If you are taking on a renovation project, you will have to put a lot of faith into the competency of your chosen suppliers and trust that they will be able to deliver/install exactly what you requested. If this part of the process goes wrong, it can leave both parties feeling frustrated and annoyed let alone the potentially damaging cost implications.
So what to do?
If you are specifying your project, you will quickly get overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of choice thanks to the advent of the Internet. The options are endless but so is the quality. When choosing suppliers for your new home, there is no substitute for getting out there and physically looking, touching and feeling the product to see how it performs in reality. You can then reliably communicate this to your tradesperson to stop any confusion.
It tends to be the case that using smaller, family run businesses deliver superior customer service because their livelihood depends on repeat custom from a local pool. They will quite often go the extra mile for you as their reputation depends on you recommending them to your friends.
Conversely, the larger corporates might look good but they often have high staff turnover and are totally focused on profit, often at your expense. You are one of thousands and a poor review from you won't bankrupt the company. You will be entered onto a database and it's almost impossible to speak to the same person twice. We have all experienced hanging on the phone listening to dire music and pressing numbers keys just to get to the correct department.
Ideally, just do your homework. Look at the website, read the reviews and speak to friends if possible. Also, give the company a call. How helpful are they? Do they answer the phone straight away? Don't get scammed just because they are on the first page of Google.
Also, don't forget that the Consumer Rights Act came into force in 2015 and gives you protection if you have a contract in place.