Santec Faucets They tell you one thing on the phone, than you send what they asked for, than make excuses not to honor what they told you! Torrance, CA 90503 Nationwide

I am a commercial HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical General Contractor for Commercial Restaurant Equipment. I will sometimes buy an item on sale that I like such as a faucet for my home and set it on the shelf for months or years or until I need it or decide to do a renovation etc. Most of the faucets in my home are commercial like Kohler, Fisher, or T & S Brass but some Moen and Delta. I figured I would give the tub / shower a face lift so I had a Santec new in the box. I really never used a Santec before, but what I read and saw on the web, it is supposed to be a very high end faucet. My house is older so they did not fasten the shower pipe in the wall so they used a shower arm with a wall plate with a set screw in the only one so the pipe would not move around. Santec did not use one with a set screw to hole it in place, so in time there would be a good chance that the pipe joints would leak and would have to open the wall up to repair it.

I used their shower arm but the old wall plate. For some unknown reason, the tub spout was a dull finish and not a bright chrome finish like the rest of it. I installed it anyway and figured I would call them the next business day. When I finished, I turned it on and water went everywhere. I discovered a split in the shower arm that was spraying all over the bathroom. By the time I turned it off, the bathroom was drenched. I had no choice but to put the old one back on until I contacted Santec. I called them Monday and told the man in Tech support the problem. He asked the model and age and I told him it has been on the shelf for years, but still new in the box, just old stock. I explained to him that the shower arm had a split in it and that the wall plate had no set screw or any way to fasten the pipe so it would not move in and out.

He said it was out of warranty but he would take care of it. He asked me to take some pictures so he could identify it because the model number was to old for him to know. I had a trade show to attend in CA and I am in Maryland, so when I returned, I took pictures of all sides of the box and the parts and the installation. I received an email from a Steve Richardson srichardson@santecfaucet.com. His only question was "Where and when were these purchased" I told him like I told them when I first called, I was not sure when or where, just one of the supply houses I used. He again replied, he needed a copy of the receipt to warranty the parts, which I had already told them it was not in warranty and I no longer had a receipt. I told him I already discussed this when I called before sending pictures, but they said they would take care of it anyway. The part is maybe $5.00 at even a Home Depot, but because of this kind of defect, I figured they would want to replace it. WRONG.

I told him this has been a big waste of my time and I will alert others of your bad customer service and how you waste peoples time. Than he said, maybe he can help and to send the SO number on the box. I told him I sent all the numbers and pictures of the box with any number on it, ut again he said he needs the receipt. I dont believe he thinks it's not a Santec faucet and the pictures sure indicate it is new in the box. I am sure I could go to a supply house and have them write a new receipt since I deal with them a lot if it was worth my time. I did ask about the tub spout, but got no where as well and the wall plate. When I first called, whoever I did speak with said he would take care of the spray arm and wall plate even knowing it was out of warranty and never asked me to send a receipt, only the pictures. I have now read some other reviews about Sentec which involve warranty, and even ones in warranty do not get any better service I have received.

So, since I wasted a day writing this guy, I figured I could waste a little more to warn people to buy a (((competitor's name redacted))) or (((redacted))) and stay away from Santec. I am not sure where these are made or the quality of materials, but each time I turn on the tub faucet, I get rusty water for a few seconds. Everything is new, so I wonder about the quality of materials they use. Faucets in general are so overpriced. Theres was a 10 year warranty but most now are lifetime except on the finish. So they figure if they have to send a new cartaridge out once in a while, you have already paid for about five new faucets when you purchased it. Most are cheap plastic, thin pipes and chrome. If made in China like most things now, they should cost about $5.00 to $10.00 but they are selling for hundreds just because they look fancy. I would rather pay for a new cartridge which are about $10.00 than over pay for a lifetime warranty that doesnt cover the finish. After a few years, you will want to replace it because of the finish has corroded anyway. A tub faucet is a little harder to install than a sink for most, but easy for me. A commercial (((competitor's name redacted))) bathroom sink faucet I have still looks and works great after many years, and I still have another one new in the box.