Keeping an eye on where you get your parts can help you to avoid any potential issues within your business caused by fake or poor quality parts being used. While you might hope that you would spot an inferior part prior to using them in your work, there is every chance that one may slip through the net, costing you time and money to then replace, not to mention potentially hindering your future business ventures. Taking note of the signs that your current supplier is doing more harm than good can help to open your eyes to needing to find a new supplier.
Fake and Bad Quality Parts
When suppliers do not use authentic parts, but sell them as such, unaware businesses can end up using poor quality, or even dangerous, materials instead of those that they believe they have purchased. It is important that you make sure you are using an authorized distributor of electronic components so that you are not perpetuating these poor traders. While it can be normal to occasionally receive a few parts that are damaged or inferior, if the majority of each order is this way, that can be a clear sign that your business is at risk from continuing trading with that particular supplier, and looking for a replacement may very well be in order.
Problems with Orders
Like with parts themselves, it is understandable that, on exceedingly rare occasions, there may be an error within your order. If you find that, more often than not, you are receiving incorrect parts, not being sent your full order, or even being charged multiple times, this could signify that the supplier is inadequate to meet your business needs. Even something as simple as slow processing and delivery times can greatly affect your business, as this will push back any work you have planned, and may even lead to potential clients thinking that you are unreliable.
Poor Communication
Communication is key for any business to be able to succeed. If you need to speak to a representative from your supplier, you should expect to either be able to call them or receive an email within a reasonable amount of time. If you find that your communications are either not being taken seriously, or not even responded to, this can be a giant red flag that the supplier does not necessarily respect you as a customer. You may find that you end up not getting a resolution to your problem, and could potentially lose money as a result.
While your supplier may not be physically carrying out tasks for your business, their inclusion is vital to your very running. Without the parts and tools you need, you cannot hope to successfully complete your work. When fake parts, problematic orders and delivery, and even failure to rectify negative situations comes into play, you may find yourself losing money, both from the order you placed, as well as from potential clients.