Ferguson purchases Plbg Contractor

Just a little slander?

Not that I put a whole lot of credentials ina post from an author as none, but how can you slam a company for recruiting college kids to teach the trade and say that the "Ferguson system" is bad for contractors? I've been with the company for 8 years after a buyout that puts me here for 15 years. There is a serious shortage of help in this industry these days so it's wrong to take and train graduates for a career?
And let's get back to "bad for contractors" for a moment. We happen to have an excellent following at this location and a great deal of loyalty from our contractors. I'm willing to bet it's because we work to protect the trade and make their jobs easier. Sounds pretty bad to me.
Are we perfect? Not by a long shot but I do work long and hard to make my contractors jobs go easier, I am on call 24-7 for those emergency situations that sometimes rear their ugly heads as no-heat calls in the middle of the night. I attend many training sessions as well as a few of Mr. Holohans classes and Wetstock on my own time to make sure I have knowledge of systems. So please don't tell me that my job is "bad for contractors".
I wish I could shed a little more light on the buyout in Nevada but unfortunately I don't have the info on that. It's on a different coast from me. It just gets me going to hear how bad this company is for contractors. Like everyone else here, I take great pride in my job and my abilities.

OK, there's my morning rant. I feel better now.

I don't know anything about their "system" or the buyout thing, but the few dealings I've had with them in the midwest, they treated us superbly. I guess each store is only as good as its people. It's like saying people from New York are rude, because you met one who was. Your local Ferguson branch may be staffed by jerks, but that doesn't mean they all are. Kevin

Hughes

Actually it is Hughes & HD not Fergie.

Lennox bought dealers, same principle as Lennox is a distributor and a manufacturer.

thank you eric

I'm sorry if it seemed i broad brushed the way they treated me but it was also the company i had and was working for at the time.Maybe in the future i'll try them again but for now i'll deal with the 2 or 3 indepent supply houses that i do deal with they treat me ok and i'm not one to haggle about price and beg for a better deal .i figure if your going to give a high price then my custermer will pay a higher price may be that could be the root of my prices being higher then others ?I do try to offer my custermers higher quality jobs with what i think is necessary stuff like isolation valves to make service a brezze in the future and i offer 2 years on workmanship and honor manafactures warranties on all equiptment i install .Sorry if i was bad mouthing you guys i did not want it to come off that way i aplogize .Peace and good luck clammy

No offense

No offense taken. Wasn't targeting your experience as the braod stroke. Just like you I get a little tired of the "wholesalers are useless" and "contractors are thieves" comments. You have bad elements on both sides that make it difficult for the whole. I was sincere though, if you need a hand with anything, please drop me a line. I fully understand the loyalty to your suppliers and appreciate it, but if you ever get in a jam, let me know.

Eric, you wouldn't happen to be in the Puget Sound area, would you?

I have a

Ferguson plumbing warehouse and a Ferguson heat and cool express warehouse in my town (Winchester Va) and both of them treat me very fair. Best Wishes J. Lockard

Ferguson

I spent most of my career at a small independent supply house. Four years ago I decided to go to work at Ferguson. I was reluctant to join the "Corporate Culture". It was a good decision and I like it very much.

I have been on both sides of the fence and there are definate advantages to the contractor on both sides. The bottom line here is "What is in it for me as a contractor." You make your buying decision based on that.

I can tell you that Ferguson did not make it to being the number one supplier by neglecting the small guys. They built their business on customer service and the upper management came from those roots. They have not forgotten that fact and constantly reinforce to us that customer service is everything in the supply business. Our continued growth completely depends on it and we are reminded of it often. More importantly, excellent customer service gives each and everyone of us pride in what we do.

Whenever you assemble a very large group of people, there are going to be some that do not participate in the "Team" effort. It is unfortunate that you guys have experienced this. It is my belief that Ferguson as a whole is an excellent company with many strong partnerships with their customers large and small.

I have not heard official word on this purchase. Do you really think Ferguson wants to come into your backyard and become a competitor? I really doubt it. I am confident that this strategy will be addressed by those that made the decision. We work hard each and every day to earn your loyalty and to make our business grow.

I am not concerned with the retail / wholesale relationship Home Depot and Hughes have developed. We are going to do our best to out- service our competitors regardless of who they are. When you wash all else out of the way, and our success simply comes down to how well we do our job and how well we treat our customer.