Toto Drake II 1 GPF color and part confusion

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Michelle H

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All,

I've been visiting this site for the past few months as we got ready to buy a toilet. Thanks to all of you who post such helpful info for lay people like me. I wanted to share this info to hopefully save someone else time or misinformation down the road.

I have confirmed with Toto USA on 2 separate occasions that the Drake II 1.0 GPF does come in colors now other than cotton white, including Bone and others. For whatever reason, there must be unclear info in the Toto customer service internal system b/c whoever you get will first say that the toilet components only come in cotton white. Then, if I ask about the Drake II 1.0 GPF spec sheet on Toto's website and the multiple colors listed, they will pause, then say, "Oh...yes, we do have the other colors." Per someone named Debbie at Toto, there was a May 24th memo about the other colors coming out, so I guess this is a relatively new development.

I ended up doing the calling to Toto because the sales rep at the local appliance store where I planned to make the toilet purchase had told me she had called her contact at Toto who had indicated there were no other colors other than cotton. However, after the follow up I did, the sales rep in my local store was able to get me a quote with the correct 1.0 GPF components listed: ST453U#03, C454CUFG#03, and SS114#03. I ordered and thought we were in good shape, but then...

When the components arrived, the invoice had been changed to ST454E#03, C454CUFG#03, and SS114#03. I asked what was up with this change, especially since I had not been contacted (I had my confirmed invoice showing the original 3 components). Allegedly, Toto had told the local store's buyer that while the bowl and lid came in bone, the tank only came in white. So the buyer made a decision without consulting the customer (smack that buyer!) to change the order to a bone 1.28 GPF. My local store seller told me she had contacted Toto and gotten the same story about only white tanks for the 1.0 GPF. I asked her how Toto could have quoted her the #03 parts if they didn't exist, but she didn't seem to have an answer.

At this point, while frustrated, I just want my toilets and want to get out of the toilet twilight zone, so I call Toto again yesterday. I spoke to Julio in tech support who started by telling me there was only cotton white available. I explained highlights of the above, and he looked again and found that all the Drake II 1.0 GPF components come in bone. He also confirmed there were 163 bone tanks in stock in GA and 35 in CA. I forwarded his email with these details to my local appliance store sales rep, so she is now getting the ST453U#03 tanks shipped here.

Ordering these toilets have sucked up a good deal of my time to get the order right. I would have never expected a toilet order with 3 components to be this "challenging"! Just sharing in case anyone else dares to get a non white Drake II 1.0 GPF.

On a side note, we are on a rainwater collection system and our well has gone spotty; many wells in our area have gone dry. This is why the 1.0 GPF specifically over a 1.28 GPF is important to us, even though I'm sure the 1.28 GPF does a good job. Water is our commodity right now, so any we can save is good.
 
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WJcandee

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The short version of your story is: Because the new Toto products often start only in Cotton White, a lot of people at Toto and their distributors missed the change in May to the effect that they are now firing the Drake II 1G in other colors. Then, some moron decided, without asking you, to sub a standard Drake II tank in the right color for the correct tank in the right color.

You, clearly knowing how to look stuff up, pointed out to the morons that they made a mistake, and, despite an embarrassing number of people involved who "knew" the wrong answer, they are ordering the right stuff for you.

This is probably one of those cases where a direct online order would have produced a superior result than an order through a local merchant. But I'm sure it doesn't happen that often. The biggest one, which I just looked at, clearly has the components properly specified for the CST454CUFG in the right colors, although all of them are on backorder.

One other issue is the relatively-small number of units actually available in the whole US in the color you want. Less than 200 total is an infinitesimal number. So, the guy in your distributor's warehouse, who "knows" it only comes in white, is told "no it comes in bone", and he looks at his inventory, sees he has none, and assumes he is right.

All this will work out as more product flows into the stream. It's a good example of why one should always go directly to the absolutely-current spec sheet on the manufacturer's web site when a question like this comes up. Go to the sheet on some other site, and it may not be current and may not have the right info.

Good for you for standing up. (And good question, "How would you have been able to obtain a price quote on it for me, if it doesn't exist?" Very lawyerly, actually.)
 
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Michelle H

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The short version of your story is: Because the new Toto products often start only in Cotton White, a lot of people at Toto and their distributors missed the change in May to the effect that they are now firing the Drake II 1G in other colors. Then, some moron decided, without asking you, to sub a standard Drake II tank in the right color for the correct tank in the right color.

Yes, good summarized version. The toilet tank is supposed to be here by the end of the week, so fingers are crossed. I'll post more streamlined thoughts on the toilet after I use it for a couple of months. I have no legal training, but coming from a large family I'm sure counts for something on "cross examining" a statement.
 
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WJcandee

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Yes, good summarized version. The toilet tank is supposed to be here by the end of the week, so fingers are crossed. I'll post more streamlined thoughts on the toilet after I use it for a couple of months. I have no legal training, but coming from a large family I'm sure counts for something on "cross examining" a statement.

Yay! Looks like it is (or at least should be) working out. I would be interested in your first impressions as well.

With respect to the source of your impressive cross-examination skills, that's a great source of learning by necessity to pick things apart!!
 
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