At MDM Pumps, we take immense pride in the quality and reliability of our products, but it’s the stories from our customers that truly highlight their impact. Today, we are honored to share a heartfelt testimonial from Steve DuFrane of Shawshank Disco Golf Course, home of the Taj Ma Pond.

From: Steve DuFrane
To: info@mdminc.com
Subject: Customer service

I would like to take the time to say “Thank you” to your company and staff.  I’m just an individual consumer.  I have your pump and 500” strainer basket on my koi pond. 

I chose sequence pumps after a lot of research and learning how pumps are made and the quality difference comparing Sequence series pumps to other manufacturers.  That decision was easy, I even invested in a backup pump as a quick replacement if we ever had an issue.  After 8 yrs of continuous running, operating temperature extremes from below 20 degrees to in excess of 110 degrees, numerous power failures and surges, and exposure to sun wind, and rain…the pump has never failed.  I feel I wasted my money on the backup unit. 

The 500 cu “ strainer pot with 3” ports is wonderful.  Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued years ago, here is where your customer service comes in.  Time took its toll on the strainer basket itself, some plastics get brittle with age.  One day while cleaning out the basket I firmly tapped the basket to empty it out and broke the basket.  This was around 2021-22.  I contacted your company and was treated very well, I was informed that the strainer pot was discontinued but they might still have parts.  Turns out you had 5 baskets left at that time, I took 3.   

Bear with me, it’s a good story… Later my koi pond, The Taj Ma Pond, developed a leak at the bottom drains.  We installed a temporary 4000-gallon Entex pool and re-routed the plumbing to the pool.  I lost the 3” coupling ring to the strainer basket.  It’s been two years since I lost that coupler. 

Now for the good stuff… The Taj Ma Pond was built as a replacement for the memorial garden we built in honor of my sister, Carrie, who passed away due to complications from brain cancer.  While I was tearing down the old garden, my Father, who was 84 at the time, commanded me to “Make it nice, I want to be buried there next…”.  

My Father built a small fish pond in our backyard in Houston where I grew up, and they also joined the pre-planned burial service provided by the Neptune Society.  It made sense to me to build a koi pond since they wanted to be buried with the fishes.  I’ve never built a koi pond before…My research led me to your company, your company’s product quality, and more importantly, your customer service which has made me a customer for life! 

Now for the rest of the story, Dad passed away at home in his own bed as he wished on December 8th,  2024.  94yrs young!  The memorial service is on January 18th, I gotta fix that pond!  I reached out to your company again and your employee, His name is Louis, tried his very best to help me.  Here is how he helped.  First, he informed me again that that product was discontinued but he gave me the manufacturer’s number that made the strainer pot to see if they had parts, but they did not.  He then listened to my story and went back into the warehouse and dug around looking for parts and found the last 4 of the 3” couplers on a back shelf somewhere and shipped those along with the compression rings to solve my problem! 

That level of customer service you simply don’t get anymore.  Most employees would have stopped the moment they saw “product discontinued” on their computer screen, Louis did not!  So, THANK YOU LOUIS! And thank you MDM for a wonderful quality product and even better customer service!

Sincerely,
Steve DuFrane

Shawshank Disc Golf Course – Home of the Taj Ma Pond

We extend our deepest gratitude to Steve for sharing his experience and for his unwavering trust in MDM Pumps. It’s stories like his that inspire us to continue delivering high-quality products and exceptional customer service.

Thank you, Steve, for being a valued member of the MDM Pumps family.

Sincerely,
MDM Pumps
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