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Williams & CO.

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jase158

I have used Williams and Co a lot of times recently and below is a few of the problems that we had, none of these were williams fault, but they still went the extra mile to help us get them sorted!!

1. European plug on a geberit toilet seat, (Suppliers fault not williams) Williams sent another one within 2 days (usually 3-4 weeks to get delivered) and even picked up the first one free of charge
2. Delivery driver refused to take delivery off the lorry, (aspray couriers fault not willliams) Williams rang them back as they should of had a tail lift and forklift, driver came back and hand balled the items
3. Delivery not arrived by 12, (delivery companies fault again) Williams rang the courier, found out the delivery driver was ill, gave us an estimated time.
4. Forget to look up an item/ order an item on-line (my fault), rang Williams, they explain exactly what I need and when it will arrive.

I have highlighted these items because I want to explain exactly what happened, rather then just saying "they're brilliant". Problems are a thing of the past with williams, no more waiting 2-3 weeks for replacement items, no more stress or grief. One call and they really do go the extra mile to help you out. All sorted out very quickly and very brilliantly by Williams in Fareham.

And obviously the usual great stuff that they always do:
1. next day delivery on most items
2. on line ordering
3. great prices
4. stock most items or can get from one of their stores very quickly
5. Prices are fixed, no changing prices every half hour, no haggling, just honest low prices
6. promotions
7. free tools
8. great service

Nothing is ever too much for Williams, always there to help.
I always get the feeling that they want to help you get on with the job, rather then worrying about the pennies,

Great service, fast delivery, knowledgeable staff.
 
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I went into Williams (belvedere ind est wednesday 930am) with my gas safe card said I want to buy sum stuff the guy behind the counter said you cant just come in here and buy stuff (whatever next)you need an account and it takes a few weeks I left (I don't want credit just a valliant 831)that's honest feedback
 
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Now that does sound like a strange way of doing business but I do know from looking at their site its trade only. But surely if your there with a letterhead and cash ??? Something could have been worked out
 
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billybob150811 said:
I went into Williams (belvedere ind est wednesday 930am) with my gas safe card said I want to buy sum stuff the guy behind the counter said you cant just come in here and buy stuff (whatever next)you need an account and it takes a few weeks I left (I don't want credit just a valliant 831)that's honest feedback
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it protects the trade doing business like that though surely.

Id rather buy something from somewhere where I had to have an account and couldn't just walk in off the street and buy things like anyone can do in plumb centre.

Im not sure how but id imagine it helps with keeping things at a good price :)
 
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billybob150811 said:
I went into Williams (belvedere ind est wednesday 930am) with my gas safe card said I want to buy sum stuff the guy behind the counter said you cant just come in here and buy stuff (whatever next)you need an account and it takes a few weeks I left (I don't want credit just a valliant 831)that's honest feedback
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Thats not right, you don't have to have an account cos i don't and i'm in the Slough branch most days paying cash. Can't see what the problem is if you've got trade ID like a gas card........perhaps our friend Raymondo can shed some light on it......Ray.....RAY
 
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The issue's I've had with William's are as follows:

Too many plywood boxes to dispose of. (I've been cutting them up today to make racking shelves in the new van.)
Too much bubble wrap to dispose of (the bin mans caught on so I need trade waste)
I received two free rubber mallets in succession, what's the world coming too?
I messed up an order date and when they changed it and got it to me on the right day (within 24hrs), my order had been changed from 20 lock shields to 1 by mistake.

On the plus side, biscuits are back on the menu! Yeehhaa!

To be fair I've had a few issues with things outside of Williams control and so far they have been more than amicable regarding their resolution.

As a suggestion, would there be any way of getting foam corner protectors stuck on the radiators?
 
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Nostrum said:
The issue's I've had with William's are as follows:

Too many plywood boxes to dispose of. (I've been cutting them up today to make racking shelves in the new van.)
Too much bubble wrap to dispose of (the bin mans caught on so I need trade waste)
I received two free rubber mallets in succession, what's the world coming too?
I messed up an order date and when they changed it and got it to me on the right day (within 24hrs), my order had been changed from 20 lock shields to 1 by mistake.

On the plus side, biscuits are back on the menu! Yeehhaa!

To be fair I've had a few issues with things outside of Williams control and so far they have been more than amicable regarding their resolution.

As a suggestion, would there be any way of getting foam corner protectors stuck on the radiators?
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Lol that barsteward bubble wrap grrrrrrrrrr
 
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billybob150811 said:
I went into Williams (belvedere ind est wednesday 930am) with my gas safe card said I want to buy sum stuff the guy behind the counter said you cant just come in here and buy stuff (whatever next)you need an account and it takes a few weeks I left (I don't want credit just a valliant 831)that's honest feedback
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I went to their Beddington Lane branch on my first visit. Never been there or heard of them before, but Ray sent me the address. Turned up with my work outfit, company name and Gas Safe logo. Asked to make a purchase in cash and no one felt the need to question my professionalism or trade. After the purchase, I asked for a trade account form which I filled and all went well.
If I have any complaint, it is that the branch staff should cut down on the pleasantries. They chat too much. I just want to get in and get out
 
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billybob150811 said:
I went into Williams (belvedere ind est wednesday 930am) with my gas safe card said I want to buy sum stuff the guy behind the counter said you cant just come in here and buy stuff (whatever next)you need an account and it takes a few weeks I left (I don't want credit just a valliant 831)that's honest feedback
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Hi Billybob

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We don't require customers to have an account, and for those that do, it normally takes a day or so at most. You mention Belvedere Industrial estate? We don't have premises at such an address. I was wondering if either this is an autocorrect problem (we do have branches on Belgrave Ind Park, Southampton, or off Beddington Lane in Croydon) or are you perhaps confusing us with someone else?

If it is us - then a thousand apologies. We do stress to our staff that we would rather they erred on the side of caution (ie p1ssing off a tradesman) than on the side of serving a retail customer. However, the gas-safe card is actually the example that we use in our induction training as a way of establishing trade status.

Ray
 
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scott_d said:
Can delivery by a tail lift van be requested on the website?
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No, but we will automatically request (and pay for) a taillift vehicle if the consignment weight is over about 40 kilos, unless we know that there is handling equipment the other end. The problem is that not enough Asprays vehicles have tail-lifts at present, so sometimes we don't get what we ask for.

In fairness to the regular Asprays blokes, many of them have been really good about helping customer break down heavy loads and handball them off. Unfortunately, sometime it doesn't work out quite so well.

I really wish that we could use our own drivers for the whole country, but that simply isn't feasible at the moment. We just aren't big enough.
 
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Nostrum said:
Too many plywood boxes to dispose of. (I've been cutting them up today to make racking shelves in the new van.)
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I'm afraid the boxes are staying! Before we used them, approximately 1 in 10 boilers were getting damaged in transit. Since we started packing them in the boxes, we have shipped over 1000 boilers, and I think three have been damaged in total.

If you have a local free-cycle, I understand that both boxes and bubble wrap get snapped up very quickly

Nostrum said:
I received two free rubber mallets in succession, what's the world coming too?
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Meh. Can't please some people. :)


Nostrum said:
I messed up an order date and when they changed it and got it to me on the right day (within 24hrs), my order had been changed from 20 lock shields to 1 by mistake.
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Oops - I hope we sorted it?


Nostrum said:
On the plus side, biscuits are back on the menu! Yeehhaa!
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I am also a fan, because if I am working late, and feeling peckish, I can wander round to the ecommerce packing station and help myself... :) Don't tell the warehouse manager!

Nostrum said:
To be fair I've had a few issues with things outside of Williams control and so far they have been more than amicable regarding their resolution.
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Always a pleasure dealing with a customer who is honest enough to admit when its his mistake, as well as when it ours.


Nostrum said:
As a suggestion, would there be any way of getting foam corner protectors stuck on the radiators?
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Happy to look at it, although I think it may need something more robust than foam.

We still aren't happy with our shipments of small quantities of rads. Bizarrely, we ship about 50,000 rads per year in pallet quantities with few problems. Its the small shipments that give us difficulty.
 
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I can't fault Williams , had a delivery. A week ago. Didn't turn up. Until 2pm ( fine by me) had a phone call from Williams saying the lorry was involved in an accident. I thought, a likely story! Lorry turned Up at 2 with a shaken driver with a damaged lorry. He still turned up tho!

you can't please all the people all. Of the time, but if you can please most, most of the time. Your doing well.
 
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At least you all get deliveries you can complain about.

I only ever get as far as this....

"Name?"
"Croppie."
"Northern Ireland Croppie?"
"Yeah, why?......... Hello?"
Brrrrrrrr.................

Williams..... Pfffttttttt........
 
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And they don't like you wandering in and just drinking free coffee and lounging around. P.s I'm fishing and on the forum isn't technology amazing!
 
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It was supposed to come across as tongue in cheek :aureola: Pete did well in re-scheduling the delivery for the correct day which was pretty good. I think it was just a mis judgement as I orderd one of everything else and to bump up the value to over £100 I ordered 20 lock shields as stock.
I imagine when he was changing the ticket it was inputted as 1. I still got the delivery and still got it free so no problems.

How about using cardboard instead of bubble wrap? Preferably cardboard that doesn't have 'trade only plumbing' stamped on it, it's a bit of a give away! Also surely more Eco friendly and possibly cheaper?

I feel pretty bad binning rolls of bubble wrap all the time, it just seems like such a waste (and takes up more space than you'd imagine!)

The boxes are good, how expensive to you would it be to return them flat packed, surely 5 at a time could make it worth while or no? they can't be cheap?
 
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sorry ray it was belgrave ind not belvedere bit off the beaten track for me but I will pop in again if im around there as for account I like cash I can get stuff I want where I want lot of places don't like cash (don't know why, I do)
 
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billybob150811 said:
sorry ray it was belgrave ind not belvedere bit off the beaten track for me but I will pop in again if im around there as for account I like cash I can get stuff I want where I want lot of places don't like cash (don't know why, I do)
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Thanks Billybob.

In the meantime, I will have a word with Lee, our manager down there.

We like all forms of legal tender. And one or two illegal ones... :)
 
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croppie said:
At least you all get deliveries you can complain about.

I only ever get as far as this....

"Name?"
"Croppie."
"Northern Ireland Croppie?"
"Yeah, why?......... Hello?"
Brrrrrrrr.................

Williams..... Pfffttttttt........
Click to expand...

You missed out the cackling laughter from our end.
 
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Ray Stafford said:
Sorry to hear that Peter. Can you drop me a PM with the details?
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Don't feel the need to edit your original post Pete. I know that we don't get everything right, and if its only fair that if we get the praise in public, we should also get the stick. :)

I only suggested a PM for the details, because if you have to mention any particular individual staff members, I would prefer that to be in private.
 
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