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very reasonable and do not gouge our customers, but we also need to make money to stay in business." ONLINE TRENDS Derek K. Weibel, president, Weibel Design and Construction, San Diego, says he does not purchase products online because of "problems with returning. If parts are missing, it has been hard to get replacements. Most of my suppliers will match or beat online pricing." Remodelers who do not purchase online cite the lack of customer service, particularly in the event of a problem, as their major hurdle. Tomas will purchase products online when "a custom- er brings us something they have seen, and we cannot locate it through other suppliers." In Mississippi, Huckins relies heavily on online purchasing because of trouble fnding local or semi-local suppliers to provide the product in a timely manner. Several other remodelers note con- venience and lower price as being benefts of purchasing product online. Dolan says, "At times, pricing for products ofered on- line is better than what suppliers can ofer for the same or similar product. For us, this might be plumbing or lighting fxtures. Tere are so many products that have to been seen in a showroom or by a sample. Trying to select colors of certain types of items just isn't possible to do online." Several respondents mention wayfair.com, signature- hardware.com and build.com as reputable online buying avenues. Others use Amazon.com for certain items, most notably sinks, faucets and tools. | these days I have been able to locate suppliers through the Internet." Rubin seconds that dissatisfaction is one of the only reasons her company would walk away from a supplier relationship. "We really value incumbency, so we are not typically seeking new supply sources unless we have a reason to be signifcantly dissatisfed with our current sources. We don't 'jump ship' quickly, but we, of course, have our antennas up for anything that seems to deliver a unique value proposition," she explains. "We fnd new suppliers by looking at our competition's oferings and supply chains; by talking to our reps in the industry; by attending trade shows; and through research." PRICING, QUALITY ISSUES But perhaps more important than the "how" is the "why" behind the necessity of fnding a new supplier. Two points appear to defne the why: Out of necessity for fnding new products or because of price. Treasa Dolan, co-owner/designer at DC Strategies LLC in Ellisville, Mo., indicates the "why" for her company is mostly client driven. "If the project is on the fast-track and we have been given a short deadline, we may have to seek out other suppliers for items that ofer a quicker turnaround time," she says. "Otherwise, because of our established relationships, whether with national suppliers or local suppliers, we give them the frst go at it." At the end of the day, budget plays a large role for remodelers. "We can't aford to lose to other design com- panies because our suppliers' margins are too high for us to be able to turn a little proft," Tomas says. "We are WHY DO YOU BUY FROM YOUR CURRENT SUPPLIER? SPECIAL REPORT: Supplier Service 52 January 2016 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com