Do you Think My Plumbing Customers Appreciate My Stance

9550 Views 78 Replies 24 Participants Last post by Airgap, Jul 3, 2010

DUNBAR PLUMBING

Discussion Starter · Jun 7, 2010 (Edited)

On the Subject of Wolverine Brass Products and how you cannot find them but the Plumbing Supply in the Sky?

Meaning,

If I started to install these products, and I take a dirt nap a year later and my customers all have to find that "next" guy out of 45,

is that fair?

Did I represent my profession, my customer base fairly?

It's like buying that good vaccum sweeper that has all the bells and whistles, till it breaks...and then when you can't find someone to fix it or get repair parts,

you pitch it.

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Phat Cat

· #2 · Jun 7, 2010

If you install a product you believe in then you have served your customer well.

In the event our customer no longer wanted to use us, I would gladly give them WB phone number so they could find any number of plumbers in this area that are selling and/or servicing WB faucets.

We hate working on Price Pfister because it's always a second trip. Far less plumbers around here have these parts on hand . . . even the specialty supplier ends up ordering them for us. The customer who had a WB faucet would have had a better chance of a plumber carrying WB parts on his truck than Price Pfister. We complain at the shop, but in front of the customer we cheerfully resolve their problem and move on to the next.

Protech

· #3 · Jun 7, 2010

dood, they can just order the parts from ANY plumber that deals with WB anywhere in the United states and have them UPS the parts.

IT'S NOT THAT BIG A DEAL. GET OVER IT.

Go get some sleep dood.....

DUNBAR PLUMBING

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 7, 2010

Tomorrow is another day folks,

Just give me time, TIME and I'll make this worth your time.

ILPlumber

· #5 · Jun 7, 2010

I don't think anybody cares. If you have a rabbit to pull out of your hat ya better be doing it. The audience is starting to quietly file out............

Reactions: 4

ToUtahNow

· #6 · Jun 7, 2010

It makes me wonder why you don't stock more parts. If we ran across a valve installation which was not the norm we would make the customer buy spare repair parts and we would buy spare repair parts. It's not a lot but it builds up over time and you have a decent selection of repair parts. I once had a customer buy 10-pre-war Crane stems and he is still thanking me.

Mark

DUNBAR PLUMBING

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 7, 2010

ToUtahNow said:
It makes me wonder why you don't stock more parts. If we ran across a valve installation which was not the norm we would make the customer buy spare repair parts and we would buy spare repair parts. It's not a lot but it builds up over time and you have a decent selection of repair parts. I once had a customer buy 10-pre-war Crane stems and he is still thanking me.

Mark

In the next 60 days I'm going to build a montage of video content, real customers real opinions and point blank questions and statements that tell the truth.

It's going to be a customer relations point of view of how plumbing contractor protects property owner.

I can argue for days in a forum but when I take it to the next level, people usually cowl down and watch what they created.

Which, is proof behind my words and statements about this subject matter. Maybe it's a regional thing...

but when I hear people and their frustration, and this name (WB) has a tendency to be tied to it, with the customer exhausting countless calls to supply houses and other plumbers, someone who can fix their problem?

That's when I come in and scold the last one who did the deed and provide them with a design that they can trust, not a company that hides behind a pow-wow 100 year old warranty that only sells to plumbers.

I for one am smarter than that bull**** and that's not bragging. Amway written all over that design. My opinion and it won't change.

I've been pointing this thread towards some of my customers I deal with on a regular basis. No writing style change either. They know my value and this subject matter proves it.

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Phat Cat

· #8 · Jun 7, 2010

DUNBAR PLUMBING said:
In the next 60 days I'm going to build a montage of video content, real customers real opinions and point blank questions and statements that tell the truth.

It's going to be a customer relations point of view of how plumbing contractor protects property owner.

I can argue for days in a forum but when I take it to the next level, people usually cowl down and watch what they created.

Which, is proof behind my words and statements about this subject matter. Maybe it's a regional thing... but when I hear people and their frustration, and this name (WB) has a tendency to be tied to it, with the customer exhausting countless calls to supply houses and other plumbers, someone who can fix their problem?

Amway written all over that design. My opinion and it won't change.

I've been pointing this thread towards some of my customers I deal with on a regular basis. No writing style change either. They know my value and this subject matter proves it.

Maybe it is a regional thing with Kentucky having a higher than usual amount of unscrupulous plumbing contractors. Just a thought . . . we have the obscenely high plumbing contractors and a few slick ones who use scare tactics and high pressure sale - BUT that is not the norm.

Amway - really? Comparing an American company that sells direct to the plumbing contractor in a wholesale fashion is a far cry from a multi-level marketing company. Our rep. never asked if I wanted to join the business and find others to join under me. :no:

DUNBAR PLUMBING

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 7, 2010

Cat Whiskers Felidae Lighting Small to medium-sized cats

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Phat Cat

· #10 · Jun 8, 2010

And I'm telling PETA! :laughing:

Don The Plumber

· #11 · Jun 8, 2010

I said it before, I'll say it again.When you install a new faucet.
If you or the customer is worried, about repair parts, for any reason
sell them an extra cartridge or stem, or rebuild kit, with the new faucet, so they can keep it on hand. I don't care if it's 20 yrs later, the kits will still work. They will have the numbers of kits on hand to reorder, when convenient.
If you think the washers or O rings will dry out in 20yrs, (which they won't),then atleast the HO will have the parts & numbers, on hand that they need, to bring to the nearest plumber, that handles WB, & they'll be able to easily identify the parts you need.

Reactions: 1

user2090

· #12 · Jun 8, 2010

So, this is what is has come down to. The great Dunbarman, is protecting his customers by limiting there choices. I have to know, do you wear these when you out saving the world, and what do you with your cape.

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TheMaster

· #13 · Jun 8, 2010

Don The Plumber said:
I said it before, I'll say it again.When you install a new faucet.
If you or the customer is worried, about repair parts, for any reason
sell them an extra cartridge or stem, or rebuild kit, with the new faucet, so they can keep it on hand. I don't care if it's 20 yrs later, the kits will still work. They will have the numbers of kits on hand to reorder, when convenient.
If you think the washers or O rings will dry out in 20yrs, (which they won't),then atleast the HO will have the parts & numbers, on hand that they need, to bring to the nearest plumber, that handles WB, & they'll be able to easily identify the parts you need.

Or buy a Delta or moen and call either on the phone and have them send your parts out.....or if its 5pm on a sunday afternoon and you need the part NOW you can go to the local hardware and pick up your parts on the way to dinner......see ya wolverine wouldn't wanna be ya.

Selling Wolverine faucets is nothing but about taking power away from the customer. Simple as that.

king john

· #14 · Jun 8, 2010

You can get a bit screwed up by plumbing, but if you screw up with electricity, you can die. So electricity is worse.

user2090

· #15 · Jun 8, 2010

TheMaster said:
Or buy a Delta or moen and call either on the phone and have them send your parts out.....or if its 5pm on a sunday afternoon and you need the part NOW you can go to the local hardware and pick up your parts on the way to dinner......see ya wolverine wouldn't wanna be ya.

Selling Wolverine faucets is nothing but about taking power away from the customer. Simple as that.

Stock the couple of replacement cartridges; Problem solved. Quit complaining about what others should do and stock all four yourself.

TheMaster

· #16 · Jun 8, 2010

Indie said:
Stock the couple of replacement cartridges; Problem solved.Quit complaining about what others should do and stock all four yourself.

Since Wolverine has a 100 year warranty.....they should give me the parts...correct?

Hey there are atleast a few hundred other faucets out there...should I buy all of their parts too so when I find the needle in the haystack I will have the right kind of thread???

Or should I just Shiot can all the faucets I find whos manufacturer likes to make life difficult and not offer their parts in supply houses or hardware stores.

I refuse to stock a part just because some big headed manufacturer decides to make somthing special and then make it HARDER to get parts.....THAT GOES FOR ALL FAUCETS...BUT WOLVERINE GOES A STEP FARTHER AND WILL NOT EVEN SELL THEIR REPAIR PRODUCTS IN A SUPPLY HOUSE.....BUT IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THEIR PRODUCTS FOR SALE...WOLVERINE DAMN SURE DOESN'T MIND SELLING OTHERS PEOPLE PRODUCTS DO THEY? HYPOCRITS

DUNBAR PLUMBING

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jun 20, 2010

Statistics for this thread:

10 felt overwhelmingly that I was doing the right thing,

5 did not.

I'd say I'm pretty damn solid like an impacted bowel that the majority felt inclined to believe that playing hide the materials is not in the best interest of the customer for down the road or, at any time.

Phat Cat

· #18 · Jun 20, 2010

DUNBAR PLUMBING said:
Statistics for this thread:
10 felt overwhelmingly that I was doing the right thing,
5 did not.

I'd say I'm pretty damn solid like an impacted bowel that the majority felt inclined to believe that playing hide the materials is not in the best interest of the customer for down the road or, at any time.

Are you serious? 15 responses and you come up with statistics? Whenever I read about majorities, I remember there was a time when the majority thought the earth was flat and we all know how that turned out.

Plus, your poll is flawed. I know what you were looking for, but the question is too vague to draw any conclusions from a yes/no response.

But then again, maybe you intentionally worded it that way so you would get the desired response. I guess some need a valet to their vanity rather than the truth.

Richard Hilliard

· #19 · Jun 21, 2010

do you think my customers

I remember words of this nature if my shop was to close tomorrow there would be no parade to bring me back. There would be no journals written they miss you or me. I could believe this poll if I knew the customers would not be influenced and guided. Take a nice Wolverine faucet and hand it to the home owner then hand them a Delta or Moen and ask him or her which one they would like installed. My customers choose Wolverine and they are provided with a choice. I am called to the customers home to install or repair why would they repair it on their own in the future? This makes no sense at all.

stillaround

· #20 · Jun 21, 2010 (Edited)

I may regret this but my 2 cents. Even though it weighs a lot and USA made it is not beautiful to me. I used to do new work and the need for a complete line and finish options etc etc sort of got me to like Delta. Finally Delta started to get it together and fix some of the things that were lacking..I became a fan. I know the recent changes on k/s and lav faucets are disappointing. This by itself is no reason to quit liking Delta. Wolverine is a bit harder to get and even harder to use for anything other than a chrome replacement..unless you want to stock finishes.
Its always been presented to me as a way to make more money with a proprietary faucet that no one else can get and not as a way to give the customer more choice etc. For those who sell WB "for the customers" id have to just about see a polygraph...

to be fair..not selling them to protect a customer doesnt make complete sense to me. They are one of the better not so pretty faucets out there. I personally dont want the hassle...I need a fresh motivation fix...a lot of money might cure this.

A lot of customers like to go to the big box to shop for a faucet...then I say Delta or Moen stay away from Price Pfister.

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