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Any one else have problems with Jewsons?


Leaway

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Been building the self build for over 7 months now but i continually have problems with Jewsons sending threatening letters about withholding goods or final demand letters for non-payment.

 

Each time i call them to explain i've paid they apologise and blame accounts or systems and say the letters are automated.

 

Is it just me or have other people experienced similar issues?

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the branch is fine and very supportive but their central accounts are ridiculous and the online system (correct) often differs from what they send letters against.

 

I get good service and prices from the local branch just a shame credit control seem determined to unpick their good customer service.

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Never had anything like that. What does annoys me consistently is their pricing - I was told having a credit account would let them 'set' prices on my account, but if I don't order through the regional sales guy, I never get the 'best' prices, despite me telling the branch what that is. 

 

It's such a basic fail - their lack of transparency around pricing is their biggest fail in my eyes. My price for 45*65 is £1p/m but when i needed an emergency order frmo the branch over Christmas they charge £1.20, despite me telling them what the rate should be. It'll get fixed but it's a waste of my time. 

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Jewsons have seen me twice in 10 years prob. Once it was for egg mould skirting which I needed regardless of price there and then, and another time where I laughed in the guys face and put everything back on the shelves before leaving in disbelief.

I explained I was in the trade and they asked for me to open an account. No ta.

I don't use credit accounts anywhere and much prefer to pay for my stuff as I order it so I can agree rates AS I purchase, not argue after an incorrect bill arrives 30-60 days later ;)

A word with the area Rep sometimes helps but the lines of communication are often crossed at best with anyone you don't use routinely. 

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44 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I don't use credit accounts anywhere and much prefer to pay for my stuff as I order it so I can agree rates AS I purchase, not argue after an incorrect bill arrives 30-60 days later

 

Oh how I have come to agree with you: painful.

A thorough check of an Invoice against the relevant counter dockets with my local BM showed an error - of £15 in my favour. It could just as easily have been the other way round. And I have only checked a small sample. I had become sloppy at keeping the dockets and then checking them against the invoice. All the dockets are hand-written - sometimes so sloppily that I once remarked .... 'I'd love to meet the person who taught you to write'. Not joking,  his writing looked like the scrawl of a drunken left-handed inky parrot.

"None of us can read his writing either" was the chorus  behind the counter. 

 

There's huge pressure on the  sales folk to get account customers served and out of the door. They'll never see the hand-written docket ever again, and couldn't care less. It's the folk in the accounts department I feel sorry for. Cash, up front from now on - if the lads at the counter have to look the price up and every one has to wait - well that's the price of accuracy.

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Last time I was in Jewsons was for a box of screws, they wanted to charge full retail price £28 and no amount of arguing would change their mind on the price. I drove half mile to a local merchant and I got the same screws for £11.

 

Jewsons and TP are last on the list when buying, I find their pricing policies so annoying, I don't have time to be haggling on price every time I want to buy stuff.

Edited by Triassic
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3 minutes ago, Triassic said:

Last time I was in Jewsons was for a box of screws, they wanted to charge full retail price £28 and no amount of arguing would change their mind on the price. I drove half mile to a local merchant and I got the same screws for £11.

 

Jewsons and TP are last on the list when buying, I find their pricing policies so annoying, I don't have time to be haggling on price every time I want to buy stuff.

 

Hmm, true - I never ever buy things like that as yes, complete and utter rip off. I remember with a shudder what they charged me for Flashband when I needed it and Screwfix were out. Would bring tears to you eye. I only use them for timber, gyproc, insulation etc. Smaller things I used a combination of Screwfix and online. 

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Luckily Screwfix have recently opened a branch 2 minutes from TP and Jewsons, so happily for me I will never have to use them again for small stuff. I'm now a regular at my locally owned builders merchant for the heavy stuff, or I buy on-line.

 

I wonder if TP and Jewsons monitor site like and if it makes any difference? probably not!

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Screwfix all the way with me.  The staff aren't that helpful, but they have an absolutely no quibble returns policy, and I can check online to see prices and stock before I leave (and even buy it).  

 

We had one about 20 mins drive away, which was a bit of a pain during the build, but not so bad as long as you planned ahead and tried to make each trip worthwhile.  Painful when you got out of the car at home and realised you'd forgotten to buy the most important thing on the list!

 

We did use Travis and Jewsons for stuff Screwfix didn't sell.  In the end, we found the people at Travis (in our area, at least) a lot more helpful.  Once they got to know my wife by name, the haggling over price became faster, but she still had to ask them every. single. time. whether that was the best they could do.   

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Yep, when I bought a decent tile cutter, found the cheapest on the tinternet, printed it off( price must include postage if there is any) and presented it at Screwfix and hey presto, they price matched.

 

however, just looked on line and some people have complained that they don't/won't, ?

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Hmmm... I bought a TMV through B&Q Trade and they failed to deliver it. Needed it sharpish and it was an identical one in Screwfix at £15 more but they refused to price match the shed a mile down the road. I may have to try harder !

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Thanks for the heads up just back checked some Jewson invoices and yes they're over charging against previously quoted prices! seems they're not honourable on quotes and as self builders are so busy they assume you'll not notice.

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I find Jewson pricing particularly frustrating at times.  Yes they can give you good deals when buying in quantity but if you just need a single item, price can be eye watering. The same applies to the other building merchant we have here, so Jewson are not the only ones at it. Had to buy a tub of flooring adhesive from them the other day. They had previously priced to supply 6 tubs of adhesive at a reasonable price when I was considering sourcing all of my flooring from them,  but having purchased it elsewhere and finding I needed an additional tub, the only price offered was full retail and they were unwilling to budge - take it or leave.   Of course, given my location, I have to weigh the higher price vs the delay incurred waiting for a remote delivery (and delivery charges).  

 

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  • 2 months later...

My local Jewsons branch had literally insane pricing. I once bought 1 length of drain pipe for work and the price was well over £30, but we needed it there and then. I went to pick it up in the warehouse and the staff guy had his car in and was busy working on it ! He then bellowed "WHAT"? at me as I walked in with the slip to collect it! At first I thought he was joking.... he wasnt! He  then  deliberately dropped the pipe when I went to take it off him. Swore I'd never go back.  Then on a local forum one day someone was asking about where to get some building item and I said whatever you do, don't go to Jewson unless your a millionaire.... the new manager saw it and got in touch with me and asked about my experience. He said I can promise you, come in and you will find things different - he was right. I now use them and get good prices, the staff there now are friendly and the manager himself drove out (22 miles)  once with a single drain elbow we needed but wasn't in stock when I called! So I think it is very much down to the local branch manager.

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55 minutes ago, Barney12 said:

 

Ah Toolstation. Poundland for the building trade ;) 

 

My build is practically sponsored by Toolstation. Don't knock it! With a £10 minimum delivery they have probably *lost* money with all the stuff I've bought. And there is never any quibble over delivery- in contrast to 'proper' trade suppliers who tend to phone me up sheepishly ten minutes after placing my order online, to ask if I can pay the delivery surcharge that was conventiently not mentioned anywhere on the website.

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1 hour ago, Crofter said:

 

My build is practically sponsored by Toolstation. Don't knock it! With a £10 minimum delivery they have probably *lost* money with all the stuff I've bought. And there is never any quibble over delivery- in contrast to 'proper' trade suppliers who tend to phone me up sheepishly ten minutes after placing my order online, to ask if I can pay the delivery surcharge that was conventiently not mentioned anywhere on the website.

 

It was tongue in cheek. We've discussed this a lot on other threads and I agree that they provide a good service. They've clearly made a concerted effort to increase product quality. Some of the "Silverline" tools though are utter pants.

 

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So I have MKM and TP to choose from... Jewsons I would never entertain in a million years ! TP are OK for brick prices but atrocious at delivery - their drivers have more methods of complaining than I have ever come across before !!!

 

MKM are OK on price if I keep an eye on them but I deal direct with the branch director who is genuinely interested in helping - drivers are good too and they don't have an issue dropping stuff over the hedge for us which is easier..

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2 hours ago, Barney12 said:

 

It was tongue in cheek. We've discussed this a lot on other threads and I agree that they provide a good service. They've clearly made a concerted effort to increase product quality. Some of the "Silverline" tools though are utter pants.

 

 

To be fair, Silverline can be found clogging up shelves in lots of places, not merely Toolstation. And, yes, most of it is utter garbage. I have bought a few Silverline items over the years and now regard them as more or less 'disposable'- useful if you need e.g. a certain size of drill to do a one off job.

 

Out of curiosity, I bought a pack of ten screwdriver bits from Silverline, for about £2. I think I got through the whole pack in a day!

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