Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws

Williams & CO.

View the thread, titled "Williams & CO." which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on UK Plumbers Forums.

J

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.
 

This is the reply that I had typed to Jase's original post.

--------------------------------------------------------------



Thanks Jase, much appreciated.

If I was being entirely honest (which, as a merchant, I am congenitally incapable of being) I would have to confess that we have dropped the ball rather more in the last three weeks or so than I would like.

With moving several £million in stock, plus all the equipment, technology etc, and having a spate of illness and compassionate leave which has taken 5 or 6 people out of a 17 man team, its been tough. Not having a working phone system also hasn't helped us communicate with customers when things have gone wrong. Although our switchboard number works, none of our direct dial numbers have worked for the last fortnight.

Our carrier have their own problems, as the grandfather rights of 7.5 tonner drivers all expired last month, so the entire haulage industry is desperately trying to cope with getting their workforce through the CPC training - meaning that a percentage of the nations drivers are off the road on any one working day.

I know that all sounds like a pathetic set of inadequate excuses - which is fair enough. Customers shouldnt have to care about our problems.

We are doing our best to keep on top of everything, and to put things right where they go wrong. I know that several forum regulars have had issues of varying severity - indeed at one point last week we had a van drive 600+ miles in a day to sort out a problem for a forum stalwart.

We'll keep doing our best, and in the meantime, thanks to all for your patience.

Best regards

Ray
 
From jasse's post, I get the feeling he is praising Williams & Co, not slating them. So I wonder why he thinks his review was a problem.
Personally, if he had not complained about the post being removed, I would have been suspicious that Ray put him up to it🙂
 
From jasse's post, I get the feeling he is praising Williams & Co, not slating them. So I wonder why he thinks his review was a problem.
Personally, if he had not complained about the post being removed, I would have been suspicious that Ray put him up to it🙂

LOL.

A "put-up" review would never read true. I don't think I am breaking any confidences to say that we did cause Jase some difficulties, but I hope that the efforts of my colleagues in the sales team helped turn things around, which Jason was graciously acknowledging in both his posts.

As my response makes clear, I think that we have fallen short of our normal standards more often than I think is acceptable recently. Sure, there are mitigating circumstances, but your customers don't want to hear about your problems, do they? Similarly, you guys don't want to hear about mine!

We will fix our problems, but we will fix them faster thanks to frank and honest feedback from our regulars, which we appreciate.

Now, FFS, can we get back to taking the micky out of Adam's girly drinking habits?
 
****e happens, its the world we live in, deal with it, accept it and move on. Lifes too short.

Somebody once told me that you shouldnt worry about things you have no influence over. If you do have influence over it then stop worrying and change ut. 🙂
 
if #7 is a reply to #6 then it was a simple enough question to ask tonight.

Goodnight.
 
Dunno Ray can we? Is Adam still with us?

Dunno. Apparently, he has a new phone, which will probably keep him busy for the next few weeks, working out what all the buttons are for, and which one orders the cherry brandy and creme de menthe.
 
Everyone please kiss and make up.
Yous guys have got me in pieces here

Wheres the love gone...

I don't wanna read about unhappy people..
I wanna read about ridiculous special offers with free postage...
I wanna read about unbeatable deals and how it changes lives.
I wanna hear people cry with happiness at give away prices and rejoice when they tell the grand kids who drift softly off to sleep with tales of williams and co special service...

I want it.....

I...I....wwant..

I want it to be how it used to be...williams and co slaying competitors prices and unleashing 10,000 first class horses who will surely burst into flames if they dont make that 12am deadline. .. and give you the parts and the money back too..

We can do this
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Everyone please kiss and make up.
Yous guys have got me in pieces here

Wheres the love gone...

I don't wanna read about unhappy people..
I wanna read about ridiculous special offers with free postage...
I wanna read about unbeatable deals and how it changes lives.
I wanna hear people cry with happiness at give away prices and rejoice when they tell the grand kids who drift softly off to sleep with tales of williams and co special service...

I want it.....

I...I....wwant..

I want it to be how it used to be...williams and co slaying competitors prices and unleashing 10,000 first class horses who will surely burst into flames if they dont make that 12am deadline. .. and give you the parts and the money back too..

We can do this


BARMAN!


I'll have a pint of whatever Newcastle Phill's drinking if you please. And right smartly!
 
There's an investigation going on in the loo.

Don't think Phil's drinking. Think he's mainlining.......
 
If you've got my number then well done 🙂

only special people get my number 🙂

I did have your number, but I deleted it after writing it on the walls of all the public bogs in Portsmouth.

So if your love life is looking up, and you find yourself "doing favours for sailors" - that's why.

No need to thank me. I would have done the same for any villa-tard. 🙂
 
Our carrier have their own problems, as the grandfather rights of 7.5 tonner drivers all expired last month, so the entire haulage industry is desperately trying to cope with getting their workforce through the CPC training - meaning that a percentage of the nations drivers are off the road on any one working

Is that why aspray have been a bit useless at the moment? As that was my only bug I had 2 orders turn up late 1 by 1.5 hours I was furious as the parts I needed where on the van and then when it got here 1 bit was left at the aspray distribution center! Can't complain this morning apart from they turned up too early I was hoping for at least another cup of tea before unloading one of those massive great boxes. Lol.

Apart from that top notch service great prices and free tools!!!!!!! Any chance of a core drill next? Lol.
 
Everyone has problems from time to time, we as a company do as I'm sure many on here do to. Human error will always happen, I judge the lads that work for me (suppliers too) on how these mistakes are put right and learnt from.
 
Is that why aspray have been a bit useless at the moment?

Asprays do our internal transport (inter-branch distribution) as well as the ecommerce deliveries, so we get about 30 or 40 deliveries a day from them. To be fair, their regular drivers are generally very good, and almost every problem we have had involves an agency driver.

If its a customer delivery and we have a problem, its almost always either an agency driver, or a delivery that should have been on a tail lift vehicle, but isn't. We are working on the latter - and Aspray are upgrading their fleet to include more taillift vehicles, but that takes time.

Hopefully this whole CPC thing will work itself out after a few weeks and their staffing will settle down again.
 
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
 
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
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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

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 🙂
 
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

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
 
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?
 

Official Sponsors of Plumbers Talk

Reply to the thread, titled "Williams & CO." which is posted in UK Plumbers Forums on Plumbers Forums.

We recommend City Plumbing Supplies, BES, and Plumbing Superstore for all plumbing supplies.

Thread statistics

Created
jase158,
Last reply from
kay-jay,
Replies
55
Views
1,339
Back
Top