After seeing this post I decided to look them up. They had a lot that I was looking for so I placed an order. I had originally planned to order asparagus seeds from another company, but when I went to order they were out for the season. I called Gourmet Seeds up and asked if they could add the asparagus seeds to my order, and they did it without a problem! Normally companies balk at this, but they were happy to help me. Another happy customer!

I had a Calypso washer that was not covered by the class action lawsuit since I had not had a problem yet (that's another issue). I bought the extended warranty from Whirlpool because others were having significant problems. When mine did have an issue I called. The plan required you to use their repair folks -- A&E. A&E sent out some young guys who didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing -- one who didn't speak English. They replaced the wrong parts and it still didn't work. Then they told me they wouldn't spend anymore to repair it and would give me an allowance towards replacing it with another Whirlpool washer. Same washer is no longer available and the Cabrio was having issues plus I was told they were not good for the bulky items I needed to wash (comforters, sleeping bags, dog beds, etc.). I went to a front loader and found the Whirlpool bug-eye to be the deepest one on the market and not a choice for my narrow laundry room. I asked them to apply the allowance to a Whirlpool fridge for the laundry room so I could update that and go a little narrower to make everything fit. The contract doesn't say it has to be a Whirlpool appliance of the same type, but they refused. Both Aon and Whirlpool. We had planned on filing a small claims suit but got busy. We still have the time, but I'm not sure it's worth the aggravation. We bought an LG washer and dryer and I'm very happy with them. Haven't replaced the fridge yet, but the washer mess is a big strike against Whirlpool now. Up until then, I had only good experiences with them and would have had no hesitation buying again. I wasn't asking for anything more than what the contract entitled me to, albeit in an unexpected way -- they said no and now I don't want anything to do with them. That fridge is the only thing in the Whirlpool family in my house now -- and I bought it before they bought Amana. Oops -- no, I do have a Kitchenaid mixer. But no large appliances made by Whirlpool. It's sad -- I had really liked them in the past.

We got a Delta faucet w/pull-down spray for our recently installed utility sink. Didn't want to spend a lot of $ on a faucet for a utility sink (in the garage), but absolutely wanted a pull-down or pull-out spray head. It's impossible to wash down the sink (esp the corners) w/out a spray (didn't want separate sprayer; never had good luck with them). Looked at the Delta catalog at the plumbing supply place when we got the sink. FYI, the guy there did say that they aren't or won't be made in the UA anymore (China), so I don't know if or how much quality will suffer down the road. Anyway, we found one we liked in the catalog. We knew how much their price was, but looked online and found it(faucetsdirect.com) for a lot less. Our plumber was very impressed with it when he installed it, so that made us feel even better about getting it. So far, it's worked fine.

I have worked with showrooms, and in that capacity, we had the choice of 6-8 different lines that could fit almost anyone's budget. It's not a matter of "representing" a line. You are able pick from various lines, depending on what your customer tells you about (primarily) their budget and the look that they are going for. If you came in and wanted "white shaker cabinets", all 6 lines would have had that possibility and thus we would have been able to fit your budget just fine. If you came in and wanted "walnut recessed panel with applied molding detail" then there isn't a single line that I had that would work for what you wanted, no matter what your budget. (I've never worked for a truly high end firm.) You might find 3 out of 1000 KDs who do not have a showroom affiliation, and that's about it. Most who have tried to operate independently are only able to do on a long term basis so because another family member is the breadwinner. It's not a financially rewarding job, unless you are in the top 3% that have "names". Most either end up joining a showroom or give up the profession for another more lucrative job. In my case, our primary financial needs are taken care of because my husband receives a disability pension. Even so, although business has picked up this spring, I am considering going back to a showroom on a part time basis to be able to maintain the flexible schedule that caring for my husband involves and to be able to pay for the exorbitant medications that he needs. Thank goodness that I don't need to depend on my employment for our insurance!