Plumbing Company Solves Expensive Warranty Issues After Switching to ACCOR

After years of leaks and other problems with other products, Whitton Plumbing experts turn from skeptics to ACCOR fans.

As a premier plumbing company in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona, Whitton Plumbing prides itself in keeping its customers satisfied. That means the services come with a warranty and a quality guarantee.

Up until several years ago, that guarantee was causing challenges.

“We were using different supply stops with extensions — metal-style angle stops,” explains owner Ron Whitton. “We were losing money because of drips and leaks, and we were having to go back and do warranty work.”

The callbacks and warranty issues were costing the company thousands of dollars each year. So Whitton Pluming was continuously on the lookout for high-quality products that would improve efficiency.

When Whitton and his staff first heard about ACCOR Technology’s push-fit products, they were skeptical. After using metal products for years, the plastic, less expensive valves appeared inferior.

“The ease of installation also sounded too good to be true,” Whitton says. They shopped around and tried different products. Finally, Whitton Plumbing decided to give ACCOR a try.

“There are new products coming out every year but we’re not usually the first ones to jump on board,” Whitton says. “But we were forced to say, ‘Even though this product may not be something we’re used to, we have to try something different.’”

Whitton — whose family business is more than 30 years old — is glad he made that decision. Seven years after switching to ACCOR, his plumbers have installed about 750,000 ACCOR stops and supply valves.

“We are more productive and we’ve improved our efficiencies,” says Whitton, whose company prices are based per job rather than hourly. And there’s one other big change — peace of mind.

“We can sleep good at night, knowing the customers’ homes aren’t going to get flooded or their cabinets or flooring get damaged from drops or leaks, and cost us money,” Whitton says.

As for Whitton Plumbing customers themselves, the company hardly hears back from them. And that’s how Ron Whitton likes it.

“No news is good news because the truth is, it’s something they don’t have to worry about,” he says.

AHEAD OF THE MARKET

ACCOR Technology founder Jerry O’Neill says Ron Whitton’s initial reaction is typical for plumbers who’ve been using conventional products for a long time.

“It’s about the trust factor of using a polymer product versus the old, heavy-brass valves that have been out there for many years,” he says. “There’s a reluctance but on the other hand, they try them because the old brass valves corrode and leak.”

ACCOR Technology, whose patented push-fit products have revolutionized the industry in 1988, has been turning skeptics into fans ever since. More than 35 million valves have been installed, including in nearly 3 million homes around the country.

“Once plumbers find out our products work great, they’re like Ron Whitton — they become a firm believer in them because they don’t have any callbacks or problems.”

As for Whitton, he’s such a firm believer that he shares his experience with many of his colleagues. With one exception.

“I don’t want to refer any of our competitors because they’ll see how good of a product it is, so we keep it a secret from them,” he says. “With the amount of ACCOR stops and supplies we’ve installed and the success we’ve had, it’s been a great product for us.”