Blanks, quality for price.

[logobear]

Ian M,
I think you should name and shame, in fact, I think we all should!
provided we are prepared to stand by what we say, what have we to hide?
This forum encourages praise for great suppliers, why not visa-vi?
Regarding a bad batch of mugs with broken handles, this is always a major issue, transport is a big cost is buying mugs, even by the pallat, and if you get a batch that have been roughly handled, there will be breakages, sometimes a lot! This is not the fault of the mug vendor, but of the transit company.
My own supplier of choice (TMT) have always given me mug credits, but i do always drive down to collect a car full at a time and combine it with a bit of extra training.
Make sure you are blaming the source of the problem.
Bad mugs, or bad transit, - if you buy cheap, probably both.
Good luck
Phil

[Ian M]

Phil

There's no point is there Phil as a lot of people on here will just think it's me having another moan.

[Justin]

I have to agree, members are quick to give praise where it's due and name companies so this should also work the other way. If the service/products you have received are not good then this should be discussed. How the Supplier chooses to deal with this may dictate whether you and other members will continue to use them.

I assume you've given the company involved the opportunity to put this right and if you feel let down please tell us more.

I've had problems with suppliers that are highly rated and also had great service from some that have been slated, we'll all have different experiences.

The forum is independent from any one supplier, by all means try and get this situation rectified but please also feel free to name on here if you are not happy with the outcome.

[Ian M]

Let's just say I found the new reputation button very useful on this occassion.

[gstk]

Dirty washing in public is never a good idea as it can get out of hand. I get a bit peeved that I sometimes get quicker answers from suppliers after posting on the forum than I do by emailing. Its just a case of sourcing your goods from someone who gives good service and the right price. I have shifted my purchases to a supplier who gives me that bit extra. I would be a fool not to keep in with all suppliers. On a couple of items I am paying a bit more but the confidence in the product and the service makes up for it.

[JSR]

There's no point is there Phil as a lot of people on here will just think it's me having another moan.

This is the problem, isn't it? A couple of times people have highlighted problems with certain products, and this is usually followed up by many other members saying "I've never had a problem" and the supplier(s) saying "no one else has mentioned it" - which immediately suggests that the "moaner" is either (i) lying, or (ii) just having a moan.

Very quickly, the person who highlighted the problem is said to be attacking said supplier (or just having a moan). Ultimately, naming said supplier(s) isn't constructive. Rather than improving the issue, it's more likely to send the "moaner" to the sin bin.

All you can do really is to stop buying from that supplier and tell your friends and colleagues (through private means) about your experience to save them wasting the same time, money, and resources on the product.

[gstk]

I will say of all the industries I have experienced in my life (and there are a few) the printing industry is a strange one. I dont think anyone has truly grasped the concept of product and service. It almost smacks of amateur sometimes. Look how many items are already out of stock for Christmas and some have been for a couple of weeks. A couple of summers ago I had an order for 1000 Aluminium drink bottles in MAY. I couldnt fulfil the order because no one had them and the lead time was about 3 weeks. A Month before summer starts!!

[JSR]

I will say of all the industries I have experienced in my life (and there are a few) the printing industry is a strange one. I dont think anyone has truly grasped the concept of product and service. It almost smacks of amateur sometimes. Look how many items are already out of stock for Christmas and some have been for a couple of weeks. A couple of summers ago I had an order for 1000 Aluminium drink bottles in MAY. I couldnt fulfil the order because no one had them and the lead time was about 3 weeks. A Month before summer starts!!

This does suggest a lack of faith in the long term future of the industry by suppliers.

[Andrew]

I wouldn't want to be a supplier in the Sublimation industry. The popular products are cut to the bone for starters. Any new product found with a bit of mileage will be jumped on by the rest. The slower products are largely a waste of time but you have to keep stock levels just to complete the range. It's a thankless task imo. Like JSR said earlier in the thread, the big volume users cut out the suppliers as soon as they can, others cut costs and buy the cheapest off ebay or wherever else is on offer meaning that growth for decent suppliers in sublimation will always be stunted. The job of a middleman is always very low profit and nothing changes here.

[Ian M]

This is the problem, isn't it? A couple of times people have highlighted problems with certain products, and this is usually followed up by many other members saying "I've never had a problem" and the supplier(s) saying "no one else has mentioned it" - which immediately suggests that the "moaner" is either (i) lying, or (ii) just having a moan.

Very quickly, the person who highlighted the problem is said to be attacking said supplier (or just having a moan). Ultimately, naming said supplier(s) isn't constructive. Rather than improving the issue, it's more likely to send the "moaner" to the sin bin.

All you can do really is to stop buying from that supplier and tell your friends and colleagues (through private means) about your experience to save them wasting the same time, money, and resources on the product.

Jonathan, your spot on with everything you say.