-1

I know this question sounds weird, but here's the information. I got an email from my apartment.

Dear Valued Residents,

Our vendor will be on-site tomorrow, Tuesday, April 25, 2017 to complete dryer vent cleaning for the entire community between the hours of 8 am to 6 pm.

No access inside your homes will be needed. Our vendor will be completing this service through the exterior vents in each building.

To me, a vendor means a person who sells on the street. But in this email, it seems a vendor means a person who maintains our dryer vent.

Is that correct?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Welcome to EL&U. One of the expectations of our site is that you have attempted some research on your own; for example, looking up vendor in the OALD provides a meaning of a company that sells a particular product. If the building contracts out its dryer vent maintenance to an outside firm, then that firm is indeed a vendor.
    – choster
    Apr 24, 2017 at 21:04
  • @choster A service is not a product. IMHO, if the building contracts out its maintenance to an outside firm, then that firm is a contractor.
    – michael.hor257k
    Apr 24, 2017 at 21:08
  • 1
    @michael.hor257k Contractor in reference to physical plant in the U.S. usually refers to construction and infrastructure engineering; I wouldn't refer to the companies that provide security, housekeeping, window washing, and so on as contractors outside of legal/contractual contexts.
    – choster
    Apr 24, 2017 at 21:12
  • in the world of independent contractors (any freelance work of any kind at all [I know, I am one: editor and translator]), a vendor and a contractor are the same thing. But here, they should have just our service provider or servicing company. Vendor was a bad choice of word here.
    – Lambie
    Apr 27, 2017 at 15:56

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
0

A vendor can also be a contracted service provider.

From wikipedia:

In a supply chain, a vendor, or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, the terms refers to a supplier of any good or service.

Improve this answer
1
  • Thanks! I was confused at first, cause I thought it has some relations with the verb vent.
    – Shuo Peng
    Apr 24, 2017 at 21:11
0

I don't believe vendor here has anything to do with vent. It is simply a coincidence that the normal word meaning "seller" is so close in sound to "vent" - a part of the equipment they have sold. Vendor simply refers to the firm who has sold the equipment.

However, I wouldn't have written it like that, nor would I expect to see it written like that in Britain. Had I written the announcement I would have said

"The vendor's engineer will be here tomorrow to carry out cleaning of vents..."

Improve this answer
0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.