Hammer/Felder Problems

[Ryan Griffey]

I ordered a A3 41 from Hammer in September. They told me to expect it in late November which seemed reasonable. Then they emailed me in early December saying it wouldn't be in until the last week of December. I've been very patient till now but it's becoming a real problem. They still haven't actually given me a delivery date. On top of that they don't compensate customers in any way for delays.

The first excuse they have me was that the container was delayed. Then it was some other mysterious shipping delay. In the last email I received from them it was blamed on a manufacturing delay. Anybody else with similar problems?

[Erik Loza]

Ryan, I would be patient. Dealing with European manufacturing, "mysterious delays" are a fact of life. This is also my business and though I intentionally give customers a lead time with some buffer room built in, there are so many links in the chain between a European factory and the US that a delay of any one of them will slow the whole thing down. I have been doing this for ten years and have seen/heard it all: Strikes at the shipping yards, strikes by the transport companies, entire factories going on vacation for a month or so, and more recently, delays on the inbound side from US customs due to the war on terror, etc. Anyway, Felder is a reputable company, so I would just give them some time to get you squared away.

Best of luck,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Stephen Cherry]

Ryan, I would be patient. Dealing with European manufacturing, "mysterious delays" are a fact of life.

I used to work for an outfit that sold chemical processing equipment, and on one event we had a shipment that was coming over, by ship- and half of the ship sunk with half of the containers.

I would not have wanted to make a call to tell the customers about that.

Fortunately though, our container had not sunk,


As for the Felder guys, I also suggest giving them a little time. I have one of their saws, and it's great.

[Mark Carlson]

Ryan,

It was a good 3 months for me to get my A3-31. The head was also swapped out in delaware when it got off the boat so that didnt help.

~mark

[Craig Behnke]

I feel for you Ryan. I had a similar situation with Felder, but no where near as long a wait as you. I think one way the companies could potentially remedy the situation is to clearly state the potential time frame issue during the sales process. Maybe even state it several times, over and over, to make it known that there is a tentative target date but it could also be an additional 30-90 days because of unpredictable events beyond their control.

I'm okay if things take a long time if I am aware of that potential in advance. I don't get frustrated because of impatience, rather it's more about planning of multiple events on my end...planning a date for friends to help, or to rent a pallet jack, or to have an electrician show up to wire up the machine, etc. Delays have implications for coordinating the multiple things that need to be done for a machine to go from pallet to making sawdust.

Hang in there, the high end european machines are worth the wait, even with the frustration that sometimes accompanies the process.

[Ryan Griffey]

Right on schedule. Now the holiday's are the problem.

I've had to seriously change around my project list.

I really wish they would have been honest with me about the delay from the start. They even told me it was going to be in the first week of December so that I would pay the remainder of the bill. I'm thinking they wanted to make sure that I paid for the whole thing before I got the news.

At this point I'll be shocked if the thing makes it to my house. It's really been a bad deal all the way around.

Good to know I'm not the only one who has had problems.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a saw on order, was expecting to read about a mechanical problem. The office in California seems to have phone problems, I could not get hold of anybody there, and my fax was not answered the next day, but when I got hold of Kyle, it was all good.Had to call the Delaware office and somehow they connected me. What they told me is you get your machine in the order they receive your payment, and they get containers in Delaware, and then they are shipped from there.

[Rich Riddle]

I had a couple of delays earlier this year in delivery; it was quite a delay. Fortunately, I had kept a Unisaw until the slider arrived. The representatives were great about calling and e-mail to indicate when delays happened. The good news is they have good tools when you get them. For customer service, Minimax proves far more responsive.

[John P Clark]

When I ordered my K3 winner table saw in 2010, it took from March to September to get the saw. Did I want it right away, yes, but after getting the saw and using it for over 3 years, it was well worth the wait. Currently, I am making final payment for a 610 bandsaw that I thought I would have by Thanksgiving. Once again, I am sure it will be worth the wait. The quality of these machines puts the Asian counterparts to shame.

after you get it and use the jointer/planer, you will rapidly forgot the wait to get the machine

[Justin Ludwig]

and half of the ship sunk with half of the containers.

I would not have wanted to make a call to tell the customers about that.

Fortunately though, our container had not sunk,


From this, can I deduce that you are 25% lucky?

[Ralph Butts]

Ryan from experience when you get your A3 41 it wont be long before you will forget all about any shipping delays.

[Ryan Griffey]

Ryan from experience when you get your A3 41 it wont be long before you will forget all about any shipping delays.

I've heard great things. Mostly from Sawmill Creek. That's why I ordered it. However the customer service has been not so great.

Felder was very friendly until I asked them if there was any compensation for waiting. The tone changed immediately.

I wonder if next time they could send me a machine and I could pay them four months later.

I'll get over it. But I would like others to know who are considering a purchase.

[Ralph Butts]

I empathize with your predicament. All I can offer is that my experience was completely the opposite. I got a delay notification but then the machine showed up earlier anyway. The guys I worked with were awesome. I have purchased two European machines now and both have been delivered later than was initially quoted but before the new date quoted. I would not let the luke warm response to a request for compensation turn me off. If I remember correctly I did not have to pay Hammer or Minimax the balance due until the unit had arrived in the states. Use the time to gain a bit more interest on your money.

[Ruhi Arslan]

The first excuse they have me was that the container was delayed. Then it was some other mysterious shipping delay. In the last email I received from them it was blamed on a manufacturing delay. Anybody else with similar problems?

Someone is blowing smoke. If and when one has to make excuses, they better check the previous excuse to stay current with the story line. You cannot have a manufacturing delay after the manufactured item was placed in the container which had a shipping delay.
What's worse is when a sales person responds to your purchase inquiry stating that the phones are busy the first Monday after holiday but not get back to you a month later.

[Mike Shields]

I just purchased the most popular saw in the US; the delivery date got changed twice, and added a week to the total order time.

What's that saying about patience?

[Ryan Griffey]

The other interesting piece is Felder acted like this almost never happens. It turns out that it happens a lot.

I didn't even contact them for three months. They just updated me by email. However, when they missed the second scheduled delivery date I started to get irritated.

I realize this isn't woodworking related so I will let this thread die. Thanks for listening.

[peter gagliardi]

As Eric and others have said, this is normal and to be expected! Even if/when you order from Martin, you do NOT get a date of delivery, or anything even close. 12-16 wks or some such, and then there are delays, it can go on,and on. Just part of playing the game.