I recently stopped by the local supply house, to get what I needed for a service change. Naturally, I needed a panel.
I told the clerk what I needed: how many amps, how many spaces, etc. I was not surprised that this (small) supplyer needed to order it, but I choked on the $800 price.
Just for grins & giggles, I called a larger house in the 'biggest little city' to compare prices. Amazingly enough, they also quoted $800. Something was clearly not right.
Digging through the very confusing materials provided by the manufacturer, it became clear that the panel that their 'product selector' pointed you to was a custom item that -clearly- they didn't really care to make. Not at all what I wanted.
Getting away from the 'product selection tool' on their website, and plowing through reams of fine print the 'old-fashioned way,' I found the panel I really wanted. Price was closer to $80, than to $800.
The experience shows the difference a good counter clerk can make. I can only pray that parts houses are set up to reward the 'good' guys, rather than the ones who quote $800 panels!
