Name: Ryan Walker
Business Name: Walker Flo
Location: Inverurie
Services offered: Plumbing and heating, building extensions, bathrooms and wetrooms, as well as the installation of heating systems including underfloor heating
Ryan Walker, owner of the plumbing, heating, and installation business Walker Flo, relies on Laings Directline as his go-to choice for sourcing materials for his loyal customers. Having worked with the Laings Directline trade scheme since its inception, he considers it a brilliant service. Discover more on why in our latest trade story Q&A with Ryan…
“I’ve been using Laings Directline before I started up Walker Flo. I first heard about it when I was working with another employer - if I remember right, I was invited in to get a trial at using the service and the seed was planted from there.”
“There’s quite a few reasons I prefer Laings over other suppliers but to pinpoint one specifically is quite hard. I would say though, that in most cases my customers say they want a Laings kitchen or bathroom before I’ve even stepped into their home. So, using the Directline service just makes sense. Laings have such a good reputation and is known for its quality products, so using the service is a no brainer.”
“I use Laings Directline for all kitchen and bathroom designs and install those for my customers. Even if customers don’t mention that they want a Laings design, I always recommend that we use the service to guarantee that quality and competitive price point.
“Quality is always a hard thing to explain to customers, especially when two products look the same. A quality product is key for durability and is a huge help for a smooth installation process. There are many quality brand names to choose from through Laings Directline and having many at my disposal makes my job a lot easier in selecting not only a quality product but a product to suit differing budgets.
“On face value, the cost of some items may appear to be expensive but I always say to my customers, “Would you rather spend that little bit extra for a quality finish that will last for years or do a quick fix that you’ll have to fork out for in the future?”. Prioritising quality will always serve you in the long-run and that quality is always something you can guarantee when working with Laings.”
“Nine times out of ten, I’m getting the full space fit from Laings, but I do partial refits for customers if their budget doesn’t allow for a full revamp. I sometimes work with an older customer who may be struggling to get into their bath, so I’ll look at that area in isolation for them and change out the bath for a shower tray instead.
“With the removal of the bath, you’re left with exposed wall which needs to be tiled or covered with wet wall. Laings Directline works perfectly for these sorts of projects as there’s a selection of options to choose from to meet customer needs and budget.
“The materials and features are all on display at the Laings Directline showroom too and allows the customer to see the options in-person which is another bonus rather than having them select from a catalogue. The customer gets a good idea of what the end product could look like and it just all makes for a slicker service.”
“I would say we work together really well. I know a lot of the team now and it’s just nice to go in and have a conversation that’s not just about work. Sure, I go in looking for a product and have to explain what I’m looking for but there’s no standing about and awkwardly waiting for the team to price things up - it’s always a friendly chat.
“The team are so passionate about what they do and always make the effort to show me new additions they’ve got in. Working in that way always makes sure that the customer gets the best outcome.”
“There was one occasion when a customer had a really awkward shaped bathroom and it was causing a few issues in fitting a bath they wanted. I worked closely with the designer at Laings, combining our design and technical expertise, to find a solution. We worked out that moving the position of a doorway would get the customer their desired bathroom and they were left very happy.
“A lot of times too, customers can’t visualise the job so I need to relay the requirements to Laings for drawing up a design and that helps me show the customer the end result. Without that style of collaborative working, it would be much harder to reassure customers that they’ve made the right design choices.
“The two-way communication always helps us get the best results for our customers.”
“The products I get from Laings Directline are really easy to use which helps me install them faster. For example, a shower door I get from Laings Directline could take half-an-hour to install but going to a different supplier for a different product could see me taking two-and-a-half-hours to install. So the time savings are massive.
“The Laings Directline service is brilliant and I can’t fault them. The quality is always there and seamless application of products brings great value to my business.”
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