Although the discussion rooms and DIY forums struggle to prevent “spamming” (blatant commercialism in favor of a particular dealer), there is still plenty of opportunity to gauge the reputation of a dealer by reading these forums carefully. I admit a certain amount of prejudice towards NBS but it is based on personal experience not by a paycheck and by the feedback that I have received and that I am privy too from the customer service department. There was an article over the weekend about a cruise line giving away cruises and perks to passengers and bloggers to tout their cruises. I think if someone has a good experience with ANY online vendor of ANY product then they should share it. There are websites that do nothing but allow a forum for complaints and praises on various merchants and professionals and this allows for a real opportunity for us all to learn who the good and bad are but these opinions should be honest and not because of any compensation or ulterior motive. If I didn’t believe in my friends at NBS I wouldn’t promote them. There is one particular online plumbing vendor which I have run across on MANY forums and the bad references outweigh the good 10 to 1 so when I see a reference to this vendor I warn CAVEAT EMPTOR (buyer beware) and caution that they research that vendor. I can honestly say that in reading some 30+ forums per day I have yet to see a negative mention of NBS. Are there other vendor s with good reputations ? Yes, and this allows that with some research you should be able to make an educated decision on from whom to buy from the viewpoint of a personal recommendation. These endorsements are probably the primary source of buying decisions in most people.
There are other things to consider. Price is always a factor but pricing can be misleading and you can buy something at a good price and never get the product or not get it on time. So you must add to your criteria some sense of how dependable the vendor is at on time shipping and whether or not they actually have the product you want in stock. Another factor of pricing is the old apples to apples analogy. Are you receiving the same product and service with the lower priced item? Many online dealers will lure you in with low pricing but you have to pay the freight or you find that what they are selling is a trimmed down version that is missing certain parts that you will have to buy separately.
Finally how do you feel about how you were treated in the transaction? Did you get answers promptly and in a friendly manner? Did you feel that you are indeed going to get what you ordered when promised? Why is that important? If something does go wrong you will be dealing with the same people and the same corporate philosophy. If you were treated badly or haphazardly during the sale how do you think you will be treated if you have a problem?
In summation and in preference to National Builder Supply you can expect the following:
1. Fair pricing with a price matching guarantee.
2. Pricing which offers free freight if the order is over $100 and a reasonable flat rate freight charge otherwise.
3. Pricing which includes a guarantee that you will get all that you need with the product. No short cuts. No side trips to the local "Big Box Store" for parts and pieces.
4. NBS maintains a large inventory of the merchandise its sells and rarely depends on second party to ship your purchase. This allows that if you are told the product is in stock and that it will ship tomorrow you can bank on it. This is not the cheapest way to do business. Most vendors don’t stock anything. They depend on secondary distribution sources to fulfill their orders thus losing control of your order the moment it’s placed. They have to depend on someone else to enforce their promises.
5. Fast, friendly customer service whether you are buying, inquiring or, in the unlikely event that there is a problem.
6. Lastly study the forums and the internet, “google” dealers and look for problems and compliments.
I am certain you will be satisfied with your experience with my friends at NBS.
I’m confident that if you compare these items to any other online vendor of building supplies you will see that NBS is at least one to consider. I would not be conceited enough, nor would they, to say they are the only one and I know my friends well enough to know that they don’t think for a minute that you don’t have a choice…you do and that’s why they try so hard to never let you down.
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