"I was lied to 3 separate times about delivery and still don't have product nor does my customer, bad business! "
"We ordered a huge load of cumaru and garapa for a deck rebuild project. Honestly, we hesitated a little bit because it was a pricey choice and also because of the negative reviews on this website. We had absolutely no issues with delivery, even though it was a little weird because their shipping company (totally different people) must usually drop off at warehouses because they asked us where our forklift was located. Lol. But we got it all inspected and stacked with spacers in between and let it acclimate. Let your stuff get used to your job site, people! Why do you think your boards are cupping. Jeez. Order with enough advance notice to let it sit out for a week or two. Also possibly of help - before you order, ask Advantage Lumber what they have in stock. You might be really happy with some of their discounts on things that they don't have a ton of, but which can be used as decorative elements. That's what we did - ordered garapa for stair backings, and cumaru for the rest.
A little flex on your part there will also help with shipping delays, since you'll know in advance what's actually available. All these kinds of wood look great together, so don't sweat it.
In fact, the wood is kinda glamorous. It seriously looks like stuff you'd make furniture out of. We ordered a few extra pieces of everything just so we could be sure if something arrived badly damaged that we could still complete the job, but nothing more than a few small scratches were apparent and they were covered easily with Ipe Oil. Super minor. We had so much extra material that we were able to do cladding all across, which was a cool surprise. No complaints - great job!"
"I was impressed by the huge selection and the staff was pretty helpful. It did take a little longer than expected to get cashed out but they were busy. "
"The staff was excellent and more than helpful to educate and extend any experience they might have about Ipe and the installation process. The attention to detail the quality of the product and the timely way it all came together, could not make me happier! I'm a contractor and have had bad expereinces with ordering hardwood from unknown sources in the past, not anymore with one call to Neal, I was set and the order was processed along with the admin of a new account for our company. At Your Service takes great pleasure in thanking them for a job well done and the quality of the material is second to none. Is there a 6 Star Rating, if so you all deserve it!!! Thanks again to all at Advantage Lumber our new supplier for all things hardwood south of the border. "
"I say the review by VikingHouse1, about the poor packing of lumber so that it was damaged. I had the same experience with a recent order of IPE lumber; the shipper opened the door and showed the poor packing, and the damage. However, from that point on, my experience was quite different from his and from the other 1- and 2-star reviews: Advantage Lumber staff worked hard to make it right, even with a communication snafu here and there. That made more sense to me, because I asked many questions, over several emails, prior to ordering, and the staff (Matthew G. in particular) always responded promptly, and patiently. (I've never worked with IPE, or with invisible fastener systems, so wanted to do my due diligence). My replacement boards are on the way, and IPE lumber is really quite beautiful, and hardy."
"I purchased online from Advantage and had a generally very poor experience. First, it took many calls and emails to get the order right. There were math errors and careless errors in the quotes I received, and almost all the errors were in Advantage's favor. When the quote was finally correctly completed, the shipping process took significantly longer than discussed and the communication during shipping was non-existent. When I called for updates the response was always some form of "I don't know". When the wood did come it had been packaged badly and a number of the expensive boards were damaged, some badly. The damage was completely due to the packaging -- the shipper was at the mercy of Advantage's packers. Key items were missing from the shipment, forcing the contractor to delay the work again. When I called to ask why the items weren't shipped I was told they were out of stock. I asked when they'd be back in stock and was told they didn't know, but they'd cancel my order. And of course the items showed up a week later and despite several emails and calls Advantage didn't refund the money. Honestly the only positive part of the process was that the undamaged wood was straight. It had little of the beautiful Tigerwood figure I was looking for. All around very bad experience."
"I was hesitant to work with Advantage given some of the negative reviews here. I can only speak to our experience, but it was fantastic. We worked with John in their Florida office. He was extremely knowledgeable and clear in setting our expectations on the product, delivery timing and process for replacing damaged wood. Our wood is beautiful and we will plan on working with these guys again "
"I ordered enough ipe to make a memorial bench for a police officer. The wood showed up in short order, and the customer service was excellent. I emailed to find out about delivery times and was pleased to get a quick response. Beyond that they stayed in touch until it was delivered! All the wood was in excellent condition and milled perfectly. Give Advantage Lumber a try and you'll not be disappointed. "
"After reading the posts about poor customer service I was reluctant to order from these folks. I just wanted to order turning blanks since they say they have nice wood at good prices. I ordered my blanks over a week ago and have yet to hear that they have received my order or are working on it or are still in business. If you aren't in a hurry go ahead and try your luck but know ahead of time that there is no service after the sale. "
"I didn't ask for much just for IPE but when I got the wood there was not a single piece of Ipe. Every time I go to the site they say they are making room for inventory. I don't know whats going on here but most definitely the customer is not first."
"Placed order on May 24. It is now July 12 - 7 weeks later and the shipment has yet to leave their warehouse. They rope you in with promises of 1-3 week ship times, but the reality is if you get it in the same calendar year, you're lucky. There are much better suppliers out there. However, if you are looking to add some new excuses to your arsenal, give these guys a call and ask where your shipment is."
"The '1-3 days for shipping' is now 15 days and counting, while my project is at a standstill...
The fact that I paid a fortune for shipping is hurting pretty bad right now and I still have no idea when it will show up as there's no-one to call - it would have been faster and cheaper for me to drive to Buffalo. "
"I can not say enough about the staff. From the moment I walked in the door everyone was so friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. This is one place I will be sure to visit every time I'm in Buffalo even if I don't have a specific project in mind. Shawn is always great to talk to and bounce ideas off of. Can't wait for the wife to let me visit again. "
"Bought decking based on salespersons input, thought I was good to go, but the amount wasn't enough, now need more but company won't work with me to get rest of what I need. Oddball sizes are not helpful, prices too expensive with shipping. Material has a tendency to be substandard."
"I spent over $3500 on Cumaru decking with Advantage and was a repeat customer from several years ago. Unfortunately I had to go back to order some additional items to complete my deck with a total value of $305 which did not qualify for the free shipping. I had to use freight shipping which came in at $151, so I called them up and they were willing to cover 50% of the shipping cost based on my original order. Definitely appreciated the help!
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