They are ensuring the commission path exists in compensation for the time you spent utilizing their knowledge. Even though Ferguson’s is Build, the salesperson doesn’t get commission on those sales. If you want this to run smoothly, you work with your sales person. You will not have the knowledge to select the correct components otherwise.

I get this. I just don't t have $11,000 to buy a refrigerator from their showroom. But I bought thousands of dollars of stuff at Signature too. I just want to buy a shower set in gold and Signature doesn't have any. I don't think the salesperson should've fibbed. He could have said, "we prefer." Is it really better to have a customer not gets what she wants? Also, the builder won't let me use anyone but Signature. So I have to sacrifice something in my custom dream home because he won't get a commision on one shower? I'm a salesperson too but I would never sacrifice my client's needs to make more money.

Are signature and ferguson the same thing too?

I'm not sure. My guy at Ferguson can order for me on Signature Hardware but don't know if they are the same co. It looks to me like they were aquired by Fer. in 2016. But they may function as separate entities. That's what makes it all so annoying and confusing.

Ferguson PLC is the parent company. Build.com is their E business. There may be some integration and sharing of recourses underway. Signature is also part of Ferguson.

Likely your builder has an account at Ferguson that offers terms, with the bill coming due 30 days post delivery. Build gets paid at order time. That could be a 2-3 month time period of carry as most lenders don't pay advances. Most builders (& lenders) have contract clauses requiring clients fund unusual material advances such as this with the exception of 50% deposits for cabinets, windows and doors if needed.

It's best from an organizational standpoint to minimize your sources and essentially have a project manager (Ferguson rep) oversee the entire order. They will be more aware of lead time issues and changes.

While we use both sources and have assigned representatives, Build, like most online sources, doesn't have up to date lead times and backorder data, so you may not get real shipping data for a couple of weeks.

With that said, Build.com is still the best online source we've found.

I've had generally good experiences with Build.

I don't know anything more about Ferguson than I have seen in their showroom. However, you should get what you want, without question.

Tell the rep if he can't get what you want, then you want the absolute cheapest faucet they have and you will replace it later, on your own. And post an online review accordingly.

Is your fridge part of your build? Is it built in? Do you need it for a CO? Can you buy it online or from another vendor?

The appliances were on target price-wise. That's because I didn't get anything fancy. I guess they can't mark up things drastically that you can shop at Home Depot. I guess they make their money on the high-end ones. And I do need a CO. I may use the builder's standard faucets which aren't an upgrade. But the issue isn't the price. It's that the guy at Ferg says he can't order anything at all from Build and I know he already did--because my vent hood is on Build but not Signature. Like any store, I would think Build buys directly from the manufacturer. My builder will only use my Ferg guy as a supplier so everything I want that's not at Sig H is always a battle. I should've done my research on what they considered "custom" but I had never built a house before and made some assumptions. The Builder even said they don't buy from Build. How is that possible when I know they did. Frustrating. And it's insane because I got a $7,500 allowance for appliances. Doesn't buy much.

"I feel like I'm always being manipulated to not get the things I want and the builder is supposedly custom"

"And it's insane because I got a $7,500 allowance for appliances."

Is the home custom or not as neither of the statements give me the impression it is a custom home? All of this should have been addressed in the contract, exactly who, what, where and how. Is this not the case? What type of contract do you have with the builder? What type of house is this developer/tract?

They call themselves a custom builder. I have the contract but I guess I didn't understand enough. I should've had my attorney look at it.

I recently worked with Ferguson on my new build. It seemed to me they were able to source just about everything. Perhaps give your rep the opportunity to source your shower hardware.

@Terry I don't know why you figured that allowance is insane especially if you buying this home from a builder... He only has to provide a Stove, Dishwasher, and Hood and for that amount, you can get a set of decent appliances.

Jeffrey, I hope you don't think I'm being argumentative but I want to mention something. I had to pay upfront for all the tile overages. Also, in terms of getting things on time--I have to order EVERYTHING upfront. Once I sign off I have to pay $500 if I want to change anything. Even a minor thing like a towel bar. So they certainly can't claim my choices will slow down the building.

GN builders: Yes I can. I guess I should've been more clear. That's where I'm getting confused. The Ferguson showroom has its most expensive, upscale things. But when I said I didn't want an $11,00 fridge or a $10,000 stovetop they ordered me a reasonable one from the "catalog." I found it online myself and had to ask for it. Obviously, it comes from Build.com. But now they're telling me they can't order other things from Build.com. Also, I didn't mean to sound spoiled on the appliances. Everything is relative.

Rachel! That's the point. They won't source anything. I want a LED showerhead in gold. They don't have one and won't find me one. There is a good company online called Fontana. I don't know the quality but $600 for a showerhead better be good quality. They won't let me buy and use it. Why should I pay for their showerhead when I have one from HD sitting in my closet? I am not handy at all and even I can screw on a showerhead. I look them up and they're universal. I hope I don't sound argumentative Just want to be fair to myself and the builder.

Terry, I understand your frustration! I wanted to be able to shop certain items during my build but was limited to Ferguson, but my store sourced everything. I may have paid a few dollars more on some items, but I understand that this was part of the contract and the builder's ability to manage their vendors. I wonder if you went with the included showerhead it it would be returnable after CO so you can put up your own. If you already purchased it from Build, you may want to talk to your builder and fall on your sword. Tell them you didn't understand that you couldn't do this because Fergusons had purchased from the previously. Perhaps this once they'll give you a pass.

Your rep sounds newish. Ask for their supervisor’s help. Politely. They should be able to back channel order anything that Build or Signature have. It is all the same company. Just different distribution channels. That does complicate things a great deal. But it can be done. They aren’t going to cut any deals though. It’s extra work.

Don’t even with a gold light up shower head. From any source. Just no.

Learn the difference between a tract build and a custom build more clearly before your next build. There’s a big difference in processes. And costs.

Why no gold LED shower head? 😐 This is not a tract build. I own the land and they say they're a custom builder. One other comment which may be part of the problem for me.

I saw one of the builders custom houses when I was looking for land and loved the design. So I sat down with the owner with a blueprint and he did EVERYTHING I wanted. Bigger pantry. No problem. Bigger rooms. Okay. Balustrade outside on the patio. Yep. I went into the design process thinking the same thing. i wish they would‘ve explained things but it’s on me I guess to understand the contract. But how is this situation custom?

I can't speak to the relationships between the various suppliers you indicated, but it is not unusual for a company to have separate sales/distribution/services/etc. for various divisions.

A number of years ago, a client of ours wanted to purchase their appliances through Sears Contractor Services which was not our approved supplier. They were able to pick appliances at a Sears retail location, but their appliances were ordered, delivered, and invoiced through the separate contractor services division. I recall the frustration when their refrigerator arrived damaged and needed to be replaced. There was an identical one available in local retail inventory, but they couldn't get it because the replacement needed to go through the separate contractor services division distribution network. After waiting two weeks, they eventually cancelled the order at Sears and purchased one through Ferguson. The kind folks at Ferguson even provided a small loaner refrigerator for the clients use while waiting for their refrigerator to be delivered.

@GN Don't make assumptions. There are plenty of places where a fridge is expected to be part of the appliance allowance -- sometimes washer and drier too!

You having found something on build doesn't mean that it was necessarily ordered from there, unless you have an order confirmation saying it was. You mentioned yourself the items were from a "catalog" ... which would be items that can be ordered that aren't in the showroom because the showroom can't hold everything, not necessarily where you found the object. I don't think anyone is trying to "fib" or manipulate you when they say they don't order from build ... you may be able to get items that are on build without them actually ordering from build.

As for the shower head, it sounds like you want something that isn't from a vendor that your builder works with ... it may violate a contract they have with their sources to order outside of certain sources, and the item you want may simply be not available to the Ferguson rep. I've had that happen at grocery stores, where I've asked my local store if they could order a larger size of a product that I saw at a different store, and they couldn't if they wanted to because it wasn't on the list of orderable objects from the vendor for them. The item existed, but I couldn't get it from them.

Fees for change orders are to be expected ... that's true in any project. Once something is decided, which is often up front, it stays that way or you can decide its worth the money to change it. Changes effect planning and ordering, as it's not always obvious which the long pole of the tent is, and change orders certainly could change that critical path. So yes, as ridiculous as it sounds, changing a towel bar could slow things down, and even if it doesn't, you'll pay for the time it takes the builder to do the change order paperwork.

We have not been particularly impressed with our interactions with the Ferguson locations in the Phoenix area. Too many young people who don’t know their stuff. Hopefully, they are better elsewhere.

Ms. Blueberry, you make many good points. I am outside of the contract. When I realized my mistake I asked if I could get the stuff I wanted and offered to pay more or amend the contract because of that. At this point, I am also thinking of a meeting with the manager where we talked about this, and he said the items I liked would be okay but that the design person would have to order them. That's fine of course. In fact, I think they're going to refund the things I don't use. I think part of the problem is the design person is strict and says one thing while the manager says another. That's why I went to sig hard to get most everything I didn't like that was the builder's standard. i.e . A farmhouse sink. Now that I've been thinking about this and seeing so many comments, I specifically remember the Ferg telling me to look for things on the Ferg/Build site. That's why I'm a bit annoyed now. The more I think about it, I should probably be grateful to the builder. I just think people should be upfront about stuff. I was led to believe Build was okay.

I want to thank everyone. I'm new to these discussion groups and you all are so civil and share so much.

Another thought - are you spending less than your allowances? Could the rep have calculated his commission based on the allowances and now feel he's not making as much as he thought he would? People are funny. He might feel you can afford more and are cheaping out - who knows!

I don't understand the role of your designer and why you are being pushed to make certain choices. I wouldn't want a gold LED shower head, but it's not my house!

My kitchen designer disagreed with my decision to eliminate a garbage disposal. But in the end, it was up to me.

I'm wondering if you're correct about the commission. But he is the sole supplier for this builder so he must know some people are not going to spend as much. In fact, I'm over budget by a few thousand. But who knows what he gets paid on. I may have a beef about what I can order but the guy is great. Btw, the LED shower is gone. The response here has been the same as yours. That will take some pressure off because I will be using their supplier. Which is Ferguson. But it's on Build, which on the website says Ferguson, not sig hardware. Just don't get it.