Who do you trust?

I trust everyone I send a DVD to - they get the DVD first then they pay... in my experience they nearly all pay up. A few forget or maybe the odd one dies before coughing up

but as a system it works

I also trust ebay sellers to send stuff when I have ordered it

D
 
oldbilbo said:
Suppliers, merchants and providers that you know from experience will do it right first time, or sort it immediately....
Click to expand...

The question did make me think about why my 'automatic' preferences came to be automatic. Possibly because they are all companies with a very wide customer base that take their marine 'division' seriously?

Standard Horizon [Yaesu] (RF and GPS)
CTEK (Battery charging)
Marlec (Wind)
BES (Gas and other fittings)

On the other hand, there are certain marine product manufacturers that I avoid whatever their price/feature set. The corollary: They tend to be small operations focused solely on the marine market.
It is shame there is no supplier rating site as is now common on eBay, Amazon, Tripadvisor etc. (Or is there?)
Cheers
Bob
 
ECF - Orders always turn up very quickly, no hassle, good advice available.
Jimmy Green - Had an issue with a stereo system last year that took many months to sort out ( a whole raft of subsequent problems arose as the various replacements provided turned out not to be compatible with the existing kit but they just kept banging away at the supplier until it was finally resolved - excellent service!
Graham at Fal Chandlers in Falmouth Marina - exceptional service every time... no matter if it takes him 10 mins to find the exact size of single screw or washer you want - Graham will always go that extra step and make sure you get what you need. Genuinely outstanding!
Falmouth Boat Construction - Top notch!
Mailspeed Marine - Great service - rang me up to query an order I had put in and offered better alternative options... well done!
 
Applying the yardstick of suppliers that have provided good pre and post sales service and have exceeded my expectations with their skill and service - this is my list:-
Marlec
Raymarine
ASAP
Leesan
Penguin
Atlantic spars
AMC/Coppercoat
Robbins Timber
Yachtmaster Insurance
 
Based on a complete lack of bullsh*t when talking me through what i needed by listening to my requirements (rather than trying to up-sell me) the following IMO deserve a mention possibly some kind of medal:

Echopilot (Instruments; genius ideas from a tiddly company and you get to see it being made and tested in front of you, and get this;... in the UK!!!!)

SML Paints (Jotuns; big cans of boat paint without the big prices, very helpful staff and a very knowledgable bloke there called Malcolm helped a lot.)

Coppercoat (although not applied, facts speak for themselves and again lots of good advice from Jayson and Ewan whilst drinking frothy coffee.)

Lake Engineering (stern gear; Ivan knew his stuff and when presented with a load of dead bits from my boat gave practical advice & a quick turnaround.)

Marineware (Adrian was a big help, they always have great show offers on hardware and sealants, fast delivery and took an interest in my project.)

Wessex Resins (Hamish Cook, top bloke, knows the lot when it comes to all things Wests, and gave freely of his time when advising how i should rebuild my keels.)

Nigel Clegg (marine surveyor, he gave lots of advice over the phone when I using my homebrew hot-vac system to dry my rather stubborn boat.)

EC fibreglass (Martin's advice is spot on as are the prices, given free delivery on more than one occasion when the previous one screwed up, cant say fairer than that.)

Sponberg Yacht Design (amazed the guy knew so much about the Centaur and had a complete set of working drawings, a pleasure to work with.)

Inox.ie (when a 'specialist' in Southampton quoted me £825 for 3 metres of A4 studding to remake my keel bolts Inox.ie delivered that plus all the washers and nuts via the states and with Irish tax for £350.)

Bamptons (plywood supplier; two blokes with a big shed full of timber & marine ply & at sensible prices - whats not to like.)

I have nothing to do with these firms other than being a happy little camper for using them on my project. Thoroughly recommended.
 
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