Any manufacturer who responds in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner should get removed from our specifications!
Definitely on the “coal” list.
This company spokesman is out of control. I had to try my hand. I sent the following e-mail:
It is unfortunate that Prime Industries, Inc. website requires users to create an account to progress past the home page. This requirement causes an immediate strikethrough and removal of your companys products from our master specifications. Perhaps one day you will realize that specifiers avoid such websites like the plague, hence your products will never see the light of day in Callisons specifications. This is an arrogant and narrow minded requirement by Prime Industries. Your loss. Not ours.
He called me immediately to tell me in no uncertain terms to f**k off. Apparently we architects are arrogant. I wanted to tell him I am not an architect but it seemed useless.
Wayne the arrogant b*****d. I am in good company.
Oooo… maybe if three people did it, can you imagine three people calling up? Maybe they would think it’s a movement (even if no bars of “Alice’s Restaurant” were involved). And folks? that’s just what it is. A movement to strike Prime Industries from our specs.
(Oh, and you could play a couple of bars of “Alice’s Restaurant” in three-part harmony, just for good measure.)
Please send e-mails to ‘sales@piilab.com’ to complain about the requirment to create an account to get past the home page.
I have no objection to registering with my e-mail address but but my colleagues and I draw the line at passwords.
Keep the e-mails coming.
AA&A
(Arrogant Architects & Associates)
Now that I am on the manufacturing side of things, thanks for sharing these great tips for how to deal with you arrogant architects. I had no idea how to act…
(I’m joining Peter on the Group W bench)
But, George, we know you won’t treat Lynn & Wayne that way.
Another thought on websites. I was trying to find some info on a manufacturer’s website and they were apparently have some difficulties and when I spoke with my local rep. even he had trouble.
So where are the hard copy binders when websites go down and you need information fast?
BTW it was IRST (Sorry George)- but I was at least able to get to my local rep. and he was very apologetic.
Why any person who represents a manufacturer would purposefully alienate you toward their company is beyond me. Lynns story is so ludicrous that my first response, as it often is in my posts, tended toward sarcasm. But, its probably time to get serious on the subject at hand.
In three years with this company, I have been favorably impressed with the attitudes of colleagues and managers towards specifiers and architects. We are not immune to mistakes, but generally things can get worked out favorably, as I hope it was in your case, Richard. IR would love to say we are the exception, but I am sure that we are typical in the industry. In fact, the reason this story about Prime Industries is noteworthy is that it is way over the top and so out of the ordinary.
I too have had to apologize for our website - it’s oftentimes the nature of the corporate beast that improvements are difficult to effect. When putting together a corporate website, there is also a tension between the easy to find hard data that a specifier needs and the glitzy splash that marking types think architects want to see. And, of course, the bigger the beast and the more moving parts (think door hardware), the slower it is and harder it is to respond. But I do know there are on-going efforts to improve it toward a format more usable for architects and specifiers.
Now, to violate Colins edict against no product promotion here, I hope all of you who are at Construct in a few weeks will visit the IR booth, certainly to see the new products, but more importantly to express your concerns and constructive criticisms. Its an opportunity to have your voices heard by the right people.
And as always, if any arrogant architects (or even arrogant non-architects, Wayne) who frequent this forum ever have issues with my company, please feel free to email or call me. I dont guarantee immediate results, but I will try to get you the answers, or to connect you with the right people who can. And I wont call you names (unless, of course, you like that sort of thing)
George, I’ve had a long and great relationship with IR/ST dating back to my time on the East Coast and still do.
The great thing was that even though their website was down, I was still able to get to a real person through my local contacts.
Marketing people (not IRST) in our world of specifying need to understand that we aren’t looking for the glitz, but rather the technical information and our time is too valuable to be wasting it on registering for websites.
Thank you for your input.
My experience has been that hardware reps, as a group, are more knowledgeable about their products, more willing to help solve problems, and more apt to give honest evaluations of their and their competitor’s product, than any other group. They were among my first go-to guys when I started writing specs, and they have rarely let me down. I’m still working with one I met nearly thirty years ago, when I first moved to the dark side. Perhaps it’s the nature of their products, which, with all their combinations and permutations, demand complete attention and devotion.
That does not mean they’re perfect, or that other individual reps are not as good, or better. I have a nice list of go-to guys for most products, and when I don’t have one, or the ones I have are out, I go directly to the CSI member database.
I am sympathetic to the comments posted here regarding registration on manufacturer websites. When we are really flying, it seems like gratuitous gatekeeping when we encounter a registration form.
But, having worked for product manufacturers I am also aware of the significant investment they make in their technical documents. Depending on the company and the competitors they interact with, some are particular about how their information is handled once that investment is made. When asked, I advise manufacturers that an open-door policy is better received by the specifiers than a policy of having to pass through gates to get to the information. But, ultimately it is determined by their corporate communication policies.
And there is no excuse for bad behavior such as Lynn described above.
That stated, I decided to try registering on the Prime Industries website. Eleven minutes elapsed from the time I began filling out the form to the time I received an e-mail approving full access to their site. Is that really such a big deal?
That’s about one-third of the time I have spent this morning reading the above posts and writing this.
Just saying.
With Prime Industries, this has gone way beyond gratuitous gatekeeping. The original search was for colors.
It is the BAD behavior that needs to be checked. I wrote a similar e-mail to Lynn’s expressing my concerns regarding the “gratuitous gatekeeping”. The person responsible for responding to e-mails to sales at Prime Metals told me I was arrogant and to f**k off then hung up the phone. Like, how could I be so stupid.
Good for you if you are willing to waste eleven minutes to register (if only to look at colors). All 5 specifiers at Callison have better things to do. We detour to a user friendly websites. We are unanimous on this topic. However, we at Callison would appreciate a reasonable explanation for the gatekeeping policy verusus “arrogant b*h and fk off” responses.
Every day I hear something new after 46 years, 3 months in the profession. Truth is stranger than fiction.
I was remiss before in not plugging the certification programs as a fix for those manufacturers and product reps who want to up their game with architects and specifiers (although the company currently being discussed is probably beyond hope).
I know this is preaching to the already-certified choir, but when you do encounter a manufacturer who is willing and eager to improve, please remember to mention CDT and CCPR.
Well, Wayne, I sure hope you have a better afternoon than you seem to be having now.
While I was waiting, I responded to e-mails and proofed a spec section. Wasn’t holding my breath or twiddling my thumbs.
And, I certainly don’t think bad behavior like Lynn described is excusable. But developing s**t lists can lead to unnecessary trouble.
Anyway, peace, fellow specifier.
Behavior described above should be reported to higher ups in the organization. The IL SoS lists Scott W. Fuesz as company founder, President and Statutory Agent. I doubt if he wants a national sales force known throughout the industry as short-tempered potty mouths.
David,
I don’t have a shit list.
It is still moring in the PNW and is it going fine. Doughnut day for the Sept. birthday boys and girls. I had a Texas chocolate long john
As I said, registration is not an issue. Verbal abuse is.
While I am wating, I write 3 specs, learn Swahili, rotate the tires and make/bake a pizza. If time still permits I go online to ESPN to see what ARod is up to. When hockey season starts I will focus on the NHL and the disciplnary committee.
My disciponary committee is taking action against verbal abuse. Click.
That is all I have to say about that.
Thanks, Wayne. Have a great weekend. Hope to meet up with you some time.
I’ll be in the dark alley wearing black.
Wayne;
OK, I have to ask: what is a “Texas chocolate long john”? I know what a “chocolate long john” is, but what does the “Texas” add?
And now I want to buy a dozen crullers on the way home. ;-(
I had a different type of problem recently. The website did not require registration, but they placed the guide specifications in what I considered a very peculiar place. After I sent an email complaining to them that they did not have guide specs, I received a call that if I clicked on the appropriate heading at the top of the webpage, I would readily find the guide specs. Of the 7 or 8 headings at the top of the page, the correct one to hit to find specs was “Media Library” - who would of thought to look there?