Now there's a company that knows how to do business.

Wait..a CSR who knew how to troubleshoot a leaky faucet? Seriously? I too may be interested in Kohler products in the future.

I had a similar experience with them just a few weeks ago. I had my kitchen faucet about 7 years, had a part fall off. When I emailed them, they had me email a picture of the faucet to verify the model. I had the part within 3 days. I would buy from them again- I love their faucets.

I am from Wisconsin, as is Kohler. I can agree with the consumer that it is a great company and, as corny as it sounds, I am proud that such a respected brand comes from our state.

I would add, though, that this is a Wisconsin/Midwest thing - i.e., we don't treat people like shit for having legitimate questions/complaints. I didn't have any bad experiences with CSRs until I moved to the East Coast and, especially, DC (Comcast!!!!!!). I really don't understand why, but the Midwest simply produces nicer, more well-adjusted people.

We remodeled the kids' bathroom in 2000 and the handle on the shower broke. I called them, and even though they no longer make that style, I had the replacement part within days.
They do a great job! I wish other companies would follow suit!

Kohler FTW! The pressure balancing anti-scald valve on all 5 of our showers had given up, which the plumber attributed to our not-so-smart idea of setting the water heater to 140 degrees to keep it from running out as fast... A friendly Lowe's rep nearly refused to let us buy new shower handle things and insisted that we call in for lifetime warranty support (so much better vs. stores that try to get you to buy buy buy!). The Kohler rep was exactly like the OP described - quite knowledgeable, polite, etc.

I felt bad not being completely upfront with such a nice CSR, so I admitted that it's probably our fault for letting them get melted or whatever. She still took all the blame, and sent us out a beefed up version of the diaphragm/valve set.

The only other companies with service this awesome are Lego and Fujitsu!

Six years after we remodeled our kitchen, our Kohler sink faucet began leaking. The problem was in the spray nozzle head, which could not be disassembled. One call to Kohler and a replacement nozzle assembly was on its way. Fantastic.

They helped me too with a leaky kitchen faucet. The only problem with them is that you cannot buy their parts off the shelf *anywhere*. You have to go through them. And for some reason, the parts I needed were back-ordered, so it took at least a month to get everything.

I'll echo the sentiment that they are a great company to deal with. I had a leaky handle in one of our bathrooms and after not being able to find the part at Home Depot, I resorted to calling Kohler. They were incredibly helpful and not only sent the part for the leaky one, but sent one for the second bathroom which hadn't started leaking yet.

Great Job Kohler!

@pecan 3.14159265:

Impressive for a female also! I don't know many ladies that could break down a faucet, much less do it over the phone. Heck, there aren't many guys that could do it either. Well done!

Home Depot and Lowes get a different quality, less well made version of Kohler products than supply houses. If you ever need parts, or to purchase a faucet, you should check your local plumbing supply house first. It may cost you a little more in the beginning, but you will have many less headaches and issues.

Having never before bought a faucet, sink, or anything along those lines, I can honestly say that I will probably go with a kohler if I am ever in the market. Kohler, you're incredible service has won you my business.

Well that decides which faucets are going into the new house. But let's break this down and compare it to almost every other tech support.
Friendly,
1st Tier support has a clue,
No begging for genuine support,
No excuses or byzantine hoops to get support,
And lastly I hear no complaint about the woman tucking a marketing survey into her "information required to help you"

I suspect they might cost more but I want my life as hassle free as possible.

In comparison, I once called D-Link after a semi-failed firmware update and spent 10 minutes answering irrelevant questions such as the brands of networking equipment connected before she finally told me that I had to unplug it for a few minutes to completely reboot the router. Needless to say that was the last piece of D-Link junk I ever bought. Don't even get me started with Rogers Cellphone tech support.

Well, I guess my next faucet will be from Kohler!

@Dani0209: I can assure you, that at least in Canada, Home Depot and Lowe's get the EXACT same Kohler products you will find anywhere else. The only difference is that most box stores will start selling with the lower line products that a specialty store probably wont bother carrying. But if you order product K-1442-BN from a Lowes store, and a k-1442-BN from a specialty plumbing house, they will be the EXACT same product. Kohler does not produce a box store line and a real line as some manufacturers due. Product A is product A, plain and simple.

I too can attest that Kohler has great customer support. Unfortunately, after 3 repairs in 2 years of owning my Kohler faucet (always the same point of failure), I bit the bullet and replaced it with another brand. Customer service is only 1 ring of the satisfaction circus. Product quality and value are the others. Kohler is 1 for 3 in my eyes. But still, they do provide great customer service and support.

@FentonRhinoceros: One day I had to call Andersen Windows (Minnesota), Seed Savers (Iowa), and Nordic Needle (North Dakota) all in the same day for customer service. It was like the most pleasant customer service day EVER. They all have on-site call centers staffed by Midwesterners who were all saying, "Oh, you're in Peoria? Are you getting that 70* weather we're having?" and were generally polite, patient, and chatty during the boring/waiting parts.

I have a Delta faucet that's several years old in the kitchen that came with a lifetime warranty.

Special washers, they come right away. Diverter, a few days. Been meaning to call for a spray hose and I'm sure that'll come too.

Good to finally hear some good news. These faucet companies do it right!

When buying goods with a 20+ year lifespan it's worth it to spend a little more. Even with some of their wackier products (chromatherapy tubs, and a new one with some sort of acoustic massage) Kohler makes great, durable, high-quality products. That's why they can afford good customer service... most of their customers just don't need it.

Well, now Kohler is going on the "list of companies I should buy for if I ever need X product" in my brain.

Does anyone else have one of those? I seem to be putting more companies on the "list of companies I should avoid buying from at all costs" recently; it's nice to hear about a good experience!

See, companies? This is why good customer service helps sales. I don't need a faucet or any other plumbing at the moment, but I won't forget hearing about this. I'll buy from Kohler when I need what they sell. Is that really so hard to understand?

@pecan 3.14159265:
My husband is a plumber. He says every first tier Kohler CSR knows this stuff. It's part of their job training.

@Andy Barlow Thanks to my house purchase (and a DIY dad) I've gotten a LOT better about fixing things. So far, two leaky faucets, one showerhead and one garbage disposal.

If anyone knows anyone who can install a ceiling fan however, I'm all ears. I can't handle dealing with electricity.

I will defiantly look at buying Kohler products when I buy my first home. I am willing to pay twice as much if I know it will last and I will get good customer service. It is not like I will buy a faucet every week so why not spend the extra money and get a quality product that will last for years to come.

@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): Ya have a leaky window? That's no good, dontcha know! Ya should come over for some hot dish and barss later! (the ss in barss is not a typo)

Well good. Now I'll feel great when I purchase some of those really sleek looking faucets and splurge on those awesome showers.

I have a feeling that it has to do with being sensible Midwesterners. We need more of those sort of people running things!

Too bad Kohler advocates flushing all sorts of cloggy things down your toilet. Very irresponsible. Bad for the environment and it can be VERY costly to fix clogged sewers. Hey Kohler, the only thing people should be flushing is TP.....NOT bras, plastic bottles or dog food.

@tbonekatz: Dayuuuuum...

*mental note: buy Kohler*

Oh, another thing. I have Kohler Wentworth toilets in my house and they are the WORST toilets I've ever had. They don't flush well and they are way too easy to "stripe". I previously had Toto toilets that were so great.

I am in the market for a new kitchen faucet. Kohler will be high on my list! Thanks for sharing.

@TEW: I will defiantly look at buying Kohler products...
Great typo, that.

I will defy the competitor's marketing and buy from Kohler.

@ChicagoKev:
Cut me some slack. I just worked for 5 hours and had college classes for another 4. By the time I noticed it I had posted it and could not change it.

@Jerry Houlihan:
Are they the low flow toilets? The government mandated the companies switch over to the low flow style with less than a year. All toilets from the early to mid 90's are junk.

@Andy Barlow: Yeah, normally girls get special "girl training" when they're hired for technical jobs- you know, the training where they spend all day reading Cosmo and doing each other's hair. It's the boys that get the real training about how to actually fix stuff. Seriously dude?

I went through a tour of their factory two years ago. They put their products through crazy torture tests, flushing golf balls, clothes, dropping all sorts of things onto their toilets, stress-flexing the faucets.

Their tour guide also told me that all their call-handlers have access to ALL product documentation and technical guides.

@Quill2006: "See, companies? This is why good customer service helps sales."

I agree. Reading all these stories of happy customers will make me much more likely to buy Kohler for my upcoming renovation (2 kitchens and 3 baths).

Also, I am in architecture, and sometimes get to specify the fixtures, tubs & sinks. I will be more likely to check Kohler first for products that will fit my design, since I know my customers will not have problems with customer service in the future.

@Andy Barlow: Well, as a woman, I do know a thing or two about sinks. I spend all day next to one in the kitchen after all.

@Raindrip: Oh yeah, I forgot! Must be those female brain cells, always letting me down. I wonder if I could get a job jello wrestling, since my night job is all about being on my knees cleaning food other people throw on the floor. I could get letters of recommendation from all the men who spend quality time looking at my rear as I'm on the ground fixing everything they can't be bothered with. If not, I'll just stay with my current job doing custom level support for storage area networks owned by some crazy big companies and institutions. When my disk array is running slow, should I just show it a little leg?

I had the same experience with Price-Pfister. It really is worth paying a couple bucks extra for the name brand sometimes.

Correction, they're the sink, faucet, AND small engine company.

Kohler also makes some of the best small engines on the market.

Reading this experience called to mind a similar one. I purchased a new/old house that had an $800 corner shower that the door would not close properly on. It was a Kohler. I called customer service they walked me through everything and then volunteered to replace the seals and risers at no charge. Two days later they arrived with an extra seal even. The most amazing part is that I did not even buy the shower it came with the house and they knew it. The CSR was friendly, helpful and kind. I will buy Kohler when ever I can.

@Jerry Houlihan: Where does Kohler advocate this? Link?

@locakitty: electricity is really pretty simple, for things like a light or fan at least. However if you are not a very careful person and or you tend to be forgetful, its definitely worth it to just find a good electrician.

I work for a Plumbing Supply, and have always found Kohler to have the best customer service. Moen faucets also have a lifetime warranty, and their customer service is very helpful as well. Price Pfister has good customer service, but I feel their product are prone to more problems. And in response to Jerry, I've sold Kohler Wellworth toilets for years, and the only time I've ever had any trouble was when they first switched to 1.6 Gallons-Per-Flush back in the early '90's. (All the first-generation 1.6 toilets had trouble regardless of the brand) I would suggest calling customer service and explaining the trouble you've been having, they may be able to help.

@Andy Barlow: Well, we all know that one usually uses one's penis to fix a leaky faucet, so this is indeed impressive.

Same great experience. Leaky kitchen faucet inherited in a new apartment. Took it apart, diagnosed that it needed a new washer, found the Koehler part number for the washer, tried to get it everywhere, no luck.

In desperation called Koehler, they were helpful from the start, said all their products have a lifetime guarantee, even though I wasn't the original purchaser. They didn't have the washer so they sent me the entire faucet assembly. Installed it, no more leak.

I'm in the process of re-doing a bathroom. Guess whose fixtures are going into it. Koehler is wonderful.

@CharityCaecus: Ditto. I've got an apartment now but if/when I get my own place I'm going with Kohler. That story was AWESOME.

@KyleOrton: As long as there's hot dish. :D

I'll bring the jello dish!

@locakitty: Ooh ooh ooh! I can install ceiling fans.

Technically its really easy so long as there's already a fan box in the ceiling. Basically just follow the directions, and if you need to remove a fan that is installed already, just read the directions and do them backwards.

Keep in mind you'll probably want to install the motor assembly to the ceiling before you install the blades, just so you ensure you can easily get to all the electrical connections without having to squeeze between the blades.

If you're installing a fan box, however, I can be of no help :(