ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Manufacturer Contacts

Just wondering about any experiences good or bad with manufacturer contacts. I have recently e mailed some companies and I seem to get a quick and thorough response. I am thinking it might be A good idea to invite some of the people I have contacted to come to this forum to see if they have any questions or helpful insight that could benefit us as the installers of their products. I sometimes think that they come up with things to sell but never actually find out if they are installer or user friendly. I beleive that the people here are a very good group with alot to offer. We are people who care about the trade enough to share info with each other that will benefit us all in our daily jobs. Any thoughts?

Go to the NEMA site and checkout the forums. I have been able to get answers and information when I asked a specific question about an electrical product.

MAIN SITE: http://www.nema.org/index_nema.cfm/1427

FORUMS: http://www.nema.org/index_nema.cfm/1444

[This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 07-09-2002).]

Doesen't sount like a bad idea...

I work pretty good with the Leviton rep from this area and my cousin is a big shot with Cutler-Hammer. I'll email the Leviton rep a link to the site and I'll talk to my cousin.

EMS>
Sound like a great idea, contacts are always useful.
Reps seem to be getting scarce around here, except for the "counter days" at the supply houses.
John (HotLine1)

Some types of interaction can be a good thing. If you are suggesting something formal (ie: I'm Joe from XXX and ...) it should have a 'structure' to it somehow.

We would not want to open a floodgate here where everyone with something to sell will be signing up and trying to present their wares. It is very distasteful to many and generally ranks on a par with junk mail and spam. It has not been well received in the past and creates very awkward situations.

If someone wishes to come representing their company and ask for feedback or do some Q & A with the forum it should be arranged in advance (Webmaster@Electrical-Contractor.net) as to who and what it will be and then a polling of the forum can tell if it will be of interest or will suggest the best way to do something. It can then be properly announced so that everyone knows what is going on and what to expect.

Or, if a certain topic is of enough interest maybe we can go out and find someone to come discuss or explain it to us.

Does that all make sense?

Bill



[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 07-10-2002).]

Bill I agree to a point and I thought of the "sales pitch" aspect as well. I do not however wish to make a huge ordeal out of something I thought to be relatively simple. My initial idea came from a problem I had with some Alkco undercabinet lights. I emailed them and got a great response. It almost seemed like they appreciated my input. I then thought perhaps I could direct him to this forum and see if there were any other concerns or ideas out there that would help them produce a better product that would in the end help us as the end user/installer. How many years did it take for the old work box manufacturers to make that little opening for the plate screws on the gfi? Perhaps some interaction on this level would have moved that idea along a little faster.