Let’s face it, most people don’t wake up excited to switch suppliers.

It’s messy. It takes time. And it usually means things have already gotten bad enough to make you consider it in the first place. 

But here’s the truth: if your current supplier is slowing you down, costing you money, or just making your job harder than it needs to be… it might be time to walk away. 

So how do you know for sure when it’s time to make the switch? 

Here are five red flags our customers tell us pushed them to finally move on, and what to look for before it starts hurting your bottom line.

             

1. You’re Waiting on Quotes… and Waiting… and Waiting 

If getting a quote takes longer than it takes to run a marathon, that’s a problem. 

In the downstream oil & gas world, your customers expect quick responses, and if your supplier can’t keep up, you’re the one who looks bad. Fast quote turnaround isn’t a luxury anymore—it’s a competitive necessity. 

2. Stock Levels Are a Mystery 

If you have to call or email every time you want to know if something’s in stock, that’s a sign your supplier isn’t investing in tools to make your life easier. 

Live inventory visibility should be table stakes in 2025. If it’s not, you’re losing precious time every single day. 

3. You're Getting Blindsided by Price Increases 

Sure, pricing shifts. But if your supplier drops a 75% increase on you without warning that’s more than a price change, it’s a trust issue. 

You need partners who give you pricing transparency and help you plan ahead, not ones who leave you scrambling to explain it to your customer. 

4. You Can’t Get Anyone on the Phone 

This one’s simple: if support is hard to reach, slow to respond, or constantly shuffling you between departments, that’s not support, it’s a headache. And in a business where time really is money, every delay costs you. 

5. You're Doing Too Much Legwork If you feel like you're doing their job just to place an order or solve a problem, you're not in a partnership, you're in a one-sided relationship. 

You deserve a supplier that helps you work smarter, not harder.

The Good News? 

There are suppliers out there that get it, ones that prioritize response time, stock transparency, pricing clarity, and real support from real people. 

At Petrovalve, we built our buyer experience with you in mind:

Fast quotes
Live stock availability
Smart alternatives to big brand markups
Human support that picks up the phone 

Switching doesn’t have to be hard. Sometimes, it’s the smartest move you can make. 

Ready to see the difference? Let’s talk.