Problem New Mat Samples......UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Create a Post
Paul N

Paul N

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
Joined
Jun 10, 2005
Posts
17,354
Loc
CT, not far from the LI Sound
So, 6 weeks ago a major mat manufacturer sends a huge list (maybe 100!) of discontinued mats. I spend practically hours searching and removing all those listed.

2 days ago I receive a new set of samples....and as I am replacing the old with the new I had the funny feeling some of the new samples are.......discontinued.....and sure enough they are........:fire::fire:

I guess they thought it's better to let the framers sort through this carp than our employees......

I feel like dumping them for good unless their rep comes over and remove the ones they shouldn't have sent.:fire:
 
I have a Nielsen/Bainbridge rep these days and she is great. Lisa McCall. She pulled all the in-stock and special order caddies apart and removed every single deletion. Then she did the same with my full Nielsen set. Then she set me up with nbCreate. Yesterday, on a sunday, she answered the phone to give me prices on the new Contemporary series Eco Care frames, and so on. She is fantastic. We had lunch the other day and I found out that she has extensive sales and business experience with major firms both in the US and in England. We are lucky to have her.
 
Me neither.I havent had a rep in over fifteen years now and I buy the samples when I get new ones.I think Bainbridge and Crescent have lousy customer service.
 
Artrageous said:
I'd settle for an up to date specifier, but it has to be the real one with the color swatches, not the printed color version.
Click to expand...

Picky, picky. :p
 
Kirstie, what is nbcreate? I had to call my rep and ask for an updated price list. I have to print out my own invoices from another company. We are constantly receiving damaged moulding.

If I don't have the sample in my store how can I sell the product. And the wholesaler must wonder why the product is not moving and I would think would discontinue it. When I use to sell chewing gum I always had to make sure the product was in the store for the consumer to buy.

Oh well, life goes on...........
 
Artrageous said:
I'd settle for an up to date specifier, but it has to be the real one with the color swatches, not the printed color version.
Click to expand...

100% with you there. Offset printing is so hard to match up and from what i've seen of fake specifiers it doesn't. Real specifiers are SUCH a necessary thing especially when trying to match colours let alone textures.
 
Frame Lady said:
If I don't have the sample in my store how can I sell the product. And the wholesaler must wonder why the product is not moving and I would think would discontinue it....
Click to expand...

Now that would make sense! Yet, from what I have experienceed it is the opposite. If we can sell it it must be just about,if not already, discontinued.

As for the op, how do we find who just discontinued a whole pile of mats? It's nice of Paul not to name names, but for those of who didn't get the memo??
 
I think in the grand scheme of things, up to date specifiers issued in a timely fashion are worth TEN times more than all the color forecasts and fancy brochures in the world.

Hello - any matboard companies reading this??? You know who you are!

I do not give a RAT"S PATOOTIE about color forecasts!

I want new specifiers!

Thank you very much.

End of mini-rant.
 
Teasing aside, I completely agree about the specifiers.
I want them with real pieces of the mat color, and is
it too much to ask that the colors last awhile? Bainbridge
seems to be good with this, but I'm getting disappointed
with Crecent. Seems like the Select samples fade far
more quickly than they should, and I've been surprised
to find wide shifts in some of the mat colors. Not between
the old Tru Vue colors and the Crescents, but from one
'new' Crescent board to the next. There used to be subtle
shifts between color lots from time to time, but now I'll
get in a mat that doesn't jibe with the sample, order a
replacement, and have it be yet another shade.

This has only happened a handful of times, but it never
used to be that way, and it has me wondering about
quality control at the company.
 
I have never ordered a mat from the "specifier". These are kept in the office for reference only. Look up a number and get an approximate idea as to the color family. It really doesn't matter if it is "real" paper or just a printed version. The important thing is up-to-date mat samples, which for us, has never been a problem. Most of the time, they show up automatically or I request them through my reps....and I must say, we have great reps!
 
If I were a shop that stocked mats, I would appreciate the inclusion of discontinueds so that I could coordinate with my stock and remove samples as mats are used up.
 
Its why Im happy with Peterboro. All the mats they make they are never going to be discontinued. At least that is the hope.

No crazy colors because those are the first ones to go.

Just a thought. maybe this company that is discontinuing everything is merging with another company and going to combine a specific line with the large line to fill in the gaps???
 
That's what's frustrating. To be told, 'This is gone!', then
a couple months later, 'Well, not really.....'

We had a company that would stop carrying frame samples
from another line and tell us they had been discontinued. It
took me a few years to realize that the frames were still
good, they just weren't carrying them. They could have
avoided a motherload of confusion by just saying as much.
 
hangupsgallery said:
I have never ordered a mat from the "specifier". These are kept in the office for reference only. Look up a number and get an approximate idea as to the color family. It really doesn't matter if it is "real" paper or just a printed version. The important thing is up-to-date mat samples, which for us, has never been a problem. Most of the time, they show up automatically or I request them through my reps....and I must say, we have great reps!
Click to expand...

No specifiers are not up to date. Neither is the web site, which is even more frustrating. But we are getting samples. I request two sets as we have two design areas and I always get what I need. It was not always that way, I assure you. It'a all about the rep. Also, when I like a rep's service I go out of my way to be on time for them and get to know them. I take them out to lunch as well as the other way around. We chat business and exchange ideas. Good reps are worth a lot to me and good reps get more of my business.

Carry on...

nbcreate is a rewards program offered by Neilsen Bainbridge. The reps do know about this and can help you with it. If they are MIA, call the company.
 
Framar said:
I think in the grand scheme of things, up to date specifiers issued in a timely fashion are worth TEN times more than all the color forecasts and fancy brochures in the world.

Hello - any matboard companies reading this??? You know who you are!

I do not give a RAT"S PATOOTIE about color forecasts!

I want new specifiers!

Thank you very much.

End of mini-rant.
Click to expand...

I second that.
 
We have a Nielsen rep, but not one for Cresent. Glenn from Neilsen does a great job for us. Hey Krisitie hope you like the nbcreate program. I have been using it for a year now and have been happy with it. These days the return on advertising dollars is very small for me. This program gave me two FREE marketing opportunities this year. I did the valpak and next time will try the newspaper adds.
 
Ray Miles, my rep from one of my local suppliers (Framer's Inventory), just stopped by and went through ALL my mat samples, (all companies), pulling the discontinued ones and marking the ones that are no longer available in oversize...What a guy!! :thumbsup:


Lucky me!

Thanks Ray!! :)
 
My peeve is that they send out new samples with all the fancy brouchures and voice thingy cards (that don't work) but ALWAYS fail to include a divider!

A SIMPLE DIVIDER WOULD BE APPRECIATED !!!

*Hey CRESCENT, anyone listening???*

:kaffeetrinker_2:
 
You can make your own dividers. We made ours out of acrylic, but you could even use..... discontinued matboard.
:cool: Rick
 
I so agree with the sentiments and complaints already posted here about trying to get up-to-date mat corner samples as well as specifiers - from ANY mat company. The company doesn't want to talk with me - refers me to the rep for my store - who NEVER calls back.

Recently requested new samples from Crescent - only got the regular matboard samples when I wanted the Selects and all the rest, too. And, as previously mentioned, have to weed through the box to pull out the discontinueds that were included.

LOUSY, LOUSY customer service. They need some viable competition. We as framers would be out of business if we treated our customers in this manner!
 
framelady64 said:
Me neither.I havent had a rep in over fifteen years now and I buy the samples when I get new ones.I think Bainbridge and Crescent have lousy customer service.
Click to expand...

I didn't know mat companies HAD reps until going to a fairly recent show, was told there were mat samples...well I didn't meet a rep there, technicalities and schedules...BUT, that is when I realized there was more out there service wise. I called N and C and LJ regarding A mats, my shops mat samples were OVER ten years old...I think 13 with no one EVER updating them, discontinued were discarded and not replaced.
Well, I was sweetness and light, offered suggestions appreciation and gratitude...N's and C's, said they thought they could rustle up some sample for me GRATIS...LJ who I use the most of and buy the others from...THEY CHARGED ME, AFTER 13 YEAR OLD SAMPLES, they charged me to replace!!!...outta touch....

Well regarding service, I treat reps like people caring for me in the hospital...sweetness and light, muster appreciation and gratitude for any bone they throw you...'cause they can make life DANG uncomfortable for you if you don't!
My Golden rule revamped:o

...most the time!
 
Create a Post
Back
Top