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Anyone familiar with Andre Collection faucets?
After countless hours of "discussion", customer finally landed on a Kohler faucet collection she liked, for lav's, shower with standard, rain, handheld and body sprays, and roman tub filler with hand spray.
She's got a friend that was going to give her "better than wholesale" pricing, so I gave her a parts list, along with my pricing, to go place her order. She came back with an order for something called Andre Collection, saying that the salesman told her it was "MUCH better than Kohler", and "almost the same price".
Is anyone familiar with Andre Collection's faucets? I'm guessing that the sales guy didn't like my prices and sold her on something with a better margin (for him).
http://www.andrecollection.net/andre...bout%20Us.html
http://www.andrecollectionusa.com/an...uary_2007a.pdf
Last edited by jeffeverde; 04-02-2011 at 09:44 AM.
Much better?
We've gone over some of this before as to which faucets are the best. Too many choices and models to really nail that one down good.
A lot of plumbers get comfortable with certain parts and brands. It's always a learning curve to switch.
So if these are made by the Boguslavsky family, that's where you will be getting parts too.
It kind of reminds me of Jado and other boutique brands.
Last edited by Terry; 04-01-2011 at 06:18 PM.
Let me put some spin on the family name: Boguslavsky family
Think about it!
I'd reviewed what little info I could find about the company, and was worried about future parts from a "small, family-run, boutique manufacturer" (customer thought that sounded "quaint"...I read it as "plan on ripping this out of the wall in 6 years when you can get a replacement valve").Originally Posted by jimbo
Jimbo, do you have past experience with Boguslavsky products, or just being witty?
I think we are just being witty.
If you look at the pdf catalog, it does list replacement parts and pricing for them on the back pages. You have to scroll down for them, but they are there.
If they have been in business this long, they should last. Some of the stuff in the catalog does look familiar though. I wonder if some of it is marketed under different brands?
Most likely a website owner with a chinese knockoff connection.... JMHO
I'm thinking Bogus also...
My concern.... Dealer Locator
Witty?? Moi????
Anyone burned by Broadway faucets???
I was trying to figure out which cartridge went with which faucet...
Anybody else see that problem?
Now where do I order them?
Hi - This is an OLD quote, but I wanted to get on record about Andre Collection. We have sold Andre since the 1980s and have had excellent experience with them. Andre, like many other manufacturers, including Sigma, Newport, Phylrich, etc. put their trim on valves from one of the very few manufacturers of valves. Sigma, St. Thomas, Bluewater, Newport Brass, Phylrich, etc. use the same valves with 16 point quarter-turn cartridges ... so if something happens to one, then parts are available elsewhere. Regarding a later post about Jado, Jado is owned by American Standard. No problem with parts.
I also sell Kohler, and my experience with parts for their faucets has been horrendous. Since they've used OEMs to manufacture their faucets, the parts change as the OEM changes.
Hi - You're right. Andre has been around for years. We've sold them since the 80s. Never have had a problem - except with a finish issue and a handshower hose that came unraveled - both of which were replaced promptly by Andre. They, like so many other "boutique lines" as some call them, simply design and manufacture and plate the trim. They use common valves ... used by many other manufacturers.
You'll see the same valves in Andre, Altman's, Sigma, (formerly Concinnity), Newport Brass, etc., etc. They're smart enough not to reinvent the guts. You'll also see many of the same parts like showerheads, arms, etc. that are purchased from the same companies and then plated by the vendor. (Hope this is making sense.)
As an example, many of them use the Tempress II pressure balanced shower valve. Most use the same 16-point lav valves. Andre's trim fits on Sigma's valves and on Altman's valves and on .... So if something were to happen to any of these manufacturers (and there are so many that I've not even listed), the parts will be available from others.
On the other hand (and I do sell Kohler), they've used different OEMs to manufacture their faucets over the years. Each OEM uses their own valves and then makes the Kohler trim to fit on their valves. Makes finding parts for two identical faucets a challenge - not impossible - just a challenge.
And regarding Broadway (they really were about the first decorative line available), you're right; they did go under. They were destroyed when the parents died in a plane crash. The sons were working in the business, which was doing very well. The IRS got them with Estate Taxes. Such a shame. However, I've still been able to find parts for Broadway. My in-laws have Broadway faucets that were installed in the 70s or maybe early 80s. They still work.
The problem is that so many plumbers stick only to the usual suspects for parts ... the DIYs and the big guys who push Kohler and American Standard (depending on their alliance). They don't know that there are people out there like me who can recognize the faucet and find parts.
quote; If they have been in business this long, they should last.
Give me a couple of minutes and I will give you the name of a major "long time faucet manufacturer" who closed shop last year. Ah, it's Phylrich. Then there was Harden a few years ago, and list probably goes on and on. The manufacturer can be here today after decades, but gone tomorrow, and unless someone buys the line, parts cease to be available very quickly. Why did you give her "your pricing"? If you are furnishing the fixtures, she gives YOU the list and you give her the "total allowance". If you co it correctly, your allowance will be low enough that the other place could NOT underprice you. If she buys the fixtures herself, elsewhere, the you give her the allowance amount, but NOT your "profit", as a credit. I would NOT buy a 'replacement set' from HER source.
Last edited by hj; 02-28-2013 at 06:00 AM.
Licensed residential and commercial plumber
This was a project for family-friend of 40+ years - someone who'd been a second-mom to me -- profit wasn't a motive.
Thanks for your feedback, Kaitlyn. You're correct about it being a custom trim on a standard valve. (the shower mixer was a Champion, as I recall - I'm not sure what the Lav valves were).
In your experience, is Andre hard to get in touch with? Back when we got these faucets, I sent multiple emails and called their offices several times a day for two weeks, without ever getting a live body on the phone.
Last edited by jeffeverde; 03-01-2013 at 12:07 AM.
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