Question:
Do you know of a (wholesale) distributor for humidifier and
air conditioner parts? I have a Carrier central air conditioner
and humidifier for my house, and I need a replacement solenoid valve
for the humidifier.
If I buy one through one local Carrier A.C. contractor, they'll charge
me about $59 for the dumb little valve, which is probably about a 5x
markup, and I'd rather avoid that. Another place wants $115!
Answer:
There is probably a carrier distributor right in your town.You could
find their number right in your local business yellow pages.
Problem is,they are certainly not going to sell you a replacement part
at the same price they sell it to a dealer who spends thousands of
dollars a clip with them.If they made a habit of doing this,you can bet
they would be out of business right quick.Dealers have to make a living
too,and manufacturers are pretty strict about making sure that their
distributors protect the local dealers.There is nothing sub-rosa or shady
about this,its just the way the distribution system works,and probably
the way it will work for the forseeable future.
Anyways,I doubt that anybody is going to make a 5-times markup on
this.The fact that you found a 50 dollar difference in quotes just points
up that it pays to shop around.
