I want to second the clear-headed comments made by Thruxtonone. I was going to add my comments to the recent thread on possible vendor abuse, but I didn't see the value of adding fuel to the fire. Since it came up again here are my two cents:
One cent: I ordered parts from one of our vendors around Christmas. When I didn't get a email confirmation in what I thought was a reasonable time, I called. Some guy answered, out of breath. I said, "Who are you." He said, "The owner." I said, "What's a big shot like you doing answering the phone?" He laughed and said, "I don't know about that, but I've been here alone all day filling orders." He left me on hold and ran to check on availability. I thought that was pretty good service. He didn't seem uncaring. He seemed like a guy who was behind, maybe understaffed and trying to meet his commitments.
Two cents: My dad owned his own business. We went without a lot and didn't see him much because to keep the business going he always had to reinvest his money and his time. It's not the easiest career choice. Few perks. Few, if any, fringe benefits. A lot of headaches and responsibilities. And the buck always stops with you. Remember the old saying. If you don't like your boss, quit and start your own business. Then everybody is your boss!
From my experience, I always cut small business owners a lot of slack.
