The hidden cost of substitution
Ever buy something and think you are getting the original, the real thing, the one that would stand the test of time?
Only to find out that in fact you bought something similar, but not the same.
For instance, I ordered a Coke at a restaurant. What I got served not only wasn’t a Coke, it wasn’t Pepsi, it was something else entirely. When I inquired as to what the heck was it, I was told “RC Cola.”
Similar in some ways, but definitely not the same.
We’d like to warn you that this kind of switch can happen during construction, leaving you with an inferior product.
When a building project is getting underway, we at Molok often hear from a consultant group hired by the developer, or an architect working on a site plan for a new build or retrofit project.
Our team of waste experts can provide consulting services on site design, assessing projected waste volumes, and achieving diversion goals. We often join any number of calls to support the projects as plans come to life and then we provide a quote for the Molok® containers required.
And sometimes during construction, someone decides that a similar product is close enough; that an RC Cola product is the same as the original.
The problem with this is two-fold:
- The client and architect think they bought Molok® containers
- When unbeknownst to them a similar, unproven product is substituted and planted in the ground with concrete at the base
Not as easy to return as sending back the RC Cola saying, “Not what I asked for, thanks.”
The concrete at the base makes containers pretty hard to return!
Substitution has consistently led to disappointing outcomes for everyone involved. We’ve been passed over on projects, only to be contacted months or even years later by clients asking us to fix containers that have failed prematurely. At that point, we have to explain that they didn’t purchase genuine Molok® containers—they opted for cheaper, lower-quality imitations that may look similar but simply don’t perform or last the same.
No one is happy to be informed they got a substitution.
You might wonder why this happens?
It can come down to going with the cheapest quote.
Looking to save a few dollars in waste containment as cost overruns have happened in other parts of the project. Deciding that similar and cheaper is close enough without understanding why it’s cheaper.
We all know that you get what you pay for, but since the team building the project is usually only involved short-term, it doesn’t necessarily matter to them how long the containers will last.
We’re not the cheapest. We offer excellent value and proven quality products at a fair price that are Made in Canada at our manufacturing facility in Mount Forest, ON. Our customers know Molok® containers are built to last – as one of our awesome interns said, these containers at Algonquin Park are old enough to vote! And still going strong.
Freshly installed, the real thing!
How to ensure your project gets Molok containers:
- Specify on the plans Molok containers
- Where possible, state no substitutions on the plans
- Make the specification as detailed as possible
- Refer to our new Master Specifications found here
- We’re the only ones with a Safe Working Load certification, ISO 21898 on our lifting liners for instance. Specify the weight limit required (see example below)
- Inform your GC you insist on Molok containers
- Stay involved in the project enough to notice if anything goes awry
No one is happy with buying a substitution that does not benefit them.
An example of a specification using the safe working load certification to ensure genuine Molok® containers
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