I've Been Axed

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Cookie

Cookie

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Founding Member
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Posts
133
Loc
Carlsbad, Calif
I've been quiet on the grumble for a while. Just doing my work, enjoying reading the posts, everything's been OK. Now I need to Grumble a little bit.

Just got THE LETTER from Larson. Ok, I admit it, I'm a home framer that has been secretly buying from them for 12 years. I'm limited on space - most of my frame samples are Larson the majority of my moulding purchases are Larson. Now they don't like my money anymore and the framing police will probably come and confiscate all my old samples. Oh well, deep down inside I knew this day would come. I could only live this secret for so long.

My big regret - its summer so all that frame-sample-firewood will have to wait to burn.

Now to add insult to injury - - - I just got a delivery from them. They cut the length to accommodate UPS delivery and I now have 6 sticks of 21" moulding that will work just great for the 30" x 40" pieces I have to do.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[This message has been edited by Cookie (edited June 05, 2000).]
 
Maybe the axed crew should join each other in the tof before it is axed.
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[This message has been edited by JPete (edited June 05, 2000).]
 
They don't want your old samples, just your blood. Hope you get my e-mail.

JP, your post and mine crossed: I'll go if Cookie will!
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[This message has been edited by MerpsMom (edited June 05, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by MerpsMom (edited June 05, 2000).]
 
Try J. Orr. Helpful, positive people who happen to have some things similar to Larson. LaMarche and Roma are also close by.
 
I constantly see and hear complaints about Larson Juhl everywhere in the "framing world", I can say only one thing. LJ established itself in NZ, it DID NOT survive, poor service and an attitude so cocky made most NZ framers avoid it like a plague.
 
Lance - actually Larson has given me good service. I've rarely had problems. My former sales rep used to come by the house & was very helpful. However, the new sales rep (new several years ago) has never called, come by, or anything. I didn't even know her name till now, so obviously she had no interest in me or helping me out. Oh well, I have a few other suppliers & will contact some mentioned above.
 
Hi Cookie! Sorry to hear your relationship with LJ has soured. I do not understand the LJ stand against "Home based" framers. Little doubt some Harvard MBA made a decision, it was in their financial best interest to drop small framers. Too bad really, and short sighted not to service your niche. We have a great sales rep and as a result, have developed a strong rapport with LJ over the years. But there are many companies that offer excellent service and excellent product. J.Orr, LaMarche, Victor Moulding are all wonderful companies. And don't forget your small regional suppliers. If you negotiate to use exclusively their mouldings, sometimes they will supply you with free samples. Give it a try, it can't hurt to ask.
 
I went to the Larson-Juhl class 3 years ago. It was a week long class that was very informative. I could buy all the supplies that I needed from them during that week. On Friday (the last day) I ordered some material that I needed with no problem. On Monday, I needed more of that very same product and they refused to sell to me. This was just the next business day after graduation from their course!

Needless to say, I am not a Larson customer, a fellow framing friend is and has also received the AX after 10 years. But I find there are other companies willing to accomdate our business. So who needs the cocky attitude from Larson anyway?
 
Mandalyn, were both you and your friend something other than retail? If she's been dealing with them for ten years and got dumped and is not home-based, then they're going by dollars spent. It's still a mystery to me why any company would kill off a segment which bought a huge dollar amount of their product simply because the company didn't like their physical location. And I spent a lot of money with them. It's not going to kill me, just be deucedly inconvenient as I can still get their product when I want to. But I'm betting for sure that there's life after Larson, and it's surely changed my opinion of their business acumen. It'll be interesting to see if I get a personal reply from my letter to them: frankly, form letters to a high-dollar consumer are insulting. Good luck.
 
Merpsmom,
Actually at the time I took their course I was in the decision making stage of whether or not to become a framer (as were the other 12 people in the class). I am home-based but spend alot of money each week on supplies with Southern. I have never used Larson but I find good quality mouldings from other companies who bend over backward to accomadate my business as well others whom I've talked with.
 
out of curiosity, i called the 800 number given in the last paragraph of THE LETTER requesting assistance in finding another supplier and got a recording (nice way to handle complaints huh?) that was over two weeks ago. did anyone else have any luck getting a response?
 
Evidently I'm not the only one to get "The Letter". I'm curious - how many others? Maybe we should form a group
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A week or two before I closed my shop after 16 years my LJ rep visited. He asked me what I planned to do after closing and I responded that I had not sorted that out yet. "Maybe I'll do a little framing from home, ect." He asked if I understood that he could no longer sell to me if that were the case. I did understand that but it points out that it is a universal policy for LJ with no exceptions. As it happens, I have no need of product since my framing days are behind me. I am now working as a rep for DJ Wholesale, a great regional distributor that was top of my list of suppliers when I was framing.
 
Woody, I may gently disagree, unless you mean that it is just NOW a universal policy with LJ. Apparently, it was stated many years ago that they would not deal with those in other than a retail location, yet they did. Perhaps some corporate highup decided to enforce the fine print as of July, 2000; but before that, they did indeed knowingly deal with those other than retail.
 
I think you are right. It probably is now general policy but I believe it has taken some times for them to move into this mode. I first was told of it about two years ago but know that, in our area at least, it has taken that long to move to full compliance on LJ's part.
 
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