How much experience do you have in the PVC fencing business?
You want to find a supplier who has been trained and has the required experience fabricating and installing the product. Not just supplying PVC.
Do you do the fabrication locally?
Be wary of suppliers who simply import pre-fabricated products (i.e. a product made to order) as these suppliers are just putting a markup on the product and reselling it to you. You might as well import the product yourself as these suppliers add no value to the product.
Ask the supplier if he can send you contact names and numbers of people who have purchased from them.
You also want to find a supplier with reference sites with product that have been installed for at least 3 years. Phone these suppliers for an honest, unbiased opinion. You don't want details for demo sites that have been installed by agents or reps trying to sell the product as they will offer a biased opinion.
Do your research on the supplier.
Ask for the suppliers VAT number or use the company name to do a search on the SARS efiling website. Visit www.efiling.co.za. On the SARS eFiling homepage, select VAT VENDOR SEARCH from the drop down menu.
Is the supplier registered with CIPRO (as required by SA Law)? Ask for the suppliers company registration number. Visit www.cipro.gov.za to determine if the supplier is registered with CIPRO.
Ask for photographs of completed jobs.
Ask for a few photographs of each site. Many suppliers just send pictures from overseas sites.
Ask the supplier if he can send you product samples?
This is the best way to compare the quality of the end product. A fabricating supplier will have samples of all products advertised on their website, so you should receive this in a few days.
Ask to see the terms of the warranty.
Be wary of companies that do not disclose the full contents of their warranty. Many extruders from Eastern countries produce an inferior, cheap alternative. You cannot risk just taking their word for it.
Ask for technical info.
Do your homework and ask about installation methods, soil conditions, reinforcing, gates and welding, co-extrusion. You will soon realise if you are dealing with an expert.