Seven Common Problems with Marble, Travertine, and Other Natural Stone Suppliers
Dealing directly with the producer is normally an excellent way to reduce costs and cut out the middle-man. That is, if the factory has the capacity and abililty to fulfill the order, does everything they say they're going to do, packages everything correctly, and ships on time. Unfortunately, producers often have other agendas besides your satisfaction.
Significant customer problems are not common when you buy directly from a marble, travertine, or other natural stone supplier in Turkey. Business philosophies, customs, and standards which may be the norm in your country are not necessarily the norm here. There are natural stone suppliers in Turkey which are excellent, with high quality standards (we work with some of them). And there are suppliers which are not. The fact that not every quarry has every type of marble or travertine is another variable, so the availability of the stone, and who has it, also determines which company you will have to source it from. Because of that, having someone in Turkey who can perform an on-site, hands-on inspection and ensure the quality of your order is a must, and buying factory-direct is a gamble at best.
Our intention is not to generalize and lump all marble, travertine, and natural stone suppliers in Turkey into the same basket, but to inform you, in a very frank way, of problems you may face in buying directly from a natural stone supplier. We compiled a list of of these most common problems from:
- Our own personal experience in dealing with marble, travertine, and other natural stone suppliers
- Our current customers' experiences before we became their procuring agent in Turkey
- Marketing surveys done by the US Commercial Service in conjunction with the US consulate in Istanbul (if you would like a copy of this survey, please request one using our contact form).
1. Exaggerating Capacity:
This is probably the most common problem buyers face. While it would seem illogical for a factory owner to accept an order he or she could not fill, they still do it. Their rationale is that once they have the initial payment for your order, you're committed, and they'll tell you anything they have to in order to get your order. We've also received assurances from factory owners that they have the necessary capacity, but on the factory floor, we can clearly see that they only have a portion of the capacity the owner or manager told us that they had. Obviously, if you placed an order with one of these factories, relying on the information given, your order would be significantly late, and/or the quality would suffer as they rush the order through production.
We don't take anyone's word when it comes to their capacity to produce. We verify it, on-site and in-person.
2. Assigning Your Order a Lower Priority, Because a Larger Order Came In:
This isn't uncommon in other industries, besides the natural stone industry. The scenario is that you, the overseas buyer, even after visiting Turkey and the factory involved, are satisfied that the factory can and will fulfill the order on time. Production starts, and is in progress when the factory receives another order which is more lucrative than yours. So your order is assigned a lower priority, and the production of your order is significantly delayed.
This is where our relationships with quarries and factories comes in. In the first case, we don't deal with quarries or factories which engage in this practice. Secondly, our suppliers know that, if they perform according to specifications and production schedules, we will bring them more business. Because we represent many foreign buyers, it removes the incentive to bump us down on the priority list. Additionally, our physical presence in Turkey not only facilitates face-to-face interraction, but also confrontations when necessary, which our suppliers are usually wise enough to avoid.
3. Mixing a High-quality Selection of Stone with a Lesser Quality One:
Of course, a raw, uncut block of natural stone will vary in quality. Parts of it will be exactly what you're looking for, and other parts will not. But the owners and managers of natural stone quarries and factories want to sell their stock, and if they don't have enough stone of high quality selection, they'll try to push the lesser quality portions on you, or salt the shipment with that amount of lesser-quality stone which makes it too much of a hassle to return.
We represent you, not the factory. While the factory owner or manager will select what he or she thinks is acceptable and present it to us, we perform a second selection, and reject anything we don't think will make you happy. We're under no obligation to buy anything from the quarry or factory owners, and if they don't have what you're looking for, we'll go elsewhere. We may also source from multiple quarries to make sure you have exactly what you want, in the quantity you want. The supplier can sell the lesser-quality stuff to somebody else!
4. Misinforming the Customer about Production Progress:
"It's always ready on the telephone" is one of our sayings regarding this practice. We've had instances where this claim was made, that is, the factory manager was telling one of our potential customers that their order was ready. We paid a no-notice visit to the factory, to find that production had not even begun! While this might sound humorous, these practices can damage a buyer's reputation with his or her customers when relying on these claims from the supplier.
5. Quality Problems with the Cut, Fill, or Finish:
Overseas buyers sometimes receive shipments which have problems with the bevel, honing, filling, or polishing of the product. Sometimes this is because of a problem while communicating the specifications of the order, other times it's because of laziness, or the "good enough" attitude of the factory workers or middle management. In any case, it's unacceptable. While there are ISO 9000 certified production facilities in Turkey, once a factory passes receives their certification, it doesn't necessarily mean that they have an enduring quality culture from the bottom up. While European Nations and the US have undergone what might be called a "quality revolution," Turkey is undergoing a more gradual change.
6. Inadequate Packaging for Shipping:
Even when specified in the contract, buyers may find that their products were not shipped with the proper wrappings necessary to get them safely to their destination. This may or may not result in damage to the products.
We're on site during the packaging and crating process. And we make sure it's done right, from the quarry to the container.
7. Failing to Learn from Feedback Regarding Previous Orders:
In some cases, buyers were dissatisfied with the way an order was processed, and followed up with an e-mail or telephone call to the factory, asking them to change something (such as the type of fill used in travertine tiles). But on subsequent orders, they found that the supplier shipped them goods with the exact same problems.
We seldom have this problem, because we verify everything with you, through every stage of production, including sending you photographs of the product to make sure it's exactly what you ordered. Quality, for us, is not just an acceptance inspection, it's part of the entire production process. And when dealing with our suppliers, we make sure it's part of theirs.
Many of our long-time customers came to us after having problems dealing directly with Turkish Marble, Travertine, or Natural Stone suppliers. And they stay with us, because they can't afford the damage to their reputation which can come from an unreliable supply chain. We spare our customers the time, the expense, the worry, and the headaches that they would ordinarily have without us, and it's worth every cent. Thankfully, none of the problems listed above are inevitable, but avoiding them requires someone in-country, and on-site. That's us. That's why we exist.
If we can answer any of your questions regarding the marble, travertine, and natural stone industry in Turkey, or if you are interested in working with us as your buying agent, please contact us at 1(240) 645-0729 (in the United States) or +44 20 8819 2516 (in the United Kingdom), or by using our contact form.