Woodworker's Guild Question

[Andrew Kertesz]

I keep getting bombarded with emails to join the Woodworker's Guild of America. Has anybody here joined and do you find value in the content and available videos? Or is the same information available on YouTube?

Thanks,
Andy K.

[Scott Brader]

I joined almost a year ago and I will probably re-up when it expires. I'm a novice, so the videos have been very helpful. I also used their online plan (with video) to build a shop cabinet for my drill press. It was very easy to do by following the video instructions. I don't have a mentor I can work with so I rely on the videos, etc. I'm not always sure I can trust the random YouTube videos since I don't have enough experience to know if they are doing something incorrectly or (worse) dangerously.

[Yonak Hawkins]

I can't speak to his videos but I've heard stories of exploitative business practices, such as sending out unsolicited videos and then demanding payment. I used to contribute to his forum but he took it down as it wasn't making him money. You may guess I'm not a fan.

[Ben Rivel]

I had been wondering about this too. $30 a year didnt sound too bad, but whether or not it was worth it I couldnt figure out.

[Jim German]

I can't speak to his videos but I've heard stories of exploitative business practices, such as sending out unsolicited videos and then demanding payment. I used to contribute to his forum but he took it down as it wasn't making him money. You may guess I'm not a fan.

+1

The videos I've seen were decent enough, although pretty basic. Very shady business though. I'd never give them a dime.

[John McClanahan]

+1

The videos I've seen were decent enough, although pretty basic. Very shady business though. I'd never give them a dime.

I feel the same way.


John

[Mike Chalmers]

I am in my second year. I do not buy anything, even though there are some good deals. They use UPS. Aside from the fact that I am in Canada and UPS is infamous for their high brokerage fees, I think UPS is just the worst service available.

I have learned some things from the videos, and have use some of the plans. I see no evidence of anyone trying to rip me off. I do not know where the coments about shady business come from.

[Andrew Kertesz]

I have been offered Premium membership for $12 for the first year.

[Jim German]

I see no evidence of anyone trying to rip me off. I do not know where the coments about shady business come from.

Woodworkers Guild of America likes to send out a DVD that they tell you you have to either pay for or return. In the US at least, this is illegal. If someone sends you something unsolicited in the mail, its yours, they can't make you return it or pay for it. (Woodworkers Guild of America does acknowledge this in the fine print.) However if you don't return or pay for it, they keep sending you notices that look like bills demanding payment.

[Ben Rivel]

Ha ha ha!!! Thats ridiculous!

[John McClanahan]

Woodworkers Guild of America likes to send out a DVD that they tell you you have to either pay for or return. In the US at least, this is illegal. If someone sends you something unsolicited in the mail, its yours, they can't make you return it or pay for it. (Woodworkers Guild of America does acknowledge this in the fine print.) However if you don't return or pay for it, they keep sending you notices that look like bills demanding payment.


This is why I will not give them any of my money.

John

[Peter Kelly]

Woodworkers Guild of America likes to send out a DVD that they tell you you have to either pay for or return. In the US at least, this is illegal. If someone sends you something unsolicited in the mail, its yours, they can't make you return it or pay for it. (Woodworkers Guild of America does acknowledge this in the fine print.) However if you don't return or pay for it, they keep sending you notices that look like bills demanding payment.

America's Test Kitchen does exactly the same thing with books to anyone that subscribes to Cook's Illustrated. Happened to me a number of times before I cancelled.

[Paul Wunder]

I assume that we are talking about WWGOA (The Woodworkers Guild) I joined last year (I am also on the lower end of the skill scale). I believe that my membership cost $10 (special). I also purchased a number of the video sets when they were 50-60% reduced. I am very pleased with my membership and videos.

I have never received any unwanted videos, nor have I been any more inundated than I am from Rockler, Woodcraft, etc. Most importantly their customer service has been helpful and responsive. A seven disk set was short shipped. I wrote to them and received an apology almost immediately and a replacement disk in the mail promptly

I belive that WWGOA is tied to Wood Magazine in some way

[Mike Chalmers]

I have never received any unwanted videos, nor have I been any more inundated than I am from Rockler, Woodcraft, etc. Most importantly their customer service has been helpful and responsive. A seven disk set was short shipped. I wrote to them and received an apology almost immediately and a replacement disk in the mail promptly

+1 to this. If they are sending something out like that, I have never seen it.

Anyone actually have experience with this accusation, or is it all hearsay?

[Rick Potter]

I got one of those videos a long time ago, and just kept it.

More recently I was bombarded with e-mails about joining the on line version. They finally got down to $7, and I decided I had nothing to lose. I watched some of the videos the membership made available, and they were OK. Then I started getting really inundated with e-mails to upgrade to the deluxe membership. They got so annoying that I clicked the box that said I did not want any more offers from them or WOOD mag. I guess that also stopped me from getting the regular membership stuff, but I really don't care.

They have sent me nothing at all in the mail, since that first very basic video.

YMMV

[peter gagliardi]

I am a member of my LOCAL woodworkers guild. It can be enjoyable and informative, and we offer local scholarship money to area youth seeking higher education in woodworking related fields. Perhaps you can find a smaller , more personal and local guild near you where your money goes to members of your community.
I myself would have no interest in that large and impersonal of a guild.

[John McClanahan]

Yes. I got the free DVD, along with a payment form. If I didn't want the DVD, I was to return it at MY expense. Buried in the fine print it stated that I wasn't required to do anything. Then I got several followup letters reminding me that I had never paid for the DVD.

John

[Jim German]

+1 to this. If they are sending something out like that, I have never seen it.

Anyone actually have experience with this accusation, or is it all hearsay?

I have actually experienced it.

[Dan Hintz]

+1 to this. If they are sending something out like that, I have never seen it.

Anyone actually have experience with this accusation, or is it all hearsay?

I've received two different DVDs within the last year, and I can tie both back to my subscription to Wood magazine. I know they can't make me pay for it, and since I didn't order it, it goes on the shelf without payment.

[Chris Merriam]

I've received two different DVDs within the last year, and I can tie both back to my subscription to Wood magazine. I know they can't make me pay for it, and since I didn't order it, it goes on the shelf without payment.

Same happened to me, except I got a free box of router bits. The pestering that followed convinced me not to deal with Wood magazine anymore

[Dan Hintz]

Same happened to me, except I got a free box of router bits. The pestering that followed convinced me not to deal with Wood magazine anymore

I got those my first year of Wood. I found a subscription price that gave me something crazy, like 5 years, for a few dollars per year (I think I paid <$20), so I said "why not?". Then those offers started rolling in. I left the subscription open because it wasn't costing me anything at that point, but I ignored everything else. I think my subscription is finally up in November or December of this year.

[Mark Gibney]

Got a magazine or DVD in the mail a few years ago from Wood magazine, followed by months of payment demands.

My wife and I joined Angie's List for just one year, and the next year a membership charge appeared on our credit card statement. We had it removed and made it clear to the Angie's List people that we had not and would not be continuing our membership. For the next several years the charge kept appearing on our credit card statement.

[Dan Hintz]

Got a magazine or DVD in the mail a few years ago from Wood magazine, followed by months of payment demands.

My wife and I joined Angie's List for just one year, and the next year a membership charge appeared on our credit card statement. We had it removed and made it clear to the Angie's List people that we had not and would not be continuing our membership. For the next several years the charge kept appearing on our credit card statement.

AL is a recurring charge (wife got hit with the same thing). At the time (don't know about now), it was NOT clear AL was a recurring charge, but she was willing to eat it. I told her to let AL know you did not expect another charge, and if they didn't remove it, she would do a chargeback. AL was a LOT different than I had imagined, essentially just a site with coupons for services we didn't need... it was an e-version of Money magazine, another 3rd-class mailbox stuffer.

[Larry Wilson]

WWGOA is one of two outfits that I like getting stuff from. I have bought a couple of their videos, which were perfect for my skill level, and I get access to premium content online. The other one that I like is Woodsmith. I think both are worth the nominal price. I recently dropped FWW because it was too pricey for what I was getting out of it. Just my 2 cents (USD) which is about 14 cents Canadian.

[Jason White]

I belive that WWGOA is tied to Wood Magazine in some way

No, they are not. George Vondriska is doing his own thing.