What recourse can be taken against supplier?
5/29/2015 at 10:40:51 AM
I am a trim carpenter working on a custom house in Southern Ontario. The door and trim supplier has taken delay after delay in delivering material which has put me about 6 weeks behind schedule. The order was placed and paid for at the end of February and it is now the end of May and all material still has not been delivered. Over 40 doors were ordered and they would trickle in, sometimes 4 or 5 in a week, and often with the wrong frame. Needless to say, this has also put the plumber, electrician and painter among others behind schedule. Their excuse has been that they are custom doors but that is part of their business and should not be a problem.
Have any of you run into this problem and what can be done as a matter of recourse? I would like to bill them for time wasted but that is probably not possible. Any suggestions?
5/29/2015 at 10:45:56 PM
Who is the sloppy supplier? A raft of complaint letters, along with the bad press the company gets from sites like Trusted Pros and other similar blogs may just change the way they are managing their clients. A delivery schedule should have been given to you, and if one department won't give you the satisfactory (sic) answers as to why they are holding up YOUR schedule, then go to the top.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
5/30/2015 at 12:13:28 AM
Hi Glenn,
I'm not sure what legal courses of action you can take but when this kind of stuff happens to me I make sure I detail exactly how much money this is costing me and I present that to a manager at the supplier. They probably won't pay all of your expenses but they should at least give you your supplies at their cost or at least a considerable discount.There is no reason that you should pay out of pocket for their mistakes and they need to know this. Often suppliers lose sight of the fact that these kinds of things actually cost you significant hardship.
I would explain this to them nicely at first and if they don't want to help you out then use BBB and other trade review sites as well as social media to call them out and hold them accountable. They have to remember that you are the customer and the reason they are in business.
Pat Glenday
Mynt Garage and Shop
5/30/2015 at 12:40:34 PM
Hey Glen. Any trim and door manufacturer that is experienced and been in business for a while should only take maximum of 5 weeks during the busy season to have an order filled. Sounds to me your needing to move on or if there is a written aggrement on paper and they indicated a time line and have not fulfilled that agreement than you can look at back charging the supplier.
All the best to you
6/1/2015 at 11:27:43 AM
Thanks to everyone for the replies. Now I have some options I'll speak with the builder and we can decide on a course of action.
Thanks again, much appreciated.
Glenn
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