One thing I do when it comes to vendors, is I try to research as much as I can about them and I can happily say so far so good. But one thing in regards to Apollo was the website and the video doc on the liquid manufacturing process...Now what would this have anything to do with customer service?.....Answer is money invested. No one in their right mind would invest so much money into a business only to fail due to poor customer service. It is very apparent that Apollo has made a large investment!
So how can this apply to small B&M online shops? Not easy, but there are things one can look at. What does the website look like, is it well designed? The review section is something I take with a grain of salt but it does pay to read. Another way is to start a communication with product/service questions, how do they respond to it. Another is inventory. If a site has a limited inventory chances are they do not have the capital to invest in more products and/or pay the taxes on said inventory, especially if it moves slow. OFC space is another reason for small inventories, but how does this play a role? By not having the cash flow or capital to have a larger facility but does not indicate poor service, however it can affect the staff hired, one reason there are many "dummies" working as reps/clerks. None of this is cast in stone as there are many small operations that are great, but can be of help in selecting vendors.
Sorry for the long winded diatribe, just have time to burn but perhaps readers will take some of this into account and not make purchases solely based on price and product lines.
