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Austin Plumbing Supply
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Allandale
5520 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 323-2800
5520 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 323-2800
8 reviews for Austin Plumbing Supply
I know it seems like this place can't be bad as all the reviews say, but unfortunately, it is.
The folks over at Austin Plumbing Supply seem to think they are the only popsicle stand in town. How wrong they are! There is truly no need to be treated badly by these folks - go somewhere else with your business - I will be from now on.
The guy who works there is a piece of work. Here's the letter I wrote them earlier today after my first (and last) visit to their store.
I would like to provide some feedback after leaving your store today and then spending the next hour or so being incredulous about the poor experience I had with your company. It was like I was thinking about
having to have some snappy comeback to one of your employees because of his rudeness. But, he one-up'd me, got to be a smart guy and lost a potential customer for life.
1. I called yesterday and asked about a part, I asked what the general price was and the guy said $75, this was for an American Standard R110 or R120 valve
2. I researched to the correct part with American Standard as requested, then I checked the pricing at Home Depot online and it was $50.40 on-line with free shipping.
3. I drove 1 hour to get to your store today (from Dripping Springs), not worrying too much about the 50% premium in cost I would pay because I wanted it and am happy to support Austin small business.
4. I got to the store and found the price was now $106, I questioned this and got some arrogant reply that 'I didn't look it up' when I gave you the cost. Hey man I called in advance and then drove 1 hour to get to you.
Now that I made that effort to give you my business, there wasn't even some remorse that they had not made a 2 minute effort to provide me pricing that was halfway close. It cost me 2 hours round trip on my day off.
5. I couldn't justify the 100%+ premium for buying the part from Austin Plumbing supply so I declinded to by the valve.
6. When I walked out of the store, the same jerk that gave me the wrong price in the first place chimed in 'Next time bring your money with you' as I walked out the door - Incredible !!!! Think about the last time a customer service professional said that to you? Really - I'm 52 and this is a first for me, matter of fact - I don't think I know anybody who has that kind of experience in other stores. Think about it.
I hope they guy who waited on me owns the store because I couldn't see paying someone to be that rude and incompetent to customers.
I'm a marketing manager at a large company that is just not how we treat our customers. I can't imagine this is how you would like to treat yours.
With that said, the lady who waited on me was courtious and professional.
I had posted a long review about this place but it has disappeared. I'll summarize again.
I went here to get some new fixtures for my new house. A young lady helped me pick stuff out based on what I already had. She suggested we go with Moen because we wouldn't have to buy new valves. We ordered about $300 worth of stuff and waited like 2 weeks for it to come in. Originally they said we could have it in 3 business days but that did not happen.
Once they came in and bringing them home I tried to install them. No luck. I did some more research and it turns out that the model they sold us would NOT work with most other Moen valves. That is strange because we picked them specifically for that reason.
I went back to the store and got about 15 seconds into my explanation of the situation when some guy (who we later found out was the store owner) cut me off and yelled at me like I was his child, "We ain't giving you your money back!". I figured there must have been a mistake and he thought I was a problem customer and had me confused with someone else. I continued and was cut off again, again and again. After 3-4 times of trying to have a rational conversation I decided to raise my voice and explain that they were in the wrong, not me. He yelled at me again and threw a piece of paper in my face that had a list of parts I would need to finish the job. I told him I would not be giving him and money and that he was a jerk. Bill Sullivan was his name.
After that I was asked to leave the store and not come back.
I have no doubt that they sold me those fixtures knowing that I would have to come back and buy valves. They lied to me. They cheated me. And I think they did it on purpose.
This is why places like Home Depot and Lowes exist. At least they treat people with respect.
I would write a longer review but I'm wasting tons of time dealing with their incompetency and I just don't have time. Avoid NO MATTER WHAT. Our contractor sent us here. They are the worst. Every last person there will lie and cheat. Save yourself money and a headache and AVOID AVOID AVOID this awful business!
Horrible experience, steer clear of these guys.
Bought a low flush toilet and neglected to check their return policy. Got the toilet to my house and it did not fit. On the receipt it says "48 hours return for store credit. No refunds for special orders."
I called the store to see if they could waive the 48 hours. The idiot on the phone told me, 1) he did not know the store's return policy, 2) I should leave a message for the owner who would call be back at close of business (past the 48 hour deadline).
I broke my neck getting back to the store. When I presented my return I was told that only the owner could approve returns and the owner was on vacation. Huh? Why didn't the jerk on the phone know this? I made the poor salesperson write a note on the receipt that I was there within the 48 hours.
I called back several days later and was able to speak to the owner. He did say they would honor the return and give me store credit. I drove down there once again and decided to use the store credit for a badly needed kitchen faucet. After picking out a low end ($300) faucet to match the credit for the toilet I was told they did not have it in stock and it would be a special order. So what faucets do you have in stock? None. Meaning if you buy any faucet from these guys and the faucet doesn't work you're out of luck because there are no returns.
Ridiculous. And people wonder why the big box stores ran guys like these out of business. Save yourself the headache and go to HD or order through mail with free shipping.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT USE THIS PLUMBING SUPPLY EVER! READ ALL THE REVIEWS BELOW.
Unfortunately, the reviews are right on regarding customer service, attitude and shady business practices. The owner, Bill Sullivan, is an arrogant and offensive ass. I will never send him another client.
Recently, my client who is THE nicest person in the world called to tell me how poorly she was treated. We were working on a new master bathroom and she and her husband wanted to shop around for new faucets. The owner worked with them diligently until the order was placed. When the purchased items did not show up as promised for the scheduled installation the owner initially did not return calls and finally when they did speak was incredibly condescending and rude.
Go check out Ferguson's beautiful new showroom on St. Elmo or .Moore's on Shoal Creek. Don't bother with this cretin.
SHORT VERSION -- This place is the absolute worst!
LONG VERSION -- I"ve seen plenty of reviews about the arrogance, rudeness, and lack of courtesy from the owner and staff and i have to say, they are definitely true. Their arrogance and unfriendliness (especially after the sale) are almost beyond belief.
My guess is that the staff takes their cue from the owner. As others have mentioned, they'll say almost anything to make the sale and then treat you like dirt when something goes wrong with the product/purchase. The owner's policies regarding returns/refunds are a true reflection of his attitude - He'll take your money and refuse to budge an inch, regardless of his ability to fulfill his end of the sale. He truly acts as if his is the only store in town (and maybe it is, considering the terrible service they get away with.)
Don't shop here unless you have absolutely no other choice. And even then, don't shop here. Im just saying.
***Update - I just read Jason's review and boy does that sound all too familiar. I considered complaints with the BBB or attorney general's office, but if you look at the APS website, I think they advertise "awards" from the BBB so I question how useful that would be.
In certain cases - your best recourse may be to cancel/dispute the transaction with your credit card company. Typically, that would mean you're not responsible for paying the bill until the dispute is resolved and it was determined if you have a valid case or not. This is definitely a useful measure if you've been scr*wed by a company (as this one seems to do quite often). The downside is it can be a long drawn out process. I'm not adverse to doing this, especially on principle. Noone should be treated the way this co. treats people.
Disclaimer- I'm not an attorney and this is not meant to be construed as legal advice. But from what I understand, the transaction between customer and business is considered a 'contract' of sorts. The return policies of the co. - provided they are reasonably advertised - can be considered the conditions of that contract and both parties are generally bound by them. However, I would venture that if the co. misrepresents something during the transaction ("sure, this product will work for you"), then that might constitute a 'breach of contract' negating those otherwise binding conditions.
Again - this is not legal advice; just info based on my experience. But when you dispute a claim through your credit card co., in some cases their legal dept may try to serve as a third party arbitrator and determine who's at fault. And if a company grossly misrepresented a product to me, I would take the position that the 'contract' has been breached.
Buyer beware -- shop elsewhere! If i were forced to choose between indoor plumbing and giving this place another penny....Well....you get the idea.
All of the commercials for Austin Plumbing Supply make it look like a great showroom. That is correct, conveniently located near 2222 on Burnet road, they do have a great showroom. But, the kicker is, it is just a showroom. My husband and I went with a toilet in mind and ready to spend a pretty penny. We were not greeted when we entered the store and stood around waiting for assistance for 30 minutes before giving up and just leaving. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but, as we were waiting there was an irrate customer who was unable to return an expensive faucet that didn't work. The owner/manager type person just told her to leave. I thought for sure she was the one with the problem. Then, we proceeded to drive right down Burnet road to McNairs appliance where we ended up purchasing out toilet. The employees told us that Austin Plumbing Supply's manager has a history of pissing people off. I guess that is why they have to advertise so much.
