Buyer Beware: Delta Tools

[David B Thornton]

First of all, I hope this is in the right place. I wanted to bring up my current experience that I'm having with Delta Machinery about a new drill press that I purchased so that others are aware of this and hopefully can help others avoid this situation.


I purchased a Delta 18-900L 18-inch Laser Drill Press through Amazon in January of 2014. I received the tool and personal matters came up and I wasn't able to assemble the tool for a few months. When I assembled the DP, everything seemed great until I tested the stroke, which I immediately noticed an issue where there was "hiccups" when depressing the quill.


I called Delta and they told me that I need to take the tool to my local Service Center (SC) that works with Delta warranties. I dropped the tool off and they were able to look at it a few weeks later, in which they found the issues and were going to order parts from Delta. A few months passed and I had heard nothing about the tool, so I gave the SC a call and they said they were still waiting on parts from Delta. They also told me that Delta parts are hard to come by as they have shut down many part manufacturing plants and so on.


I waited another 2 months or so and called the SC back. They let me know that they had just gotten the parts in and let me know that they attempted to use the parts sent from Delta, but the replacement parts that were sent to them were actually USED and in worse condition that the parts in my DP.


At this point, I began contacting Delta to let them know that I'm fed up with this and I no longer want the tool as I don't want a tool that I can't get parts for and when I do get parts, they could potentially be used and in worse condition than the originals. I've been going back and forth with Delta and the SC for a few weeks now and still have gone nowhere. Delta told me that there's no way that used parts were sent to the SC, but I've seen the parts and they are in fact used. So now Delta is lying to me.


Luckily, the SC said that they would work with Delta on my behalf to get them to take the machine back, which was about a week ago. I got a call today from the SC and they let me know that they've not been able to get anywhere with Delta and that they unfortunately are no longer going to be able to work on my machine as they, because of this fiasco, are no longer going to be working with Delta and will be removing them as an official SC for Delta tools.


I don't blame them, but this is getting to be very frustrating. Now I am having to contact Delta and try to get this DP returned so that I can buy an "Actual" worthy tool. I'm now awaiting a call back from the manager at Delta, but have to wait until Monday to hear back from him, but as the SC employee told me, they are not being helpful and are just trying to pass the buck.


If you've made it this far, hopefully I have changed your thoughts on Delta if you had good ones, or maybe I'm just behind in the times and everybody knows not to buy Delta tools. Unfortunately for me, I'm learning this lesson the hard way.

[Todd Burch]

I've heard similar stories. I bought an out feed table and it took 3 tries to get a proper J bolt for the leg of the out feed table. My local SC is just as fed up. Delta is no longer the Delta we used to know. Too bad too.

[Bob Varney]

There are a few service centers that are no longer working with delta, and a few places stoped selling delta because of problems like these. Seemed to start with the rebates a year or two ago and all down hill from there.

Bob

[Ellen Benkin]

Will Amazon help at all?

[Frederick Skelly]

Will Amazon help at all?

That was my thought too. You may be outside their return period, but a phone call to ask doesnt cost much.

[Keith Hankins]

Dude I hate that for you. I use to swear by Delta a long time ago. To be honest the last two tools were crap, and the whole x5 warantee was crap. I sold my drum sander at about a third of purchase just to get rid of it from the shop. I'll never own another one. Such a shame I've got a 1934 14BS one of the best tools i've ever owned (still has original paint stickers, and motor. Good luck man and don't give in

[Peter Quinn]

I have a shop full of delta tools, a jointer, planer, had a shaper I sold in an upgrade, newest thing is a drill press about 8 years old, most are 20-30. But I'm right there with you. Luckily mine all work fine, if they fail I'm in then cold as far as getting parts. Have been for years. They are on the edge, apparently the new owners have not made the turn around I had hoped for. I can't get parts for a 25year old shaper, too bad for me. But if you can't get pats for a brand new DP....that's just sad. Hope this works out for you soon.

[Earl Rumans]

I bought a Delta 18-900L last year and I haven't had any problems with it. Hopefully you can get this resolved.

[Tom Henderson2]

Ask the SC to send you an email describing the situation -- Just the facts.

Once you get that, go to small claims court. The hard part here is I'm not sure how that works with a big company like Delta that is HQ'd in another state. Perhaps somebody on this board can help with that.

It is quite a shame that Delta (and other traditional suppliers) have gone downhill. Too many people want cheap, and most are happy with what they get... but that is another thread.

Good luck getting your DP fixed or a refund.

-Tom in SoCal

[Kent Cartwright]

This issue about parts has been around several years now. The only Delta machine I currently have is the drum sander and I've saved the webpages showing how others have retro-fitted fixes to know issues, because parts are almost impossible to find. I'm in the market now for an 8" jointer and a new drum sander and Delta is off the list, new or used. I hate that because some of the older, nicer iron is Delta, but if I can't fix it when it breaks, then that is money down the drain.

Kent

[David B Thornton]

Will Amazon help at all?

I have contacted Amazon as a backup plan in case Delta does nothing for me. Since its outside of the 30 day return period they said its a 20% restocking fee and I would have to pay for shipping, which I'm sure is about $100-$150. He did talk to his manager later in the conversation and said that they will take the return for $200 total, so I do have that route.

Hopefully I can have Delta take it back, but we will see. I'll keep everybody updated on what happens

[Matt Meiser]

When they were refusing to fulfill a rebate on an 18-900 for me I called their offices and told them if I didn't have confirmation it was in the mail by COB that day I was contacting the attorney general in SC and MI. I got an email later that day saying she had just gotten back from dropping it off at the post office and I had it 2 days later. You might try that route.

[Keith Hankins]

I have contacted Amazon as a backup plan in case Delta does nothing for me. Since its outside of the 30 day return period they said its a 20% restocking fee and I would have to pay for shipping, which I'm sure is about $100-$150. He did talk to his manager later in the conversation and said that they will take the return for $200 total, so I do have that route.

Hopefully I can have Delta take it back, but we will see. I'll keep everybody updated on what happens

Wow that would suck, but some times life's lessons aren't cheap. I don't know what that would represent of the total you paid, but at least it would be something.

Man that sucks.

[Phil Thien]

Can you describe the hiccup problem? Was the quill hanging-up in the bore or binding or something?

What exactly is wrong with the thing?

[Myk Rian]

The problems with Delta are well documented. It seems the only Delta machine parts available are on the used market. That's why so many people prefer restoring the old iron. Me included. I can get any part for all my machines.

[Phil Thien]

The problems with Delta are well documented. It seems the only Delta machine parts available are on the used market. That's why so many people prefer restoring the old iron. Me included. I can get any part for all my machines.

I went to Delta's site and punched-in the model # of this drill press and quite a few parts are in-stock.

The parts section of the website itself is rather new, and I've spot-checked a few models over months and it seems like more parts are coming into stock.

So I think they're turning the corner, it is just taking much longer than anyone would hope.

But the new owner, Chang Type is a $1.3B company, they have the money to fix it.

Woops, no they aren't. That is TWD. So their entire market cap is only $35M USD, I think. Ugh.

[Brian Kent]

The only way I got replacement parts a year and a half ago was to file a report with the better business bureau in their state and to write a registered letter to their president. That finally got results.

[Greg Peterson]

This problem is not limited to the tool maker industry. Many companies place a higher value on their fiduciary responsibility than producing a quality good or service. Just good enough is the mentality these days. The main motivator seems to be to meet or exceed the analysts quarterly projections. Customers are secondary to investors.

[David Kumm]

This problem is not limited to the tool maker industry. Many companies place a higher value on their fiduciary responsibility than producing a quality good or service. Just good enough is the mentality these days. The main motivator seems to be to meet or exceed the analysts quarterly projections. Customers are secondary to investors.

Fiduciary responsibility ultimately requires decent quality goods and services, or at least good enough for the price charged. Sometimes it's more about incompetence at various levels than greed at the top. Deltas products have been average to mediocre for years so none of this is much of a surprise. Their parts availability wasn't great 10-15 years ago and recent information has been that it is now worse. Dave

[Moses Yoder]

Anyone who doesn't know new Delta tools are crap doesn't get out much. I have a belt/disc sander that I bought for like $120 that works, but I sure did not expect much for the price and got what I paid for. I see that is an expensive drill but the Powermatic without laser costs $600 more; one would have to think about why that is.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Current owners of the DELTA name are only to blame for current production model problems. Delta today, isn't the same as your father's Delta. When owned by Rockwell and Pentair, Delta stocked every part to fix any machine they ever made. It was called customer service. Black and Decker bought both the PC line and Delta from Pentair, then basically flushed both of them down the tubes. Destroyed trailer after trailer of parts when moving them to MD. Finally realized they couldn't live up to the Delta way of thinking, so simply sold off the Delta name to highest bidder. New owners couldn't even figure out exactly what they were getting for their money. They did a nationwide parts inventory, then decided to only focus on current production machines, many of which were built by other vendors for them. They had no spare parts inventory to service newer machines either. So it's a sad day for the Delta name.

[John Coloccia]

At my local Woodcraft, Steel City is back, and Delta is mostly nowhere to be found. Figure that one out. Maybe there's a small spindle sander somewhere. They don't even have a Delta drill press on the floor, and that's never happened best I can remember in the 7 years I've known them.

[Wade Lippman]

I am not defending Delta (The only Delta I own is pretty nice) but it is endemic to the industry. They have to sell tools as cheaply as possible and something has to give. Quality and customer service just isn't what it used to be. They have turned into auto dealers.

I got two replacement parts for my Grizzly edge sander and both were defective in the same way as the first ones; fortunately not quite as bad. (But at least they did it immediately...)
It took Laguna 6 months to send me a replacement belt for my drillpress; the CS guy couldn't get one, so he finally went out to an auto supply house and bought one.

But I would probably buy another Grizzly if I ever need another tool; they aren't any worse than anyone else and are well priced. No, I wouldn't buy another Laguna; if they charge a premium price they had better give premium service.

[John Coloccia]

I am not defending Delta (The only Delta I own is pretty nice) but it is endemic to the industry. They have to sell tools as cheaply as possible and something has to give. Quality and customer service just isn't what it used to be. They have turned into auto dealers.

I got two replacement parts for my Grizzly edge sander and both were defective in the same way as the first ones; fortunately not quite as bad. (But at least they did it immediately...)
It took Laguna 6 months to send me a replacement belt for my drillpress; the CS guy couldn't get one, so he finally went out to an auto supply house and bought one.

But I would probably buy another Grizzly if I ever need another tool; they aren't any worse than anyone else and are well priced. No, I wouldn't buy another Laguna; if they charge a premium price they had better give premium service.

My experience has been that Laguna CS is schizophrenic...you get what you get, sometimes great, sometimes terrible. Grizzly has always been great. Jet has always been great. Powermatic is great. Sawstop is great. Rikon's run hot and cold, but they try and it's not bad. Ever since Delta changed hands, they have been bottom of the barrel terrible, and as hard to believe as it is, they've actually gotten WORSE. At first, you could blame it on a number of things, including maybe some shenanigans after the sale. It's been years and there are no more excuses. How crazy would you have to be to buy a Unisaw today? One small part could break, and you might be down for months, or paying a machinist through the nose to custom make parts for you.

It's not endemic. Most companies we're dealing with are actually pretty good, and many will bend over backwards to help. It's Delta.

[Marty Tippin]

I'd contact your credit card company and open a dispute regarding the original charge from Amazon. That will get things moving with Amazon, as no merchant likes it when the card issuer takes money away from them. Then I'd lean on Amazon to take the machine back with no return shipping and no restocking fee. They sold you crap that you couldn't use from the first day.

Also check whether your credit card offers extended warranty protection - that my help as well.

[Wade Lippman]

I'd contact your credit card company and open a dispute regarding the original charge from Amazon. That will get things moving with Amazon, as no merchant likes it when the card issuer takes money away from them.

I tried that 3 years ago. They denied my dispute because the merchant said I was wrong. I went to a local branch and spoke to the manager. The manager agreed I was clearly correct, and called on my behalf. They told him there was nothing they could do when the merchant disputed it. However they did tell him there was an undocumented appeals I could try. The merchant never replied to the appeals within the required time, so credit card people asked me to give them more time to work on it. When I refused, they reluctantly refunded my money.

Unless the OPs CC company is friendlier than mine, that route is not promising.

I have never tried the CC extended warranty route. Anyone have success with that?

[glenn bradley]

Unfortunately, Delta has become a non-starter for me as far as tool purchases right now. Doubly unfortunate as the 18-900 is one of only two DP's under $2500 that I have put my hands on that is worth taking to the shop. I was at a show this weekend and every DP I tried had sloppy up and down quill movement that would make it unusable for consistent hole depth work except for one. Oddly, it was the $1400 Powermatic 2800B which is the second version of the ill-fated original that came under so much fire. I am very sorry you got caught in this mess and will hope for a good ending to the story.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

contact the credit card company that you used to make the purchase and see if they can offer assistance through a consumer protection warranty they may offer.

with AMEX - for example - they replaced a pair of sunglasses that I damaged. Actually - they just credited me the purchase price, and I bought another pair.

[David B Thornton]

Well, I got in contact with Delta and they were about as rude as possible. It pretty much came down to "You didn't buy it from us, so how are we supposed to refund your money? There's nothing that we can do for you."

As for the Credit Card approaches, I purchased the tool using my Amazon.com Store Card, which I think is solely through them and not a credit company (Though I could be wrong, but can't find anything that states otherwise).

Also, on top of this, I'm not sure who to actually believe, Delta or the SC. While talking with Delta, I mentioned that the SC said they were no longer going to service Delta tools because of this and the lady pretty much laughed and said that it's not true. She also looked up the P.O. number that the parts were ordered from and she said that the reason the parts took so long is because they didn't order the parts as "warranty replacement parts". I'm not really sure what the difference is though. She was also very adamant that they would never send used parts and that the SC was lying to me.

After hearing a potential different side of the story, I called the SC from a different number and asked if they serviced Delta tools as I'm having warranty problems with my DP. The person on the other line said that they in fact do still service Delta tools. Later on, I called to talk about my DP and they confirmed that they will no longer service Delta tools as they don't want to deal with the company. This leads me to believe that the SC just no longer wants to work on my DP and just wants to wipe their hands of the situation.

I'm really not sure who to believe now, I'm thinking that I'm just going to pay the $200 and have Amazon take it back and just forget about this whole situation. Unless anybody thinks I have some other avenues here?

[Doug Ladendorf]

David, I'm so sorry for these issues, and its incredibly troubling to me that this (formerly great) company has been driven into the ground so quickly and so thoroughly. I can only imagine what kind of head-in-their-rear executives are making decisions and allowing story after story to damage the brand without any response whatsoever other than "you didn't buy it here why should we warrantee it...". If I were you I would bite the bullet and pay the $200 for the peace of mind and to wash my hands of the whole thing.

[John Coloccia]

Well, I got in contact with Delta and they were about as rude as possible. It pretty much came down to "You didn't buy it from us, so how are we supposed to refund your money? There's nothing that we can do for you."

As for the Credit Card approaches, I purchased the tool using my Amazon.com Store Card, which I think is solely through them and not a credit company (Though I could be wrong, but can't find anything that states otherwise).

Also, on top of this, I'm not sure who to actually believe, Delta or the SC. While talking with Delta, I mentioned that the SC said they were no longer going to service Delta tools because of this and the lady pretty much laughed and said that it's not true. She also looked up the P.O. number that the parts were ordered from and she said that the reason the parts took so long is because they didn't order the parts as "warranty replacement parts". I'm not really sure what the difference is though. She was also very adamant that they would never send used parts and that the SC was lying to me.

After hearing a potential different side of the story, I called the SC from a different number and asked if they serviced Delta tools as I'm having warranty problems with my DP. The person on the other line said that they in fact do still service Delta tools. Later on, I called to talk about my DP and they confirmed that they will no longer service Delta tools as they don't want to deal with the company. This leads me to believe that the SC just no longer wants to work on my DP and just wants to wipe their hands of the situation.

I'm really not sure who to believe now, I'm thinking that I'm just going to pay the $200 and have Amazon take it back and just forget about this whole situation. Unless anybody thinks I have some other avenues here?

And Delta is powerless to put pressure on a service center to get this resolved? I'd definitely just pay $200 to get this out of my life.

[Frederick Skelly]

And Delta is powerless to put pressure on a service center to get this resolved? I'd definitely just pay $200 to get this out of my life.

Yeah, as bad as it stinks, Id pay the $200 and be done with it. Then, Id run the gamut on notifying various consumer orgs - BBB, attorney general office, state consumer orgs, etc.

Edit: When I complained to the various consumer entities, I think Id write the claim against Delta itself. My thinking is that, at the end of the day, this should have been fixed under warranty. Delta should try to make it right, regardless of what the SC did or didnt do. I realize others may disagree, pointing at Amazon or the SC, and could probably make a valid case. This is just one man's opinion, FWIW.

[Duane Meadows]

Yeah, as bad as it stinks, Id pay the $200 and be done with it. Then, Id run the gamut on notifying various consumer orgs - BBB, attorney general office, state consumer orgs, etc.

Edit: When I complained to the various consumer entities, I think Id write the claim against Delta itself. My thinking is that, at the end of the day, this should have been fixed under warranty. Delta should try to make it right, regardless of what the SC did or didnt do. I realize others may disagree, pointing at Amazon or the SC, and could probably make a valid case. This is just one man's opinion, FWIW.

I agree that it is Delta's responsibility... their product, their warranty!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a friend who owns a business that sells equipment and is a certified electronics service center for a major well known US company. The way it typically works for him with warrantee work is he orders parts from that manufacturer as "warrantee parts". Though he isn't charged for the parts, they are listed on his account. After the problem is fixed, he submits a detailed report about the problem and he is paid a flat rate labor fee for his time and the parts are cleared from his account. So whether it takes him 1 hour or 4 hours for a problem within a range of symptoms, for example, he gets paid the same amount. My point is that the service center may have already put more labor into this DP and any further labor doesn't get them any more income.

I agree ultimately it's Delta's responsibility. It's Deltas product, warranty and it's their responsibility to insure the integrity of their "authorized service centers".

[mreza Salav]

Sorry about your situation. If I were you I'd just pay the $200 and wash my hands but I'd also make sure to post as many places how Delta has been treating you. The good thing about the online world is that things get spread quickly and it is going to bite them pretty soon.


Not to hijack your post but last winter I hired a company (pretty big company here in Canada, nation wide) to provides propane for a construction site. It's a long story but the short version of it is that I wanted a temporary service and after confirming the costs a few times I ordered their service and signed a contract. They wanted to charge me $1800 at then end on top of the contract we had signed. They said the contract was prepared by them in error(!!) and they were refusing to back down and were threatening to send collection agencies after me... After a month of back and forth with several customer service managers they brought it down to $468 (on top of what I was supposed to be charged). I paid it but went online and posted the story in a few places. A few days later I got a call from their head office and they offered me my money back if I remove those postings.

[Frederick Skelly]

A few days later I got a call from their head office and they offered me my money back if I remove those postings.

What did you do?

[Phil Thien]

Before I took a $200 hit, I'd try one more time to figure out what is wrong, and what fix was attempted.

You still need a drill press. It is entirely possible the SC to which you took yours is incompetent. They're pretty simply devices and nearly the first thing I do with any drill press I've gotten is check the quill action, and I often end-up removing/adjusting the return spring (which often leads to further disassembly and nosing around.

[mreza Salav]

What did you do?

I told them that I'll update my post and that's what I did. Got my money back and then added a post to the original explaining that they now have offered my money back after seeing this post.

[David Kumm]

I'm with Phil. Woodworking machines are fairly simple. I'd never leave it to a service department to fix my stuff. The side benefit is that you learn how stuff works and how it could be improved. Allows you to make much more informed buying decisions in the future. Problem is that when you see the difference between good and mediocre you become much harder to please. Dave

[Duane Meadows]

I'm with Phil. Woodworking machines are fairly simple. I'd never leave it to a service department to fix my stuff. The side benefit is that you learn how stuff works and how it could be improved. Allows you to make much more informed buying decisions in the future. Problem is that when you see the difference between good and mediocre you become much harder to please. Dave

David, I too fix my own stuff. But... that is what I did for a living for 40 years! Not everybody wants to, nor should they have to become a machine repair technician in order to be a woodworker. Though there are advantages. of course. This should especially be true when buying a new product.

I have been known to change in warranty parts myself, and in some case even buy my own in warranty parts since many times I can get better parts, and for the price it's not always worth the hassle. But it was my decision to do so. Major repairs or any repair, should be the responsibility of the manufacturer.

[Phil Thien]

David, I too fix my own stuff. But... that is what I did for a living for 40 years! Not everybody wants to, nor should they have to become a machine repair technician in order to be a woodworker. Though there are advantages. of course. This should especially be true when buying a new product.

I have been known to change in warranty parts myself, and in some case even buy my own in warranty parts since many times I can get better parts, and for the price it's not always worth the hassle. But it was my decision to do so. Major repairs or any repair, should be the responsibility of the manufacturer.

He may not want to, and he certainly doesn't have to, but if he does he may save $200 and have a better understanding of the tool when he is done. Not to mention he will be sparing himself having to box that thing up to ship it back.

[John Coloccia]

I would imagine that if he wanted a machine that needed work and had no warranty, he could have saved a bunch of money and simply bought a used machine. It's a shame that because of all the delays (some of his own doing) and Delta's useless warranty, there's really no practical way to be made whole, and a $200 hit is the best he can do. As a business owner, I just can't imagine that I could leave someone hanging like this, no matter who's fault it was. It's just shameful.

[Peter Quinn]

Have you tried a different service center? Is that an option? Or perhaps....ask delta just to give you the parts. Its not a nuclear rocket, its a drill press, its a pretty simple mechanical device. Not that it should be your responsibility to make a brand new tool under warranty you pad the asking price for and received broken work properly. But it just might be cheaper and more expeditions....though it would probably void the warranty if you did the work yourself. Catch 22. It pains me to think you are having so much trouble resolving what should be such a simple issue.

[James Baker SD]

void the warranty? what warranty?

[David B Thornton]

I'm completely capable of doing any repairs myself, but to me, I don't want a tool that isn't backed by the company and the replacement parts can be in worse condition than the ones already in my machine.

There isn't any more service centers within a reasonable range from my house, so I don't want to go that route.

I did just talk with Amazon and I convinced them to call Delta and slap them in the face. We'll see how that goes, so there's still a potential that I get all my money back, so who knows.

[John Coloccia]

Does anyone know the actual story about what happened to them, anyhow? I think they kind of got shafted after the buyout, if I remember correctly, but I don't happen to own any Delta tools except an older drill press, so I never really paid much attention to the rumors. I'm just curious what the story with them is. Most companies don't intentionally have problems like this, so I have to think something's at the heart of it and they just haven't quite recovered yet. I'd like to see them get it together again, especially since they can still design nice tools. The current Unisaw is quite nicely designed. They have a tilting arbor spindle sander that looks interesting too.

Anyway...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John,

According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Machinery Chang Type is the current owner and relocating the company to a facility in Anderson County, South Carolina.

[Frederick Skelly]

John,

According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Machinery Chang Type is the current owner and relocating the company to a facility in Anderson County, South Carolina.

Man oh man, with customer service like the OP described here, they may never last long enough to relocate to Anderson County. Its a darn shame.

[Matt Meiser]

They've been moving since basically the day they were bought. That excuse is getting a little old too.

[Michael Moscicki]

Actually they relocated to Anderson County in 2009. In the factory in Anderson they made Unisaws, Biesemeyer fences, radial arm saw's and line boring machines. In 2014 they have moved the production of everything to Taiwan.

lumberjocks dot com/topics/63116

[Mark Blatter]

A thought I have not seen posted any where. Most of us complain about the quality of equipment and bemoan the poor quality and blame it on everyone wanting the cheapest stuff possible. True, but how much easier would it have been for the OP, or almost all of us at some point in time, if he had purchased the DP from a local tool retailer?

It hit me that we are all guilty of looking for the best deal and willingly sacrificing the help and service that the local guy can provide. We found the problem and it is us.

[Rick Fisher]

I agree with you Mark.. Always have ..

On another note.

I think Shiraz should buy Delta and simply make it a premium line in his brand.

[Myk Rian]

sitejabber.com is a place to write about your experience.

[Matt Meiser]

A thought I have not seen posted any where. Most of us complain about the quality of equipment and bemoan the poor quality and blame it on everyone wanting the cheapest stuff possible. True, but how much easier would it have been for the OP, or almost all of us at some point in time, if he had purchased the DP from a local tool retailer? It hit me that we are all guilty of looking for the best deal and willingly sacrificing the help and service that the local guy can provide. We found the problem and it is us.

Hard to say. He might well be out all his money. If the service center had sold it to him it sounds like he'd be out for sure.

[Roy Turbett]

Today I stopped at mid-Michigan's largest supplier of woodworking tools and lumber and learned that they are no longer selling Delta tools because of the problems cited in this thread. I was told that they had to wait 14 months to get parts to repair a Delta planer. The new owners don't seem to understand customer service.

[Art Mann]

I agree with you Mark.. Always have ..

On another note.

I think Shiraz should buy Delta and simply make it a premium line in his brand.

In my view, Grizzly is the premium brand and Delta represents the cheap stuff.

[David B Thornton]

I just realized that I never followed up with the conclusion to this. After a few more calls with Amazon, I was able to get them to take the DP back and give me a full refund. Was very impressed with how much Amazon actually cared and how little that Delta did. Anyways, I'm now just in the process of purchasing a replacement DP as my shop is now completed and ready to begin building things.

[Wade Lippman]

I just realized that I never followed up with the conclusion to this. After a few more calls with Amazon, I was able to get them to take the DP back and give me a full refund. Was very impressed with how much Amazon actually cared and how little that Delta did. Anyways, I'm now just in the process of purchasing a replacement DP as my shop is now completed and ready to begin building things.

You didn't mention you bought it from Amazon in you OP. You should have called them at the first sign of a run around from Delta. You are lucky you didn't buy it from Rockler!

[Paul Wunder]

Amazon is amazing! Glad this worked out for you. I, for one, will never buy a Delta Tool.

[Dan Hintz]

You didn't mention you bought it from Amazon in you OP. You should have called them at the first sign of a run around from Delta. You are lucky you didn't buy it from Rockler!

Third line of the OP:

I purchased a Delta 18-900L 18-inch Laser Drill Press through Amazon in January of 2014

[lowell holmes]

This is sad. I have a Delta 2000 Contractors Saw that is excellent and going strong after 15 years. I also have a Rockwell shaper that is going strong after 35 years.

[dave nichols]

I bought the Delta 18/36 drum sander and am hoping nothing goes wrong with it. It seems that parts are no longer made for it.

[James Nugnes]

The new owners may have no more interest in the company than the name....a common occurrence these days (See Singer Sowing Machines for historical perspective). I have no real knowledge of the specifics of this particular acquisition or the intentions of the current owners of the assets.

This can be a tough environment for customers who recognize the name but really have no way to grasp what it has become or is becoming under the new ownership.

New owners never buy assets like this intending to just continue to operate them as the previous owners did. They often intend using their own suppliers instead of the incumbent suppliers and replacement parts becomes just one of the issues caught in the middle. There is almost always a cost reduction plan and often it lies at the heart of the original interest in buying the assets in the first place. Does not mean the company is incapable of designing and building good tools. But it very often does represent a rebirth for the company as something different than what it was. Does sound like this one is turning into one of the more painful company rebirths. Not like there is a shortage of power tool suppliers in the world for one thing. Again just to be clear...I have no specific knowledge in this case but have been involved in these sorts of acquisitions from both sides....as an acquirer and as the acquired.

[Mark Blatter]

I tried that 3 years ago. They denied my dispute because the merchant said I was wrong. I went to a local branch and spoke to the manager. The manager agreed I was clearly correct, and called on my behalf. They told him there was nothing they could do when the merchant disputed it. However they did tell him there was an undocumented appeals I could try. The merchant never replied to the appeals within the required time, so credit card people asked me to give them more time to work on it. When I refused, they reluctantly refunded my money.

Unless the OPs CC company is friendlier than mine, that route is not promising.

I have never tried the CC extended warranty route. Anyone have success with that?

I had a new iPod touch about 7 years ago at Costco using my AmEx and within the first 30 dropped it onto my garage floor and sure enough, shattered the screen. I called AmEx (expecting nothing really) and was rewarded with a simple 'send us the receipt, and a photo of the iPod, and we will credit your account the amount of the purchase.' Took less than a week and the refund was on my account. Used it to buy a new one and didn't confess to my wife what had happened for about four years, since it was a present from her.

[Peter Quinn]

This thing with Delta didn't start in 2009. It started way before that. What does it say when the smart folks over at Stanley bought the whole B&D empire and decided to dump the Delta brand quick? Doesn't scream this is a healthy brand worth fighting to build up. I remember something in their press release about they do hand tools, etc, machines not really complimentary to their line, etc. Thats press release speak for we had to dump that junk quick and good luck to the new owners. Shame, really, I have several very good delta machines with lots of miles on them, hate to think of having to smelt them should I need parts, but thats the reality. Or treat them like British cars and buy 2-3 so I have spares for parts? In my life time Delta has been owned by a hair dryer company, a toaster oven company, briefly by a hardware company and now by a Korean company about which few seem to know anything. No, this didn't happen over night.

I have several working theories about the new owners. The most generous one is that they are very smart, have purchased a brand that they are marketing in Asia which is a huge growth market and have essentially forsaken the US market seeing the prospects here either dim or merely out of their range. The second is they are part of a much larger parent company unnamed that makes a lot of money here and needs to lose some for tax purposes, so they are stringing this thing along purposefully letting it flounder because that is exactly the goal. The third is they have spent money on a brand that should be retired and are complete idiots that will soon be writing this off. I can't imagine their sales in this market are much to speak of? Who in their right mind would make an investment in one of their tools at this point? None of these theories are based on actual evidence, strictly speculation based on casual evidence and market performance. I would be curious to know the truth. I'd send them and email but I don't know how to say "Hey, your company is dying...whats up?" in Korean.

[Paul McGaha]

I really hate to read this thread.

Half of my shop is Delta.

I was in my local Woodcraft (Leesburg, VA) a year or 2 ago and the topic of Delta tools came up. The fellow I was talking to didn't speak the words, Just kind of gave me a certain look that said - We're done with Delta.

David, I'm glad that amazon was able to help you resolve the situation. I like amazon a lot.

Personally, I won't be buying anymore tools from Delta. There are other manufacturers we can use.

PHM

[Phil Thien]

I have several working theories about the new owners.

IMHO, they're a marginally capitalized manufacturer that probably overpaid for the brand when the global markets were tanking.

BUT, I have actually seen signs of improvement. Their parts website has steadily improved, not only in operation but in actual parts availability.

I'm not going to write them off yet.

[John Huds0n]

I know this thread is several months old - but I have been thinking about getting a new drill press and just finished reading the Sept/Oct issue of Fine WoodWorking

They tested 10 drill presses (not a Powermatic however) and the Delta came out as "Best Overall" with the Porter Cable PCB660DPe as the "Best Value"

[Kent A Bathurst]

I know this thread is several months old - but I have been thinking about getting a new drill press and just finished reading the Sept/Oct issue of Fine WoodWorking

They tested 10 drill presses (not a Powermatic however) and the Delta came out as "Best Overall" with the Porter Cable PCB660DPe as the "Best Value"

The issue that repeatedly comes up with both those brands is: Service and support. It is miserable, based on the comments here. I would have a problem with a Delta, but I would run like a scalded cat away from a PC floor DP. Both of those brands have been undergoing major upheaval in ownership, products, quality, and service for the past 5 years +/-.

FWIW - My opinion, as a former FWW devotee, is that FWW is also in the miserable category. Don't believe everything you read, which includes them, and this post. I would ask how many paid adverts from Delta and PC are in the rag? Used to not matter.

Just giving you some perspective............

[David B Thornton]

My goal with posting this thread was to hopefully let others that are interested in the tool/company, to consider their options before buying. I ended up with the Powermatic PM2800B and couldn't be happier. Their support has been responsive and have sent me parts that were a little messed up (Depth travel stop nut). I'm really glad that the whole ordeal happened because I love the Variable speed on the PM DP, which the Delta didn't have.

I personally have lost respect for Delta and won't be purchasing again, but YMMV. As long as you end up with a tool that suits your needs and works great.

[Paul McGaha]

You know, I think to a large degree, New Delta tools, at least say something like a Unisaw, aren't available to us anymore. Vendors like Tools-Plus and Woodcraft aren't selling Delta Tools anymore. I see amazon still seems to have a few things for sale from Delta (the Unisaw, a drill press, at least 1 lathe).

Here on our local cragislist (Washington DC), As far as used, stationary, woodworking tools, Delta is a huge player. Question is are you willing to bring a used Delta tool into your shop. At this point, for me, no, I'm not.

PHM

[Doug Ladendorf]

Buying used Delta, depends. I bought my 14" lathe about 3 1/2 years ago and last year actually got some parts from Delta to fix abuses from its prior life. So in some cases it may be possible. The older stuff, well you know parts wouldn't be available anyway and there is a community of folks who help each other on those things. I really don't see new Delta any more. Even more perplexing when you hear about a review of some new Delta TS or DP.