I can certainly sympathize with the supplier problems, etc. I'm in the trucking industry, and, had it not been for those nasty fuel surcharges, I would have been out of business two years ago, instead of last November (and the problem then wasn't fuel costs, but maintenance costs).
There are two kinds of companies that manage to do well when things get tough. There are those who don't care about their customers, so they just ease on the down the road, staying a few steps ahead of the villagers with the pitchforks. And then there are those who realize that more than anything else, people are willing to pay well for quality and service.
And just a word of advice: If you pay for something with a credit card and don't have it in your hands within 45 days, cancel the order or at least the payment. After 60 days, you have no recourse to your card company if you NEVER receive your product. I understand this is a special situation, involving special arrangements, and I have NEVER had a problem with TP, but I wouldn't want to get stuck with a $450 charge that it was impossible to reverse.
I appreciate Brian coming in and explaining. Circumstances in the industry right now are such that a reputable company that HAS business can do some heavy-duty negotiating, and it sounds like it might be time for that.
