Being Kicked By Tandy ?

[TXAG]

Yeah, I am done with Springfield...not going to do business with them anymore, so I don't really care what their prices are right now.

I have been buying my tools and supplies from several others of the dealers you mentioned though and have been very happy with them.

Edited October 8, 2013 by TXAG

[St8LineGunsmith]

]oops sorry I quoted the wrong member but I edited my post.

you have to buy from a supplier you are comfortable with however if you are getting better pricing and customer service than SLC I sure would like to see some links.

Thanks in advance.

[TXAG]

Well...honestly, it isn't very hard to do better than they've done to me lately. Not much of a contest.

[JLSleather]

Yeah, been there. I have purchased some worth while stuff at Tandy (I actually like their Royal Meadow tooling leather - bit of a different tannage, just a tad more supple and very bleached color). On teh other hand, I've called Springfield more than once to chew someone. Last time I called for an order the wife put in. I was pretty much fuming, and calmed a bit before I would even call. Lady was polite, so I explained that while I'd like to have that "one place" to get stuff, I dont have time for a 'crap shoot' and returning orders (customers like it when you stick to the time line). Whoever that gal was cleaned it up pretty well (she should be in PR full time), so we'll see how it goes. Leather coming from them again on Thursday, but only one side.

Man,wouldn't it be nice to just have ONE place where you could tell 'em what ya need, and actually get what you asked for. Doesn't seem to be limited to leather though ... I was spending $10k a month at Menard's for a while til they 'stuck it to me'. Now if I go there it's to flirt with that cashier ...

Edited October 9, 2013 by JLSleather

[Deraj828]

If you did not know of any other suppliers, I'm curious how you came to figure that their stuff was overpriced without any other basis by which to judge it...(I mean...*I* think it's overpriced for what it is, but that's after comparing it to tools available from other sources...just curious how you came to the same conclusion without another source to compare it to...)

Oh, it's pretty darn apparent. Supply/demand and all that, sure, but when they put a short stick on a lathe, carve some grooves, call it a slicker and charge $17 for it, it's hard to feel like they take their customers seriously. I'm hardly ready to boycott or anything, but this Springfield place certainly sounds worth a look.

[raysouth]

Folks experience different issues now and then. One person loves a particular supplier and another hates the same supplier.

I suppose it is all about personal experiences with individual suppliers but remember, in this world today, there is usually something that will present a problem now and then, regardless of which supplier you use.

Try a little from anyone that appeals to you and give folks a shot at pleasing you with your order.

Been there and done that, so to speak, and found that patience is required at times but has always worked out in the end. Most folks in business want to please their customers and those that don't will soon go by the wayside and lose their customer base.

Knowing that problems can appear after an order is placed, ie; something gets lost in the fray between order taker and packer, I accept the fact and make my judgement as to how the situation is handled when correction is required. Usually works out well, even though a bit of frustration slips in.

When dealing with folks, remember, they are only human and experience frustrations and screw-ups, in their life, just as we do.

May God Bless us all.

Ray

[TXAG]

Right...what happened to me was a result of apathy and it wasn't a single issue either. There were three distinct problems...that is a pattern of behavior...not an "honest mistake".

In any case, caveat emptor.

Edited October 9, 2013 by TXAG

[FlHobbyist]

What other suppliers are we talking about here?

Springfield is your best bet. There are other suppliers out there that offer more or less 1 stop shopping, but their quality and price are much more expensive. Springfield is a big step above tandy on most items and they are cheaper. Other advantages of slc is they will sell leather by the square foot, and they carry a fair number of exotics online.

If your looking for stamps, your best bet is to head to ebay. In general if you are a little patient (i.e. willing to wait a week or two) you can buy a group lot of stamps in the neighborhood of $3.00 apiece. This has the advantage of getting a lot of stamps cheap, but you will probably end up with duplicates. There are rumors of stamps going for 1.00 each at ebay, I have yet to see that and I've been watching pretty intently since May. There are other low price alternatives available such as Craigslist, garage sales, and flea markets but I know nothing about those markets.

Edited October 9, 2013 by FlHobbyist

[JLSleather]

Nobody else notices a DISTINCT difference in thickness of the leather at SLC? I ordered a 6/7 side but when it got here I was surprised at how thin in was (HO "B" grade). They took it back, and even paid the return shipping. Sent me a 7/8 hide instead, which worked for what I was workng on, and in fact wasn't a bad piece of leather. I ordered a piece of 4/5, and thought it was a "tad" thin, but useable. So today I got another piece of 6/7 which is MUCH thinner than the 7/8 I had left over, and NOT MUCH thicker than the 4/5 left over. All of it supposed to be HO "B" hides (and in all fairness, it tools and dyes fine - just a WEIRD thickness difference with the 6/7 - more than once).

Oh, yeah .. if you give this leather to a chubby girl, along with some lining leather a bit heavier than you were gonna use to account for the thinner veggie leather, she MIGHT make ona these ...

Edited October 11, 2013 by JLSleather

[JLSleather]

Really? JUST ME? Ah, well, I've been meaning to call Goliger anyway ...