Hi Janine,
Sorry, but not surprised, to hear about your experience. I had a
similarly distasteful experience with this vendor on my first (and
last) order with them, and will never do business with them again. I
would encourage you to follow through on your decision to seek out
more responsive vendor. When enough people leave, and they’re
wondering where their business has gone, they will have an
opportunity to ponder the concept of customer service. Like you, I
"vote with my feet."
Rio Grande is my primary vendor. I’m not happy having to frequently
do quality control for them, but at least they do understand
customer service. Yesterday I discovered one of ten toggle clasps I
ordered had two rings and no toggle. Not a big issue, but a pain in
the you-know-what, and an annoyance to have to send it back and get a
replacement. A big plus is that they have almost everything and they
are very efficient. I like the quality their milled products (sheet,
wire, etc.), and I’ve always been happy with their people. There is a
lot to be said for the efficiency and convenience of one-stop
shopping.
As far as lower cost alternatives, I’ll throw out a few suggestions.
They won’t have everything Rio has, but what they do have will
probably save you some bucks… sometimes a lot of them!
Harbor Freight Tools - They just opened a retail store in my city!!!
Happy happy, joy joy! http://www.harborfreight.com/
MicroMark - www.micromark.com
FDJ Tool - Thanks to Randy Smith in Dallas for this one!
Hope this gives you some options!
All the best,
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans’ Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com