Check your pricing.

[Jonnie Fraz]

Well boys and girls I hope this is a good place for this.

Recently I found out that I have been just been paying too much for my welding gasses, and it has me hopping mad.
I have been a customer with this company for about twenty years. They have always had much better customer service than the other supply that is a little closer to me, so I have stayed loyal to them. Now this company is a big outfit and they supply gas to all the local shops in the area, so if they are the supplier they must have the best prices...Yes? Well not really. When I would question the rise in refill prices the manager would just say "Prices are going up everywhere. Why would I need to shop my vendor? I have been a loyal customer for twenty years, and they supply the other guys. No way could their prices be better.
Well my vendor is not open weekends and my buddy ran outta gas, so I told him to drop in at the other shop and get the tank filled since we needed it for the weekend project. I told him it would be about $40.00 to fill his little CO2. He comes back and says "that was cheep!" $25.00 for the fill up. Ok so I call them on the price for Argon...cheeper. Now I am mad. No "inspection fee", no "hazardous materials" fee just straight refill price.
One of my friends manages the regional supply wherehouse, and he is going to talk to the regional sales manager to see if they can keep me as a customer, but I am plenty mad right now.

Well the moral of the story is no matter how good a customer you are you might want to see what else is out there.

I purposely left the name of the company out of here, but I am sure a few of you know who I am talking about.

[shovelon]

Hmmm,

Does it rhyme with raregrass?

[kaferhaus]

I routinely "shop" everyone of my vendors. I have no qualms about switching vendors in a heartbeat. I will pay a small premium for superb service, but "good service" is a given in my book.

I often swap steel vendors depending on the particular product I'm buying... one usually has better prices on square tube and another on plate or bar stock.

A recent quote I got on 1.5" square tube was over 5 bucks a stick cheaper from a vendor I rarely use... My primary vendor couldn't match the price so they didn't get that order.

I own every tank in the shop so switching gas vendors is easy for us. Done that a few times too.

The LWSs around here get very little business from us either. Parts and consumable prices are out of sight so most all of that is ordered online.... It's bad when you can have it shipped in and even with the freight it's cheaper...

[lotechman]

Years ago as a kid in an office I helped to maintain a looseleaf binder that the purchasing agent had on his desk. He had prices on everything they bought. When the price went up he was on the phone to the competition. That was before computers.
It taught me that checking your the prices charged is a smart thing to do on a regular basis.

[soutthpaw]

I found that too. but airgas was $30 higher for a 125 argon but 15 cheaper for a 40 cf 75/25 than another local lws so from now on I am calling ahead to check prices. I just got a 125cf steelmix at airgas for $50.. guy asked me what I was paying at home in CO and matched it... if you have a preferred supplier then ask nicely for a price match

[rock mafia]

Used to swap cyl at natl welders before it was airgas. Never had an account, always talked to the same older guy, bout $25 to swap out my tank. Went in one day and he had been fired, guy at the counter charged about $60. Said it cost them more than $25 for the Ar/CO2. If that's the case I guess breathing is not free either.

I have another supplier that comes to my house in his personal truck and swaps my tank every couple of months for 20-30% less than raregas. He deals mostly with medocal oxygen, swaps out all his welding gas tanks at...airgas.

[brucer]

i've tried several times to deal and purchase with airgas, i cant deal with airgas... in my area anything they sell is overpriced... it seems all they want is business accounts, and i also know several local businesses that have now stopped using airgas in my area..

i quit using them when they stopped honoring my lifetime lease... i went to a not so local lws yet they deliver and contents are pretty much 1/2 the price..

[fortyonethirty]

Check your pricing is right, demand better prices and you might get 'em.

A friend of mine who is the in the HVAC business had been a customer of the company formerly known as A&R welding, before it was bought by unfairgas. His father started the business and they had been loyal customers for decades. Then one day he was in a hurry and bought some refrigerant gas from the HVAC supply house, and it cost less than from unfairgas, even though the supply house got it from unfairgas in the first place. So he went in, read them the riot act, and somehow got the same pricing as the supply house, and it turns out that the new pricing applies to all their gases, not just HVAC stuff. So, now I use his account to buy my argon and, last I looked, I paid about $35 for a 200 cu. ft. bottle. I previously paid almost $90.

[farmshop]

It is sad everyone says to buy local. But than local companies bend you over. Shop at my local unfair gas as little as possible. Try but the pricing is bad the customer service sucks its like they dont want to be bothered by me. Dont know if thats the corporate motto or just select a holes. How can prices be so much higher dont they by in volume like some of the onlines. What got me is buying a 11lb roll of aluminum wire and paying a haz mat charge

[wbolden]

Check your pricing is right, demand better prices and you might get 'em.

A friend of mine who is the in the HVAC business had been a customer of the company formerly known as A&R welding, before it was bought by unfairgas. His father started the business and they had been loyal customers for decades. Then one day he was in a hurry and bought some refrigerant gas from the HVAC supply house, and it cost less than from unfairgas, even though the supply house got it from unfairgas in the first place. So he went in, read them the riot act, and somehow got the same pricing as the supply house, and it turns out that the new pricing applies to all their gases, not just HVAC stuff. So, now I use his account to buy my argon and, last I looked, I paid about $35 for a 200 cu. ft. bottle. I previously paid almost $90.

Yes I also found out recently the same thing thes treat you as if you are a third world customer. My local A...gas recently changed mgmt and my prices rose 60-70% and after 34 years I went to a competor they found out and offered me a better price after the move to some one else. I was truly suprised after an old buddy spoke to the new mgr and I got an apology and a gurantee of a 10% better price of any one within 100 miles lets see how long this lasts.
wbolden

[jsmarine]

$140-180 in Hawaii. Ar 125.

[shovelon]

$140-180 in Hawaii. Ar 125.

Ouch!

[Dualie]

Airgas has a NASTY habit of doing this. REPEATEDLY!

[dunemetal]

Just bought another "Q" cylinder(80 cf) of argon from local Praxair. About $170 for cylinder, $40 for gas, $3.75 for hazmat charge. Pay cash and I'm told I get the same rate as my company. Bought my Maxstar from them, too.

[bert the welder]

Sadly, "customer loyalty" being the thing to do has gone the way of "the handshake". It's like when an employer spouts off about employee loyalty. Yet they'll kick yer arse to the curb without blinking if the time comes.
It's good to keep a little black book with you, to jot down prices when you're out and about. Then you know.
Your only loyalty is to your business and you.

[jbmprods]

I read all these horror stories about airgas from around the country and can only say it has to be store management. my local airgas charges me 3% above their cost on everything i buy. which is always as cheap or cheaper then all the online suppliers and 25- 50% less then the other lws that i have had an account with for 25 yrs. if im interested in something they don't stock they will order it in for me and always tell me if i decide i don't like it or want it after it comes in not to worry about it they will just put it on the shelf and someone will buy it. items i use everyday that they don't normally stock in their inventory they will stock just for me and put it on the shelf for all to buy but will always have extra in stock just for when i need it. when the acetylene shortage came up i received a letter from airgas explaining the problem with the shortage. same letter that some of you received no doubt. when i asked the store manager about it he said "don't worry jim it won't effect you. you will get all you want and the price won't increase much." if i need something after hours or on the weekend they will meet me at the store to get it for me. when i bought my tig unit from them the airgas area rep brought out the Lincoln rep and they gave me a 4 hour coffee break crash course on how to tig with the machine. (not that it really helped me to be good at it lol). with customer service like all the above it's very hard for me to bad mouth them. i do know that all the above is subject to change if new management takes over.

[shovelon]

I wouldn't regard it as local as much as regional.

[bert the welder]

WOW!!!!! You got a real gem there! You couldn't that from a LWS 99.9% of the time. This is the kind of place I take a box of beer to on a Friday to say Thank You. Donuts are good to if management prefers no booze.
Also writing to Lincoln to praise their local rep for his above the call help is good for his career with them and a good Thank You as well.

I read all these horror stories about airgas from around the country and can only say it has to be store management. my local airgas charges me 3% above their cost on everything i buy. which is always as cheap or cheaper then all the online suppliers and 25- 50% less then the other lws that i have had an account with for 25 yrs. if im interested in something they don't stock they will order it in for me and always tell me if i decide i don't like it or want it after it comes in not to worry about it they will just put it on the shelf and someone will buy it. items i use everyday that they don't normally stock in their inventory they will stock just for me and put it on the shelf for all to buy but will always have extra in stock just for when i need it. when the acetylene shortage came up i received a letter from airgas explaining the problem with the shortage. same letter that some of you received no doubt. when i asked the store manager about it he said "don't worry jim it won't effect you. you will get all you want and the price won't increase much." if i need something after hours or on the weekend they will meet me at the store to get it for me. when i bought my tig unit from them the airgas area rep brought out the Lincoln rep and they gave me a 4 hour coffee break crash course on how to tig with the machine. (not that it really helped me to be good at it lol). with customer service like all the above it's very hard for me to bad mouth them. i do know that all the above is subject to change if new management takes over.

[jontheturboguy]

All sounds like the same horror stories. I used to get my S size argon cylinder filled for around $70 when all said and done.
I found a local company, who has been around longer, and they charge me around $25 for the same thing - DELIVERED to the shop!
It pays to take a couple minutes of your time and shop around.

[MadMax31]

I have an "Inside Man" at our Airgas, 5% above whatever they pay for any given product.

I get rod sometimes for free. I have no account, dont own a business either. I used to work with my "Inside Man", until he was unfairly terminated from our company, and apparently Im the only guy who still calls him to check up on him....Hmm

I want to beat the Be-Jesus out of the other counter guy, what an arrogant ***. Stop telling me what I need, you're behind the counter and Im behind the hood for a reason!!

[technoid]

Well boys and girls I hope this is a good place for this.

Recently I found out that I have been just been paying too much for my welding gasses, and it has me hopping mad.
I have been a customer with this company for about twenty years. They have always had much better customer service than the other supply that is a little closer to me, so I have stayed loyal to them. Now this company is a big outfit and they supply gas to all the local shops in the area, so if they are the supplier they must have the best prices...Yes? Well not really. When I would question the rise in refill prices the manager would just say "Prices are going up everywhere. Why would I need to shop my vendor? I have been a loyal customer for twenty years, and they supply the other guys. No way could their prices be better.
Well my vendor is not open weekends and my buddy ran outta gas, so I told him to drop in at the other shop and get the tank filled since we needed it for the weekend project. I told him it would be about $40.00 to fill his little CO2. He comes back and says "that was cheep!" $25.00 for the fill up. Ok so I call them on the price for Argon...cheeper. Now I am mad. No "inspection fee", no "hazardous materials" fee just straight refill price.
One of my friends manages the regional supply wherehouse, and he is going to talk to the regional sales manager to see if they can keep me as a customer, but I am plenty mad right now.

Well the moral of the story is no matter how good a customer you are you might want to see what else is out there.

I purposely left the name of the company out of here, but I am sure a few of you know who I am talking about.

How about this one? I drive 40 miles round trip to pickup a small tank of acet gas for $35. I get it home and find out it only has 75 Lbs in it! I had to drive all the way back there to find that they mixed up the emptys with the filled! Cost me just as much in gasoline to correct their problem! The problem for me here is they are the only supplier close enough to get welding gas from. Sucks! So now I bring a gauge with me and check them befor I leave.

[shovelon]

how about this one? I drive 40 miles round trip to pickup a small tank of acet gas for $35. I get it home and find out it only has 75 lbs in it! I had to drive all the way back there to find that they mixed up the emptys with the filled! Cost me just as much in gasoline to correct their problem! The problem for me here is they are the only supplier close enough to get welding gas from. Sucks! So now i bring a gauge with me and check them befor i leave.

ouch!

[bert the welder]

I have an "Inside Man" at our Airgas, 5% above whatever they pay for any given product.

I get rod sometimes for free. I have no account, dont own a business either. I used to work with my "Inside Man", until he was unfairly terminated from our company, and apparently Im the only guy who still calls him to check up on him....Hmm

I want to beat the Be-Jesus out of the other counter guy, what an arrogant ***. Stop telling me what I need, you're behind the counter and Im behind the hood for a reason!!

Inside man is always the best!
My golden rule: find the guy without any attitude, gives you the straight speak, and "see's what he can do".This is the guy/gal I go to ONLY! They get to know you and your business and won't steer you wrong. You don't deal with anyone other than them and make it known to the rest, especially management( IE: If he/she ain't there, neither am I). This person gets beer/donuts/scotch/lunch a couple times a year as a nod to their help.