On 2/28/2016 12:18 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Doug Miller:
SWMBO and I were told by a salesperson at a local plumbing supply house that, while they're
happy to price-match other local dealers on Delta faucets, they won't match online prices
because (supposedly) the Delta faucets sold by online retailers are a lower quality than those
that they sell, even though the model numbers are the same.

Sounds like BS to me

This is probably not relevant, but it comes to mind:

Looooong time ago I bought two bathroom faucets from K-Mart - the kind
with the push-pull cartridges because that is what they were using at
the gym I was going to and I figured if they worked there....

Took one to the local plumbing supply outlet and asked the guy behind
the counter what the diff was between this thing I bought at K-Mart and
their brand (Delta) that cost an arm-and-a-leg more.

He looked at me, turned red, and shouted out "Delta is QUALITY, and this
is ****!".... Other people in the facility stopped what they were doing
and turned to look at us....

Well, now it's 35 years later and I have rebuilt the Delta faucet in our
kitchen 4 or 5 times and replaced the spigot.

Last year, one of the "****" bathroom faucets was getting a little
stiff, so I replaced the cartridge.... but did not really have to...

Probably not a fair comparisonm based on the frequency and types
of usage. You use bathroom faucet probably *once* (turn it on,
wash hands, turn it off) each time the bathroom gets used.

Kitchen faucet (at least here) see's almost continuous use
throughout the day. E.g., I'll use it 6 or 8 times while preparing
today's lunch. Then, probably just as many times afterwards
(cleanup, etc.).

After that, fill the tea kettle. After that, wash out my
"tea mug". etc.

The finish on the Delta held up better though... the plating on one of
the bathroom faucets is starting to bubble here-and-there.