Ashby Trade Signs – my experience

[Phill Fenton]

I have always found their service to be excellent. I would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone.

If you read their quotations it specifically states you should check these carefully for accuracy – which is more or less what you yourself are saying Peter – so I don’t really get your "problem"?

[Peter Dee]

Fine Phill, you haven’t had a problem but speaking from experience of dealing with them over many years I have seen standards slide, not with the products, just with some of the staff.
Yes, they do advise checking quotes for accuracy – perhaps this is why?
They allocate staff members to different companies so perhaps this would explain part of it.

I still use them and highly recommend them all the same.

If you feel that airing my experiences and advising people here to take care is just my "problem", then you have a problem with what a sign forum is all about IMHO.

[Tim Painter]

Ashby are about 15 minutes from me.
I would beg to differ that they can’t visualise a sign in the making – the sales office sits on a mezzanine floor over looking the shop floor production. They also have a small showroom on the sales floor.

I would agree that some people can’t visualise what drawings would look like once manufactured.

Their order system is designed to help them I guess and not leave out vital fixings – If their system calls up base plates etc they should run through the list and ask what you require though I suppose.

As others have said personally I can’t fault them.

[Warren Beard]

I have just used them for the first time and can say that I was very impressed, the quality of the product and service was fantastic. I received a call on the day of the delivery to check that I was happy and to find out if I needed anything else. As it was my first tray of this kind I was helped with technical hints and tips of fitting. I also received some great made up samples and colour chart.

As a new customer and rookie signmaker it was great to receive a quote that had everything I would need to fit it (including colour coded screws for a neat finish) without me having to ask, sure if I didn’t want it the quote would be out and agree that maybe they should ask but none the less I was overall very impressed.

On the quote side I fairly agree with Peter Dee as I have had bespoke requests before for quoting and had to be very detailed on my drawing to ensure an accurate quote, saying that though I don’t see how we should d o it any other way, if we don’t give detailed enough drawings or explanations how do we expect to get detailed accurate quotes 😕

cheers

Warren

[Russell Spencer]

Completely agree with the orginal post. Ashby are great for off the shelf things, straight from their catalogue etc. but go outside these parameters onto custom work and they seem to fall apart somewhat. But I dont think that is only Ashby I think that is industry wide, no-one wants custom work, they want to sell you off the shelf products. In my experience custom work is better subbed to local contractors where you can ‘see’ your work in progress and deal with any problems that crop up more easily.
As for your ‘problem’ Peter, I know how you feel, sometimes you just have to get stuff off your chest..!! 😀

[Gavin MacMillan]

I would also agree with the original post. I would also still use and recommend ashby but you have to keep an eye it all the way through and as mentioned on re-quotes in particular.

[Peter Dee]

So I was right to comment then?

I recently had an Ashby employee completely stumped when a blank panel was dearer than one with channel.
Bearing in mind I was giving a bulk order I had to get it right.
I could hear him keep typing in the requirements but still coming up with the same answer.
He actually said "that’s what the system says so it must be right".
But equally he couldn’t work out the error as he knew exactly what I wanted but couldn’t get the system to realise it!

Another "computer says no" syndrome.
It took 3 re-quotes and a few phone calls to sort it out.

[Gavin MacMillan]

I think you wrote your comments in a fair way. Didn’t look like needles supplier bashing to me, more just telling of your experiences, they may not be everyones but it’s still valid.

[Russell Spencer]

quote Peter Dee:

So I was right to comment then?

yes – its a discussion forum and as Gavin said you wrote a balanced post detailing your experience.

[Paul Hodges]

There’s another point to make regarding ashby that we’ve fallen foul of a few times. Whilst they usually give good prices and service for larger signs, their smaller sign quotes are actually very expensive and are not pro-rata at all.

I was told once that their folding and welding charge remains the same regardless of whether you order a 20′ sign or a 2′ sign, which quite frankly is ridiculous seeing as those of us with manufacturing backgrounds know full well that it takes a lot less time to fold and weld a small sign, but it’s details like this that make some of their stuff way too dear and something to be aware of.

[Phill Fenton]

quote Peter Dee:

If you feel that airing my experiences and advising people here to take care is just my “problem”, then you have a problem with what a sign forum is all about IMHO.

You’re over reacting to what I said. I was merely expressing another point of view based on my own experience.

[Peter Dee]

quote Phill:

quote Peter Dee:

If you feel that airing my experiences and advising people here to take care is just my “problem”, then you have a problem with what a sign forum is all about IMHO.

You’re over reacting to what I said. I was merely expressing another point of view based on my own experience.

Fairy nuff. 😉

[Chris Dowd]

quote Paul Hodges:

I was told once that their folding and welding charge remains the same regardless of whether you order a 20′ sign or a 2′ sign, which quite frankly is ridiculous seeing as those of us with manufacturing backgrounds know full well that it takes a lot less time to fold and weld a small sign

I don’t come from a "manufacturing background" however, coming from a "logical background" I see Ashby’s point entirely.

Think about it – both have the same number of corners, so the same number of welds. And apart from the fact that the larger sign requires more sheets in theory they both have the same number of folds, the only difference is the size of material.

[John Childs]

That may be true Chris but I have noticed the same thing with plate signs, with no folding or welds at all, where small Ashby ones can be quite expensive compared to some of their competitors.

[Simon.James]

I found Ashby to be very abrupt, I had a small problem when someone walked into one of there signs and needed 10 stitches in there head, the real problem was really down to me fitting a sign on a pole at 5 ft instead of at a height of 78 inches (will never make that cock up again). but I never in million years expected the sign to be so sharp and poorly made.

Rung Ashby to ask for a safety data sheet on there products, and asked the question why there railed signs were so sharp and so badly finished, they never bothered to get back to me. rung them several times and was just met by sales people who didnt have a clue, ending up speaking to some cockney wide bloke who was very abrupt and off the cuff with me and wasnt a bit concerned that there product had landed someone in hospital !

there railed signs are very poorly finished, rivets all the way through that look very poor and very sharp edges. would never use them again and to cap it all off they aint cheap.

blackburn metal (nationwide distributor) I find to be much professional.

[Phill Fenton]

Don’t you just love the litigation culture we now have. Pretty soon no company will be able to afford to stay in business for very long before some opportunist tries to sue them for some obscure lack of foresight

Simon – If I had been you I would have told your "Victim" not to be such an @rse and to look where he was walking next time 🙄