HELP! Bad experience with Kohler Cimarron toilet
I needed to re-seat a toilet. It's an Eljer (out of business and by the way, I have three of these in my house.  ) and had a design that was unique with a square nose front. There was only 1 place to get the seat left, and when they run out.... Also the flush valves on these are all troublesome, and normal flush valves don't work well in the arrangement, and one of them leaks between the tank and the bowl.
So I decided to replace the unit with a Kohler Cimarron Comfort Height 3589, class 6. I think. Anyway, when installing the toilet, the tank didn't mate well with the bowl. The bracket just bent as the bolts drew the two pieces together, and the tank was wobbly on top, not secured. So I called Kohler, and after navigating their menu I was connected with a very helpful customer service rep. She told me this is a known problem and she'd be happy to send me an "enhancement kit" that will fix the problem. Turns out it's just a set of four plastic wedge-shaped shims to go between the bracket and the tank to firm it up a little. My take on the situation is that the tank's flush valve/gasket doesn't really fit all that perfectly into the bowl, causing the tank to sit too high so that the bracket can't secure the tank to the bowl. While we are talking I ask about a couple of sharp points that are under the rim. I didn't think these were proper, but I was going to let it go until I had the problem with the tank not fitting. She tells me that no, there shouldn't be any sharp points under the rim. She'll send me a letter authorizing me to return the bowl to the plumbing supply house. Without the authorization letter they won't accept a return. So, I'm kind of ticked off at Kohler: First off, the manual packed with the tank was not for the correct toilet. The two pieces were the correct pieces, but the manual wasn't the correct one. Secondly, it turns out that this is a very brand new toilet, available to dealers only since the end of December. Yet my tank manufacture date was back in July, so I have a very early run... Third, the company has been shipping a newer version of the bracket since February. Fourth, even though Kohler has known about this problem since before February, they haven't shipped the "enhancement kit" to all their dealers who have already ordered, or notified them of the issue. Fifth, their dealers can't even order the kit, it's only sent to people who call to complain. Sixth, they won't send the part overnight, it will take "3 or 4 days" to Massachusetts. Seventh, the return authorization letter will take "4 or 5 days" to get to Massachusetts. So who is going to pay the plumber to uninstall and return and re-purchase another toilet and come back and re-install one for me? Who is going to pay for the installation materials, like the water line and wax ring? So what am I to do without a toilet for a week or more until the plumber can do all of this? (Well, OK I happen to have another, but that's not the point.) The more I think about this, the more upset I have become with Kohler, and my CHINA-made Bowl and my MEXICO-made tank. Gee, I wonder why they don't fit together, and I wonder why the bowl has a bad molding. So, what do I do? Who do I talk to at Kohler about this "injustice"? Help! |
|
|
I'm getting ready to buy a toilet for the bathroom I need to re-model. I may have to skip the Kohler section in my catalog! |
Feeling "flushed" ron? (sorry could not help myself   )
Sharp points under the rim OUCH Make sure you sit down gently   |
Yuck. I would be upset too. Guess when we get ready to replace the nasty one in our house we will be staying away from that brand too. I really hate it when you go and buy something and while it is brand new it doesn't go together well. You should of heard Lee ranting about that every time we bought a new light fixture.....  |
| Not a cheapie toilet, either. The list is around $430 or something. |
| Ron, Remember I use to be a KIT. And Bath designer.??
I hated Kohler. Poor workmenship. Their comstomer service was poor also. I would think the place where you bought them should takem them back. I can tell you that the BEST toilet out there is TOTO. Best flushing, theey have a model called the DRAKE that is right height. I have them in my home now. Love them. great seats that are called soft close. You can't slam the seat. They are fitted to you butt. Comfy to sit on. I was called the TOTO Queen of the showroom. LOL I sold more than anyone. Good customer service of there ever was a problem. I am sure Darcy has lots of info. to help. |
| I had a similar problem with a special order kitchen sink from Kohler. When it got here, it was "bowed" in the middle of the front! Now I can understand wood bowing. But I can't figure out how cast iron bows!!! We measured & checked with levels & everything, hoping it was our countertop but it wasn't. It was the sink! Returned it to the place of purchase, they ordered us a new one & it was fine. But in the mean time I was without a kitchen sink for 8 days! Old plumbing was already torn out & the new wouldn't fit the old sink! |
| Ron,
where did you buy it? first thing to do, would be to GO see them...dont call...GO..tell them the whole story...including the part about kohler... bring your receipt, take pictures if you must...go fully prepared. kohler is the manufacturer, however, the place that you bought it, is technically the responsible party....they will get further with kohler than you...and maybe quicker... who did the initial install of the toilet? when you pay someone to do the labor, they are responsible to make it function...if you did it, they may just shrug it off as to ''its not our problem''..... why didnt you buy the whole toilet, tank and seat? that usually save problems......let me know what they say.... and yes, toto is wicked expensive, however, they are THE best toilets out there..... |
| I did buy the bowl tank and seat together, it's just listed out separately. Odd that half is made in China and half in Mexico...
I called the plumbing supply house, they told me Kohler Customer Service is really bad (same as Deana said) and that it is SOP for them to refuse to send parts overnight. The plumbing supply house has asked me to send them a bill for the reinstall, which is going to run around $250. We'll see if he makes good. I really hate the fact that the smaller guy is going to eat it because of the bigger guy Kohler. |
| Ron, I paid about $350.00 for each toilet. That was was rings bolts seats ect. They are elongated white.
Hope the dealer helps. |
| The title of this thread really concerned me. I'm bummed you're having problems but relieved that it wasn't what I thought it meant. |
| Two words Ron. "American Standard!" nuf said. |
baileesdad wrote: Two words Ron. "American Standard!" nuf said. Indeed. |
ButtersStotch wrote: The title of this thread really concerned me. I'm bummed you're having problems but relieved that it wasn't what I thought it meant. LOL |
OES Mommy wrote: Ron, I paid about $350.00 for each toilet. That was was rings bolts seats ect. They are elongated white. For what brand... and where?Hope the dealer helps. |
| Like I said they were TOTO Drakes elongated at a plumbing place calld
VP SUPPLY. That is my last job and that is where I fell off the ladder.! I have a contracter who gets his things there. I paid him to get them and he installed them for me. One of them had to have a new a new floor and be reinforced. So he ripped up thr floor ( Water had been leaking and rotted the floor) new beams and after new floor. It has been perfect!
I can say that these toilets are the BEST, and has a very good rateing. Hope this helps. Please let me know how this turns out. PS The guy we had also put our new roof on too. Great job!!! |
| You are so great! Thank you for posting this and listing the information about the "enhancement kit". We bought a brand new Kohler Cimarron Toilet on 11/18/12, at Home Depot for $198, model K-15409, and when we installed it, low and behold, the tank was totally WOBBLY! I called Kohler, and the representative stated she had never heard of this problem before. It was only after I told her about the "enhancement kit", that she was able to find it in stock and promised to send one out to us. I hope it fixes and problem, and THANK YOU AGAIN! |
| Glad it was helpful to you. Our toilets have worked out pretty well. We have 4 of them, 2 required the "enhancement kit". After all this time, almost three years, one has developed a short flush, and I haven't bothered yet to look into the tank and find out why. |
| Poor you Ron - I had a bad experience with my Oven once. It is a Gas double oven so it is quite large. It was fitted in the new house about 5 yrs back when the house was built. We got it when we moved in through the builder. Then about 3 yrs back one of the ovens just stopped working. We got on to the supplier and they told us " sorry we don;t do that range and don;t keep spare parts after 5 yrs. I told them it was less than 5 yrs old but apparently it was an 8 yr old model so older than we thought but new when we got it. So it was just end stock. I felt cheated as they basically said your stuffed! Your oven is dead get a new one! I was raging because the oven was lovely and I had polished it and looked after it all that was wrong was a darn burner. So we ended up without one of the ovens working for over a year until we managed to track down cloned parts on the net. Then to top it off the Gas engineers wouldn't fit it because we got it privately and not through the company ( who told us the part was not available?) So we ended up having to fit it and get it checked by a friend who was Gas engineer rated. It was a terrible time but I sure didn't want to throw my lovely oven out. I think we live in a throw away world these days and companies don;t want to help you much. They just want you to scrap what you have and buy their latest model! (That they don't keep parts for after 5yrs?) My mother had the same oven in their cottage for over 40 yrs. They simply don't make things to last these days. Good luck with the toilet and hope you have something to GO ON! Oes  |
 There is something called the "Better Business Bureau." |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|