So a long time ago at a place about a mile away I worked at this little startup called MindSpring. MindSpring was kinda like Zappo's before Zappo's was just a gleam in Tony Hsieh's eye. The company was completely core values based. To cite one of them, we were customer driven. We also had something we called the 14 deadly sins. Number 2, rely on outside vendors who let us down.

What held true then holds true now. 

At Half Off Depot we had a vendor named Digital Doorstep, or DDS as they are known in the industry. DDS was good for revenue but bad for business. Since October they have been consistently the number one source of customer service calls. Boatloads of refunds. No communication. And despite what they claim in their public Chapter 7 bankruptcy notice, they left a lot of number of online deal companies holding the bag. 

If a vendor disappoints you early cut them quick. Don't rely on outside vendors who let you down.