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ecco-domenica t1_iymiil2 wrote

Just FYI, Dead River is now owned by a private equity firm in Maryland. I've been a Dead River customer for over 10 years for the reliability and good service you described, but just had a very bad experience with them (after spending $3K for a new Rinnai purchased from & installed by them) and will be switching to a small local company in the spring.

They "lost" half their techs over the summer (unknown if they got laid off by the PE firm or quit, either way not good), scheduling someone to simply level my tilting tank has been a nightmare that's been dragged out since Dec 21 and is still not resolved, and the customer service people out of Scarborough that I have to deal with now are sarcastic and nasty unlike the local people that were always helpful and nice.

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MaineGal2022 t1_iymv98v wrote

Thanks for this information which I didn't know. I am also a long-term Dead River customer and I also have felt like there was a change but I didn't know why. For years, the tech who came to my house was Rick. When I called for my annual service appointment, I made a comment about Rick and the woman snapped at me, "We don't have anyone working here named Rick. I don't know what you are talking about." Really? Maybe it is time for a change.

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ecco-domenica t1_iyvr7zb wrote

When a customer service person shows that kind of attitude, it's because that's the attitude that's coming from above. It'll permeate the culture and is hard to get rid of once it's there. Every local tech, driver & office person other than these two service managers has been wonderful and obviously hardworking. The driver practically runs when making a delivery but still has a smile when he hands me the bill. That's something that's not just one individual; it's a company culture that won't last if people at the top don't demonstrate it themselves.

One small example of this is at my local Hannaford, the bagging is terrible. The cashiers are polite and otherwise competent but they don't know how to put groceries in a bag. Stuff is thrown in & jumbled up willy nilly. It's been this way for years. The next town over, they're all bagging experts, even the kids. Each item is perfectly placed with speedy precision. The bagging culture is ingrained at each store. It's been taught and handed down from one generation of cashiers to the next and it shows.

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