Suppliers - Anyone else having a nightmare service?

[SolarCity]

For the third day in a row, we have had a catastrophic failure from our suppliers. They ****ed up the delivery yesterday and to try and make up for it, they were intending to deliver the equipment this morning. It didn't turn up. So I have a customer with 15 panels lying on his back lawn.

We are heading down to Devon on Monday and we will be missing parts for these installs. The suppliers, who keep telling us they are 'flat out' seemingly aren't too busy that they have to trouble themselves with silly things like working weekends or coming in before 9 every now and then, are repeatedly letting us down and it is dramatically affecting our business. We got through to one of the managers yesterday and his attitude was "Yes, that is six times now that you've told me that we messed your delivery up". His blaise and flippant attitude nearly drove me into Raoul Moatesque rage.

These distributors are riding a good wave at the moment. Whatever stock they have is bought up regardless of the service they provide. I wonder what their attitude will be like 6 months down the line when we're all fighting for business.

 

[Eco Deal]

Who do you buy From?

 

[SRE]

I have to say we've had great service under the circumstances but I've been careful not to order from suppliers who have let me down before and those that had let me down before I'd learned the hard way to order weeks in advance so it could be sorted when the wrong delivery was sent.

Most of our stock has been ordered from Segen who are doing 24/7 shifts and most of their staff were in today and have worked early and late every day this week and from Carbomat where my contact has been starting earlier and earlier each day 6.45 on Friday which I think is pretty impressive and she was in today sorting out orders too.

Biggs I know who you're ordering from and I've had similar service, it doesn't matter until you're doubling your capacity - you have my sympathy - fingers crossed it will get better. I'll PM my contact at the same place she seems to get things sorted for me.

 

[JD6400]

For the third day in a row, we have had a catastrophic failure from our suppliers. They ****ed up the delivery yesterday and to try and make up for it, they were intending to deliver the equipment this morning. It didn't turn up. So I have a customer with 15 panels lying on his back lawn.

We are heading down to Devon on Monday and we will be missing parts for these installs. The suppliers, who keep telling us they are 'flat out' seemingly aren't too busy that they have to trouble themselves with silly things like working weekends or coming in before 9 every now and then, are repeatedly letting us down and it is dramatically affecting our business. We got through to one of the managers yesterday and his attitude was "Yes, that is six times now that you've told me that we messed your delivery up". His blasé and flippant attitude nearly drove me into Raoul Moatesque rage.

These distributors are riding a good wave at the moment. Whatever stock they have is bought up regardless of the service they provide. I wonder what their attitude will be like 6 months down the line when we're all fighting for business.

I hear what you are saying only too well !
And i tell you what , if and when we do end up renewing our mcs tickets ( runs out 6/12/2011) in the new year now , i will be taking great pleasure with one or two suppliers generally waisting their time , promising to buy their kit then not answering the phone for days at a time , screwing them on price , bare face lying to them an blatantly not giving a f... about our soon to be terminated working relationship !!!!
We already have two 30kw jobs in the offing so they should be some good bait alone !

 

[Markc]

This might be a good thing to have in the Sun Lounge. A list of suppliers and may be contact details of those who are pulling out all the stops and all those who aren't.

I have to say my main supplier has been fantastic. I think I even got the last 16 Sanyo's!

 

[moggy1968]

nah, I did!!
got a load of kit in the pipeline and extremely nervous now. promised delivery monday and thursday but now, wihtout knowing who the bad boys are, I am getting nervous.

 

[solar-spark]

hope you aint ordered owt with krannich as there running four days behind!

 

[SolarCity]

I will only mention names in PMs. Despite all the disasters I want to give the suppliers a chance to put it right. It may be the case that I'm simply dealing with the incompetent employees and the rest of the staff are great. Although, lets be totally honest - how hard can it be to send out an order that someone else has made, to an address that someone else has given you, at a time that someone else has requested. It's not like I'm asking anyone to build me a sodding rocket, is it?

 

[moggy1968]

hope you aint ordered owt with krannich as there running four days behind!

yep, they're the ones, was ordered a week ago though

 

[solar-spark]

well i wouldnt normally mention a company by name but after a meeting on monday with one of there sales reps
i was assured that if i placed my order for a shed load of roof rail kit i would defo would receive it for friday.to cut a long story short no roof rail system and 5 jobs to start monday!!

 

[moggy1968]

it gets worse, I'm waiting on rails as well:13:

 

[solar-spark]

hope you get sorted soon mate

 

[moggy1968]

likewise

 

[SRE]

well i wouldnt normally mention a company by name but after a meeting on monday with one of there sales reps
i was assured that if i placed my order for a shed load of roof rail kit i would defo would receive it for friday.to cut a long story short no roof rail system and 5 jobs to start monday!!

Hate to tell you this but I was told nothing til 9th November - that was 2 weeks ago. I've been ordering my roof kit a month in advance because the service was bad but the price was good, getting short now, re-ordered on Monday haven't even had an acknowledgement.

 

[flamefix]

I do know K have a lot of stock coming in, yes their order acknowledgement is disgustingly shocking they were doing Mondays orders On Wednesday I got a promise of Tuesdays order on Friday expecting delivery but not sure yet what will turn up but fingers crossed.

 

[jupestar]

SRE - I have to carbomat have been spot on so far. She has been very patient. Hope they keep it going.

 

[SRE]

Not helped by poor delivery from DHL either.

 

[SRE]

SRE - I have to carbomat have been spot on so far. She has been very patient. Hope they keep it going.

Yep, superb - great after sales service too. I had a problem with some panels a while ago and they sorted it out right away.

 

[jupestar]

If they deliver all my project next two weeks I'll be very pleased. I buy mounting kit and sometimes inverters from them. I guess cause they are Belgium company they can ship stocks through pretty quickly. I also am led to believe they are only suppling to existing. Although I might be wrong.

 

[moggy1968]

as long as I get my delivery tomorrow I can live with the 9th for the rest. I've ordered enough kit to last me all the way through now