Not to bad mouth sherrill but.......

[TheTreeSpyder]

i once tolde someone here, that it made a lot purer tone, if others rang your bell, rather than you yourself!

i hope these sounds are sweet to Tobe, Sean etc.; great and appreciated job all!

 

[seanlarkin]

What an interesting thread. I've been following it since the beginning, and have passed it on to a couple people around here at Sherrill.

I don't know where to even begin...so much to respond to. I guess the first thing I want to say is that I appreciate all the positive support that you people have shown for Sherrill. Having said that, I also agree that Dan has the right to air his opinions regarding Sherrill. His point was "shop around", so yes, maybe Dan could have left store names out of his post; or Maybe posted in the Sherrill Forum. Regardless, we definitely should have handled his order better than we did.

My Response to Dan's Original Post:
The salesperson you spoke to was mistaken regarding the pricing of our saddle. Our "name" and colors should never be offered as a feature or product improvement. She also should have offered the price match for the saddle. Regarding the rope by the foot, surely you can understand our need to verify competitor's pricing? She could have simply put you on hold, called Wesspur, got the price, and picked you back up in 30 - 45 seconds. Perhaps she didn't make it seem like it would be so quick. Thank you for bringing these matters to our attention. It is feedback like this that keeps us sharp, helps us identify problems and fix them.

Our Customer Service Manager, Courtney Kilgore, had this to say to Dan:
I'm sorry to hear of your frustration with Sherrill, Inc. Our policy has
always been to match prices of like products. In order to do that, we only
require the name of the company that has the better price and their phone
number. Our customer service department will then check and apply the
discounted price to your order. Although Sherrill, Inc. strives to have the
lowest prices for arborist supplies, there have been a few lower prices
found. It is a good idea to shop around, especially in this day and age,
but once you know what you need call Sherrill Arborist Supply at
1-800-525-8873. Please do not hesitate to call with questions or concerns,
our customer service department is ready to assist you with your arborist
needs.
-CK


Now to respond to the rest of the posts in this thread:

TREETX
Yes, we are always aware that we're not the only supplier in the industry. Here is an excerpt from a post from Tobe a while back, that is relevant here:
"The facts are that Sherrill has bills like everyone else and needs to generate profits to pay them. If we are not aggressive among our competitors, we will fail to succeed in the business world. We also choose other expenses that are avoided among many competitors like, lending financial support to the betterment of our customers in an attempt to improve the (top and drop weekend warrior) image that plagues this industry. Such involvement requires additional funds that sometimes keep us from being "the cheapest guy on the block." We feel fortunate that many Sherrill customers recognize this expense and choose to shop with us in those occasions where we charge $21 dollars to our competitors charge a SPECIAL $19.95 (usually followed by several explanation points). You too will have to make up your own mind on this."

T165
I was wrong about the saddle pricing. I also apologize for not following up. I answered that post right before I went to sleep, and by morning time I completely forgot about it.

DTE
I talk about the D-ring stuff in the D-rings thread. By now, you've probably already read that.

TreeSpyder
Thank you for the support. They may be "phone girls", but they know some stuff. We hold regular training sessions to keep our phone staff up to date with the gear. You are right, though. The highly technical questions are usually passed through to Johnny.

JPS
Thank you for your support. Johnny is a great guy to talk to, and will bend over backwards for you. However, our other phone people are also quite helpful and friendly. They ALL do a great job.

Top It
Welcome to the board, and thanks?

Kevin
Thanks for the support. I appreciate the recognition. My job is more than just a paycheck to me. I've come to care a great deal about my company and the tree care industry. I have learned much from Tobe, and am glad to work FOR HIM. I wouldn't want to trade with him anyway; he is one of few people that makes ME feel like I don't have anything to do (ie. He's always really busy.)

Rich
I'm not sure what you mean. We've only changed a few things since the alliance with Vermeer.

Kevin
Is your comment about the 50-60 dollars spent per hundred in reference to the Canadian dollar, or the border taxes/dues?

Darin
Thank you.

rbtree
Thank you for the positive feedback. We try to lead and be innovators on every platform of our business. I appreciate your feelings on the price matching. Maybe just give it a try one time, and see if you like it?

jhr
Thank you for your support. You are dead on about the customer service. We just try to do whatever we can for the customer, plain and simple.

TREETX
Thank you for the acknowledgement. I'm pretty sure that's the first time we've been compared to Coca-Cola...what a compliment! We are very aware of how and where we use our name. However, branding can sometimes be seen as negative, or false, if the product/company in question doesn't backup it's image. At Sherrill, our image stems from our efforts, (when you think Sherrill, hopefully you think...great service, leaders, innovators, etc).

DTE
Don't be freaked by these responses. They are Sherrill customers who have received the Sherrill service that we failed to give you with your last order. Our fault, not yours.

Baumkeltter
Nice post! Thanks for the support.

Kevin
That is very cut and dry, but not necessarily accurate. Vendors sell their products to suppliers at different prices, based on quantity and the relationship. That is one part of price differences. Then the shipping comes into play. It's just not cut and dry. Another factor is turn. If a supplier hasn't moved a particular product in months, they have to abandon their margins in order to clear the stuff out. It's not anyone ripping anyone off. Maybe if the retail price was 3 or 4 times the wholesale, it would be a rip off, but our margins are far from that.

TreeSpyder
Good post. Thanks for the support, again.

MikeMass
Down boy! I appreciate the protection! However, I use all feedback, good or bad, to help improve the company. I hope no one refrains from posting out of fear of Mike.

TreeSpyder
Yes, we love to see loyal customers. It really makes me feel good, as I'm sure it does Tobe. I haven't shown him the whole thread though, because I'm afraid he'll read Kevin's post about working for me, and fire me!

That’s it. What a thread! I encourage all feedback to Sherrill. We love to hear good things, but we also need to hear the bad, so we know what to fix. We try to give everyone the same special Sherrill treatment with every order. We try a lot of things. The end result, we hope, is a happy, satisfied customer. Take care and stay safe!

-Sean

 

[kf_tree]

just the fact that sean took the time out to repond in such a decent and respectfull manner, i know i'll continue to order from sherrill. thanks and keep up the good work.

 

[TREETX]

All of you should check out the book "Raving Fans" by Ken Blanchard.

It is a quick read. It is also obvious that Sherrill is aware of these principles to customer support. Basically, satisfied customers are not good enough - you need raving fans.

It also talks about target groups if I remember right.

All of us in the service industry should read it.

 

[Kevin]

Sean,
The 50-60 dollar exchange rate is the difference between our currency and yours.
Your next assignment will be to get the Canadian economy back on track and I would appreciate it if you could get it going again this weekend even if it means working a little late.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Darin

I should clarify a few things: Since I got started 8 or so years ago, Sherrill has been my main source for my supplies. Jonny Carter is great, he knows who I am by my voice. The problem I and other climbers in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh have is that the Vermeer dealer isn't stocked well. Their attitude gives me the impression that they could care less if this union comes or goes. It would be so nice to be able to try on a saddle before I bought it. Sherrill will continue to receive my business as long as I am in business. Thanx, Rich.

 

[Acer]

It's a shame Sherrill can't open a branch here covering UK/Europe. They'd clean up given the lack of customer service shown by dealers over here. I ordered some gear over the internet when I visited a mate in Montana. I specified a date for delivery, so that I received it before my flight back home. The order arrived on that date, complete, for the price advertised. What often happens here (in the UK) is that you'll put in an order for some bits of gear and receive only part of the order - the stuff they have in stock. I've waited 3 months for an order to be completed before now. It's not just an isolated incident either - I've got a dealer blacklist as long as my arm. The problem here is that dealers here don't care about the small customers, and if we go elsewhere, they don't really care - they're only interested in the big customers, like councils or colleges.

 

[Treemanuk]

Acer......I work for Leeds City Council and it's just the same for us. About 3 months on average to complete orders !!!!So don't think its just the smaller guys, I dont think they care much about any of their customers. Maybe it's just that they know you cant pick the gear up anywhere else.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Acer, here is your chance to hit Tobe Sherrill up on a franchise deal.

I've talked to a number of overseas people who have looked into such a thing and from what I understand the imoprtation problems are such a pain in the but for the small volumes done that it is not worth it.

Maybe now that EU has lowered some of the borders it would be economilay viable for your area. Much of the stuff we use is of Euro manufacture, so you would not need to get much through the US.

 

[Acer]

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn

I've talked to a number of overseas people who have looked into such a thing and from what I understand the imoprtation problems are such a pain in the but for the small volumes done that it is not worth it.

And this is the problem. The prices I see on the website are so much cheaper than here, but shipping costs kill any savings.. and then if our customs discover the shipment, they add on a whopping 17.5 % value added tax. Buying in bulk would cut the shipping down a bit, but prices would still be a bit steep. Anyone who wanted to start a franchise would have to check whether they are allowed to sell anything safety critical without a CE mark on it...so headaches aplenty.!

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

A few years back, i was waiting for tires on my truck at a store where one of the 2 tire mounting rigs was down with a full house waiting. There was this Mercedes that needed tires, of course the lady driving said vehichle, thought she should be first etc. These guys were tripping over themselves being polite, bumping her up taking her abuse; but that wasn't good enough.

So at weekend dinner she insisted they call the owner/manager; she got on the phone to witch and moan during his supper, with him wondering why he can't have these few moments without having to take care of his store.

When she was done, i politely asked for the phone, she asked if i wanted to complain too, i said i did, she happily complied. So i complained about these poor guys having to work running in 3 diffrent directions to handle everything while she distracted and annoyed them, making everyone's wait longer and more annoying.

i suggested he finish his supper and not worry, these guys where doing everything that anyone could do; esp. above and beyond the call of duty with her. That she was making everyone more miss-erable in addition to waiting, so much so that noone complained about her jumping ahead of them, just to get her out of there it seemed. It was weel evident, noone sitting there thought they could do a better job, as we watched these guys bounce around. i can't name the color she flushed, how far her face dropped, the looks on the customer's faces sitting around the store; heck, i can't figure out why i ddin't see all of the employee's faces as i hung up..............

Not being part of that store i was empowered to say what i felt was right. i've been that guy behind the counter, i've been that manger, i've been someone with more to offer than others but politely quiet in terms of services etc. Those positions aren't empowered so, to such bear honesty.

A friend has pointed out that i might be 'over politely caretaking' Sherrill sometimes. i replied "....i think their great, giving and deserving; also honestly feel, if i 'hook' them up with someone; neither partys lose. How many buisnesses can you honestly say that about? i can't think of better hands to put a new guy in! In short, i been recomending and giving their catalouges for years to all i can. Sometimes marking training stuff and ideas in the columns. So, for me; this is nothing new! ........."

i know i lay it on a lil'thick and this was honest question, that probably has had some others wondering. But it is kind of like an empowermeant from my total dis-association of them(Sherrill) to call and refer to them openly, totally above all suspicion of merchandising etc., like in the tire store.

By the way, i'm down to one catalouge again, have to remember to get more! The only good part to that, is all of the dogeared ones are gone! Oh, and all the people that have the catalouges have that oppurtunity ot jump on the right track all at once.

 

[rbtree]

Hey Mr. T.S. diplomat!!

great story

I'll bet all those workers have never forgotten you and that phone call... and maybe the rich b***h is no longer a *&tc*

 

[Jock]

Seems like Sherrills is a good company

 

[treeclimber165]

You have no idea, Jock. Just the tips and tricks I have learned from the catalog are worth as much as the gear I have purchased. I rarely have an opportunity to work with other climbers, and the few times I do I rarely see guys using any of the newer gear. Reading the catalog, envisioning the use of the gear in my mind, expanding the possibilities and applications of different gear, and drooling over the newest toys has forced me to think beyond the basic rope and saddle. I have so many options now that I didn't have before and I'm learning new ones on a regular basis. They are probably the best resource available to arborists everywhere.

I'm not trying to sound like a sales pitch, but just expressing my gratitude for all I have gained from the shared knowledge and a single resource for all the latest tools of our trade.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Jock, click on the banner and order a catalog