Tool Maker Disappointments

[Eric Brown]

Over the years some makers have not met my expectations. This is not to say that the tools they produce are not good, but the delays in shipping, and probably more important, their communication is lacking.

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[David Eisenhauer]

Thanks for sending me on a google search for "Burnheart". He has created some very, very nice and extremely (to me) interesting items to look at and read about. I am afraid if I were to actually hold one of his rulers or that sector gizmo in my hand, I would reach for my wallet with the other hand. Impulse buy? Sure, but sometimes it works.

[lowell holmes]

[QUOTE=Eric Brown;2649850]Over the years some makers have not met my expectations. This is not to say that the tools they produce are not good, but the delays in shipping, and probably more important, their communication is lacking. I have given up on him and bought the Lee Valley version instead. Not as pretty but it is functional.

My take on it is:
I have the Veritas saw file holder. I think it is a gorgeous tool, It does what I want it to do.

The old saying is "Pretty is as pretty does" :)

[Frederick Skelly]

"Is that too much to ask?"

I can be a very demanding customer - I want what I pay for and I frequent businesses that meet both my quality and customer service expectations. However, I understand that I can't realistically expect a one or two man shop to provide the same level of communication that I expect of a firm with 50 or 100 employees. I remind myself that that one guy is: buying material, talking to machine shops/suppliers, advertizing (shows, demos, websites, etc), making the tool(s), writing out checks to pay his bills, processing orders, answering the phone, answering emails, etc.

Eric, I feel your frustration. And granted, some small shops are better about responding to questions than others. But when I buy from a very small company, I adjust my expectations for communication, wait list management and delivery date downward just a bit (never on the quality of course). Some of these guys are struggling to handle it all. The ones that figure it out will flourish. The ones who don't will reduce (or stop) sales. But I try not to be too hard on them, because running a small business can be tough. If it bugs me enough, I quietly send my order elsewhere.

YMMV,
Fred

[Tony Wilkins]

Update: so I tried emailing again and within a couple of hours had a refund.

I understand about small or one man shops and am fairly patient. There is only one that has been a bust for me. Gave Blackburn saws a deposit for a dovetail saw in June of 2014.

[Eric Brown]

I will be silent now. Enjoy.

[Sean Hughto]

You're definitely entitled to your pique, Eric. Enjoy it.

[Patrick Walsh]

Im with Eric.

I have suffered major disapointments with large machine purchases and orders totaling upwards of 20K.

To then have the contrasting experiences such as Badaxe Toolworks, Lie Neilsen, Festool or Sawstop offer makes anything less intolerable.

Im a carpenter by trade. I learnt a long long time ago that i must 100% meet the customers expections. If i dont i can 100% expect to have a hard time getting payed. A even bigger consiquence in both the short and long term is staying busy.

As a result i have learnt to never ever commit to anything i can not without a doubt live up to. It is not alwys easy amd often times i work till the wee hours of the morning for free. BUt i always come through for my client, employer or whomever and i never make it their problem. As a result i am always busy and its been a long long time since i have heard anything but rave reviews of my work.

Im not for slamming a small business but im not against telling it how it is so others can make edjucated decisions. That is the stardard i have been held to and what i have come to expect of others.

[Stewie Simpson]

Tony; have you kept in contact with Blackburn Tools. Did you make a formal request for your deposit back.

regards Stewie;

[Tony Wilkins]

Tony; have you kept in contact with Blackburn Tools. Did you make a formal request for your deposit back.

regards Stewie;

I waited the six months at the time I was it was taking to get to the production window so that was past the time that PayPal would have honored the request for my money back by my understanding. After waiting the six months, I sent several emails over a 3 - 4 month period before giving up. I'd forgotten about it until recently so I probably should try again.

[paul cottingham]

Tony; have you kept in contact with Blackburn Tools. Did you make a formal request for your deposit back.

regards Stewie;

Frankly, he shouldn't need to. When I had my small business, (and I'm really disorganized) we never let stuff like that happen. If we did, we would expect stuff like this to happen.

And im a fan of Blackburn.

[glenn bradley]

I handle these things quite simply. I let my wallet do the talking. If the item cannot be had elsewhere then you must decide how much you want it. I try desperately not to but, I have had to make clients wait an extra month or so, more than once, for a dresser or other large or complicated piece.

[Patrick Walsh]

And there is nothing wrong with that provided that is the stage you set from the beggining.

Its a different story when you sing a different tune from the begining then can not come through.

Or in the case you are up front such and such will be 4-6 months out but then you drop off the radar and font return phone calls or e-mail. That is just dishonest.

QUOTE=glenn bradley;2650066]I handle these things quite simply. I let my wallet do the talking. If the item cannot be had elsewhere then you must decide how much you want it. I try desperately not to but, I have had to make clients wait an extra month or so, more than once, for a dresser or other large or complicated piece.[/QUOTE]

[Tony Wilkins]

Tony; have you kept in contact with Blackburn Tools. Did you make a formal request for your deposit back.

regards Stewie;

I tried emailing again and got a response and refund quickly. Another thing about small makers is that they go through rough times and growing pains.

[Curt Putnam]

Tony, suggest you call or email again. Isaac is a stand up guy.

[James Waldron]

If you look at the Blackburn site, you'll find that Mr. Smith has posted that he is so aggravated by his two year backlog of saw orders that he has stopped accepting new saw orders and is working down his two year backlog as quickly as he can. It may be that he just hasn't gotten to your order and is concentrating on getting the backlog cleared and ignoring his e-mail. As near as I can tell, your situation is not the norm among his customers and would-be customers. Do try again.

[Tony Wilkins]

If you look at the Blackburn site, you'll find that Mr. Smith has posted that he is so aggravated by his two year backlog of saw orders that he has stopped accepting new saw orders and is working down his two year backlog as quickly as he can. It may be that he just hasn't gotten to your order and is concentrating on getting the backlog cleared and ignoring his e-mail. As near as I can tell, your situation is not the norm among his customers and would-be customers. Do try again.


i have updated my posts. I emailed again and received a quick refund.

[paul cottingham]

And I stand corrected.

[Stewie Simpson]

issac is also a member of this forum. He doesn't log in that often. No doubt a reflection of his busy work schedule. I sent him a private message making him fully aware of what was being mentioned on this thread. I would imagine he is feeling rather disappointed at not being afforded more of an opportunity to resolve any concerns in a more private manner.

Stewie;

[Martin Shupe]

I am a very satisfied customer of Blackburn Tools. I have had several orders with Isaac, and I was satisfied with each and every saw.

IMHO, he is a stand up guy.

It looks like Old Street Tools is catching up on his back log. He had a few tools posted on Instagram. I am happy to see this.

Sometimes boutique tool makers get overwhelmed. I am willing to be patient in return for quality.

Some custom muzzle loading rifle builders have a 2-3 year backlog, very common.

I currently have a saw on order that was promised in October. Not Blackburn, but another saw maker that people here would recognize.

Am I worried? No. The saw will be ready when it is ready, and I will be delighted when I receive it.

Quality takes time, but I agree, it is smart to have good communications with your customers.

[Ron Bontz]

"Another thing about small makers is that they go through rough times and growing pains."
Yep. Absolutely. As frustrating as it may be; things happen that we just can not always control. Crow is never a tasty meal, but we grow stronger from it and learn.

[Tony Wilkins]

issac is also a member of this forum. He doesn't log in that often. No doubt a reflection of his busy work schedule. I sent him a private message making him fully aware of what was being mentioned on this thread. I would imagine he is feeling rather disappointed at not being afforded more of an opportunity to resolve any concerns in a more private manner.

Stewie;

You are right. I was disappointed when I realized it had been so long. I went back and ameliorated my comments (though I know that those who originally read the comments got the not so nice versions). When I reached out he did respond quickly and I wasn't aware what was going on in his life and business when he didn't respond previously. My apologies to him and those who might have been unfairly influenced with my rash comments.

[paul cottingham]

One thing that I will point out, if your original efforts to reach out were rebuffed, I think you had every right to be pissed off. And people who are getting in your face about that are out of line.

[Tim Cooper Louisiana]

Tony. You ordered a saw in June of 2014. You previously tried to communicate and didn't receive feedback. Two and a half years later, you got a refund. Life happens. I appreciate that you've been made to feel guilty for communicating that information, and you've handled it with grace. I'm not particular to all of the details of the transaction, but I don't think your comments were egregiously out of line.

I too, prefer to support the smaller makers. I've ordered a saw from one, and was told that it would ship in X number of weeks. I waited for one week past that date to email and ask about delivery. I was then told it would ship the next day. A week later the saw finally shipped. It's the finest saw I own, and I'll buy quite a few more. That being said, I will have no qualms with giving another member of this forum my customer support experience, if it's relevant.

I guess I firmly believe in the philosophy of "Don't over promise and under deliver."