Steel SYSTER Scarborough Me.

olthumpa

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Steel SHYSTER Scarborough Me.

Goldstein Steel Co
36 Running Hill Rd.
Scarborough, Me. 04074
(207) 839-3411

https://plus.google.com/115017061737089849208/about?hl=en

Last Friday I called Goldstein Steel to get a quote on some steel and to make sure they had it in stock.
2” x 2” x ¼”
4 ½” x 4 ½” x ½”
3 ½” x ½”
I asked them how much it would cost to have them make one 10 degree cut in one of the 2” box pieces (I needed to weld that piece up as soon as possible and the rest would be used at a later time). They said that there would not be any additional charge for that cut. I was quoted a price for all the steel and it was a very good so I placed my order to be picked up Monday morning at 11:30

I repeated the sizes, the number of pieces and the quoted price twice. Once as he wrote down the order, (an assumption on my part and I wrote down the exact order and price at the same time), and once more to verify and make sure there wasn’t any misunderstanding. When I got there nothing was ready. They had a piece of 4 1/2” x ½” flat stock marked to be cut for me that was twice as long as the 3 ½ x ½” ordered. I said that I wanted 4 ½” x ½” box not plate. He snapped back that they did not have any 4 ½” x ½” box or the 3 ½ x ½” and that I had order the 4 ½” plate. The rest of my order had not been pulled yet. Needless to say, I was upset but kept my composure.

The conversation went on for several more minutes with him trying to sell me other sizes of steel.

I had written the order down as I placed it, so I showed him the paper which made him even more aggressive and upset so I asked him to see the order that HE had written down. Now he was belligerent and furious saying that I could have written down anything and was trying to scam him. He said that he had not written the order down but knew what I ordered and that he had been doing it for many years.

I was now out of time and the ability to hold my temper so I told him that I would take the one piece of 2” x 2” x ¼” cut at a 10 degree angle that I ordered. He cussed back that they could not cut at an angle. I told him to give me that one piece and I would cut it my self. He then charged me more than twice the price per foot that he quoted. I would have left it but I needed it. When I got back home and set up to cut the angle is when I realized that I had 2” x 2” x 3/16” instead of 2” x 2” x ¼”.

So, deal with this business at your own risk!
 
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85Hokie

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thumpa,

sorry to hear of the bad business .....
was the same guy on the phone the same as talked to you there? The way I read it - it was the same guy........I bet someone pissed him off long before you got there......:(
 

Lil Foot

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I feel your pain- I get so tired of businesses telling me what they think I want to hear on the phone & then trying to sell me something else when I get there, usually because someone doesn't know their job, and just talks out of their a$$.
One of the biggest problems today is that almost no one can admit they made a mistake, and without that that first step, the problem cannot be resolved.
I would not mind so much if you could invite the taterhaid out back & deliver a swift kick to the family jewels or knock the teeth out of someone who has earned it, but it today's world, that would mean jail time & lawsuits.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Being a business owner I strive to always stand by my word, I'm very old school, a man is as good as his word.
Like Lil foot said admit a mistake and move on.

I do a fair amount of steel buying and trading, it can get a little tricky getting what you want and what you need at the right time.
My steel place does a great job at it, over all my years working with them, I've never had a problem, several times they have went out of there way to help me out!
 

olthumpa

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Hokie:
Yes, the guy on the phone and the guy I dealt with at the the steel yard was the owner of the bus.

Lil Foot:
When I got there and found out that he did not have what I wanted, what he promised, I tried to suggest some other sizes that I could use, (not what I wanted but what I could use if I could change my plans and make it work with what I could get). He did not want to hear about the sizes I could use. This conversation went on for several more minutes with him trying to sell me other sizes of steel that had in stock but I could not use them.


I have had allot of training in negotiations, conflict resolution and deescalating a violent situation but this guy was hellbent on a fight and I did not have the time to work through it. I did try for about 10 min.

Alternative methods of payment with the taterhead was definitely on my mind but as you said, jail time & lawsuits I do not need.

Wolfman:
I to have had several businesses in the past and more then once took a loss to keep my word to the customer. Yes, I took an initial loss but more then made up for it in repeat bus and they told others about my honesty and the bus rep grew.

Thank you for your responses and tolerating my rant.:)
 
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Daren Todd

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Sorry to here about your experience. I wonder sometimes how some places can stay in buisiness. I've always had a job that dealt directly with the public. And have always gone out of my way to make sure the customer is taken care of and the needs are met.

I just fired a machine/fab shop that we deal with at work over $60 in metal. I was in a bind and needed something fast for an emergency repair. Talked to the secretary and told her what I was looking for. She left and came back a couple minutes later and said "he won't be able to talk with you for an hour" :confused: for starters I had no idea who "he" was!!! Anyone in the shop could have helped me. All they had to do was go look at the metal rack, see if it was there. Cut me off a chunk and ask the owner how much. Should have been in and out in under ten minutes. I even asked her that. She said, nope, you have to wait. I said "sorry ya'll feel that way, and you can tell the owner they just lost our account". Just for the record, we aren't talking a couple hundred dollars a year in work. They lost $10k plus in machine and fab work yearly. I left there shop, literally drove across the street to another fab/machine shop, got the metal and signed them up as a vendor. You definitely gotta wonder about some people :rolleyes:
 

Diydave

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I prolly woulda dropped the piece of steel on his foot, but then again, I never have been known for my people skills... I think you showed extraordinary self control and restraint...:D
 

PHPaul

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Re: Steel SHYSTER Scarborough Me.

I deal with Lane Conveyor and Drive in Brewer, ME.

I first dealt with them when I was the Assistant Maintenance Manager at Bumblebee's (used to be Stinsons) cannery here in town. Got to to know the guys in steel sales pretty well.

After I left Bumblebee, I called them looking for a couple of small pieces of steel, fully expecting to get the "We're wholesale to business, not a chop shop for the garage DIY crowd"

Nope. They were more than happy to provide whatever I needed, at whatever quantity I needed. I've dealt with them ever since, usually for one or two pieces, almost always under $100. I call, tell Randy what I need, he calls me back when it's ready. Don't even have to give them a credit card, they just put my name on the ticket and I pay when I pick it up.

Nice folks, if they have a branch near you you might want to check them out.
 

olthumpa

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Thanks PHPaul. Unfortunately they do not have a location near me.

I usually get steel from Morin Steel Inc. and have never had a problem with them. They did not have the 4 1/2 x 4 1/2" x 1/2" in stock and were professional enough to tell me. I was going to be within 1/2 mile from Goldstein Steel Co. so I decided to give them a try since they SAID they had everything I needed in stock. BIG mistake.
 

Tooljunkie

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I needed some steel to build my sump/floor drain. Never dealt with this outfit ever. Explained what i wanted, said i was flexible in size and length or whatever worked fir them and was willing to buy the full sheet of 3/16".
Yes, we can do that right away-well right after coffee, come upstairs and join us.
Had coffee, met the guys in the shop and an hour later i was on my way home.
image.jpg . Heres end result.
Was something that was totally unexpected, decent price,good service and a good cup of coffee. I will be returning.
 

Tooljunkie

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I needed some steel to build my sump/floor drain. Never dealt with this outfit ever. Explained what i wanted, said i was flexible in size and length or whatever worked fir them and was willing to buy the full sheet of 3/16".
Yes, we can do that right away-well right after coffee, come upstairs and join us.
Had coffee, met the guys in the shop and an hour later i was on my way home.
View attachment 17189 . Heres end result.
Was something that was totally unexpected, decent price,good service and a good cup of coffee. I will be returning.

Its a shameful thing to take peoples money at the same time to be disrespectful. Without happy customers i would be out of business. My advertising is word of mouth only.
 

bcp

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I once visited a small steel supply business looking for a replacement cutting edge for a grader blade. I could have used any of several different thicknesses or styles, so I asked what sizes they had.

Their answer: "We have every size. We cut whatever size you need out of a sheet."

Sounded too strange to me.

Bruce
 

skeets

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I wonder how many deals have been done over a cup of coffee