Coalpail.com Forum

I went to the local plumbing supply warehouse today "not a national chain" and I
thought I would share my experience.

I walked in assuming that I could obtain the parts I needed for
the job and the clerk looked at me like I just landed from Mars.

I hate the Deer in the headlight looks when you ask for common parts that
they did not know existed such as a Bell and Gossett 5 1/2- gallon steel expansion
tanks and a B+G ATF12 air separator and a B+G (circuit setter) bypass valve.

SO I am then asked invited in the rear office to talk to a manager and repeated my
request for prices for these items and I again recieved the deer in the
headlights look.

"I have no Idea what your talking about nor do we carry a product like that.
But as I protested "you claim to be a full line B+G distributor", I said.

Makes me glad I did not ask any questions about radiators for a gravity hot
water heating system or steam heat or if they had 1 or 2 inch schedule 80 pipe
in unthreaded 20 foot joints.

"I am sorry but we do not carry these products" he said.

I walked out of there so disgusted I forgot my keys and as I went back to get them
when the clerk I was talking to walked out of the sales room office and asked me
if these were my keys and I said yes, and then I thanked him for bringing them to me.

So I phoned the regional distributor for B+G and related my concerns as asked if there
was someone else locally that I could purchase these parts from and he provided me
with the name of another supplier and we had a wonderful chat. I am waiting for them
to call back with prices.

I wont be buying parts from the other supplier or replacement flue pipe for that matter. It certainly reminded
me about my two wasted trips to townley coal in Geneva, New York as I knew more about the
AHS 130, 260 or 500 Coal Gun boilers than the owner of townley coal did.

To quote the owner I bought an AHS boiler to become an AHS dealer because Harman is no
longer making coal stoker boilers and I know nothing about them(coal guns). I told the folks at AHS and Keystoker
about this and his attitude when I found out he was handling their products and in my opinion they should not have him as an AHS or Keystoker boiler or furnace dealer "in my opinion" and they said that he wanted to handle our boilers as he has our keystoker coal stoves and parts.
Sadly he depends on plumber that is in Honeyoe to do these installs. "YOU have to find your own installer he said as I do not think my installer would travel to Ithaca".
He ought to be tickled pink now that AHS is building the Harman coal stokers and furnaces.

It makes me glad we still have places around here that know what they are doing and carry everything I ever needed. Look on the bright side, now you know where not to go.

Yes sir,

todays tela novela/soap opera certainly reminded me that I drag
myself unwillingly out of bed every morning and set my feet in my
slippers and that I have to confront reality in every sunrise if its not dark out.

Most days I have the ambition to read my comic strip subscription
on Uclick so that softens the days most days, I am in less pain now
that the cooler weather is here.

You would think the people that own these businesses would send
thier sales clerks to in house learning about plumbing or tech
schools/seminars to learn more about heating and heating methods.
wanting to learn about your profession, its tools and helping the
customer is one thing, ignorance about it is another animal that
will bite ones derrier.

Rest assured that they may be getting some mail real soon or sooner.

Even manufactures don't know their product. I recently asked a grout manufacturer if the colored grout that they sell is color fast ... they did not even know what it meant and after explaining what it meant, didn't know.

And today I asked a tile manufacturer if I could cut his tile with a tile cutter ... they had no idea.

And I spoke to the technical dept.s of each company.

Called one distributor to order a 1/2 " union for a pressure reducing valve. They refused to sell me the union because I didn't buy the valve from them.

Called a second distributor to order a 1/2 " union for the same pressure reducing valve. They said sure and ordered it. Union came in. Went and got it and went home. Opened the box......it's a 3/4 " union not a 1/2" union.

Called the distributor and they won't take it back because.......it came in three parts........ The union, the collar, and the O-ring.
They have a no return policy on individual parts. Even though I pointed out this was their mistake......The answer was no.

Sent a complaint to the manufacturer about these two distributors. Narry received so much as an automated reply acknowledging that they got my complaint.

Now I'm on my search for a third supplier. I have to have this union to finish the job I did for FREE for a lady in the church.

Larry, have you tried Reading Foundry Supply in Pottsville? They are on Nicolas Street.

Some people in business, clearly shouldn't be in business.

Computers have only made it worse. The old timers looked through a parts book until they found what you needed. Today, if it doesn't have a number that matches what's in their computer, it doesn't exist to the service counter people,..... even if the part is visible, sitting on a shelf, within sight of where they are !

I like my local auto parts house. If they can't find what I need on their computers, they turn around and dig through the parts books that they keep near by. Amazing what can be found if one knows where to look.

Paul

I find that to call, write, or confront the unknowing about these matters is largely a waste of time. It was a rare event that anyone would ever respond. I have come to realize that : 1. nobody really cares 2.nobody is accountable 3. it is not good for the skull bone to get elevated over this loss of what used to be. I just move quietly out the door, never to return and find a more well established place with some people wearing a gray headpiece. Save your ink and try my method. Mike

stovepipemike wrote:I find that to call, write, or confront the unknowing about these matters is largely a waste of time. It was a rare event that anyone would ever respond. I have come to realize that : 1. nobody really cares 2.nobody is accountable 3. it is not good for the skull bone to get elevated over this loss of what used to be. I just move quietly out the door, never to return and find a more well established place with some people wearing a gray headpiece. Save your ink and try my method. Mike

To the management "Beancounters" there is never a need of "gray head piece" who may transfer their lifetime of knowledge onto their task replacements, after all...we have computers now. Who needs them.
The real value in the eyes of these "beancounter" today is in a database...never in a "grey head piece".

Slowly this realatiasion will be reqconized but alas, "grey head pieace" is now too soon extintc.

Beancounters are the downfall of all things good and smart. Say goodbye to us Dinosauers.

ps: With 'spell check' anybody can look intelligent.

My business is service & repair of lawn & garden equipment. I also sell parts for most all of that equipment & stock quite an inventory of the most common parts that we use & sell. My gripe is that some folks walk into an independent ag supply store & our towns independent auto parts store & try to buy parts for their l&g equipment from them. Too many times these places are selling folks belts that "will work" instead of telling them to come here where we stock the correct belts for the application. We stock lots of "universal belts,but they are built for this equipment,we also stock lots of OEM spec belts,these are made to the exact specs as they were from the manufacturer when the equipment was originally designed. The OEM spec belts are made to perform exactly like the new equipment did when first purchased. Yet these wannabe's sell customers a "will fit"belt instead of sending them here where the proper belt or part will be sold to them. Just last nite at 7:30 pm we pulled a brand new "will fit" belt off the drive system of a lawn tractor & replaced it with an OEM spec belt,now the drive system will work as it was designed to. The 2 stores that I am griping about are within 2 miles of our shop,so folks are not saving any miles & we have more open for business hours then either of them so that is not a valid excuse either.

blrman07 wrote:Called one distributor to order a 1/2 " union for a pressure reducing valve. They refused to sell me the union because I didn't buy the valve from them.

Called a second distributor to order a 1/2 " union for the same pressure reducing valve. They said sure and ordered it. Union came in. Went and got it and went home. Opened the box......it's a 3/4 " union not a 1/2" union.

Called the distributor and they won't take it back because.......it came in three parts........ The union, the collar, and the O-ring.
They have a no return policy on individual parts. Even though I pointed out this was their mistake......The answer was no.

Sent a complaint to the manufacturer about these two distributors. Narry received so much as an automated reply acknowledging that they got my complaint.

Now I'm on my search for a third supplier. I have to have this union to finish the job I did for FREE for a lady in the church.

Larry, I assume you are in PA????

Call the attorney general in Harrisburg and tell them about this and I will be willing to bet you a friendly
ice cream wager that you will get a very aplogetic phone call from the seller the same day you call
Harrisburg as you were well within the time frame of purchase to cancel and ask fro a refund. 011-(717)-787-3391

blrman07 wrote:Called one distributor to order a 1/2 " union for a pressure reducing valve. They refused to sell me the union because I didn't buy the valve from them.

Called a second distributor to order a 1/2 " union for the same pressure reducing valve. They said sure and ordered it. Union came in. Went and got it and went home. Opened the box......it's a 3/4 " union not a 1/2" union.

Called the distributor and they won't take it back because.......it came in three parts........ The union, the collar, and the O-ring.
They have a no return policy on individual parts. Even though I pointed out this was their mistake......The answer was no.

Sent a complaint to the manufacturer about these two distributors. Narry received so much as an automated reply acknowledging that they got my complaint.

Now I'm on my search for a third supplier. I have to have this union to finish the job I did for FREE for a lady in the church.

I would mail it back and dispute the charge w/ credit card company. Seems like a slam dunk win.

I've noticed this several times since I left the navy... Not a lot of technical rigor left...

My buddy up in Fulton got screwed by Ferguson just the same way as you Larry, only his was a 5000 dollar Kunkle valve. He stopped payment and has already contacted a new supplier that his company's branch in Germany uses...just to spite the bastiges...

As mentioned before, just call your credit card people, they'll take care of it.