Would you use this grinder wheel or am I just being too paranoid?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I posted a thread over the weekend about a bad wheel that I got from Hartville Tool. I have always gotten great service from them but so far this time around I find myself a bit frustrated with them.

They want me to ship the bad wheel back to them, they will check it and if it is "bad or damaged" they will send me a replacement. $15 in shipping to get it back to them on a $20 white Norton 60 grit wheel just seems silly. And that in the end I would better off to just buy another wheel somewhere else local.

Anyway I am just wondering if I am being too... I don't know... paranoid or worried or just expecting too much perfection. So here are few a pics of the damaged wheel. I was just wondering what you guys and gals thought.

The chip was in the small flat box that Norton wheels all seem to come in. So at some point it took a nice shock to break it off.

So would you use it or continue to fight for a good replacement or just go out and get another new wheel?

Thanks,
Joshua

[David DeCristoforo]

Not paranoid. HT is usually a pretty good place to buy from. I would send them a link to this thread, ask them to take a look at the pics and decide if they really want to make you eat this.

[Roger Chandler]

Joshua,

Your own comfort level is of paramount importance here. While the chip does not look that bad to me, I would test the sound all around to see if it rings or thuds to see if there are issues that cannot be seen such as hairline cracks.

That being said, your comfort and safety is first concern, and if you do not feel safe, then make them replace it, and protest the extra shipping.

I got wheels from Hartville Tools and had no problems, but this one is something they should be willing to meet you at least half way on [IMHO]

[David Campbell]

I posted a thread over the weekend about a bad wheel that I got from Hartville Tool. I have always gotten great service from them but so far this time around I find myself a bit frustrated with them.

They want me to ship the bad wheel back to them, they will check it and if it is "bad or damaged" they will send me a replacement. $15 in shipping to get it back to them on a $20 white Norton 60 grit wheel just seems silly. And that in the end I would better off to just buy another wheel somewhere else local.

Anyway I am just wondering if I am being too... I don't know... paranoid or worried or just expecting too much perfection. So here are few a pics of the damaged wheel. I was just wondering what you guys and gals thought.

The chip was in the small flat box that Norton wheels all seem to come in. So at some point it took a nice shock to break it off.

So would you use it or continue to fight for a good replacement or just go out and get another new wheel?

Thanks,
Joshua

They know you won't pay 15.00 for shipping it back to them for inspection, personally, I would send them the photos of the damaged wheel and let them send you another one. If they become hesitant about replacing it, contact the BBB about their un-fair policies.

[David E Keller]

I agree with the photo suggestion. I might use a cleaner background and include the fragment in the pic.

I'd probably mount it up, turn it on, and run like hell. If it held together, I'd likely dress it and use it. That's not the safest route, but it's probably what I'd do.:o

[Robert McGowen]

This is why charge backs are allowed on your credit card. Really should not be a big deal at all.

[neil mackay]

The chip is not a major issue as far safety of the wheel is concerned. but you might have to dress the wheel and remove the damaged area and in doing so lose a fair bit of the life of the wheel.

At the end of the day they have shipped to you a chipped and damaged product and should replace it. I would be reluctant to pay any shipping charges as this would have been done knowingly or at best sloppy quality control, either way the onus is on them to make good the situation.

check to see if theres chips in the packaging, if not not this would strengthen your argument that its was shipped in this condition.

[Gary Herrmann]

Wellll, when I look at the pics and see the discoloration at the edge of the wheel near the chip, it looks to me like it could have been dropped while in the box. I wonder if they'd think that as well.

Proving whether HT did it or the carrier is another matter. I've always heard HT has excellent CS. Maybe pointing them at this thread is a good idea.

You could dress it, but I agree with David. If I put it on my grinder, I'd stand waaay to the side, turn it on then back the heck up.

[Josh Bowman]

Joshua,
Perhaps you hit me at a weak moment. But I've emailed Hartville Tool that over 268 Woodworkers have now viewed your post concerning a defective product that might be a safety hazard. I had a similar grinding wheel come in from Rockler......they immediately told me to trash the wheel and sent me another.

[Tim Boger]

I posted a thread over the weekend about a bad wheel that I got from Hartville Tool. I have always gotten great service from them but so far this time around I find myself a bit frustrated with them.

They want me to ship the bad wheel back to them, they will check it and if it is "bad or damaged" they will send me a replacement. $15 in shipping to get it back to them on a $20 white Norton 60 grit wheel just seems silly. And that in the end I would better off to just buy another wheel somewhere else local.

Anyway I am just wondering if I am being too... I don't know... paranoid or worried or just expecting too much perfection. So here are few a pics of the damaged wheel. I was just wondering what you guys and gals thought.

The chip was in the small flat box that Norton wheels all seem to come in. So at some point it took a nice shock to break it off.

So would you use it or continue to fight for a good replacement or just go out and get another new wheel?

Thanks,
Joshua

I wouldn't give it a second thought, it's not what you paid for.

If I could not get them to assume the return shipping and the replacement of the damaged item I'd call my credit card company and reverse the payment.

I'm surprised they've even allowed a discussion the get started .... this is a serious safety issue, at least it should be viewed that we in the eyes of the retailer.

I say stand your ground.

[Ryan Baker]

+1 to the others. It's not likely a big safety issue -- but you can't tell whether there are any internal cracks. But that's not the main point. You received damaged goods. Dressing it off would severely shorten the life of a wheel you paid full price to get. This should be immediately replaced at no cost to you. Even if it was damaged in shipping, that is their fault for not adequately packing it in shipping. If it was damaged when they got it, they can recover the cost from the manufacturer.

Hartville had better quickly consider the damage to their reputation that is happening very rapidly over a $20 wheel. I can't imagine why they would even have to think twice about it.

[Jon Lanier]

I don't know about the grinding wheel. But LOOK there is a coupon for Progresso!!!!

[Rick Vincent]

Face it off and use it

[Nathan Hawkes]

Joshua,
Perhaps you hit me at a weak moment. But I've emailed Hartville Tool that over 268 Woodworkers have now viewed your post concerning a defective product that might be a safety hazard. I had a similar grinding wheel come in from Rockler......they immediately told me to trash the wheel and sent me another.


Joshua and Josh; having already responded here, I was hesitant; but I have to give the people at Hartville Tool the benefit of the doubt here; I think the person whom you spoke in their customer service department is probably not aware of the dangers of a damaged grinder wheel. I had a similarly damaged wheel from another company specializing in sharpening products, who opened my eyes to it. Google "grinding wheel accident" in the images section, but not while you're eating! Those wheels carry a heck of a lot of energy even on a slow speed grinder.

[Jeff Nicol]

Joshua, The chip itself is not anything to be concerned with in itself. I have chipped wheels worse than that and trued them up and kept on using them. The edges are the weakest point and all it takes is a sharp blow from a corner of something. The wheel came in a box from the manufacturer and I am sure it was not inspected before it was shipped to you. But the principle of the thing is that the "Customer is always right" should apply here. If they won't replace it free of charge then I would try and contact the manufacturer and put a bug in their ear and maybe that will get the fire started and the "SH%#&T" will run down hill from there.

I agree that you need to get them a picture and talk to someone there that has a brain and understands true customer service and issues that can be had with damaged grinding wheels. But this one is not bad in my eyes that it won't stay together.

Good luck and don't let up on them, we all have to maintain our morals an principles to keep all in line!

Take care,

Jeff

[Ken Glass]

Joshua,
My first thought is; did you find the chip in the box? , and if so, HT isn't to blame. The shipping company is. If you didn't, they might not be aware of a problem in quality control and should be told about it. They are a reasonable company, so if this is their fault, you should not have to pay to have the damaged wheel shipped back. The picture should be enough for them.
Contact them a second time and go up the chain of command, if you need to.

[Harvey Schneider]

If it was purchased with a credit card, as a last resort, you can complain to the credit card company. They have a lot more clout than you do. That has worked for me in the past.

[George Guadiane]

My son dropped an OLD grinder we were moving from one place to another. I bought at a garage sale and when I FIRST started it, I stood in another room, out of the "line of fire." It ran great, but the bearings gave out after a year or so, so after the drop, I just threw it away, never even turned it on again...
A dropped wheel COULD be a ticking bomb waiting to go off and the shrapnel COULD be a killer, literally.

If there was a chip in the box, that means the wheel was damaged in shipping. If that is the case, contact the shipping company (although, HT SHOULD have packed the wheel in a way that would prevent damage from most improper handling and, probably should have marked the package as fragile).
If no chip in the box;

Call the company, ask to talk to a supervisor/manager, tell them the story and get a new wheel.
Send them an email with links to the thread on this site and tell them you would like to put a happy ending on them and/or just delete the whole thread (I think you can do that).
You should not have to pay to send them back their damaged goods.

In the end, it's not about personal comfort, its about personal safety. Wood turners do enough OTHER dangerous stuff, this could cause a lot of physical harm.

[Scott Kuykendall]

Call them back and ask for a supervisor and ask him to send you a new wheel and ask them if they want to get the damaged wheel returned have THEM request that UPS pick it up on there dime to return it to them. You recieved a damaged product and its up to them to arrange for the return.
Scott

[steven carter]

Don't know why some are saying "if the chip was in the box" since you clearly stated that it was in the box:confused:. I am also not sure why some come to the conclusion that if the chip was in the box, it is the shipper's problem. Are they saying that the retailer couldn't have dropped the box after putting the wheel in? Either way, you did not receive what you expected, and IMO the retailer should get you a new one and it is their job to deal with the shipper.

Hang in there with this one, I agree with Jeff Nicol, principle is involved.

Steve

[George Guadiane]

Don't know why some are saying "if the chip was in the box" since you clearly stated that it was in the box:confused:. I am also not sure why some come to the conclusion that if the chip was in the box, it is the shipper's problem. Are they saying that the retailer couldn't have dropped the box after putting the wheel in? Either way, you did not receive what you expected, and IMO the retailer should get you a new one and it is their job to deal with the shipper.

Hang in there with this one, I agree with Jeff Nicol, principle is involved.

Steve

Steve,
I obviously didn't read the part about the chip being in the box, but if a HT employee dropped it and knew what was in the box, it would be pretty unconscionable to go ahead and ship it, so I figured that the shipper, who would NOT know what was in the box might deliver it anyway.

That being said, good customer service would suggest that they replace the wheel, no matter what. Successful businesses spend a lot of money getting customers. Customers are much harder to replace than damaged merchandise. Unhappy customers spread the word, just like happy ones... Again, good business dictates that the wheel be replaced.

[Mike Davis NC]

Put a pencil through the hole and tap the wheel with your finger. If it pings put it on the grinder and dress it then forget about it.

If it thuds get a new one.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Joshua,
My first thought is; did you find the chip in the box? , and if so, HT isn't to blame. The shipping company is. If you didn't, they might not be aware of a problem in quality control and should be told about it. They are a reasonable company, so if this is their fault, you should not have to pay to have the damaged wheel shipped back. The picture should be enough for them.
Contact them a second time and go up the chain of command, if you need to.
The chip was in the box. I still have it. Well most of it. It wasn't a 100% full sized clean chip. It was 1 large piece and a great many smaller "almost just grit" type stuff. I told them, Hartville Tool, that when I first called in. They asked if the box had had much damage to it. The outter box the whole order was shipped in had some damage though it wasn't terrible. I.e. not smashed flat but a number of the corners were a bit damaged. The internal Norton box for just the wheel had 1 corner smashed. Could have been dropped before going into the shipping container or could have happened by being in of the damaged corners. I have attached a pic of the brown shipping box. I don't have one here of the norton box for the wheel itself.

If memory serves the white Norton box was way more smashed than the outer box.

Joshua