Re: Visions of a "cage match" . . .
hobbs wrote:between Gary & justalurker. From going to different boards the last 2 weeks it seems justalurker has a HUGE ax to grind with Gary? All I know for sure is Gary in one of only two internet dealers I have found that tell you about proper sizing and programing of correct salt dosages for the system you are purchasing. The other is NOT the one who justalurker recommends. As for the dig that Gary just drop ships parts, how do you think Boeing assembles airplanes? They have assembles shipped to them from all over the world.
justalurker has been following me around since we had an argument about the use of potassium chloride and how much the salt dose must be increased. That was in Aug 2005.
harrorainsoft wrote:And Boeing assembles them before they are sold, tests each and every one to make sure it works exactly how it should, and why are you comparing an internet water softener to an airplane manufacturer? My understanding is that assembly is required when you receive the softeners. Also, Boeing will warranty their planes, Gary does not warranty the softeners himself.
All the parts of a softener except the resin, gravel and brine tank are operated and pressure tested etc. by the manufacturer before being sold to their distributor, that's my supplier.
Yes my customer spends roughly 30 minutes assembling their softener. They become intimately familiar with all the components and know it was put together correctly with the right volumes, types etc. materials.
The warranty is a manufacturer warranty against workmanship and materials failure over a specific time frame; 5 and 10 years. When there is a problem, in 3.75 years I've had 19-20 problems out of 880 sales of the Clack WS-1 control valve, I and/or the customer are supposed to troubleshoot and then I am supposed to receive and evaluate the 'bad' part and return it to the supplier for evaluation and then back to the manufacturer if needed. Then the supplier sends a new part to the customer. I DO NOT DO IT THAT WAY. I have the new part sent and then the customer sends the old part back to my supplier. Eventually I get a credit of my cost of the part, but not the freight cost.
Example; the end of Aug. a customer that had a problem in Jul 2004 and in Jul/Aug 2005 called with the same problem. I originally sent him a new stack and then a new stack and piston. The unit worked for 12-13 months each time. Now this Aug. I have a new circuit board sent. Same problem. I have a new control valve sent and that fixed the problem. He sent the circuit board and old valve back and I might get a credit in the next 3-4 months.
That is the hardest problem I've had in 21 years in this business, I still don't know for sure what was wrong with the valve. The customer was able to manually regenerate the unit so he had soft water but not automatically.
He spent roughly 1.5 hrs calling me and troubleshooting and changing parts over two weeks. All it cost him was less than $20 to ship the stuff back by UPS after I gave him the info and a RMA#. And if something else goes wrong, we'll do the same again. He has commented that he'd rather do this when needed than to have spent the additional $2800 the local dealer wanted ($3950) for the same thing in the same size. BTW, it is a 3.0 cuft softener. My record so far, a local dealer wanted $4995 for a 1.5 cuft with a Clack WS-1. I delivered one for $688.00, with my 'extras' that the local dealer didn't offer or include.
harrorainsoft wrote:And how do you know that his sizing is correct? He said I'd need a 1.5 cu. ft. tank, yet 2 local professionals said I only need 1 cu. ft. tank. The local professionals have been in the business for 45+ years and one of them normally only does commercial services. Unless you yourself are a water softener expert, I don't see how you can determine this.
He may be a customer or just someone that has done all the research, as all should be doing... I suspect you didn't go to any resin manufacturers' web sites as I suggested. He probably has, so he knows about the SFR of resin and you and those "professionals" you mention don't.
harrorainsoft wrote:Look, I'm not against Gary. He is wanting to help people and wanting to make sure they have the best softener he believes they can buy for the cheapest price.
No the "cheapest price" is not correct... the best softener and control valve for as low a price as possible, yes.
harrorainsoft wrote:But, he also pushes hard to try and close a deal for his own personal benefit. Which is fine. But, he is too full of himself for his own good. And his reasoning for some things is completely absurd. And, all the back and forth crap is so damn confusing, I find it best NOT to read this forum to save yourself some headaches. Feeding the fire baby!
I pushed you! How? I didn't think you were a DIYer from your first post, and I asked you and you said you weren't. All I have done is to give you info to help you buy a softener locally. It's beside the point but think you're an idiot for spending $3000 for a softener, especially an Ecowater but up to now, I had no proof of your opinion of me.
As to my absurd reasoning... if you can find anything that I've said about softeners that is not true, please let me know. DON'T use gossip though, use facts from control valve and resin manufacturers not gossip from competitors or your buddy etc..
BTW, your softener is only sold in the residential market, what I proposed you look at is used in residential and commercial markets. What reasoning do think causes that? Also, many commercial softeners are assembled on site.
