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Sign Warehouse
- Thread starter Mikeifg
- Start date
cdiesel
New Member
Jerry, look at it like this:
One of our local suppliers (who have actually grown to become very good friends of ours) hosted a flurry of wrap classes in the past couple of years. In one class, they wrapped one of their delivery trucks with a "start your own sign company" theme. As soon as they came by my shop to make a delivery with it, I told them that they weren't welcome back at our shop until that wrap was removed. When they asked why, I explained to them that I realize they are trying to sell more equipment and more media by attracting more people to the industry. At the same time, the guy in his garage (or car dealer) who buys a 30" Versacamm isn't going to buy a whole heck of a lot of media, and there's no guarantee he's going to buy from them. However, what little bit he does buy will eat into our sales, and the sales of the other larger more reputable shops around that CONTINUE to buy from them month after month, year after year. When the end user market gets diluted, the true industry professionals suffer.
Like was posted above about GM.. if they start selling directly to the public for dealer cost, they probably will sell a bunch of vehicles. What'll happen when something breaks though, and you've got to go to the factory to get something fixed? You think the dealer that got screwed is going to take care of the customer?
Not only that, but by even offering to sell equipment to end users, you cheapen the industry by making people think "anyone can do it". We don't buy much from SW anymore.. aside from the occasional roll we can't find anywhere else. Jerry, please pull our sales history and take a look-see.
One of our local suppliers (who have actually grown to become very good friends of ours) hosted a flurry of wrap classes in the past couple of years. In one class, they wrapped one of their delivery trucks with a "start your own sign company" theme. As soon as they came by my shop to make a delivery with it, I told them that they weren't welcome back at our shop until that wrap was removed. When they asked why, I explained to them that I realize they are trying to sell more equipment and more media by attracting more people to the industry. At the same time, the guy in his garage (or car dealer) who buys a 30" Versacamm isn't going to buy a whole heck of a lot of media, and there's no guarantee he's going to buy from them. However, what little bit he does buy will eat into our sales, and the sales of the other larger more reputable shops around that CONTINUE to buy from them month after month, year after year. When the end user market gets diluted, the true industry professionals suffer.
Like was posted above about GM.. if they start selling directly to the public for dealer cost, they probably will sell a bunch of vehicles. What'll happen when something breaks though, and you've got to go to the factory to get something fixed? You think the dealer that got screwed is going to take care of the customer?
Not only that, but by even offering to sell equipment to end users, you cheapen the industry by making people think "anyone can do it". We don't buy much from SW anymore.. aside from the occasional roll we can't find anywhere else. Jerry, please pull our sales history and take a look-see.
P
ProWraps™
Guest
is it me or am i stupid.. ehh.. wait dont answer that please. BUT! i did own a retail store. and i had to create accounts with my vendors. one that included much paper work, secured payment channels and adhere to certain rules. i had to submit valid documentation to prove my legitamacy as a retailer of their products, as well as a california issued resale license. they came out and visited my shop to prove my claims before i EVER got to order from them. THEN i had to place a HUGE order to open the account with EACH of them. so i ask this:
WHY DO WE WORK IN A FIELD WHERE THIS IS NOT EXPECTED OF OUR VENDORS?
an example is this. we install wraps for a national company. part of our income (as many of you that do the same know, the install rates are not glamerous), is the removal of the previous graphics. well the last install we did, the client called up fellers, ordered up the required removal tools and supplies and did it themselves.
ok no big deal. small beans yeah yah. well it lost us about $400. but that isnt was im concerned with. whats next? will they just buy a printer, a bunch of media and start printing their own, ultimately selling it and cutting into my biz?
i mean come on.
its funny how on this site so many complain about this errosion of our lively hood, yet NO ONE has asked WHY this business model that our vendors ethically SHOULD adhere to is NEVER brought up.
ps, sorry for the big letters. i just wanted to see what it would look like! heh. give an old man a little fun.
WHY DO WE WORK IN A FIELD WHERE THIS IS NOT EXPECTED OF OUR VENDORS?
an example is this. we install wraps for a national company. part of our income (as many of you that do the same know, the install rates are not glamerous), is the removal of the previous graphics. well the last install we did, the client called up fellers, ordered up the required removal tools and supplies and did it themselves.
ok no big deal. small beans yeah yah. well it lost us about $400. but that isnt was im concerned with. whats next? will they just buy a printer, a bunch of media and start printing their own, ultimately selling it and cutting into my biz?
i mean come on.
its funny how on this site so many complain about this errosion of our lively hood, yet NO ONE has asked WHY this business model that our vendors ethically SHOULD adhere to is NEVER brought up.
ps, sorry for the big letters. i just wanted to see what it would look like! heh. give an old man a little fun.
MacDaddy
New Member
Soooooo, Is it illegal for others to enter a world normally inhabited by others? If they are no good they will fail rather quickly... Be a pro, hang in there... These guys won't last long... They will spend alot of money on printers and such then sell for pennies on the dollar.... How do I know this? I service the machines after they are sold to folks who actually make money in this business...
sarge
New Member
i brought this up on another thread and i was flamed hard by merchants on this forum .. SW doesnt have the market for poor customer service .. when i hear of bad vendors i stay away from them .. if more of us band together that is how you get even, boycot their business
in my town now 2 sign businesses have opened .. both bought into that deal where you pay for a bunch of t-shirt, mug and plotter deals and now they think they are sign makers .. it is funny .. both have come to my shop wanting a tour and asked me where i get my supplies .. i just tell them my insuance doesnt allow for pedestrians to be close to my equipment and dont let them in .. they are just like the newbies on here .. have no clue what to do or where to go .. they can get all the stuff they want .. but they dont know how to do what i know how to do .. sorry for getting long winded .. i know we all have our stories .. and i wonder just how many people here have those "all in 1 shop wonder deals" .. they may be good, but i am thinking not and most of it is just junk .. but suckers are born everyday
in my town now 2 sign businesses have opened .. both bought into that deal where you pay for a bunch of t-shirt, mug and plotter deals and now they think they are sign makers .. it is funny .. both have come to my shop wanting a tour and asked me where i get my supplies .. i just tell them my insuance doesnt allow for pedestrians to be close to my equipment and dont let them in .. they are just like the newbies on here .. have no clue what to do or where to go .. they can get all the stuff they want .. but they dont know how to do what i know how to do .. sorry for getting long winded .. i know we all have our stories .. and i wonder just how many people here have those "all in 1 shop wonder deals" .. they may be good, but i am thinking not and most of it is just junk .. but suckers are born everyday
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
Sign Warehouse (after 15+ years) has received the last of my money. 35k for a smashed printer (which was replaced and they made out like a bandit on insurance claim that was their fault to begin with), fired salespeople, many unanswered emails. Then they didn't want an order for several thousand more in supplies???.....I personally don't think they'll be around much longer. Good riddance.
Sign warehouse sucks. Bad customer service, bait and switch tactics etc etc. Nothing but excuses never action. BAH.
Some of the examples given earlier are almost laughably stupid.. selling paint protection to sign companies instead of car dealers?? hello.. car dealers have been subbing that work to sign companies forever not doing it themselves!
Government agencies? same thing!
rinse wash repeat.
Amazing how many short term stupid decisions some companies make in the name of survival that ultimately just shorten their own lifespan when things turn better and people take their business elsewhere. Good luck supporting something the size of SW with Cricut and Car dealers.
Some of the examples given earlier are almost laughably stupid.. selling paint protection to sign companies instead of car dealers?? hello.. car dealers have been subbing that work to sign companies forever not doing it themselves!
Government agencies? same thing!
rinse wash repeat.
Amazing how many short term stupid decisions some companies make in the name of survival that ultimately just shorten their own lifespan when things turn better and people take their business elsewhere. Good luck supporting something the size of SW with Cricut and Car dealers.
SW is a joke
We bought a 52" plotter from them many years ago and it never worked correctly out of the box. It had a tracking issue that the tech support (when I did finally get through to them) proceeded to tell me that it was operator error and I just needed to figure out how to work it. They told me that I should start cutting sheets off the rolls for whatever size of lettering that was to be cut (like cut 9' off of the roll if I'm cutting an 8' graphic), didn't work. I told them that I was doing everything properly to cut on that machine (loading the vinyl straight, etc.) and they basically told me that I was not. I asked to speak with the "manager" and explained the situation and he pretty muched told me the same thing. Now, I ran a 24" Roland friction fed plotter for 6 years prior to buying that junk Panther machine and I could get that tracking straight on 50'+ runs. That piece of crap that SW sold me I could not even cut a 4'x8' rectangle because the start point and end point would never line up.
After some heated phone conversation they told me that I needed to send it off, my cost, to have it looked at. I sent it off then finally heard back from them after about two weeks. They told me everything checked out just fine and they were going to send it back to me (my cost). I told them don't even think about it without some kind of proof of it running properly. I received a video of the machine running a couple of days later. It showed the vinyl feeding ONE direction the whole length of a 50yd roll of vinyl off the spool. I got the "manager" again on the phone and asked him very directly "what kind of idiot do you think I am?" of course it runs straight in one direction being that the vinyl roll was held by the core on it's spool holder. When I told him that i wanted a video of it cutting 3"x20' stripes the full width of the vinyl he would not agree to and said they did everything to check it out properly.
After all was said and done they would not agree to giving me any money back and I definitely did not want their plotter so I ended up upgrading to a Graphtec that I had to buy from them. To date, no problems with the Graphtec and no more problems with SW...............I just don't buy from them anymore or ever again. I just chalked that experience up to buying an inferior machine from an inferior supplier and my stupidity for not going with a good brand in the first place.
We bought a 52" plotter from them many years ago and it never worked correctly out of the box. It had a tracking issue that the tech support (when I did finally get through to them) proceeded to tell me that it was operator error and I just needed to figure out how to work it. They told me that I should start cutting sheets off the rolls for whatever size of lettering that was to be cut (like cut 9' off of the roll if I'm cutting an 8' graphic), didn't work. I told them that I was doing everything properly to cut on that machine (loading the vinyl straight, etc.) and they basically told me that I was not. I asked to speak with the "manager" and explained the situation and he pretty muched told me the same thing. Now, I ran a 24" Roland friction fed plotter for 6 years prior to buying that junk Panther machine and I could get that tracking straight on 50'+ runs. That piece of crap that SW sold me I could not even cut a 4'x8' rectangle because the start point and end point would never line up.
After some heated phone conversation they told me that I needed to send it off, my cost, to have it looked at. I sent it off then finally heard back from them after about two weeks. They told me everything checked out just fine and they were going to send it back to me (my cost). I told them don't even think about it without some kind of proof of it running properly. I received a video of the machine running a couple of days later. It showed the vinyl feeding ONE direction the whole length of a 50yd roll of vinyl off the spool. I got the "manager" again on the phone and asked him very directly "what kind of idiot do you think I am?" of course it runs straight in one direction being that the vinyl roll was held by the core on it's spool holder. When I told him that i wanted a video of it cutting 3"x20' stripes the full width of the vinyl he would not agree to and said they did everything to check it out properly.
After all was said and done they would not agree to giving me any money back and I definitely did not want their plotter so I ended up upgrading to a Graphtec that I had to buy from them. To date, no problems with the Graphtec and no more problems with SW...............I just don't buy from them anymore or ever again. I just chalked that experience up to buying an inferior machine from an inferior supplier and my stupidity for not going with a good brand in the first place.
Stealth Ryder
New Member
Panther vs Graphtec, not a legitimate comparison. Of course the Graphtec will prove to be a better machine.
punisher129
New Member
after reading this im really thinking of just staying with fellers . i was looking at growing my company and buying some new equipment the quote i had from fellers was 35k the one from SW is only 30k . but with all these horror stories of SW i think i just pay the extra 5k
Fred Weiss
Merchant Member
I know nothing of any of the horror stories or the good ones appearing at times. I do know that SW has brought in a few outstanding people in the last two or three years to correct or improve on where they may have come up short in the past.
mark in tx
New Member
My only suggestion in dealing with Sign Wharehouse problems, if you want something fixed you have to get the branch manager on the phone.
The salespeople cannot or will not fix problems, customer service is confused at best by the bad info they get from the sales people.
Get the higher ups involved.
The salespeople cannot or will not fix problems, customer service is confused at best by the bad info they get from the sales people.
Get the higher ups involved.
Vital Designs
Vital Designs
In my opinion they do not stand behind their product. I have a $20k boat anchor in the corner of my shop to prove it.
rambo555
New Member
I used to support SW with what I thought was a good amount of business. They have some good support people but their sales people are often "tacky" at best. Their front desk reception is awful. Not sure if they ever resolved an issue I had with them a month or so back with they way the front desk responded to calls. I spoke to a manager in Kentucy about that one. He was professional and at least listended to me.
What I hated most about SW was the fact they they made it difficult for me to do business. I once had a sales person that made me feel wanted, now I get bounced around and don't get replies to my emails. When I bring up an issue, excuses are what I receive. I buy from Fellers most of the time as they give me free shipping and discounted prices. At SW, you have to beg for it and even then you might get denied. I sure miss the great sales guy I had at SW 2 years ago!
What I hated most about SW was the fact they they made it difficult for me to do business. I once had a sales person that made me feel wanted, now I get bounced around and don't get replies to my emails. When I bring up an issue, excuses are what I receive. I buy from Fellers most of the time as they give me free shipping and discounted prices. At SW, you have to beg for it and even then you might get denied. I sure miss the great sales guy I had at SW 2 years ago!
competition graphics
New Member
I too used to buy from SW and haven't for almost 2 yrs. I've been in biz for almost 15 yrs and close to every piece of vinyl and all of my equipment and software I have ever used has come from either Earl Mich in Chicago or Advantage. My guy from Advantage (Brian Konya) has always been around when I had a question, he stops by when he's in the neighborhood and has usually sent christmas cards. I get heat press stuff from EMC along with some other small stuff and have ordered corplast from Midwest sign in Milw and all of them have always been right on the ball with price, shipping and service. If I can't get what I need for the right price and perfect service from the ones I have dealt with for this long I probably don't need it. Thanks to you guys for doin' business the way you do!
