SMS Fabrics ????

[AndyC]

Anyone know what the deal is with SMS fabrics. Sent an Email two weeks ago for information, NO RESPONSE.

[real61ss]

I would call them. These people seem to be in thier own world. When I order material from them I usually recieve it in a timely fashion but order door panels (something that they have to make) and you will wait forever. The probably just haven't checked their email.

Edited April 28, 2016 by real61ss (see edit history)

[poci1957]

My experience was that their customer service was indifferent or worse but I was (eventually) happy with their stuff.  It took many months and whatever you do don't trust them for your color match, insist on getting samples for your own approval.  Among other things I used their door panel service for my 1957 Pontiac and they are outstanding, definitely worth the wait, Todd C

[Matt Harwood]

I've had similar experiences. Indifferent customer service (actually had to go to my credit card to get a refund), long wait times, and wrong products delivered multiple times. I wasn't even trying to match anything exotic. I learned in subsequent investigation with other fabric suppliers that SMS doesn't really stockpile a lot of fabrics. They merely wait until they have sufficient orders for a certain color/type and then do a run of it. I understand why they do that, but it may be a surprise when you call and they tell you it'll be months before they can get materials to you (and by the way, they WILL run your credit card immediately). They may have it on the shelf if it's very common, but if it's unusual you might wait a long time. They also buy some fabrics from other suppliers like Bill Hirsch and Lebaron-Bonney, so depending on what you need, it might be worthwhile to call around to other suppliers and see what they have.

 

On the other hand, SMS does good work on door panels and the fabrics they offer are good quality and usually an exact match, and if you have something that's otherwise unobtainable, they can probably make it from a sample, which is pretty amazing. If you can survive the customer service and potentially long wait, you'll likely be satisfied with the finished product.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[D Yaros]

SMS did my door panels and I had nothing whatsoever to complain about in terms of the transaction and service.

 

Let me point out that I was warned in advance of a need for patience and the  possibility of  long wait times.  With that info in hand my first contact was by telephone.  In that conversation I requested a timeline for completion, which was given to me.  I then kept tabs of my order by monthly emails.  Yes, I did say monthly.  Fortunately, my all my periodic emails  were promptly responded to by the folk at SMS.  This may have been because  they were  from a paying customer with an order in progress, and not just an info inquiry?

 

The key for me was knowing in advance what to expect in terms of time required, and keeping on them re: progress via email.

 

When I bedded my car  for the winter I sent them the door panels.  I got them back in time for the next driving season.  In my case we  are talking from October through January to complete the panels.

 

 

[Bhigdog]

Most of the comments here are anecdotal and so range from good to not so good. They have provided panels, parts, and various fabrics for me for 4 cars and have generally been fine to deal with given the nature of their business. I'm certain they deal daily with " tire kickers", price shoppers, nit pickers, sample seekers and folks just trying to get free information. I imagine that would account for the jaded customer service. I'm also certain the turn around times vary greatly depending on how common your car is.

In my experience they have quoted up to 12 month waits but they have delivered in that time frame and the work was flawless.

I have only had two issues with them over the years and they resolved both issues in a timely manner. The first issue was a roll of fabric that had numerous stains on it. They issued a UPS pick up order and replaced the fabric in good time. The second issue was a head liner for my 56 Chrysler. It just would not fit correctly and measurements just did not look correct but I didn't know why. I talked to the customer service gals expecting a hassle since I didn't know what exactly what was wrong. They had the head seamstress call me back later that day and she issued a UPS pick up order to return it for inspection. She subsequently called back after they received it and said the front section was sewn in backwards and they would correct it and ship it back that day. Which they did.

I would recommend them highly with the caveats mentioned above and suggest patience and civility when dealing with them.................Bob

[poci1957]

1 hour ago, D Yaros said:

SMS did my door panels and I had nothing whatsoever to complain about in terms of the transaction and service.

 

When I bedded my car  for the winter I sent them the door panels.  I got them back in time for the next driving season.  In my case we  are talking from October through January to complete the panels.

 

 

Those door panels look incredible, as did mine, that is a valuable service there and my (long ago) price was quite reasonable considering (but took about 11 months IIRC).  I guess Bob is probably right that they probably get lots of time wasters on the phone, I have a friend in a restoration shop that says they always treat her very well.  As he suggested, give them a little time and you will get good stuff in the end, Todd C

[60FlatTop]

I sold SMS some fabric sample books a few years ago. They paid fast! Now, that's the sign of a good company. Most companies, as well as most governments, look at suppliers as their private banks. Good company.

Bernie

[John_S_in_Penna]

I have ordered from SMS a few times and have

always gotten good service.  Though their prices

are a bit higher than other fabric suppliers', they have fabrics

(or access to fabrics) that other suppliers may not.

They are the premier source and are well reputed in the hobby.

 

I agree that their response time isn't quick.

It may take them 2 weeks before they mail samples.

However, I think telephoning in your request for samples,

and your order of fabrics, may help a little bit.

And a follow-up call after 2 weeks never hurts, either.

[studeboy]

I used them for fabric for upholstering my 1940. They had the right stuff when no one else did. With good timely service. However I had them make a headliner for the same car. It did not fit as they has sewed one of the  bow holders in the wrong place. 

[AndyC]

Thanks for all the responses. I have delt with them before, although it has been several years ago. Their response for info at that time was only about 72 hours. I am by no means bashing them, the products i received at that time were excellent. Just curious about present response time.

Edited April 29, 2016 by AndyC (see edit history)

[NeilO]

Don,t get me started.  I will never deal with them again.

 

 

 Neil

[John_Mc]

I have a $300 order in with them and I'm hoping for the best.  Historically, I'd rate their customer service as simply abysmal but they have items that you can't get anywhere else so they have you, if you want to do it correctly.  Word to the wise:. Build in p-l-e-n-t-y of time, they don't use the same calendar as the rest of the world.

Edited April 29, 2016 by John_Mc (see edit history)

[LINC400]

I placed an order with them one year ago, and I am still waiting. However, this was not a normal order. When my grandmother passed away, I decided to have her couch reupholstered. No fabric place had fabric that looked even remotely close to it. I checked with SMS, and the most similar material is from a 1961 Imperial, they sent an extremely tiny sample (1 inch by 2 inch). However, it did not come in white. They agreed to not only make it in white, but duplicate the fabric on the couch instead of using the Imperial fabric.

 

They requested larger and larger samples (2 feet by 2 feet) from me that I had to keep cutting off of the couch. And wanted half of the money down. I sent that. So now I am still waiting a year later. I ask for updates about once a month, and they do reply promptly with different excuses as to why it is not done yet. I have heard others say it takes them a very long time. But I am getting tired of the wait and excuses. I did check with my credit card company, and they said that as long as I have a trail of correspondence, they will still refund me after all this time if I end up getting screwed. But I am still hoping they will eventually come through. That reminds me, it is about time to send a monthly email.....

[61polara]

In my opinion, SMS is the best we have.  They have searched the country for materials which are no longer produced and have bought up large amounts of inventory.  My last experience with them was about 10 years ago when they bought the inventory of a huge wholesaler.  They paid quickly, but it took months and finally a letter from an attorney stating that if they did not remove the inventory in 60 days it would revert to the seller.  They finally hauled out 6 trailer loads. 

 

For years, they have seemed to have inventory control problems. it's like they know they have it, but don't know where it is.  They seem to ship you material when they find it.  It's high quality when you receive it.

[poci1957]

On April 29, 2016 at 6:45 AM, studeboy said:

I had them make a headliner for the same car. It did not fit as they has sewed one of the  bow holders in the wrong place. 

I also got a headliner that did not fit

[Roger Zimmermann]

Over the years, I bought several items from SMS. I ordered door panels for a '59 Cadillac; the waiting time was more than one year. For other people I ordered headliners; they were usually wrong. However, as people are looking at the material only when they want to use it, there was no free exchange, which I understand.

With the exception of the delays, the overall satisfaction is good.