[Plumber]

Beacon Plumbing is a major player in the Seattle area. His ads are legion and legend both.

But between using unlicensed plumbers (20k in fines) and the need to outdo the competition, the boy went too far and had to file 11.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008982455_webbeacon03.html

Its top creditors are phone directory publisher Dex Media, owed $1.5 million, and Verizon, owed $363,000. Local creditors include the Seahawks, owed $82,000, and KIRO, owed nearly $43,000.

 

[Plumber Jim]

That has happened to a few companies here too. quite a few.

 

[para1]

EGO and GREED will get you in the end.:yes:

 

[ToUtahNow]

One of the first large flat-rate companies started out here in Los Angeles. At one time he had 50 trucks locally and 200-trucks in the surrounding area. I always wondered how he could afford so many 2-page ads in the Yellow Pages. You almost could not pick up a phone book anywhere without seeing his ads. Next thing I heard he owed the YP two million dollars but they mediated it down to one million and let him keep his ads. About a year later he filed bankruptcy.

Mark

 

[para1]

There's a company here in the D/FW area that's heading in the same direction. I used to work there. The owner does'nt have a clue.

 

[DUNBAR PLUMBING]

guess that business is going down the drain.
not exactly flush with success are they.
there seems to be a serious crack in their business plan.

"Our assets are leakin'...now we're freakin' "

Now who do you call...not Beacon!

know how expensive Dex phone book ads are and I always wondered how Beacon- a plumbing business could afford to pay for those phone book cover ads. Now I know, they didn't!!

Comments from that link

 

[ROCKSTARPLUMBER]

Good, im the guy with the BIGGER brain that is going to take all of those needful customers.

 

[Plumber]

One of the first large flat-rate companies started out here in Los Angeles. At one time he had 50 trucks locally and 200-trucks in the surrounding area. I always wondered how he could afford so many 2-page ads in the Yellow Pages. You almost could not pick up a phone book anywhere without seeing his ads. Next thing I heard he owed the YP two million dollars but they mediated it down to one million and let him keep his ads. About a year later he filed bankruptcy.

Mark

Who was this? When I was down there, Diamond/Brazil was ad king (or queen, as it is) and there wasn't double truck ads then.

 

[UnclogNH]

Guess his PP was bigger than his check book
Open season for plumbing in his area now.
Big dog goes everyone else's business grows.

 

[ROCKSTARPLUMBER]

Guess thats what happens wen you can't make 1k per ticket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Plumber]

Guess his PP was bigger than his check book
Open season for plumbing in his area now.
Big dog goes everyone else's business grows.

He's the biggest advertiser, but he's not alone. That area is closed to new businesses because of other major players.

His biggest mistake was the hiring of unlicensed plumbers. Everything else could have been forgiven, but not that...ever.

 

[user823]

I did the bigger YP thing years back, now I don't have even one. Not even a bold listing, nothing. I do have a running 4x4 ad in the local weekly shopper but that's it. The shopper runs me 120 bucks a month and is delivered free to every home in four local towns. Don't need anything else right now, turning away some work but don't like doing that. Might need to find some help, nah.

 

[DUNBAR PLUMBING]

That's the fence I'm on right now

I've got a good supply of work but I'm not ready to pull completely out of the yellow pages.


Maybe 2 more years from now but I don't want to suffer for a year to find out the hard way.


Eventually, they will never see my money again...it's coming. I'm well diversified in the advertising world to keep the bills paid, for 3 companies right now.

 

[DUNBAR PLUMBING]

I still got sh8t on my elbow from the main drain call I just got back from.

 

[user823]

I still got sh8t on my elbow from the main drain call I just got back from.

do you charge more when you get sh8t on yourself?:laughing:

 

[Plumber]

:laughing: I didn't know what to say to Roasted about that...I gotta go shower now.

 

[Song Dog]

YPs can cost a lot of cash if no calls are coming in. When a Fran. our BC, mind you was college smart, said we need to do this and do that. Ok, thats what the BIG city Frans were doing (soon found out). Had reservations on her ideas anyway but at the time, if most Frans are doing great, who am I to not do it???? WRONG ANSWER. The stuff we told her we wanted to do, she said was a waste of our money and suggest not doing so. Now, back to LeMarr Plumbing, Inc. we are doing the things she said was a waste of our money........ITS WORKING:thumbsup:
We are still paying on the ads that we ran and didn't even produce a hand full of calls:furious:. Outta tell her that she can pay the bills. It was our mistake and decision to go that route. We got a nice education and doing much better than before, oh btw WE PAY NO FRAN FEES!!!!!! YAE ME!
Thats why, on my signature it say "Don't Franchise":thumbsup:
Sorry for the rant, the YP ad $ thing got me a tad bit fired up.

If they close shop, someone should buy their phone #.

In Christ,

Song Dog

 

[ToUtahNow]

Who was this? When I was down there, Diamond/Brazil was ad king (or queen, as it is) and there wasn't double truck ads then.

It was the end of Brazil and the start of Diamond.

Mark

 

[Plumber]

Beacon Plumbing is a major player in the Seattle area. His ads are legion and legend both.

But between using unlicensed plumbers (20k in fines) and the need to outdo the competition, the boy went too far and had to file 11.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008982455_webbeacon03.html

This here Beacon is still going full speed. Same number of ads, employees, but the boat sponsorship and Superbowl ads are gone.

He even weathered the t.v. news expose on his corrupt evil plumber ways.

Go figure that.

 

[Redwood]

http://www.plumbingzone.com/members/beaconplumbing-3726/