How far to push suppliers for deals..

[witch]

I think that you can ask - and a certain Mr Simon will always do his best to accommodate - as will Peter, Dan, Mark and other suppliers on this forum, but in the end there is a point beyond which you cannot push - and a good relationship with a supplier is worth its weight in gold, I reckon. By getting more than one quote, you know roughly what the price is going to be, and this gives you an idea of how low competitors might be able to go.
I get a lot of help and support from my suppliers, and as for womanly charm, well, in one of my schools they, along with Bossman, Adams_Dad and Nedders are known as ' Witch's Men' as in " there's one of your men on the phone"
Love it!!!

[nephilim]

found that get the best quote you can from companies such as A2Z, PC World, Misco, then use suppliers on here (Simon, Dan, Mark etc) then watch them tear the quote to pieces. Simon beat a wireless quote by £2000!!! Just goes to show how a good supplier on here is much better than the generic companies out there!

Since being a member from november, I havent looked back in terms of who I use as a supplier now. My deals will now usually go through a supplier from this forum

[Little-Miss]

Here, here! I'd much rather support are friendly local suppliers anyday!

[DanW]

I when spending more than £5k i always get multiple quotes. When i getting this years replacements quotes the first quote i got was £45k for 40 laptops and 40 desktops after two weeks off ringing round suppliers i narrowed down to 4 suppliers and got the total quote down to £37k. I agree some suppliers need to take a 'hit' to keep business even if it means they make nothing or lose on a sale to keep our custom.

[nephilim]

40 laptops and desktops for £37k??? jesus!

PCs should be no more than £300 per one (if buying 40 that is), and laptops no more than £450 per one (again if buying 40)

[pete]

The best time to get a deal is towards the end of the month, especially if the salesperson hasn't quite made their quota or just needs a couple more sales to move the bonus from mediocre to respectable.

We're shameless about bargaining*, but for smaller stuff I'd rather use an existing supplier who've proven they're not plonkers than a new one who's a little bit cheaper. Wasting time chasing suppliers quickly wipes out any discount in terms of opportunity cost.