Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: grahamtasia on April 19, 2006, 04:44:57 pm
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I have a customer who is unhappy with her black plastic drain caps and would rather have aluminum caps in a contrasting color. I told her that HotSprings has had great success with their drain caps holding up and have received many compliments on their beauty and the quality of construction. Does anyone know if there is a company out there that makes designer drain caps?
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I used the cap off a Jose Cuervo tequila bottle in a pinch one time. No kidding, it worked great.
Terminator
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I used the cap off a Jose Cuervo tequila bottle in a pinch one time. No kidding, it worked great.
Terminator
Did you have to empty the bottle first or was it just a dead soldier lying around your sales office?
I'd get a can of spray paint and go to town.
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Lot's of empty bottles around here today. Made my quota and now I'm just coasting. Had no Shiner Bock, reduced to drinking Yankee beer from Milwaukee. Blechchch!
Termiantor
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This customer is a little out there, but, I told her I would try to find out what other people were doing to jazz up there drain caps. She doesnt like anything that blends. Probably the most unique complaint I have encountered so far.
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Well I hope she bought an expensive spa at full price with cash because that is a whacky complaint and sounds like she could easily prove to be a pain.
If she wants a cap of a different color can't she buy her own spray paint?
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This customer is a little out there, but, I told her I would try to find out what other people were doing to jazz up there drain caps. She doesnt like anything that blends. Probably the most unique complaint I have encountered so far.
maybe this $2 part will do. Might be able to find it in the plumbing department (is there even such a thing as plumbing department?)
http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore.com/43-226-hose-repair-and-parts/garden-hose-cap-249367.aspx
(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f260/diet069/249367_front200.jpg)
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I used the cap off a Jose Cuervo tequila bottle in a pinch one time. No kidding, it worked great.
Terminator
I've got one better than that. We had a customer who broke his whole drain assembly off at the base of the tub in the middle of winter when he was trying to chip ice off of his deck. For fear of draining the tub and risking it freezing up on him before we could get out there (it was a holiday weekend), he desperately looked around for something to plug it with.
His answer: One of his girlfriend's "toys". :-[
Our service guys took a few pics of it, but it's not something I think would be acceptable to post on here.
I suppose necessity is the the best way to spur invention. ;)
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I've got one better than that. We had a customer who broke his whole drain assembly off at the base of the tub in the middle of winter when he was trying to chip ice off of his deck. For fear of draining the tub and risking it freezing up on him before we could get out there (it was a holiday weekend), he desperately looked around for something to plug it with.
His answer: One of his girlfriend's "toys". :-[
Our service guys took a few pics of it, but it's not something I think would be acceptable to post on here.
I suppose necessity is the the best way to spur invention. ;)
...one of her toy"S" (as in plural)?
I wonder if he had to try a few before he got the right one?
too funny.
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...one of her toy"S" (as in plural)?
I wonder if he had to try a few before he got the right one?
too funny.
Reminds me of a comercial for a feminie hygene product that was on TV last year. A lady uses the product to stop a hole in a row boat. ::)
I agree that the drain cap is a standard thread and a plumbing supply house might be able to find something a little jazzier than plastic.
However, it sounds like this customer is trying to "rice up" thier tub (put on a bunch of doo dads to make it look high performance, much like a lot of young kids do to the Honda's (a-la the movie "The Fast and Furious")
I'd recomend the cap from a Cabo Wabo....but alas, that's a cork. :P
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It is a quirky complaint! Nothing with this sale made sense. She bought an Envoy with a sand shell and redwood cabinet and requested a ash colored cover and an esspresso everwood step. She also purchased a navy blue cantilever umbrella for it. Nothing matches at all. Bizarre. A plumbing wholesaler is a great idea. I suggested to her spray paint, but, she doesn't want a plastic drain cap. She wants a colored aluminum cap.
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Reminds me of my B-I-L. He's color blind. When he built his house he picked out the strangest color combos....bright blue marbillized formica for the counters, purple carpets, orange walls....At first I thought I was South of the Border. ;)
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Its an O.C.D. thing. She told me that nothing matches at all in her house. She has pieced everthing together so that nothing would match or be a duplicate. I left her a message today and noticed she changes her message daily. Very strange. I am willing to help anyone that truly wants help no matter how bizzarre the request. I will solve her drain cap problem, one way or another.
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Its an O.C.D. thing. She told me that nothing matches at all in her house. She has pieced everthing together so that nothing would match or be a duplicate. I left her a message today and noticed she changes her message daily. Very strange. I am willing to help anyone that truly wants help no matter how bizzarre the request. I will solve her drain cap problem, one way or another.
Call a supply house. You should be able to find one in Chrome, or Aluminum or brass. It's a standard threaded cap. If she wanted to go for broke, a machine or body shop might be able to anodize it any color she wants.
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You can pick up the cap at Ace hardware in Chrome color. Do you have an Ace hardware near you or that a midwest thing?
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An anondized drain cap. Is there a reality show yet, called "Pimp my Spa"?!
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What's OCD??? Old Crotchety Dame? Overweight Crack Dealer? Ornery Chili Dipper?
Terminator
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Obbessessive Compulsive Disorder.
Ref: Monk.
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My customer just called me back and told me that D-1's drain caps match the shell and weren't plastic. Anyone have some knowledge on this. I have not studied competitors drain caps.
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(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/5af7f01e.jpg)
Tell her to pick one and then leave you the hell alone.
Terminator
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My customer just called me back and told me that D-1's drain caps match the shell and weren't plastic. Anyone have some knowledge on this. I have not studied competitors drain caps.
Good lord.
Actually, order a drain cap from d1. it should fit.
Problem solved.
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Has anyone out there tried a D1 drain cap on a HotSpring Spa? I don't want to tell her to buy a bunch of them and not fit!
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Has anyone out there tried a D1 drain cap on a HotSpring Spa? I don't want to tell her to buy a bunch of them and not fit!
As her dealer you should be familiar with every drain cap on the market. I even feel you should have one of every variety in stock.
whatever happened to good customer service ;)
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I guess I spent too much time researching the benefits of FF!
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well I would assume (and we all know about that), drains are 3/4" NPT so they can be attatched to a standard garden hose.
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Good Point! This woman is relentless about this. I just left her a message stating she should by the drain caps from D1. I was on D1's website and found nothing on designer drain caps. Hmmm.
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I'm tempted to say kill this person, but someone might think I'm serious.
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She is a very eccentric person. I try really hard to be extremely helpful to not only my low maintainance customers, but, also the high maintainance ones also. She is definately over the top, but, I try to go the extra mile for everyone. I just spoke to D1 and their drain caps are also plastic. The search continues.
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Hey TubsAndCues. We are all immature adults here. We want to see those pictures!!!!!
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(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/shabba34/hosecap.jpg)
Like This...
http://doityourself.com/store/u775528.htm
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or this?
(http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4844/chromecap6og.jpg)
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(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/f779a249.jpg)
I may be dyslexic, but this is a Ttub Plug and may be just the thing she needs.
Terminator
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and you accuse me of bringing down the standards of this board. ! ! !
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
What's the choice of colors? Do some colors cost more?
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(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/f779a249.jpg)
I may be dyslexic, but this is a Ttub Plug and may be just the thing she needs.
Terminator
Obviously that's only for [glb]"Super High End"[/glb]customers. ;D
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lol....
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I spoke to her about using a marine grade mettallic-based paint and gluing different bottlecaps and/or decorative mini aluminum discs from a craft store.
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I spoke to her about using a marine grade mettallic-based paint and gluing different bottlecaps and/or decorative mini aluminum discs from a craft store.
I think you have gone above and beyond on this one. It's time to say goodbye and goodluck :D
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I did tell her that she never brought the drain cap concern to my attention before she bought the spa.
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I did tell her that she never brought the drain cap concern to my attention before she bought the spa.
As a dealer you are responsible for asking the right questions. Next time you have an interested customer make sure to ask how they feel about plain looking drain caps.
It could be a deal killer
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I think that if tell her all her options (hardware store, plumping supply, D-1, self craft project etc) and how you researched it for her, made phone calls, spoke to industry specialist, she should be all set to go. Wish her well, and tell her to take a picture if she does anything and you'll send her a free rubber duck.
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The dogs think I am nuts, I am the only human home, right now, and this thread has me laughing out loud.....This woman sounds like a real winner....
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you'll send her a free rubber duck.
The rubber d**k was already suggested.
Terminator
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The rubber d**k was already suggested.
Terminator
Hmm, I wonder if she is on this site right now. Maybee we should email her the link. ;D
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Tell her that changing the cap will void her warranty since it is not OEM equiptment. :D
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the dealer could change the drain cap for her and charge her a reasonable service fee.
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Tell her that changing the cap will void her warranty since it is not OEM equiptment. :D
Actually if she goes out and gets some brass cap and tightens it on with a wrench she runs the chance of snapping the drain.
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She wants aluminum. Maybe there is a plastic/aluminum adapter kit assembly unit to safely switch from plastic to aluminum. I dont know. I am not a plumber. I do have a call into the HotSpring rep, requesting him to call her directly.
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"I got your aluminum, lady!!!"
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/25c143d4.jpg)
That's what I would do, if I were you.
Terminator
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It wasnt an easy sale. She is currently driving the salesman at 1 of our other stores crazy. I have noticed that certain customers push the limits of what should be expected. I try to be very thorough with my presentation, but, never would of thought a "drain cap" would ever come into play as a problem. I am suprised that she hasn't complained that the filter lid matches the shell!
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She left me three voicemails already this morning. I am dreading this return call. I am going to suggest she just put different colored planters in front of the drain caps so she wont see them.
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She left me three voicemails already this morning. I am dreading this return call. I am going to suggest she just put different colored planters in front of the drain caps so she wont see them.
My not so customer friendly response:
We sell great hot tubs. We are not drain cap experts. If your customer wants to customize her spa, more power to her. We are simply not in a position to recommend anything we are not comfortable with. She needs to do the research herself and take responsabilty for it.
You have already bent over backwords trying to help her out.
Be nice, but she should be on her own on this one.
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Tell her what you've got. If you don't have anything else, tell her.
Let her know that it fits a regular garden hose and she might want to check with local garden centers/hardware stores.
She left me three voicemails already this morning. I am dreading this return call. I am going to suggest she just put different colored planters in front of the drain caps so she wont see them.
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The planter idea worked(I can't believe it!)! I appreciate everyones help with this very unusual customer complaint.
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(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/f779a249.jpg)
I may be dyslexic, but this is a Ttub Plug and may be just the thing she needs.
Terminator
That's pretty much the same thing our customer used. Although I was informed by our service techs that our customer had to buy his girlfriend a new one as the bromine in her water discolored her toy.
So make sure you guys all warn your customers about the possible bleaching of colors on those customer drain plugs! 8)
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The sad thing is, she would of actually wasted the true "real" benefits of that kinda plug, for her spa!
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My customer came in today would like me to thank everyone on here for all there help in finding the right drain caps for her spa!