When you are selling specialty products, it is important to explain everything to the customer to ensure they are getting what they actually want.

What would you do if you tried to tell a customer that the bath tub that she is buying only has two holes for plumbing, but she refused to listen, saying that the plumber would make it work?

That is what happened to the bath showroom worker in this story, so when the plumber called to complain, he made sure it was clear that the customer was the one who made the bad decision.

This is why I send spec sheets

I work in a kitchen and bath showroom that sells faucets, fixtures, all the pretty stuff. I really don’t know if this will make sense to people who don’t know plumbing.

A woman comes in looking for a cast iron freestanding bathtub.

Easy, I have tons of those.

She wants a slipper style tub. We settle on a double slipper that I magically have in stock.

He has given her all the information she will need, and more.

She tells me she already has a tub fixture to go through the rim of the tub.

I ask her about 20 questions, including telling her that these tubs only have two holes drilled in the rim that are 7 inches apart.

I print her specs, give her the receipt, email specs to her plumber, take her money, and send her on her way.

What a surprise, it isn’t right.

About a week later, I get a call from her plumber.

Plumber: “I don’t think this tub was drilled right.”

Me: “What exactly is wrong with it?”

You mean, it is exactly as he said it would be?

Plumber: “There are only two holes drilled.”

Well….yeah. Your spec sheet shows that. Clearly.

Me: “Yes, there should only be two holes. They are drilled for a rim mounted faucet. There should be two holes, 7 inches apart.”

Plumber: “But what do I do with the valve?”

This plumber has clearly never worked on a tub like this.

Me: “You shouldn’t have a valve. You should have supplies that hook up to the water lines in the floor. Those supplies hook up to the faucet.”

Plumber: “No, I have a valve. It has two stems for the handles, one for the spout, and hoses to connect them.”

Me: “……you have a roman tub valve. Why are you trying to install a faucet that goes on a deck next to a tub on a freestanding tub?”

Of course, it is the customer who doesn’t understand.

Plumber: “This is the faucet -client- wants.”

Me: “They aren’t designed to go on these tubs, and these tubs aren’t designed to have them.”

Plumber: “I’ve seen them on these tubs before!”

At least this salesman knows his stuff.

Me: “Yes, you probably have. Freestanding acrylic tubs that have several inch thick rims. This creates a deck that you can install the faucet on. The valve is inside the tub instead, in between two acrylic walls. Your client wanted a cast iron tub. They are not built the same way.”

Plumber: ‘Then we want to return the faucet.”

They can’t return the faucet here.

Me: “…. I didn’t sell the faucet. I offered to sell one that works for that tub but I was told that one had already been purchased.”

Plumber: “Then why didn’t you check for her to make sure she get the right thing?”

Me: “I explained it to her, gave her the spec sheets, and sent one to you.”

Plumber: “But we didn’t know that it wouldn’t work.”

It should have been very obvious.

Me: “You are a plumber. You had spec sheets. You had the tub itself. It shouldn’t have taken until you were trying to install it to figure out that valve, especially one that requires three holes, would not work on this type of tub.”

Plumber: “Can we drill an extra hole in the tub?”

Me: “It would void your warranty.”

Why would he do anything for her?

Plumber: “Well, then what are you going to do for my client?”

Me: “….Sell her a faucet that works?”

I’ve made a note to myself about his company and to warn people who work with him that he might not be the best choice.

I never heard back from them, so I’m assuming they either voided the warranty to rig up the wrong faucet, or got something offline.

It is amazing how often ‘experts’ really don’t know what they are doing.

Take a look at what the people in the comments on Reddit had to say about this.

The plumber was trying to shift the blame.

Not everyone is an expert.

Always tell customers no when they ask for impossible things.

This person knows a carpenter like this.

You’d think a plumber would know better!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.