Any one else have problems with Jewsons?

[Steptoe]

Silverline,,, 

they do "good" 1m long drill bits, 

they bend quite easily so are ideal for drilling down behind skirting boards,

I'm struggling for anything else,

Like @Crofter I treat the stuff as disposable/consumable , if it does the one job I bought it for, then its served its purpose,

Driver bits, so far I find dewalt hard to beat for the money, but I recently got some Bosch ones, and they seem (so far at least) to be just as good, if not better tbh.

It would have me in tears to pay the £20-£30 for the likes of Wera/Wiha bits,

 

[curlewhouse]

Yes, Silverline is definitely market stall quality stuff (though I've on or two tools from market stalls that are fine, but things like lump hammers and a ball joint splitter - nothing like a screwdriver say, which needs to be decent quality metal).  Toolstation has beaten Screwfix more and more for me recently, including on branded stuff, and delivery has been fast .

[Jeremy Harris]

My experience with Silverline stuff is that any tool they flog with a cutting edge will be about as useful as using soft cheese, and any tool they flog that needs any strength may as well be made from wet spaghetti.  I guess that even Silverline can flog a usable lump hammer, though.....................

 

 

[joe90]

I once bought silver line  sds 1meter long drill bits, they were so soft at the electric drill end that the hammer action riveted them over and they would not come out of the chuck, never again.

[Construction Channel]

I usually laugh at the idea of buying silver line/faithfull/einhell products for professional use, But in fairness i did buy a silver line airline first fix nail gun in as a last resort and it has been annoyingly very good..... makes me winder why i just bought a nice new (ex demo) paslode second fix. 

[jamiehamy]

I've just emailed Jewsons to get them to close my Credit Account. Another price discrepancy - charging £4.88 per sheet of gyproc+VAT rather than the agreed £3.99+VAT. 

 

That's £60 on one pallet - if it's worth them charging me for, it's worth me saving. I'd love to know how their systems are designed because it's obvious that it's not integrated in the slightest. 

 

I'll just pay on delivery and get more Reward points and cheap flights. 

 

 

[TheMitchells]

okay - I'll admit it, I hate haggling.  So I do tend to go into the BM and ask for their prices and then pay it.  But I do try to look online beforehand so I know whether to go ahead or not.  However, when ordering some radiators at Nicholls the other day, the OH picked up a 50m pack of Speedfit 15mm piping so he can get started on laying the pipe around our renovation, ready for the radiators.  The advice notice given to me didnt have any prices on it and I queried that, saying that I want to know what I'd been charged, without having to ask everytime.  I was told I could ring accounts and ask for the prices to be added in the future, but most builders liked them without prices so the client would not know what the builder was paying. 

So when I got home, I rang and asked them to change the invoices and also to tell me what the charges had been for the items I'd just bought.  most was okay - similar to Wickes prices for the plastering stuff but the piping was £73 plus vat.  Checking on Screwfix, they seem to have it for £68 including vat.  I make that a difference of £20, or 28% extra.  And a pack of pipe inserts was £24 including vat, while screwfix has it for £12.99!

 

So what shall I do - go in and complain?  We do have an account and I am trying to get to know the staff but as I said at the start, I am not very good at asking for discounts. What sort of discount should I expect as a renovator of just one house so I am not going to be spending huge amounts but our budget is 20-30k with a fair portion of that being spent at the BM's.  If only I can find one that I can trust to give me a reasonable deal without me having to beg every time.

 

 

[Triassic]

You've got to ask the price every time at builders merchants, other wise you get ripped off!

[Steptoe]

On 17/03/2017 at 19:06, Construction Channel said:

I usually laugh at the idea of buying silver line/faithfull/einhell products for professional use, But in fairness i did buy a silver line airline first fix nail gun in as a last resort and it has been annoyingly very good..... makes me winder why i just bought a nice new (ex demo) paslode second fix. 

 

I had one of those, for firing in some 3" & 4" nails when I was doing our roof, done the job perfectly well, although I do have an inline oiler, and my small compressor needed to catch up on air after only 4 or 5 nails, and I couldnt be bothered going and borrowing my mates bigger one with its massive tank.

cost about £120 [iirc] including a few thousand nails,

after Id finished the roof I sold it on ebay for £100 sans nails,

 the nails alone would have cost me over £20, so, theoretically, I made a small profit, 

 

[jack]

1 hour ago, Triassic said:

You've got to ask the price every time at builders merchants, other wise you get ripped off!

 

Every. Single. Time.

 

And sometimes even when you ask!  BM pricing is beyond random.  We mostly ended up at our local TP because we found they generally gave us better prices than Jewsons, but on some things they were randomly way more expensive and wouldn't/couldn't budge.

 

The Housebuilder's Bible is actually quite good for this, as it gives you an idea of what sorts of materials/products are likely to have a lot of potential movement off the list price.

[TheMitchells]

Just had a good deal from Blanchards Builders Merchants for 20 sheets of chipboard for the bedroom floors.  It was working out at £200 from TP and they did it for £152 and delivered it the next morning. They seemed very keen to provide a good service so I'll be going there from now on (and will check prices first). They have opened a new branch in Bicester (hoping for the Graven Hill work) so are keen to get their toes in.

[PeterW]

I use TP when I absolutely have to and there is no alternative. I normally use MKM who have a great branch director who looks after the self build accounts himself - no issues on invoices, it all gets sorted without a fuss. 

 

TP on the other hand are a nightmare - I ordered 8000 reclaims and even offered to take them all onto site in one go. They got 6400 in, and I rejected the first 2 packs as they were a mess.  Consistent driver issues on delivery mean it takes 3 times as long to get a delivery. 

 

They then told me this week they hadn't ordered the rest of the bricks so the next lot "could be different" and there were "no guarantees" with reclaims .... I asked why they hadn't just ordered the 8k in the first place like I'd asked ...!!! Apparently they have never had a problem matching them up ..... I wait and see ..!

 

All I know is as soon as the order has been delivered then the account will be paid off and closed ..!

[Cpd]

I had a choise of BM and five years ago i made the effort to go and talk to the managers of all three, Keyline (now TP) were the most approachable and i have developed a really good relationship with both managers, drivers, storemen and shop front. I was never going to be a BIG customer but they liked my quirky ideas and have been great ever since. I get a lot of damaged goods for nothing more than a contribution to the christmas party, i recently needed a new table saw and even though they did not stock table saws the manager was happy to order it for me as they had other dewalt products, he matched the cheapest online price that i could find, yes he said he was not going to make much on it but it was easy for him to do and it got me out of his office ! 

I dont have an account as i always like to go in, have a chat with the lads and then head into the office to beg the lowest price on the latest requirement, i try Not to abuse this tolerance they give me but they seem to enjoy my stories....... I geuss communication is the key and out here in the sticks there is still a thing called community and these people are not just drones punching time cards, they are interested. 

[Jeremy Harris]

I get the feeling that there is a great deal of variability from one branch to another, depending a lot on the local branch manager's attitude.  Locally I can choose between several of the big names, all on the same industrial estate, plus one independent.  The distance between any of these BMs is less than 1/2 mile, so you'd think they would compete with each other, both on price and service.

 

The reality here is that all the big names are generally poor with both price and service, but the independent is great, will try and price match online prices and, best of all, they employ drivers who take the time to drop stuff exactly where you want it on site, with a smile.  The independent has had the lions share of our business, not just because they are good value but because they provide a better service.

 

FWIW, I have to add that Screwfix here are pretty good, and certainly easy to use, as their click-and-collect service makes it easy to order stuff when you find you need it and pick it up on the way home or way in.  My experience with Toolstation hasn't been as good, so despite the fact that I almost drive past their place every day, I rarely use them.  The main issue I've had is poor quality and messed up orders, rather than service.

[MikeSharp01]

My local Jewsons is very good for service, if I need it urgently they will drop it round directly if they can. Before xmas I broke a neighbours fence post and within an hour they had a new one on the drive for me to fit. I do check prices on larger orders and sometimes they don't get the order but I am learning all the time. I know the people there, recognise their voices and keep them informed of where / what I am up to. Their credit system is a bit odd but as long as I keep paying it works well and when I overpaid the other month, paid an invoice they had not issued yet, off the delivery ticket, they issued me a credit note which I then spent paying the invoice when it arrived. I guess it keeps their books straight.