Plumb Center & Gas Safe

[The Medway Handyman]

Usually avoid Plumb Center like the plague, but needed a plumbing part & was only around the corner...

During the eternity I waited to be served I noticed a large poster with the headline "Show us the card or we'll show you the door".

Poster was clearly a joint effort between Gas Safe & Plumb Center, the strongly worded message was that they wouldn't sell 'safety related' gas parts to anyone not carrying a Gas Safe card. No details of what 'safety related' gas parts where.

Looks like jobs for the boys to me.

... and they didn't have the bit I wanted - a bottom entry WC float valve.

[ARWadsworth]

I have only ever used them once.

I went to the counter, waited for a member of staff to serve me, told him what I wanted and I was told I was at the wrong counter for that part and he pointed to another counter in the shop. I went to the other counter and the same bloke walked around and then asked me again what I wanted!!!

[dom]

I ordered a fair quantity of 6m lengths of barrier pipe online from a discount plumbing supplier (can't remember who right now), but it was delivered by Plumb Centre - stuff looked like they'd been playing football with it around the yard.

Enough to put me off buying from my local Plumb Centre - I expect stuff to arrive in first class condition.

Like MH - I'd only use them when I can't shop somewhere online and reputable, or have a local alternative.

[Andy Dingley]

I've been there once, as I was already outside and I'd been searching for an extra-large fibre washer for some days. They didn't have one, but they did offer the "helpful" advice to seal the parallel thread with PTFE tape instead.

I hear they also sell hacksaws.

[Andrew Gabriel]

They introduced this a few years ago. CORGI tried pressuring the whole industry into doing this, but no one else fell for it as I know. I use to buy parts from them, but I haven't done since. Their stock situation was always bad anyway, and you could end up waiting weeks whilst they ordered your item from manufacturers.

[Scott M]

I don't understand Plumb Centre. I took along a ceramic disc cartridge looking for a replacement and the bloke behind the counter had no idea what it was (it was as if I'd presented him with a part of the Hadron Collider) nor did they stock any.

[mike]

I went in there once looking for a blanking plug for a soil pipe. They insisted on charging list price for it.

Still, I got away lightly compared to the poor sod in a shirt and tie in front of me who was obviously a weekend DIYer. Their attitude to him was pretty much summed up by this clip:

[fred]

In article , mike writes

Followup to dom, think it was discountedheating that used PlumbCentre, only used them once but it worked ok that time. Nowadays, per TMH's experience, if they don't want the business then f'ck em.

[dom]

Yup - that's the one.

[YAPH]

Ours has that. They only card they've ever wanted to see from me (for gas-carrying parts) says Visa on it ;-)

[YAPH]

Some stuff I've bought from Plumbnation has been delivered by PC. And sometimes they'll beat other suppliers' prices on stuff (I think I used to get a good price on Honeywell progstats from them before I started being able to buy them cheapewr from PTS on the boiler scheme). And sometimes they've got stuff that no-one else (or not many others) has e.g. those Fernox boil-in-the-bag scale inhibitors you hang in your cold water storage tank.

[Jerry]

They don't seem to employ ex building tradesman, never mind plumbers who have decided on a easier life or even clued up DIYers (like at least one of the DIY sheds used to do), you can't expect someone whose last job was stacking shelves for Tescos to know much? :~(

[Jerry]

: : I have only ever used them once. : : I went to the counter, waited for a member of staff to serve me, told him : what I wanted and I was told I was at the wrong counter for that part and he : pointed to another counter in the shop. I went to the other counter and the : same bloke walked around and then asked me again what I wanted!!! :

Could have been his identical twin I suppose?! :~)

[Dave Liquorice]

PlumbCentre,

Might be worth digging about on the various "discount" plumbing websites (and whois) to see who owns the sites and if they are all just different faces of the same company or parent (Wolseley).

Previously I've been happy with Plumb Centre, they've had what I've wanted and given a good price and discount but that dates back a few years. I recently got a length of flue from 'em off the shelf that was proving very difficult to obtain locally. Mind you judging by the faded labels and manufacturing date it had been on their shelf for 2 years...

[PeterC]

Well, as I posted recently, a rad. ordered from PlumbTraders was delivered by PlumbCenter in Northampton - good service TAAAW.