If you patronise your favourite cake shop every week, why would you look further afield  for a cake shop in the next suburb? There are four possible reasons –

• Lousy service
• Poor product
• Lack of variety
• Price inconsistencies

Changing suppliers is a fearsome task. It means you have to re-establish yourself with new people, in a different environment and with different systems. OK. Change is good – but only when change means better.

Why jeopardise a good relationship when a little massaging might improve the one you’ve got. Take the time to list your grievances. If you believe that their service is deteriorating, be prepared to give an illustration or occurrence. If the product is poor, then its possible that others will have the same opinion so try to seek out other views. If this isn’t possible, be prepared to justify your complaint – there may be a very good reason why you feel that you’re being served a different mix of product.

Variety can be good. Any business that doesn’t improve its products over time will be suffocated by its own complacency. The product might bear the same brand, description or model number but if the manufacturer doesn’t continually review their processes the end result may become ‘dated’.

To bring the argument back home, The Pagesmith developed practices in 1997 which we have improved over time; some of those practices (eg programming style) have changed, others have been discontinued by us.

Your first recourse before shopping around is to look at your use of the product and determine whether it has changed. If you still firmly believe that it is your supplier – have a word with them before you make any hasty decisions. Meeting with them is the best plan but if this isn’t practical consider a phone call (conference call) with key people.

Provide your supplier, at the beginning of the meeting, with a list of your grievances. Go through that list at the meeting in the listed order and resolve each item. If you can’t resolve it, put the item aside and at least determine when you will review it. Take notes, but don’t record the meeting unless you have everyone’s permission to do so.

Don’t let it end there. The outcome of the meeting must be resolved, otherwise you are justified in packing your bags. Don’t accuse anyone of something for which you’re not entirely certain is their fault. Some things happen that are beyond anyone’s ability to fix immediately. Be patient. Have some degree of compassion, but be firm. Don’t threaten. And in particular, don’t threaten legal action without just cause because this will put everyone’s hackles up.

Re-read everything you write before you send, print or publish it. If you make idiotic statements, you’ll probably be treated like an idiot.

Copyright © 2010 David W James