Do you expect suppliers to notify you of price increases?

[Lucan Unlordly]

I'm guessing the answer is Yes, but how does one stand if prices are increased and no notification is given?

I was told a couple of weeks ago that they intended to honour existing arrangements but an across the board 10% increase has been sneaked in on all products. I've picked it up by pure chance and will be going through orders placed recently to see exactly when it was levied and whether it's effected what we've paid.

 

[DontAsk]

Not necessarily. As always, the answer is, it depends...

I don't always inform all of my B2B customers of increases. They see the prices when they order and make their choice.

It depends on the nature of the relationship.

If it's a subscription or recurring service type thing, with automatic payment, then I would definitely expect to be notified. I would be annoyed if I wasn't.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Not necessarily. As always, the answer is, it depends...

I don't always inform all of my B2B customers of increases. They see the prices when they order and make their choice.

It depends on the nature of the relationship.

If it's a subscription or recurring service type thing, with automatic payment, then I would definitely expect to be notified. I would be annoyed if I wasn't.

I here what you're saying if this was an occasional order where price fluctuations could be expected, but we are ordering most weeks, sometimes twice.



I'm annoyed

 

[Red Wood]

Commodity based businesses have price fluctuations almost daily. So you would expect the latest price on each enquiry. Quite normal.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Commodity based businesses have price fluctuations almost daily. So you would expect the latest price on each enquiry. Quite normal.

Nothing normal about it at all!

We've been a customer for 15 years and have always had prior notification of price rises in late November prior to the next years retail priced catalogue landing in December.

Taking trade prices online has allowed them to sneakily increase the cost whilst keeping the recommended retail price the same.

 

[Red Wood]

Nothing normal about it at all!

We've been a customer for 15 years and have always had prior notification of price rises in late November prior to the next years retail priced catalogue landing in December.

Taking trade prices online has allowed them to sneakily increase the cost whilst keeping the recommended retail price the same.

Normal in our industry..prices can increase overnight by a significant amount based on international markets.

I accept that your industry may be different though

 

[SillyBill]

This is why we send order confirmations for everything in our business, if only as the last line of defence to avoid price disputes. Did you get them here? That is one means of communicating the price effectively, albeit obviously not in advance, the price as far as I see it anyway is not what is on a customer's PO or database, but what is on ours. And customers obviously never like prices going up but its inevitable.

In my sector (chemicals) it tends to work that we order at the last price paid and then wait and see if the supplier confirms back at the same, we then query/negogiate/accept if not. Some may give you some warning in advance of prices moving, most wouldn't. Commodities are priced monthly as a rule, up and down.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

This is why we send order confirmations for everything in our business, if only as the last line of defence to avoid price disputes. Did you get them here? That is one means of communicating the price effectively, albeit obviously not in advance, the price as far as I see it anyway is not what is on a customer's PO or database, but what is on ours. And customers obviously never like prices going up but its inevitable.

In my sector (chemicals) it tends to work that we order at the last price paid and then wait and see if the supplier confirms back at the same, we then query/negogiate/accept if not. Some may give you some warning in advance of prices moving, most wouldn't. Commodities are priced monthly as a rule, up and down.

We pay at the time of ordering to take advantage of additional discount. I noticed the increase before placing an order and took it up with the supplier who is yet to formally respond despite several requests for a call. Our customers have bought and paid online. We cannot now go back to them and ask for more.

In the meantime we are directing customers to other suppliers products.