Supply houses selling to home owners

Mitch_4

ditto

The supply house I deal with has a HO register. They can buy anything that is not a control, safety or complete equipment, unless they have a licence (retired fitter) proving they have the skill set to install the purchased part.

Reason : Liability. someone sued them for selling a gas valve. fool said you should not have sold it to me if It required special skills and could kill. (no one was hurt but the potential was there (pressure to high in the manifold, making CO like no tomorrow).

So they can buy pipe, wire, solder, etc, and even they have a disclaimer that you install, you are responsible for any damages caused but lack of skill. (so if your new solder joint pours water on the floor, it not our fault) and recommend using a licenced pro.

A few lawsuits like the one I mentioned could change the BB outlets attitude about selling HVAC stuff.

Mitch

Bill Jirik,

Markup on material and goods is part of our income, and it is what helps pay for things like our completed operations and product liability insurance, otherwise we are just selling labor and we might as well be called prostitutes instead of contractors. However when was the last time you were at a supply house and observed someone asking the counterperson to size a job or some other basic industry question, way to many "contractors" rely on counterhelp to
answer their questions, at times I wonder if the counterperson can tell the differnce between the contractor and the homeowner as they both often ask similar stupid questions.

Unknown

A professional engineer is selling "labor" only. is he a "prostitute"? Your knowledge, skill and time are what is worth money. Your ability to deliver parts is much less: others can do that for a lower wage than you!

It's the internet age gentlemen. Every HVAC component on the market is a few button clicks away at wholesale pricing (or darn close to it). Parts sales aren't going away completely, but I suggest any new up and comers out there have a procedure and a plan to make money on jobs where you aren't making a part markup. No reason to turn down good-paying work because the profit is on labor instead of parts, is there? Up the labor. Profit is Profit.. make it one way or make it another.

When we price our services, we have a "with parts" and "without parts" price. We charge the "without parts" price up front (frequently double the with parts cost) and refund the difference when we sell parts. We make our profit either way. If we start losing more part sales, then that "without parts" number is going to rise. Simple.

Dave Yates (PAH)

yup

Been doing just that for years now. Takes the sting out of customer or builder supplied goods. The only remaining issues are the warranty; if it'll fit or work in the application; what if it breaks during handling or installation; and the assorted accessories required that may need to be replaced if a warranty issue arises. We cover all of that in the document owners and/or builders must sign.

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Jed_2

The counter person

is not the person who should be sizing the job. Probably every Supply House has a person to specialize in that. The counter person is the service guy, and product guy, not a designer.

jed

Mad Dog_2

Go back to Das Kapital, comrade

Mad Dog

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Rick of N&S Supply of Catskill

Counter Guys

Our Counter Guys are directed to never ever size anything for anyone even a contractor. We Salespeople have our customer base that we visit and help with quotes, sizing etc. Homeowners and the fly by night out of the trunk of his car guys are usually disappointed when they visit us. If you don't know, call a professional who does, we run a supply business not a technical school...
Rick

LEAD PIPE

You are right

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