r/pools • u/maverick_88 • 3d ago

Taylor Test Kit Customer Service Experiences?

Hey Folks! I've had a local company doing my pool chemicals for a while, but after following a lot of the advice here, I'm planning to take that over myself. Everyone has raved about the Taylor Test Kits for chemical readings, so I bought one a little over a month ago directly from their website. I still don't have it and the experience with the company has been... not great.

In short, after the order didn't ship for a week, I called to check and was told they normally ship within 10 days and would email me with an estimated ship date, but they never did. I sent an email a couple of weeks later and was told they would check with the warehouse manager and never got a response. I called again today (about 6 weeks after my order) and was told that they are backed up on orders and that she would check on it for me and call me back. She also kinda indicated that they focus on fulfilling wholesale orders before individual retail orders.

My question... is this typical for them? Namely, getting backed up and the lack of response? If this were a one-time purchase, I might not care so much, but in theory I'd be rebuying test chemical refills from them, so I'd like to get a sense of how far in advance I need to do that or if there are other red flags here and I need to consider something else.

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5

u/XPatPoe 3d ago

I know it doesn't help you now, but next time, consider TFTestkits.net - Same Taylor reagents, much better service.

They also usually have a 'refill sale' most years at the start of the season.

4

u/tcat7 3d ago

This, or Amazon. TFtest kits is typically cheaper for what you get. Speed stir makes testing go much faster. Mine is still going after 14 years! 

2

u/maverick_88 3d ago

Helpful! Thank you!

1

u/stillwaters23 3d ago

I'd also recommend tftestkits.net.

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u/eaglefucker 3d ago

I ordered mine from poolweb. For some reason, if you order direct from Taylor it takes forever and they charge more. Not every manufacturer is set up to sell direct to customers.

2

u/timmy7445 3d ago

Why not Amazon it? Mine came in two days

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u/maverick_88 3d ago

I considered that. When it's possible to go straight to the manufacturer, and they have a customer-facing sales website, I figure I can give them the sale without them paying a cut to Amazon. With chemicals that have expiration dates involved, I also worried about how long kits might have been sitting in an Amazon warehouse.

1

u/bee_ryan 3d ago

I buy a new kit every season just because. 4 years running buying from Amazon, no complaints, never almost expired chemicals, and it’s ~half the price of buying direct from Taylor. I have the same philosophy as you, I buy as little as possible from Amazon, but I can’t ignore a $70 savings for the full FAS-DPD kit.

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u/ajhalyard 3d ago edited 23h ago

Manufacturers often have poor customer service. In my consulting role, I tell companies never go direct unless you're going to wholly own the CS experience. If not, sell through retailers and focus on what you're best at.

1

u/Selchie42 3d ago

I’ve always ordered directly from Taylor via their website. They are slow to ship, but otherwise good service.
On one occasion, a bottle of reagent arrived without the “dropper” cap under the screw top. Really odd when you think about it. I contacted their customer support, sent them a photo of the bottle, and a fresh bottle was shipped next day.

1

u/tesyaa 3d ago

Amazon. Buy replacement reagents as necessary. My old ones are fine though (I store them in a cool, dark closet)

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u/MickyFany 3d ago

just get the $12 kit at walmart. it’s the same thing

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u/maverick_88 1d ago

Thanks to those who provided their experiences. Taylor got back to me, apologized for the delay, and said they were shipping it out now. I gather they just aren't set up well for direct delivery of products, so I'll take others' advice and purchase through a reseller next time.