PVC DC Pipe- a trip to the cleaners!!!!

Alan in Little Washington · 03-31-2008, 07:01 PM

I am reworking the DC drops behind the knee wall in my shop as part of the autogate installation. I needed a few feet of 6" PVC S&D. Of course, as all of you who have looked know, that stuff is hard to find. I tried all the local plumbing supply, Ferguson's Waterworks, etc. here in Washington and Greenville. No luck, whatsoever. Then I thought I remembered that John Deere Landscapes had it. So, what the hey, I gave them a call. Ureka, they had 6" S&D!!!! though I was a little skeptical, he repeated the correct nomenclature to me- PVC S&D, ASTM 2729, solid perf. I was in the big city already, so it was just just a quick trip to the other side of town to the John Deere place. As I pulled in the lot I could see stacks of the stuff in their yard.

I eagerly went in with a big grin, told the guy that I was the one who called earlier, and said I just need one 10' length. We chatted about this and that while he did up the ticket. When he said, "that will be $56.58" ($5.30/ft. + tax), I nearly fell on the floor!!!!! Yikes!!!!! I was speechless, but paid it anyway. When you gotta have it, you gotta have it. Only a few years earlier, before the price of gas and petroleum based products had gone crazy, I paid about $13 for a 10' length. I had forgotten what the NCWWers paid last fall.

When I got home and researched the prices mentioned by Jim Murphy and others here, I felt sick. Then I went to the John Deere online catalog where it listed for $2.27 / ft. I knew I had been taken to the cleaners. You better believe I will give them a call tomorrow and give them a piece of my mind!!!!!

Bas · 03-31-2008, 07:46 PM

Ouch!!! I guess you can use that pipe what it was meant for - waste money and vent your anger

You should definitely follow up on the price, sounds to me like they may have quoted you schedule 40 or the thicker wall S&D pipe. After all, you're going to need that money to pay for the Festool price increase!

Oh, and keep us posted on the progress with the pipe reinstall with pix......we like pictures....

Jim M. · 03-31-2008, 08:27 PM

You forgot the extra fee for chit-chat and decor

Jim

TBone · 03-31-2008, 08:55 PM

YIKES! For that price it should be filled with gas.

JimmyC · 03-31-2008, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Bas

Ouch!!! After all, you're going to need that money to pay for the Festool price increase!

Bas,

You obviously haven't gotten the tour of Alan's shop, If it's not Delta grey then it's not allowed in the shop.

Well I guess he could always paint over the festool white and green.

Jimmy

ps. Sorry about your pipe predicament Alan.

Gotcha6 · 03-31-2008, 09:52 PM

I always knew John Deere stuff was high, but that pipe didn't even have a JD logo on it did it?

This sounds like a retailer just gouging. Always best to ask BEFORE.

jtodd71 · 03-31-2008, 09:56 PM

Well I will not tell you a bought some today for 25.72 per pipe At JD here in greensboro.

Partman · 03-31-2008, 09:57 PM

Sounds like they saw you coming,

but you did call an tell them you were.

Danny

McRabbet · 03-31-2008, 10:05 PM

My purchase in October was at $15.99/10' length at a mid-sized plumbing supply house in Spartanburg, SC (I bought 130 feet for myself and Purple Thumb). We need to find a source like that and get the North Carolina Woodworker Pony Express geared up!. I need to check their current pricing, but if there is interest, I could go buy some and bring it to the Picnic in May. They also had better pricing than Lowe's on fittings and even had sweep elbows at a decent price. Let me know folks -- I can give them a call and get some fresh pricing.

DaveO · 03-31-2008, 10:24 PM

Alan, you need to make friends with your local landscaper. I get a very nice contractors discount on everything I buy at JD

Dave

Jim Murphy · 03-31-2008, 10:45 PM

Alan, that's the retail, non-commercial price. I don't know why so many landscape oriented companies do this (gouge the homeowner), but it's common.

Lesco will clean your clock if you don't have a commercial account.

See this thread for the "contractor's" price.

Alan in Little Washington · 04-01-2008, 04:10 PM

I called John Deere today- yup, I paid the "non-contractor" price. He says corporate (and their desire to please landscapers) makes them charge that much! I won't say I paid "retail" because I paid at least 2 - 3 times what retail should have been! Much more that 6" schedule 40 would cost at Lowes!!!! That is outright thievery!!!!

I still plan to call or write corporate and complain!!!!! It is really too bad I can no longer get that stuff here in town, and can't wait for it.

Jim Murphy · 04-01-2008, 04:53 PM

You have paid but one of the innumerable costs of impatience.

DaveO · 04-01-2008, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Alan in Little Washington

I called John Deere today- yup, I paid the "non-contractor" price. He says corporate (and their desire to please landscapers) makes them charge that much! I won't say I paid "retail" because I paid at least 2 - 3 times what retail should have been! Much more that 6" schedule 40 would cost at Lowes!!!! That is outright thievery!!!!

I still plan to call or write corporate and complain!!!!! It is really too bad I can no longer get that stuff here in town, and can't wait for it.

Alan I can't defend John Deere's "retail/non-contractor" pricing, because they can be high. But I can defend the system of wholesale and retail. I, as a landscape contractor, purchase from JD in much greater volume than any retail homeowner/DIY purchaser ever would or could. It is because of this volume, that they have to supply contractors with a lower price. We purchase materials from them and then re-sell it to our clients. We couldn't to that by paying a retail price. There are many nurseries that have that system. They have found that dealing with the homeowner just to sell a few plants takes much more time than taking my phone in order and delivering the plants I need the next day. No hand holding involved.
You're gonna find that system at lumber yards, and plumbing and electrical supply houses. It sucks to be on the retail end of the system, but it a necessary evil that help business run.
MTCW,
Dave

JimmyC · 04-01-2008, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by DaveO

Alan I can't defend John Deere's "retail/non-contractor" pricing, because they can be high. But I can defend the system of wholesale and retail. I, as a landscape contractor, purchase from JD in much greater volume than any retail homeowner/DIY purchaser ever would or could. It is because of this volume, that they have to supply contractors with a lower price. We purchase materials from them and then re-sell it to our clients. We couldn't to that by paying a retail price. There are many nurseries that have that system. They have found that dealing with the homeowner just to sell a few plants takes much more time than taking my phone in order and delivering the plants I need the next day. No hand holding involved.
You're gonna find that system at lumber yards, and plumbing and electrical supply houses. It sucks to be on the retail end of the system, but it a necessary evil that help business run.
MTCW,
Dave

Dave,
I understand the whole retail/wholesale thing, but just charge 20% more for walk-ins. If these places don't want walk-ins, all they have to do is post it on their doors. But, I'm sure if they did it, people would start buying from other places, including lawnmowers. I won't purchase John Deere products because I believe that they are generally overpriced anyway.
I am fairly sure that Alan will never purchase anything from John Deere.
Good word of mouth is strong, Bad word of mouth is powerful.

But in the end I guess they just didn't want his business, I know that they won't get mine.

Jimmy

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