I Think My Lee Valley Punch Card Must Have Been Full

[Griph0n Brown]

My new Skew Block, Scraper and Router Planes arrived today! (along with a few other goodies, two new roller stands, fantastic useful things!)

Over the last while I've collected quite a few veritas goodies with my near monthly orders and I think I got a reward with this order. Kinda scary when you gather them all up. The box in the middle is an unordered 4 1/2 that showed up with this order. Yahoo....? Is it like the free subway sub you get when you fill your card? (do they still do that?)

Strangely enough i heard an old friend of mine has started working for the plane making company doing some sort of analysis and was given a plane I'm sure he'll use as a paperweight. I was straining my brain for an angle...

Ahhhh well, off to the 1 800 number. It's killing me.

(I wonder if they'd mind if I just gave it just a leeetle tryout?)

[Rick Erickson]

Nice collection. I own a few of those planes and really enjoy them. My BUS is working wonders on some very hard birdseye maple I've been working with lately.

[Rob Lee]

Ouch - can't be doing that on a regular basis!!:eek:

We're looking now to see if we left the plane out of another customer's order. ( I suspect we did). We use cart picking in our warehouse - an approach where a tiered cart of 12-20 orders is consolidated by our system, with a pick path optimized for the shortest walk distance. Usually this means "like" orders are grouped together (same/similar products). The picker uses a master picksheet - that instructs them where to go, what to pick, and which bin to put it in on the cart. Sounds like the 4 1/2 should have gone in a bin to the right or left of yours...

I certainly appreciate your honesty!

Cheers -

Rob Lee

[Dennis McGarry]

Ouch - can't be doing that on a regular basis!!:eek:

We're looking now to see if we left the plane out of another customer's order. ( I suspect we did). We use cart picking in our warehouse - an approach where a tiered cart of 12-20 orders is consolidated by our system, with a pick path optimized for the shortest walk distance. Usually this means "like" orders are grouped together (same/similar products). The picker uses a master picksheet - that instructs them where to go, what to pick, and which bin to put it in on the cart. Sounds like the 4 1/2 should have gone in a bin to the right or left of yours...

I certainly appreciate your honesty!

Cheers -

Rob Lee

That cant be it, it must be the new packaging filler you are using. Ya thats it, be different! Everyone uses bubble-wrap and peanuts, you use Planes!

:) if thats the case, expect an order from me soon! :)

[James Taglienti]

Ahh...

Now you went and got some poor LV employee fired, or at least reprimanded... and you'll have Rob kicking in your door at 3 AM demanding his goods back!

[Zach England]

Please tell me how I can get my order processed in similar manner...but with a plow plane instead...

[Zach England]

My new Skew Block, Scraper and Router Planes arrived today! (along with a few other goodies, two new roller stands, fantastic useful things!)

Over the last while I've collected quite a few veritas goodies with my near monthly orders and I think I got a reward with this order. Kinda scary when you gather them all up. The box in the middle is an unordered 4 1/2 that showed up with this order. Yahoo....? Is it like the free subway sub you get when you fill your card? (do they still do that?)

Strangely enough i heard an old friend of mine has started working for the plane making company doing some sort of analysis and was given a plane I'm sure he'll use as a paperweight. I was straining my brain for an angle...

Ahhhh well, off to the 1 800 number. It's killing me.

(I wonder if they'd mind if I just gave it just a leeetle tryout?)


Curious...why do you have both bevel-up smoothers? I have always wondered why Veritas offers two planes that, to me, seem strikingly similar.

[Griph0n Brown]

Ohhhhhh.... I actually debated posting 'cause of the poor picker... Mr. Lee... be nice.

The smaller BU smoother has a totally different feel than the larger one. I think I reach for it far more often than the larger one. It was a gift, but I picked it originally as a shooter.

I dunno, why do I own the skew rabbet, the block rabbet, a large shoulder plane and a med shldr plane? I have a minor theory that when I own all the Lee Valley Planes I will Rule the World or the workshop, or be a better woodworker or.... maybe I'm OCD.

(Don't tell my wife, it's a private theory)

[Rob Woodman]

Ouch - can't be doing that on a regular basis!!:eek:

We're looking now to see if we left the plane out of another customer's order. ( I suspect we did). We use cart picking in our warehouse - an approach where a tiered cart of 12-20 orders is consolidated by our system, with a pick path optimized for the shortest walk distance. Usually this means "like" orders are grouped together (same/similar products). The picker uses a master picksheet - that instructs them where to go, what to pick, and which bin to put it in on the cart. Sounds like the 4 1/2 should have gone in a bin to the right or left of yours...

I certainly appreciate your honesty!

Cheers -

Rob Lee

Honesty should be rewarded and an honest mistake, forgiven.

So be kind Mr. Lee, while this is addressed

Not by market forces nor accountants choices, driven.

But by choice of heart let future P.R be blessed.

Regards
Rob.

[Jim Koepke]

Maybe a check of ship weights on picked orders would help catch such errors.

jim

[john davey]

Personally I believe in fate on things like this. Sadly I am still behind on the collecting end but if you find something and give a good effort to return it you should be paid back when you loose something. Of course this is a little different as it was shipped to you incorrectly and you didn't find it. But somehow making it right should get you a payback next time you lose something. Now finding a LV 41/2 and returning it better not equate to losing a screwdriver and finding it :D. Seriously your a better man than most and looking at that LV collection (drool) I think they might be able to make that plane yours at a very vary good price if you wanted it. Not saying they should but....

[Rob Lee]

Ohhhhhh.... I actually debated posting 'cause of the poor picker... Mr. Lee... be nice.



No sweat... everyone makes mistakes picking.... even me!

Not next year though... our pickers will look like the Borg... their index fingers will have scanners mounted on 'em, and they'll all have headsets, and be voice guided...

Cheers -

Rob

[Paul Saffold]

Please Rob, not like the Borg!! :eek: The voices in my head made me do it...

[Dave Anderson NH]

Sounds like you are going the Vollect route Rob. Great people by the way.

[Joe McMahon]

About ten years ago or so, I ordered a new DeWalt portable planer from the old Tool Crib of the North when they were in Dakota. I received it a wek later. The next day I received another one. I called them up and told them and the reply was "It is a mistake. Call UPS and have them pick it up and say that you refuse it." That was it no "Sorry and thanks for being honest", just orders on what I could do to correct THEIR error.

A simple "thanks" was all I wanted. I could have kept it and been $400 richer (and conscience poorer). Takes all kinds, but it sure is nice that Rob Lee chimed in and explained the error and said "thanks".

LV certainly is a great company to deal with.

[Rick Erickson]

Not next year though... our pickers will look like the Borg... their index fingers will have scanners mounted on 'em, and they'll all have headsets, and be voice guided...
Rob

That doesn't sound very neander. But, whatever it takes to get us our (correct) planes faster.

[Don C Peterson]

I think honest companies that provide good value for their customers beget honest customers. Maybe not in every instance, but certainly in the aggregate.

[Dan Sink]

About ten years ago or so, I ordered a new DeWalt portable planer from the old Tool Crib of the North when they were in Dakota. I received it a wek later. The next day I received another one. I called them up and told them and the reply was "It is a mistake. Call UPS and have them pick it up and say that you refuse it." That was it no "Sorry and thanks for being honest", just orders on what I could do to correct THEIR error.

A simple "thanks" was all I wanted. I could have kept it and been $400 richer (and conscience poorer). Takes all kinds, but it sure is nice that Rob Lee chimed in and explained the error and said "thanks".

LV certainly is a great company to deal with.

Essentially had the same experience when I ordered a $100 flashing kit off of a borg website. They ended up sending me two for some reason. Called up and told them about it, all I got was a lot of headache for my effort. I didn't even get a "thanks," which is all I wanted. My reward was 30 minutes on the phone explaining what happened and getting told to take the extra one to my local borg, where I then had to spend 20 minutes waiting in line so that I could spend 30 more minutes explaining why I was returning something that they don't sell in the store and didn't need a refund for it and then waiting for them to call around and try to confirm everything. So 80 minutes of my own time, including a special trip to my local store, didn't even warrant a "thanks." Saddest of all is that while I hoped for one, I didn't expect it. Such is the state of customer service nowadays, present company (Rob Lee) of course excluded.

[Richard Niemiec]

In this often cynical and avaricious world, its refreshing that there are folk that go out of their way to do the right thing, and those gracious enough to say thank you. Gives me faith in the human race.

[Rick Markham]

In this often cynical and avaricious world, its refreshing that there are folk that go out of their way to do the right thing, and those gracious enough to say thank you. Gives me faith in the human race.

+1 It's good for the soul!!!

[Steve Friedman]

Essentially had the same experience when I ordered a $100 flashing kit off of a borg website. They ended up sending me two for some reason. Called up and told them about it, all I got was a lot of headache for my effort. I didn't even get a "thanks," which is all I wanted. My reward was 30 minutes on the phone explaining what happened and getting told to take the extra one to my local borg, where I then had to spend 20 minutes waiting in line so that I could spend 30 more minutes explaining why I was returning something that they don't sell in the store and didn't need a refund for it and then waiting for them to call around and try to confirm everything. So 80 minutes of my own time, including a special trip to my local store, didn't even warrant a "thanks." Saddest of all is that while I hoped for one, I didn't expect it. Such is the state of customer service nowadays, present company (Rob Lee) of course excluded.

Dan, you're a better person than me. Your honesty is admirable, but how much of your time should you be expected to contribute to the effort? By my count, you lost at least 2 hours (including travel time) to correct their mistake. And, you probably bought it online just to avoid driving to the store, but ended up driving to the store instead.

If the person on the phone didn't offer to send me a prepaid shipping label within the first 5 minutes, I would have considered them to have abandoned the extra flashing kit, making it rightfully mine. I would have sold it and donated the money to some deserving charity in the BORG's name. I wonder how much time it would take for them to figure out what to do with the acknowledgment letter they would have received from the charity.

On the other hand, it's sad that they didn't know how to deal with someone who was just trying to do something nice for them. Probably means they have very little experience with that because they spend most of their day dealing with people who want something from them.

Steve

[Dan Sink]

Dan, you're a better person than me. Your honesty is admirable, but how much of your time should you be expected to contribute to the effort? By my count, you lost at least 2 hours (including travel time) to correct their mistake. And, you probably bought it online just to avoid driving to the store, but ended up driving to the store instead.

If the person on the phone didn't offer to send me a prepaid shipping label within the first 5 minutes, I would have considered them to have abandoned the extra flashing kit, making it rightfully mine. I would have sold it and donated the money to some deserving charity in the BORG's name. I wonder how much time it would take for them to figure out what to do with the acknowledgment letter they would have received from the charity.

On the other hand, it's sad that they didn't know how to deal with someone who was just trying to do something nice for them. Probably means they have very little experience with that because they spend most of their day dealing with people who want something from them.

Steve

Thanks Steve, but this was a lesson learned for me. If I had known how much effort would be required, I would have done something like you recommended. If there is ever a next time, that will be my course of action.