[ewingpainting.net]

I have found with my experience with the bigger paint vendor that they do a whole lot of selling and whole lot of no support. The paint vender i value the most is Vista Paints. They stand behind there product and take care of any issues that is on there end.

 

[ProWallGuy]

My best vendor of all time was a small local owned Ben Moore dealer. I paid more for products, but who cares. The customer paid for it anyways, and the service I got was unparalleled. I'd rather a local guy get the money than some international conglomerate from out of town. Unfortunately, the owner retired last fall and the business folded so I have been test driving others ever since.

 

[[email protected]]

I haven't driven any vendor with mileage but Miller Paint and Sherwin Williams. My Rep at SW is the most out going Rep I have ever experienced. Not only does SW stand behind their product but my Rep goes above and beyond his position to make sure SW stands behind their name. Jamie has done so much for me, I am not sure any other paint Rep from any other vendor could top him. When work is slow he sends me leads. When work is slow he takes me out to coffee and helps me with a game plan to pick up more work. I had a bad batch of Super Paint one time, SW replaced the paint and my hours of down time. SW delivers my product to the job site anytime I want it (I usually pick it up). With this particular Paint Rep (Jamie) it seems as though we are business partners. My last interior job came from Jamie (the one I posted about last week (Interior Repaint In Progress)). The timing could not have been better, I had an exterior lined up for last Monday, Jamie calls me the Friday before and says "there is rain in the forecast next week, could you use an interior?"...... "Heck yeah!" I said. My paint Rep does more than any Miller Paint Rep ever would have done. I personally think the Miller Paint Reps are afraid to get out of their stores and grind with the painters.... Plus, I just simply enjoy using SW Paint. It is one of the top of the line brands imo....

 

[tsunamicontract]

I think SW really does a good job putting out reps. My rep is nice and friendly and always willing to demo me this or that and he calls me to check in on how business is. Only complaint is that he is really a sales rep not a tech rep (granted sales rep is his job but hey anyone in the store can sell my stuff, what do I need another sales rep for?)
My BM dealer is nice, haven't dealt with the rep much but they will deliver free for me, even one gallon and I am 20 miles away.

 

[chrisn]

Pro says"My best vendor of all time was a small local owned Ben Moore dealer. I paid more for products, but who cares. The customer paid for it anyways, and the service I got was unparalleled. I'd rather a local guy get the money than some international conglomerate from out of town. Unfortunately, the owner retired last fall and the business folded so I have been test driving others ever since.'

Mine went bankrupt( the owner had Parkinsons disease). I am now using Duron almost full time but I sure miss BM Satin Impervo Waterborne for trim. I have tried SW's version of it but was not real happy.

 

[JNLP]

One of the SW stores around here has always been great. They actually know what they're talking about, care about your work & problems, and like to help you out when needed. There are three other SW close by, and I do everything I can to not go to them as they're idiots, can't mix paint, and could really give a crap about you & how they fidged you up.

Had a favorite mom/pop type shop till they hired a bunch of teenagers to work who frustrate me with their lack of knowledge or cares.

 

[aaron61]

My local SW is great! The guys that work there are knowlegeable young guys who care about my business. Both the employees and my Rep reffer work to me and others. There are other SW's around, but like JLP says, They seem to be d**k's

 

[[email protected]]

JNLP,

I hear ya there... I too have a few other SW stores I would not recommend, it just so happens to be that I live in the town where the SW store has the best people. These folks go out of their way for ya and are the most knowledgeable. Now... not all in this store are knowledgeable, I am primarily talking about the store manager and Paint Rep. There are a few other employees that have been there for a while but not long enough to really ask hightech painting questions... The do their best when I give them a shot at my questions... hehe..:thumbsup:

 

[ewingpainting.net]

Well it looks as if I am in the wrong area for SW. I have had nothing but problems with SW, it seems all they care about is sells, sells, sells. I've been left standing In the rain a number of times with no support from SW at all. And when they do come on my job I feel like I'm dealing with a bunch of lawyers. If you find a vendor that works for you then you should stick with that one. I know who I want and who I don't want and SW is surly one I don't want.

 

[[email protected]]

Unfortunately it isn't all SW's fault. It really is the Rep's and how they want to do their job. Some Reps regardless of vendor are more involved than others. If SW could create a cookie cutter Rep for every store then alot of painters wouldn't have the issues they do between stores. So yeah... sorry to read about your experience with SW Ewing.

What attracts the painter to the vendor? The service or the product? If the product works but the service of the vendor doesn't do you stick it out with that vendor or find another? If the Service of the Vendor is more than exceptional but has a poor product do you deal with the great service over the low quality of product? I don't think it's the latter....

I have the best of both worlds imo... A great product and exceptional service.

 

[timhag]

I'll use SW and Westmoreland Supply for Ben Moore. Once our local Duron store starts to actually sell SW, I'll return there because they have the best 2 reps that I've ever dealt with.

 

[aaron61]

Isn't duron owned by SW? Our SW carries Duron

 

[aaron61]

I have tried to sell our local company ,Scott Paint to H O's but I have a hard time selling something they haven't heard of. Therefore the marketing of SW really comes into play. Unfortunately so does Behr. IO get so tired of having to explain why we prefer not to use it.

 

[timhag]

Isn't duron owned by SW? Our SW carries Duron

Yes it is, our Duron hasn't flipped yet. They are in the process of doing so, they are going to sell SW residential and the SW just across the street is selling commercial.

 

[Kelly Painting]

Both California and Ben Moore have both backed me up a few times...Ben Moore even paying labor for a problem. My paint store is untouchable, they send out an old school pro for anything I have trouble with, and have replaced any product I've had trouble with.

And last month, I sat in the Ben Moore box seats at Fenway, we drank until we fell and the waitress brought us lobster rolls all nite.

 

[[email protected]]

And last month, I sat in the Ben Moore box seats at Fenway, we drank until we fell and the waitress brought us lobster rolls all nite.

I've sat in the SW Box Seats at the Rose Quarter (Blazers). Never been to a Blazer game until that one time... and don't really care to again, but the box seats where a blast with all the catering and drinks that went with it.

 

[bikerboy]

Sherwin Williams (Crofton, MD) and independant Maryland Paint and Decorating in Annapolis, MD. It would be tough to do without either.

 

[ewingpainting.net]

Jason,
I do believe you make a good point. Before any one makes a decision about what vendor you chose, you 1st need to believe in the product. I do believe service and product should come hand and hand, after all you are paying for both. Unfortunately my experience went beyond the rep to upper management. I have to say at one time SW was the best for me because the service was there and they stood behind there product. Let's face it paint is paint it going to fail no matter what brand you buy. It how the vendor treats the failure is what matters. We all don't want them but we will have them no matter how great the product is or how great of a painter someone is. If you don't have the support from your vendor when you have a failure then you better double your prices to help pay for the failure when you do have one.

 

[acrylicrecoating]

We have a great SW rep and that is the only product we use. Our Rep Chris has gone to job sites to even help scoping out a product to put over existing product that looks ify. He also gives us information on products that we have not used before for some of our commercial jobs so we know exactly what we are dealing with.

The just bought MAB paints recently so anything that we can't get from SW we pick up there.

 

[[email protected]]

We have a great SW rep and that is the only product we use. Our Rep Chris has gone to job sites to even help scoping out a product to put over existing product that looks ify. He also gives us information on products that we have not used before for some of our commercial jobs so we know exactly what we are dealing with.

My rep will even bid my jobs for me if I get too busy.... :thumbup: he really is a pro. :thumbsup: