Mr. Waterheater - Page 2 - Plumbing Zone

RealLivePlumber · 11-04-2009, 08:38 AM

Water heaters are a lost leader here. Too many schmo's that don't know thier overhead and costs, giving the damn things away.

I personally am getting sick and tired of busting my ass humping those damn things up the stairs to barely show a profit, if any profit at all.

a$$holes don't take into consideration the time required to apply for a permit, pick up the permit, pay for the permit, pick up the water heater, dropcloth the house, haul the old "hot water heater" (that will get a rise out of someone

)to the scrapyard, etc...................

Course, they probably are not getting permits, anyway.

I think I'll start quoting them over the phone,

at what they should be. If they don't like the price....See ya.

No sense wasting time or my back.

smellslike$tome · 11-04-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealLivePlumber

Water heaters are a lost leader here. Too many schmo's that don't know thier overhead and costs, giving the damn things away.

I personally am getting sick and tired of busting my ass humping those damn things up the stairs to barely show a profit, if any profit at all.

a$$holes don't take into consideration the time required to apply for a permit, pick up the permit, pay for the permit, pick up the water heater, dropcloth the house, haul the old "hot water heater" (that will get a rise out of someone

)to the scrapyard, etc...................

Course, they probably are not getting permits, anyway.

I think I'll start quoting them over the phone,

at what they should be. If they don't like the price....See ya.

No sense wasting time or my back.

Really!? We have the same crappy Blowe's and HD installers here and we still manage to sell some quality installs here. Day before yesterday I replaced a 1 year old Whirlpool. Who replaces a 1 year old water heater unless they come to understand that they made a mistake and they are better off cutting their losses and installing quality from a quality company. I agree it's more difficult but it can be done. The fact is that we are selling more tankless than tanks these days which cost a whole lot more. We don't cut the price just to make a sale.

Re think your approach and you can still make money on water heaters. You may not get every one but the ones you get will be profitable.

Song Dog · 11-04-2009, 08:15 PM

They got ads in the PM and a few other places wanting you to join them.

If Mr.Waterheater is selling heaters for 499 (unless I read what you guy type wrong) is crazy. I am double+.

They are based out of PA. I checked their site along time ago to see who they are.

In Christ,

Song Dog

RealLivePlumber · 11-05-2009, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smellslike$tome

Really!? We have the same crappy Blowe's and HD installers here and we still manage to sell some quality installs here. Day before yesterday I replaced a 1 year old Whirlpool. Who replaces a 1 year old water heater unless they come to understand that they made a mistake and they are better off cutting their losses and installing quality from a quality company. I agree it's more difficult but it can be done. The fact is that we are selling more tankless than tanks these days which cost a whole lot more. We don't cut the price just to make a sale.

Re think your approach and you can still make money on water heaters. You may not get every one but the ones you get will be profitable.

I wasn't even thinking about blowes/homey. I'm talkin' legit plumbers. Local guys/companies. They are not very good businessmen. Always here it in the supply house-"So what do you charge?"

Phat Cat · 11-05-2009, 06:34 PM

Plumbers who whine about low wages are the one's most likely causing the problem.

Too many plumbers in business for themselves who don't have a clue about running a business or being in business! Makes it much harder on legit businesses who understand profit/losses.

We have a lot of legitimate plumbers who undercut everyone else. They aren't making any money other than wages and when the economy slowed down, many of them came knocking on our door looking for jobs.

Sorry, I cannot think of any circumstance where I would hire someone who wasn't smart enough to figure out that you need more than wages to run a successful business.

Some people are in business for the right reasons, but there are a lot in business because they cannot work for anyone else. Difficult / independent types are the most hard headed.

Back on topic - Mr. WaterHeater does have a nice ring to it. I can see where it can be successful. So much so, that I even thought of opening a Madame WaterHeater before any Mr. WaterHeater invades our territory. For whatever reason, consumers are drawn to specialties. Even though the franchise is Mr. WaterHeater, can't see any reason why they wouldn't offer general plumbing services as well.

service guy · 11-05-2009, 06:40 PM

Yep. I changed my company name to specialize in sewer and drain work, to attract more of that kind of work. Yet I still do mostly other plumbing repairs, I replace a lot of water heaters lately for some reason.

**SlickRick** · 11-05-2009, 06:48 PM

Spring and Fall, water heaters drop like flies.

Phat Cat · 11-05-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickrick

Spring and Fall, water heaters drop like flies.

Yep - love when the water temperature varies wildly.

For some reasons the water heaters don't like it.

11-04-2009, 08:38 AM	#11
RealLivePlumber Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 2,429 My Photos	Water heaters are a lost leader here. Too many schmo's that don't know thier overhead and costs, giving the damn things away. I personally am getting sick and tired of busting my ass humping those damn things up the stairs to barely show a profit, if any profit at all. a$$holes don't take into consideration the time required to apply for a permit, pick up the permit, pay for the permit, pick up the water heater, dropcloth the house, haul the old "hot water heater" (that will get a rise out of someone)to the scrapyard, etc................... Course, they probably are not getting permits, anyway. I think I'll start quoting them over the phone, at what they should be. If they don't like the price....See ya. No sense wasting time or my back. __________________ RealLivePlumber You can make it happen, you can watch it happen, or you can wonder wtf happened. Phil Harris 2009

11-04-2009, 08:15 PM	#13
Song Dog LeMarr Plumbing, Inc. Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Carlinville, IL Posts: 771 My Photos	They got ads in the PM and a few other places wanting you to join them. If Mr.Waterheater is selling heaters for 499 (unless I read what you guy type wrong) is crazy. I am double+. They are based out of PA. I checked their site along time ago to see who they are. In Christ, Song Dog __________________ Don't Franchise! Teaching my kids to hunt and shoot-PRICELESS!

11-05-2009, 06:34 PM	#15
Phat Cat Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 5,106 My Photos	Plumbers who whine about low wages are the one's most likely causing the problem. Too many plumbers in business for themselves who don't have a clue about running a business or being in business! Makes it much harder on legit businesses who understand profit/losses. We have a lot of legitimate plumbers who undercut everyone else. They aren't making any money other than wages and when the economy slowed down, many of them came knocking on our door looking for jobs. Sorry, I cannot think of any circumstance where I would hire someone who wasn't smart enough to figure out that you need more than wages to run a successful business. Some people are in business for the right reasons, but there are a lot in business because they cannot work for anyone else. Difficult / independent types are the most hard headed. Back on topic - Mr. WaterHeater does have a nice ring to it. I can see where it can be successful. So much so, that I even thought of opening a Madame WaterHeater before any Mr. WaterHeater invades our territory. For whatever reason, consumers are drawn to specialties. Even though the franchise is Mr. WaterHeater, can't see any reason why they wouldn't offer general plumbing services as well. __________________ All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. – Edmund Burke

11-05-2009, 06:40 PM	#16
service guy waterheaterzone.com Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Universe Posts: 2,043 My Photos	Yep. I changed my company name to specialize in sewer and drain work, to attract more of that kind of work. Yet I still do mostly other plumbing repairs, I replace a lot of water heaters lately for some reason. __________________ Water Heater Reviews and Water Heater Information

11-05-2009, 06:48 PM	#17
SlickRick Moderator Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Gilmer, Texas Posts: 5,770 My Photos	Spring and Fall, water heaters drop like flies. __________________ "I believe human-beings and fist can co-exist peacefully....." GW Last edited by SlickRick; 11-05-2009 at 06:49 PM.. Reason: sp

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