They can hardly complain.
Cost here £1 each, China was around £0.25 including 3 day shipping, I had to buy 300 lanyards though, they know how to rip you off here!!
Same with everything in our company, all our printing comes from Germany as it's cheaper than any local printer, I don't like doing it but I have to
johnbear said:
It's not the customer's problem. I promised delivery and it should be there now.
I would add that you really shouldn't promise something that you're not totally in control of, particularly when, as it seems in your case, there are quite a few points where things could go wrong.johnbear said:
He's trading off the Trade Body's reputation.
What does this trade body purport to do? Could you make a complaint to them about the conduct of one of its members?fergywales said:
I echo the last two comments, but would also like to add that, should your customer be demanding on-time delivery, you can assume that if they are intelligent, they will have a built in time cushion to allow for the unexpected.
Assumptions about a customers ability to plan will put you on a handcart to hell IMHO! I introduced an 'emergency' premium service at a 100% surcharge because my customers always left it to the last moment and made their lack of planning my problem in delivering Pressure to do work at very short notice disappeared almost overnight. It only takes one visit to the boss for extra budget because they didn't plan 7 extra days ahead for something which was forseeen 6 months ago to enhance their planning skills.Martipelo said:
Someone said to me in the early days of starting my business up , 'promise nothing and deliver the world and you will do well'. Hope you get it sorted.
'Exceed expectations' etc. For example if you promise delivery on Monday and it arrives on Tuesday, they can be aggrieved. But if you said 'by Wednesday' and it arrives on Tuesday, they're happy. Same delivery day, different result.I'm also reminded of a cartoon in the ad agency where I once worked. It said 'Of course I want it today; if I'd wanted it tomorrow I'd have asked for it tomorrow'.
johnbear said:
As some of you know I've started a promotional gift business, which is now after a lot of hard work is starting to work.
Recently I won an order for some promotional gifts for visitor centre in Scotland. I placed the order with a supplier we had never worked with before but who I had met at a small trade show. This particular supplier’s MD who I meet at the show is on the board of one of the industry leading Trade Bodies.
All my suppliers have been 100% reliable. So today our client asks what time her delivery will be?
We contact our supplier to find the goods have not left the factory! After advising the supplier that they are required today, we are told they will be delivered on Saturday. We tell them this isn't good enough to which we are told 'she will have to sit in a room on Saturday crying her eyes out over them then won't she'.
I spoke to this director and his attitude didn't get much better; informing we that gift houses get let down several times a week and his deliveries from China can be weeks late. He informed me he's been in this business 40 years and if it was for an important airline he would have done something. I explained to him that each customer’s order is important to them and they should receive it one time. Once another supplier forgot to send out a pen order but they had a driver delivery it that evening several hundred miles away.
I explained we had a 100% on time delivery record and he hadn't even informed us of late delivery.
He seemed total put out to have to spend £35 on a Saturday delivery despite, myself having paid him several hundred for the product.
He gave me the usual waffle about staff been ill etc, given threaten cancelling the order.
All the time, I felt like I had to be very careful in what I said in case he didn’t send the order out. In the end he put the phone down on me.
I’ve tried to get hold of the MD but no answer so far. If the order arrives on Saturday, I really feel like giving the guy both barrels.
I’ve advised my customer and she has hinted at financial compensation.
Any suggestions on handling the situation sensibly would be appreciated.
It's your fault. You used a client as a guinea pig. The most common reason fot companies going belly up is over-reliance on a customer. Most people know that. What most people don't know is the second most common reason, which is: over reliance on a supplier.Recently I won an order for some promotional gifts for visitor centre in Scotland. I placed the order with a supplier we had never worked with before but who I had met at a small trade show. This particular supplier’s MD who I meet at the show is on the board of one of the industry leading Trade Bodies.
All my suppliers have been 100% reliable. So today our client asks what time her delivery will be?
We contact our supplier to find the goods have not left the factory! After advising the supplier that they are required today, we are told they will be delivered on Saturday. We tell them this isn't good enough to which we are told 'she will have to sit in a room on Saturday crying her eyes out over them then won't she'.
I spoke to this director and his attitude didn't get much better; informing we that gift houses get let down several times a week and his deliveries from China can be weeks late. He informed me he's been in this business 40 years and if it was for an important airline he would have done something. I explained to him that each customer’s order is important to them and they should receive it one time. Once another supplier forgot to send out a pen order but they had a driver delivery it that evening several hundred miles away.
I explained we had a 100% on time delivery record and he hadn't even informed us of late delivery.
He seemed total put out to have to spend £35 on a Saturday delivery despite, myself having paid him several hundred for the product.
He gave me the usual waffle about staff been ill etc, given threaten cancelling the order.
All the time, I felt like I had to be very careful in what I said in case he didn’t send the order out. In the end he put the phone down on me.
I’ve tried to get hold of the MD but no answer so far. If the order arrives on Saturday, I really feel like giving the guy both barrels.
I’ve advised my customer and she has hinted at financial compensation.
Any suggestions on handling the situation sensibly would be appreciated.
srebbe64 said:
It's your fault. You used a client as a guinea pig. The most common reason fot companies going belly up is over-reliance on a customer. Most people know that. What most people don't know is the second most common reason, which is: over reliance on a supplier.
Business go bust because they run out of money! There are many pinches on cash flow but over-reliance on a supplier doesn't feature highly on my risk profile. When you ordered the materials did you express that "time is of the essence/delivery on or before xyz date"?
and for that matter did your customer?
if the answer is no then legally neither you nor your customer have any recourse for complaint/compensations (sale of goods act etc etc etc etc) as both your supplier and you are deemed to have a reasonable time to fulfill their/your obligations under the contract.
Your suppliers customer management speaks for itself I sincerely hope they will not be a supplier any more.....
and for that matter did your customer?
if the answer is no then legally neither you nor your customer have any recourse for complaint/compensations (sale of goods act etc etc etc etc) as both your supplier and you are deemed to have a reasonable time to fulfill their/your obligations under the contract.
Your suppliers customer management speaks for itself I sincerely hope they will not be a supplier any more.....
Marcellus said:
When you ordered the materials did you express that "time is of the essence/delivery on or before xyz date"?
and for that matter did your customer?
if the answer is no then legally neither you nor your customer have any recourse for complaint/compensations (sale of goods act etc etc etc etc) as both your supplier and you are deemed to have a reasonable time to fulfill their/your obligations under the contract.
Rubbish.and for that matter did your customer?
if the answer is no then legally neither you nor your customer have any recourse for complaint/compensations (sale of goods act etc etc etc etc) as both your supplier and you are deemed to have a reasonable time to fulfill their/your obligations under the contract.
..and the sale of goods act is for consumers, not for business to business transactions.
Deva Link said:
..and the sale of goods act is for consumers, not for business to business transactions.
eerrrr no.......the Sale of Goods Act is for the sale of all goods regardless of whether B2B or B2C.Unless a delivery date was specified then the seller has to supply the goods to the buyer within a "reasonable" time.
I have watched this thread with interest and hoped it turned out well for the OP.
The S of G Act is applicable for business to business sales, however the difference is that by agreement you can opt to reduce or remove parts of it. However, this would not be applicable in this case.
As has been mentioned by a lot of people there are a few practical things that can be done to avoid this in the future.
The first thing is that when goods are produced in China, they are cheaper for a number of reasons. Legislation is a bit more lax then here and secondly if you are looking for the best price then the goods will come in bulk and secondly may even come on a boat! Therefore if the goods are literally shipped then the lead times will be outside anyone's control apart from the man upstairs himself. Even if you pay for the good to be flown, then of course it is still difficult to guarantee a delivery date.
Unless of course you give yourself a lot of time and a backup plan. As has been said, the best way to counter unreasonable demands are to expand your timeframe and give the customer deadlines whereby you can guarantee delivery and not.
I had a couple of pseudo-legal letters written to me by a customer threatening legal action with regard to our 'late delivery' and a claim for consequential losses as if he had sold all of the goods.
He pulls up the fact that when we agreed to take on the job we agreed he could have delivery for 'late November'. I had no issue with this at all, but what he failed to take into account was when we heard this we sent out deadlines to him to be able to do this which would give us a full month to do the job - even though it should only take ten days. What he failed to mention in his letter was that even though he wanted to sue on the basis of 'Late November' having expired, he was still changing fundamental parts of the job - completely 'artistic' ones which should have been finalised a whole month earlier right into the start of December.
So, when we rush the month job, we should take ten days on in a week we are still seen as 'late' because he didn't have his order in time.
Putting it short, when timescales are an issue - or even if they are not - it is worthwhile getting a written agreement in place. It doesn't have to be hugely formal, but a 'tick sheet' type thing where the customer can point out any fixed timeframes they have from the start. You can then in turn do the same thing with the supplier where you can place in writing that if they do not deliver by X then you have the right reduce the invoice by X.
Covers you both ways up. If your goalposts change you can refer to the agreement with your client, and if you are shafted at least you have a fund to put some financial goodwill toward your client.
The S of G Act is applicable for business to business sales, however the difference is that by agreement you can opt to reduce or remove parts of it. However, this would not be applicable in this case.
As has been mentioned by a lot of people there are a few practical things that can be done to avoid this in the future.
The first thing is that when goods are produced in China, they are cheaper for a number of reasons. Legislation is a bit more lax then here and secondly if you are looking for the best price then the goods will come in bulk and secondly may even come on a boat! Therefore if the goods are literally shipped then the lead times will be outside anyone's control apart from the man upstairs himself. Even if you pay for the good to be flown, then of course it is still difficult to guarantee a delivery date.
Unless of course you give yourself a lot of time and a backup plan. As has been said, the best way to counter unreasonable demands are to expand your timeframe and give the customer deadlines whereby you can guarantee delivery and not.
I had a couple of pseudo-legal letters written to me by a customer threatening legal action with regard to our 'late delivery' and a claim for consequential losses as if he had sold all of the goods.
He pulls up the fact that when we agreed to take on the job we agreed he could have delivery for 'late November'. I had no issue with this at all, but what he failed to take into account was when we heard this we sent out deadlines to him to be able to do this which would give us a full month to do the job - even though it should only take ten days. What he failed to mention in his letter was that even though he wanted to sue on the basis of 'Late November' having expired, he was still changing fundamental parts of the job - completely 'artistic' ones which should have been finalised a whole month earlier right into the start of December.
So, when we rush the month job, we should take ten days on in a week we are still seen as 'late' because he didn't have his order in time.
Putting it short, when timescales are an issue - or even if they are not - it is worthwhile getting a written agreement in place. It doesn't have to be hugely formal, but a 'tick sheet' type thing where the customer can point out any fixed timeframes they have from the start. You can then in turn do the same thing with the supplier where you can place in writing that if they do not deliver by X then you have the right reduce the invoice by X.
Covers you both ways up. If your goalposts change you can refer to the agreement with your client, and if you are shafted at least you have a fund to put some financial goodwill toward your client.
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