If you've had a damaged Grizzly product, what have they done about it?

[Wade Lippman]

I got an edge sander. It was damaged in transit, and noted on the delivery receipt.
Basically the switch box was crushed. I emailed them pictures and said that I was willing to replace the switch box, but had no idea if the rest was okay or not, since there was no switch.
They said they would get back to me about it.
I assumed this happens all the time, and would have a quick resolution, but it has been two days.
I know, it is a good opportunity to learn patience....

But for those of you have have been in this situation, what do they do? Replace the obviously damaged part? Replace the tool? Something else?
It's my 7th Grizzly tool and my first problem.
I had a dented motor on a JDS cyclone. It seemed to work okay, and they gave me an extended warranty on it. That seemed fair.

Actually, now that I think about it, there was something wrong with one of my table saw wings and they sent me a new one. But that was a manufacturing defect and not a smashed carton.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

So send them a 2nd email.

No offense Wade.

One of the reasons, IMHO, we see so many Grizzly complaints at SMC is because the function within the price range that a lot of hobbyests and small businesses operate. That being said, they should have replied by now.

Send them another email on Monday. The reality is that they probably don't staff Customer Service on weekends.

[Mike Heidrick]

Why are you not calling them and speaking to a real person??

[Mark Kornell]

I also bought a Grizzly edge sander last fall, and had the same problem - smashed switch and switch box. Called them, and after identifying the part #s that needed replacing, they shipped replacements. Arrived in a week. No charge and no pics required.

Great customer service in my books.

[Gordon Eyre]

I received a jointer recently with three damaged parts. I contacted Grizzly and talked to a very nice customer service representative. She asked that I assess the damage and to send them pictures. I did that and quickly received an Email indicating that they had shipped the parts to me. I expected a USPS shipment with its attendant wait but no, the parts came via UPS in two days. The entire experience with Grizzly customer service was excellent.

[Wade Lippman]

Why are you not calling them and speaking to a real person??

Because they said they would get back to me. I have worked CS and nagging isn't appreciated.

I think Mark told me what would happen.

[Jay Jolliffe]

I ordered a band saw from them a few years ago. It showed up & looked OK until I unpack it. The doors were pushed in so hard that the nuts that hold the wheels on made large dents on the doors. Called them up, sent a few pics & had two new doors in about a week. What took forever was the stick on labels. They took about a year to get.

[Aleks Hunter]

Because they said they would get back to me. I have worked CS and nagging isn't appreciated.

I think Mark told me what would happen.

Waiting on Customer service is not ideal. It is supposed to be the other way around! A civil follow-up call after a few business days of silence isn't nagging. Sometimes you have be the squeaky wheel. The reps and tech people I've talked to at grizzly have always been very good.

I've had some issues with grizzly tools and they have always been very good about taking care of things. One thing I do like about them is they stock parts for almost everything they have ever sold. The heavy tools that I have bought from them, cabinet saw and floor planer were pretty well crated. I've bought a few heavy tools since but never from grizzly. I do buy quite a bit of other things from them, they have a great catalog, competitive prices and are good to deal with.

I'm visiting my daughter this week and looking at an old crescent Universal woodworker that is rumored to be still operating :cool: If it checks out all the grizzly stuff will be going cheap to make room :D

[glenn bradley]

I had an "Off" switch start slipping (the type that turns to lock before powering on) on a jointer or planer, I forget which. I called customer service and they sent the parts which arrived in a few days, maybe a week(?). My experience has been that they email and call a few times to make sure things are moving along and that the resolution was complete. A recent out of warranty blown starter cap call took a bit longer as they wanted to get me on the phone while at the machine to assist in diagnosis. We do see posts with less than stellar service now and again but, I am in the well-served majority I guess.

The cases where service is reported as terrible makes me think the friction started at the consumer end but, I do not see any sign of that from Wade, quite the opposite actually. I would not hesitate to call and ask for a status on ticket # XYZ however. They are used to fielding those calls. I wouldn't worry about annoying anybody by calling to check.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Wade,

I worked customer service for 34 years. I wouldn't hesitate to call them. Tell them you don't mean to be a problem, you realize people get busy or forget but you were promised and expected a returned call. You are hoping to get an update on your problem.

Done in a congenial manner, they won't mind it at all.

[bobby milam]

As long as you documented the damage on the shipping receipt you are ok. I think they actually bill the shipping company for the damage but either way tehy take care of you.

[scott spencer]

Two days is long enough....I'd get back to them. Grizzly likely has many CS reps...not all are in the top 10%, and sometimes things happen that interfere with the communication flow. I usually take down the name of the CS representative, note the time of the call, and often ask for a direct number back to them.

[Bill White]

My G0555LX came without the pads for the fence installed (the little "plastic" sliders that ride on the rail). Called CS and was told that they weren't avail. for quite some time. CS rep suggested a call to their tech services, made the call, had the pads in about 4 days. Go Grizz.

[Cody Colston]

I was away at work when my GO517 bandsaw was delivered. My wife inspected it and signed the delivery ticket but when I got home, I noticed that the upper door had been bent somewhere in transit. I called Grizzly and they shipped me a new door asap, no questions asked. I was disappointed that I had to transfer that cool Grizzly placque from the damaged door to the new one. I was hoping to have an extra for free. :D

[Wade Lippman]

Yesterday (day 6) someone calls me and asks what the problem is. I told him I have already emailed a complete description and photos to two people there 4 days ago; can't he just look at that? Nope, I have to spend 15 minutes going over it all, and since he wasn't familiar with the machine, it was tough without the photos. He said someone from freight would get back to me in a few days.
Today I get two return tickets 10 minutes apart. The packaging was shredded in transit and completely destroyed getting the machine out; how am I supposed to ship it back? Just lay it on the skid? She tells me I should tape the shredded packaging around it the best I can, use a lot of tape to hold it together and try to screw it all to the skid. You're kidding... Nope.
Why are there two return tickets? She doesn't know; but will look into it. One is for the motor and one for the table; they don't want the whole machine back. Didn't any one call me and explain that? Nope, just got two return tickets and no explanation.

Went to UPS today. I will hope for the best, but am not feeling good about this.

[Jim O'Dell]

The extension table on my 691 was damaged on 2 corners upon arrival. I emailed and got a reply the same day. This was in January of 9 or 10...How long have I had my saw???:o I proposed swapping the extension table for 4 heavy duty casters, as I figured the extension tables would be hard to get. They agreed and sent me the 4 casters. I used them to build the mobile platform for the saw. Best deal I ever made, and I'm guessing it was advantageous for them as well. I agree, contact them, be courteous, don't demand but be firm and logical. They may be a little behind the 8 ball with the 10% coupons they have been so generous with this year!!! Jim.

[Wade Lippman]

I sent back the entire motor/roller assembly and the table; as instructed.
Last night I get emails that they are sending me a motor, a roller, and a table.
What about the switch, switch box, cord, and fasteners??? Sent an email.

Got a prompt reply that they should have told me to hold onto the old stuff until the new stuff arrived; but since they didn't, they would sent it all by 2nd day air.
They still would have to send me a new switch (switch box is part of the motor, but the switch isn't and it was smashed) but I certainly could have reused the old power cord and fasteners.

I am feeling better now. Wish me luck on Friday, when it is supposed to arrive. Hopefully the other roller wasn't knocked out of square.

[C Scott McDonald]

I know what a let down it is to be all excited to have a new piece of equipment and have it smashed in transit. Just keep a positive attitude and keep working with Grizzly and i am sure they will get you up and running.

I look forward to what you think of it once you get it up and running.

[Keith Hankins]

Ok, way back when I first started to get back into ww, i went with grizzly due to cost. I accepted that with mail order stuff happens. First purchase was the 1023slx 10" TS. It took a week to get to the house and it was damaged coming off the truck the box was crushed and damaged. I took pictures and rejected the shipment. I called Grizzly and they said no problem and cross shipped a new one that day. I had it in three days. It was hard to reject it, but I knew it was best. New one came just fine. 2nd purchase was the 17" Bandsaw arrived no issues packaged well no issues. The next the horizontal boring machine came no issues. Then the last griz the 12" jointer. It came in a wooden crate, could not see inside so i accepted it. When I decrated it (and that was a chore), I noticed the cast iron fingers at the infeed side of the table near the cutter head was deformed and just a bad cast. It was not impacting the cut but looked ugly. 2nd issue was the big cast iron vert fence had a huge scratch in it. I called griz emailed photos and they shipped the replacement parts. Now when I looked at what it would take to put them on, I decided to put them aside and do it at a later time. Well that was 6 years ago. It's got those blemishes but it don't impact function. Those two parts are still in a corner of the shop but I dont imagine I'll ever replace them. Feel a little guilty for not using them but what the heck. Moral of the long winded response, if it don't impact performace let it go. I now buy old american iron and refurb. Better equipment, cheaper, and will last forever. Good luck.

[lloyd morris]

I had a problem excessive vibration on a new Grizzly band saw (back when I could still use power tools with out all the allergy and asthma issues) and they were great. They walked me thru the possible issues and when we could not resolve it they sent the parts that did fix it. Honestly they were great. I would not hesitate to buy from them again. No drama, no delay just excellent CS.

[Maurice Arney]

I've placed four orders with Grizzly this year. First was a 14" band saw and riser kit. There was an issue with the pins on the riser block not lining up with the pins on the band saw so they sent me a new riser kit. The same thing happened with the second riser kit, so they sent me a third. We finally decided that it was the band saw that was off and told me I could send it back (the band saw) for a replacement. I didn't want to go through that so told them I would try filing the pins, which I did and got it to fit. But it was my option, they would have replaced the saw if that's what I decided. The next purchase was for a number of smaller tools one of which was a wet grinder. The grinding wheel didn't seem quite right so I called Grizzly and they shipped a new one the same day. The third order was for more small power tools and everything arrived in good shape. The fourth order, just this past week was for a G0690 cabinet saw, outfeed roller system, and mobile base. The saw arrived damaged so I refused delivery. It was smashed up pretty good... I think it fell over somewhere along the line during transit. They shipped a replacement the same day. Bottom line is I've had a few issues but Grizzly has always made sure that I was satisfied in the end, and to me that is what matters most.

[Wade Lippman]

All put together; works great.

They sent me:
1) A new motor because the switch box was smashed. All is fine.
2) A new table because the old one wasn't properly painted. New one isn't either, but its not a big deal.
3) A new roller because the old one wasn't properly made. The new one isn't either, but it is closer... It works fine, so I guess precision doesn't matter there.

I was concerned that if the switch box was smashed there might be unseen damage also, but there doesn't seem to be. Nice to have it up and running though.

[Tom Ewell]

The 14" band saw pin alignment/riser block thing is something I dealt with about eight years ago, never did call Grizz about it, found the filing down solution online.

I guess I've been lucky on shipments, none of my shop equipment came in damaged aside from the occasional hole poked into the packaging.

I did, however, order a pump jack setup with 24' aluminum poles, one of which was delivered "squished" flat about 3' at the top (ups delivery) damage was noted, new one delivered, ended up keeping the damaged one 'cause the re-shipper was not told to pick it up.

The damaged pole was perfectly serviceable up to about 20', so no hold-up of the job.

[Mark Bolton]

Not Grizzly smashing at all but it is literally unbelievable that they can be profitable. I know volume is a major factor, and I would likely assume shipping insurance/carrier responsibility (other entities covering the costs of damage goods) is another, but the sheer cost of inventorying/handling/packaging/shipping all these replacement parts as well as the customer service cost has got to be utterly astounding. Can you imagine the profitability increase if they could simply get the product to the customer undamaged?

I know reading these its assumed nearly every product arrives with damage, and thats surely not the case. But it would be interesting to know what percentage of their product ships without any further action.

[Shiraz Balolia]

Not Grizzly smashing at all but it is literally unbelievable that they can be profitable. I know volume is a major factor, and I would likely assume shipping insurance/carrier responsibility (other entities covering the costs of damage goods) is another, but the sheer cost of inventorying/handling/packaging/shipping all these replacement parts as well as the customer service cost has got to be utterly astounding. Can you imagine the profitability increase if they could simply get the product to the customer undamaged?

I know reading these its assumed nearly every product arrives with damage, and thats surely not the case. But it would be interesting to know what percentage of their product ships without any further action.

A few points of clarification would be in order: (1) We ship tens of thousands of pounds of machines every single day. (2) Most often the damage ratio is less than 1% and certainly not over 2% of everything we ship. (3) Certain parts of the country and certain routing terminals are worse than others. For example when we had a warehouse in Memphis many, many years ago, more than 50% of products going through the terminals in the vicinity were damaged. Of course, we got out of Memphis! This would also explain why some customers get frequent damage to their shipments and others not. Somewhere along the line, there may be a problem freight terminal with employees that just don't care. (4) You hear about damage on these forums because it seems a good place for consumers to vent, but you don't hear from every single customer that received delivery without any damage. It is human nature that we may complain when there is a headache, but not when do not have one. (5) It is a fallacy to think that the freight company automatically pays us for the damaged products - they don't. (6) Finally, while Sawmill creek and some of the other forums may be a great "gathering place" of woodworkers, they account for less than 5% of our customer base and so one cannot extrapolate anything you read here into final assumptions of what actually takes place. While you may be reading about how angry a few customers are with damage to their equipment, there are hundreds others that got their equipment in good order.

[Mark Bolton]

Most often the damage ratio is less than 1% and certainly not over 2% of everything we ship.

This was what I was eluding to, its simply logical that the vast majority must shipped without incident because its pretty obvious margins must be extremely low which makes dealing with these issues extremely cost averse.
You hear about damage on these forums because it seems a good place for consumers to vent, but you don't hear from every single customer that received delivery without any damage. It is human nature that we may complain when there is a headache, but not when do not have one.

In defense of this forum, it was nearly every response which said Grizzly took care of any problems. I dont own a single Grizzly tool, but its perfectly clear to anyone that Grizzly takes care of all problems (even ones I find trivial). Being in business I have complete sympathy for Grizzly with regards to many of the "issues" I read about.


It is a fallacy to think that the freight company automatically pays us for the damaged products - they don't.

Interesting, understandable, but again hard to imagine the impact on profit. Its understood were all responsible for crating and insurance is not in the budget or even a guarantee.

Finally, while Sawmill creek and some of the other forums may be a great "gathering place" of woodworkers, they account for less than 5% of our customer base and so one cannot extrapolate anything you read here into final assumptions of what actually takes place. While you may be reading about how angry a few customers are with damage to their equipment, there are hundreds others that got their equipment in good order.

Understood. As mentioned, its clear if this was the norm, and on tight margins, any company would be belly up in short order so this is the logical conclusion. Its a tough market to sell to. I dont envy you, and I for one would not want to be in your shoes.

Taking time out to reply is admirable and thanks for answering some of the specifics. It of course wasnt necessary.

[Maurice Arney]

Just to reinforce what I said earlier... While it is disappointing to have a damaged shipment or a defective product, I really don't have a problem as long as the seller makes it right, and so far Grizzly always has.