jaylectricity
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- licensed journeyman electrician
Last time I went there, I needed four Panasonic Whisper Fan/Lt combos, and one Panasonic Fan. I was there, I made sure the order was correct, they said it would be there in the morning. I get there at 6:30AM to pick up my order and they have it ready for me...four fans, and one fan/lt combo.
I had to drive to the S. Boston branch to get what I needed, making me late to the appointment. OK, well, I did it, I dealt with it, I was only a little late (S. Boston was on the way to the job) and we finished the work early so no harm, no foul.
Then today I stop by to pick up the stuff for a 200A service upgrade. I tell him what I want, and of course they don't have the 200A ringless meter socket. You know...the one that we use on almost every single residential 200A service. Had to go to Woburn to get that AND the weatherproof connector for the 2" hub. And the clips for the 4/O AL SEU. And a 2-pole 20A breaker for the panel. OK, so that's bad enough they don't have the simple necessities for your average service around here, but then...
I get in the truck and drive up there (again, it was on the way) to Woburn and the guy looks at me like I'm an idiot. I tell him that Jose told me that he put in the order and it will be ready for me up there. So then I'm looking at my slip from the branch near me and see that he charged me $200 for a simple 40/40 Siemens 200A main circuit breaker panel. Meanwhile he was bragging about how he saved me $7 on the meter socket. I nearly returned the panel, but I figured it was a quality panel and I still paid less for supplies than I used to when I was using copper for services, and I'm still getting the same amount from the customer.
Well lo and behold the box of 50 NM duplex plastic connectors only had 27 connectors into it. And he gave me a WR/TR GFI receptacle when I only needed TR. So that's an extra $4.
It's always these stupid little things that add up. Do any of you find the same sort of things at your supply house? Do I need to ask him for the price for every single little thing I order before I order it? And count every box of everything? I go to the supply house to have a guy I trust to give me the stuff I need. Every time I go everything is a different price. It's a game and I hate it. I understand that I'm not getting the same prices as an outfit that purchases tens of thousands of dollars a month from them, but can I at least expect to know how much everything is without asking what every single item costs?
I had to drive to the S. Boston branch to get what I needed, making me late to the appointment. OK, well, I did it, I dealt with it, I was only a little late (S. Boston was on the way to the job) and we finished the work early so no harm, no foul.
Then today I stop by to pick up the stuff for a 200A service upgrade. I tell him what I want, and of course they don't have the 200A ringless meter socket. You know...the one that we use on almost every single residential 200A service. Had to go to Woburn to get that AND the weatherproof connector for the 2" hub. And the clips for the 4/O AL SEU. And a 2-pole 20A breaker for the panel. OK, so that's bad enough they don't have the simple necessities for your average service around here, but then...
I get in the truck and drive up there (again, it was on the way) to Woburn and the guy looks at me like I'm an idiot. I tell him that Jose told me that he put in the order and it will be ready for me up there. So then I'm looking at my slip from the branch near me and see that he charged me $200 for a simple 40/40 Siemens 200A main circuit breaker panel. Meanwhile he was bragging about how he saved me $7 on the meter socket. I nearly returned the panel, but I figured it was a quality panel and I still paid less for supplies than I used to when I was using copper for services, and I'm still getting the same amount from the customer.
Well lo and behold the box of 50 NM duplex plastic connectors only had 27 connectors into it. And he gave me a WR/TR GFI receptacle when I only needed TR. So that's an extra $4.
It's always these stupid little things that add up. Do any of you find the same sort of things at your supply house? Do I need to ask him for the price for every single little thing I order before I order it? And count every box of everything? I go to the supply house to have a guy I trust to give me the stuff I need. Every time I go everything is a different price. It's a game and I hate it. I understand that I'm not getting the same prices as an outfit that purchases tens of thousands of dollars a month from them, but can I at least expect to know how much everything is without asking what every single item costs?