I just bumped Highland Hardware from my vendor list!

[Dev Emch]

O.K. I am not happy! In my search for a Fishe Plug cutter, I wound up speaking with BOB at Highland Hardware. Now I have done business with them before and they are the multirouter dealer most often referenced. But lets not forget that David Marks is also a multirouter dealer and this guy has track record of hanging with woodworkers.

At any rate, Highland was very curse with me and not very helpful and told me to look Fishe up on the internet and hung up on me. Needless to say, I was not happy at all. These guys need a lesson in dealing with the public and a lesson in curtesy before I call them again for anything!

[Bob Wingard]

How weird !! !! This is just the opposite of my experiences. I've used Highland for years, both mail-order and in person and have always found them to be very easy to work with. My one experience with Mr. Marks was less than impressive .. .. I found him to be arrogant and neglectful UNLESS you were making a major purchase from him. He not only sells the Multi-Router, he owns most, if not all of the company.

[Bob Noles]

Dev,

I would not take my anger out on an entire company because of a single individual's actions/attitude. Everyone one on earth has a boss. Why not find out who Bob's boss is and have a chat with him/her about the situation. I would be willing to bet you would find far better satisfaction thru this route. They are basically a great company and good folks.

[Brent Smith]

Hi Dev,

Take Bob's advise. I'm in retail myself (own the company) and it's happened to me before. The guy may have been having a bad day, or may have just dealt with a particularly hard customer, and took it out on you. I'm not condoning what happened, maybe just putting it in perspective. The few times I've dealt with Highland have been positive experiences for me. So before throwing the baby out with the bath water, see if you can get to the bottom of it and not lose a good WWing source.

Brent

[skip coyne]

we where in the market for a new washer and wifey was calling around , she got off the phone really upset becouse the guy at best buy was rude and blew her off "Where never shoping there again"

when she cooled down I got her to call the manager who apologized and told her to come in and ask for him personally . I forget the exact details but I know we got a hell of a good deal as a result .

I would call and talk to a manger

(might not hurt to email them a link to this thread either )

[Andy London]

As noted one can rate an entire company by one employee, I have had excellent dealings with Highland. I also have over 400 people that work for me and I doubt they are 100% with every customer they deal with everyday.

[Michael Ballent]

Bob, where did you hear that David Marks, "...owns most, if not all of the company"? I would be surprised if he did, I know that TV pays well, but he is a WW guy, and . If he did own or partially own the Multi-Router that would shed a completely different light to his glowing praise for the machine on his show... :(



How weird !! !! This is just the opposite of my experiences. I've used Highland for years, both mail-order and in person and have always found them to be very easy to work with. My one experience with Mr. Marks was less than impressive .. .. I found him to be arrogant and neglectful UNLESS you were making a major purchase from him. He not only sells the Multi-Router, he owns most, if not all of the company.

[Sam Chambers]

Dev:

I've always had good experiences with Highand Hardware, though I always deal with them in person, since I'm local. This is very atypical behavior from them. As others have suggested, I'd call and talk to Chris Bagby, the owner.

[Richard Wolf]

Dev, you don't think they know you, do they?

Richard

[Kent Parker]

Dev,

I am a wondering if you were thinking of Fuller plug cutters??

I just got their current catalog of 152 pages worth and I would recommend them very highly. I've been using their plug cutters, tapered drill bits and counterbores for some 30 years. Great stuff.

see them at www.wlfuller.com (http://www.wlfuller.com)

Cheers,

Kent

[tod evans]

geeze dev! i just bumped the local chain burger joint `cause some snot nosed kid with metal stuck in his face had an attitude at the drivethrough...not! .02 tod

[Frank Pellow]

Boy Dev, it doesn't take much to get you upset and to write off an entire compnay does it. :eek: :rolleyes: I suggest that you should be somewhat more tolerent of human lapses.

[John Keane]

Tod, is that the kid whose face looks like he has been pulling butts on the grenade range? Richard Wolf; shame on you. (Tee Hee)

[Dev Emch]

Dev, you don't think they know you, do they?

Richard
I dont think so because then they would know what I have purchased. That would change things in a hurry. My problem is I actually intend to use the item and expect it to work. Silly Me for believing in those old school, out moded beliefs!

By the way, I did find the outlet channel for Fisch and talked to them. Had to find it all by my self with a little assistance from Mr. Albert Gore! They set me up with my one broken item and are replacing it a la the Snap On guarantee and sent me over to another Fish dealer who moves a bunch of stuff.

Turns out, the plug cutter I was looking for is a plug/tenon cutter. Slightly different than those tapered jobies. No worries. I am set up and ready to go once again. It confirms my belief in Fisch!

[Elena Vega]

I am the Internet Content editor and editor of the Wood News Online (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=46)e-newsletter at Highland Hardware. I came upon this post and I would like to forward the following on behalf of our CEO:

Mr. Emch -

We get it right most of the time, but apparently not this time. This is a tough, competitive business and we can’t afford even one unhappy customer, so I hope we may get a chance to correct the situation.

We are still building this small business one customer at a time, and every woodworker is important to our success. Highland Hardware has been serving the woodworking community for 27 years and we try our best every day, but we’ve obviously let you down – for that I am sorry.

I would like to know more about what happened, and would like the opportunity to speak with you if you would like to contact me at lbales@highland-hardware.com.

Thank you,

L. Bales, CEO

[Charles McKinley]

It sounds to me like someone is looking for a new place of employment. Even if I had no intention of doing further business there I would call the owner and get the satisfaction of helping this person in their quest for a new place of employment.

I might work out big in your favor if you do change your mind about using them as a supplier.

[Mike Wenzloff]

I am the Internet Content editor and editor of the Wood News Online (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=46)e-newsletter at Highland Hardware. I came upon this post and I would like to forward the following on behalf of our CEO:

Snip of a great response...

Thank you,
L. Bales, CEO
Good on ya, Elena and Mr. Bales.

This is why I have and will continue to do business with HH. Good folks, great--but obviously not perfect--service and products I use.

But then, service ought to be judged not by whether there are blips in otherwise good service, but how the blips are handled.

Take care, Mike

[Mark Rios]

Good on ya, Elena and Mr. Bales.

This is why I have and will continue to do business with HH. Good folks, great--but obviously not perfect--service and products I use.

But then, service ought to be judged not by whether there are blips in otherwise good service, but how the blips are handled.

Take care, Mike


I agree.....good blippin' service is what's important to me.:D

[Barry O'Mahony]

Deal with any given company enough times, and you are bound to have one not-great experience. I even had a bad experience with the much-lauded Lee Valley.

Hey, it happens. Employers need to hire imperfect humans, not robots (and when they do use robots to answer, we complain more). What counts is how the company follows up on the issue.

[Frank Chaffee]

Now Dev,
You have obviously purchased machinery new and used, tools, tooling and materials from suppliers in quantities large and small. You must well know by now that when one encounters a sales person who is having a bad day, or is simply unfit for their job, speaking with another person, especially one who is higher up the food chain, will bring a satisfactory resolution to your problem 99.99% of the time.
The only only only vendor I ever dealt with where this was not true, was one who supplied a small but crucial part for one of our products, and I learned to keep a six month supply of their product in inventory.
I had a bad day once, and I am thankful to my friends and co-workers for having helped me through it.
Frank

[Dev Emch]

Deal with any given company enough times, and you are bound to have one not-great experience. I even had a bad experience with the much-lauded Lee Valley.

Hey, it happens. Employers need to hire imperfect humans, not robots (and when they do use robots to answer, we complain more). What counts is how the company follows up on the issue.

Well Kiddies, its the next day.

As I mentioned, I had to find the info for Fisch on my own and contacted them. They routed me in the correct direction and also resolved another issue I had with Fisch tools not pertinent to this particular issue. My faith and loyalty to Fisch has been re-affirmed.

As to Highland Hardware. First of all, let me say this. I have a filing cabinet in which key vendors are filed. Everyone gets their own hanging folder (if they are worthy of this status). Highland has been in my top drawer for many years now and I have no intent on removing them at this time.

As some of you know, I have posted several referals to Highland over the the time I have been here. There are only a handful of companies that have the wide selection of high quality products that make the hard core giddy. The Woodsmith store in De Moines IA quickly comes to mind. But so does Highland Hardware. I also have done business with Garrett Wade and still like them but they seem to have gone more into the high end gift market than the hard core tool market. In exchange for Crown panel planes, I can now buy really cool looking brass kerosene lamps or EU approved jerry cans or wooden ship models. Clearly this is a sollution to an equation that works for them. Highland has remained pure to its roots.

So I will continue to use Highland as my needs dictate. Many of you were correct in that I should not allow a single event to cloud my judgement. I was upset at being told to find my own solution and getting hung up on. For the one thing, its an old family owned business trick to route customers to your compeititors when you cannot set them up yourself. WHY you may ask? Simple. Any business that is confident enough and helpful enough to put the needs of a customer first will always be in the first position with that customer for the next transaction. And more often than not, that next transaction is one you can help the customer with and it often is much more lucrative than the item you routed the customer to a competitor to in the first place.

All to often I find that we as a culture have forgotten the old ways. The ways of doing business in the merchantile mentality. My first real job was working in an old fashioned hardware. Where nails where sold in bags after being weighed by a scale with a huge analog dial. Where the floors were creaky oiled oak. The boss handled the big stuff like tools and contractor items and his wife managed the small household goods area. In the basement was a world war two Rigid pipe threader. I remember one time that a customer wanted a section of water pipe and asked if I could help. Being service minded I said sure. I had never done this before but I had watched the boss do it a few times. How hard can this be. My biggest issue was finding a large enough crate to stand on so I could reach the threader! The customer was just having a great time watching this boy who would not be allowed to drive for a few more years cutting and threading a hunk of pipe.

When I was done, the customer put a couple of bucks in my pocket and thanked me. He told the boss to keep this sprout as this one is worthwhile having around.

I told the boss about what I did and the tip. He smiled and told me to keep the tip and to keep the memory. That this is how to get and keep customers. That this customer is a repeat customer and its repeat customers that truely pay the bills and keep the lights on.

That store is gone now. The owner and his wife have passed on and the business was wiped out in a flood back in about 1982ish. But the memory lives on. Often I measure other businesses today by how we ran that old country hardware. Maybe I am being unfair by holding today's business' to this old standard. Maybe some of you grey breads remember of what I speak?

At any rate, my issues have been resloved and I will still continue to use Highland hardware and I will continue to steer business that way. Because they still have the goodies that the high quality folks expect. They just need to fine tune the customer service a bit more.

[tod evans]

thanks dev! all hopes not lost......just think if we all don`t support the ma-n-paw joints all of our stuff will be tai/chi green......02 tod

[Donnie Raines]

O.K. I am not happy! In my search for a Fishe Plug cutter, I wound up speaking with BOB at Highland Hardware. Now I have done business with them before and they are the multirouter dealer most often referenced. But lets not forget that David Marks is also a multirouter dealer and this guy has track record of hanging with woodworkers.

At any rate, Highland was very curse with me and not very helpful and told me to look Fishe up on the internet and hung up on me. Needless to say, I was not happy at all. These guys need a lesson in dealing with the public and a lesson in curtesy before I call them again for anything!


If you use the 'tone of voice" that you have in past post I would hang up on you to.

[Martin Shupe]

Dev,

I am glad this got resolved. I really enjoy old hardware stores, but they are getting hard to find. The borg comes to town and they go under.:( That was a great story you told, and you are correct that in most places, service isn't what it should be.

I like HH. My only regret is that I don't live closer to Atlanta, so I could take advantage of their classes. Everytime I get to Atlanta, I go visit them, but it isn't nearly often enough.

Kudos to HH for stepping up and posting in this thread. Look out LV, someone else knows that customer service is important!

[Dev Emch]

Dev,

I am glad this got resolved. I really enjoy old hardware stores, but they are getting hard to find. The borg comes to town and they go under.:( That was a great story you told, and you are correct that in most places, service isn't what it should be.

I like HH. My only regret is that I don't live closer to Atlanta, so I could take advantage of their classes. Everytime I get to Atlanta, I go visit them, but it isn't nearly often enough.

Kudos to HH for stepping up and posting in this thread. Look out LV, someone else knows that customer service is important!

The funny thing is that the History Channel had a Modern Marvels program on the old hardware stores. Really cool program. In it, they discussed the demise of these old hardware stores. Once again, I relish the opportunity to have worked in one when these were the status quo. Today, I wonder aimlessly about looking for a high school student wearing an orange vest in a jungle of bubble wrap.

Several years ago an owner of one of these maw-n-paw hardware stores up in MA died. He was in his 80s and the kids had no intent of carrying on this 100 or so year old business. During the winter, folks would come in and have a coffee or what not and shoot the bull in front of the old pot belly stove. This was the highlight of the day and you always went there for your break if you could do so. You went there to get the item(s) you needed and then like a bunch of dogs at the fire hydrant, you got a chance to visit and find out what is going on locally. Its a social thing. If you gotta ask, well then you wounldnt understand anyway.

At any rate, this old hardware store was torn down to make room for a strip mall. Thanfully for me, a guy I knew in MA got there first and salvaged that old pot belly stove. Today that pot belly stove resides in my shop. I have posted photos of this stove here on SMC a couple of times so its in the thread record. But at least a small part of this old hardware store lives on.

[Dev Emch]

If you use the 'tone of voice" that you have in past post I would hang up on you to.

Jeez Donnie, your sounding like my future wife!;)

[Donnie Raines]

Jeez Donnie, your sounding like my future wife!;)

:D :D :D
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[John Keane]

I am the Internet Content editor and editor of the Wood News Online (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=46)e-newsletter at Highland Hardware. I came upon this post and I would like to forward the following on behalf of our CEO:

Mr. Emch -

We get it right most of the time, but apparently not this time. This is a tough, competitive business and we can’t afford even one unhappy customer, so I hope we may get a chance to correct the situation.

I would like to know more about what happened, and would like the opportunity to speak with you if you would like to contact me at lbales@highland-hardware.com.

Thank you,

L. Bales, CEO

Miss Vega & Mr. Bales; Very good for you, and us.

[Sam Chambers]

Kudos to HH for stepping up and posting in this thread. Look out LV, someone else knows that customer service is important!Highland Hardware has always treated me well, even though I don't spend thousands of dollars in their store. (Many hundreds, but not thousands!) I've always managed to get answers to my beginner-level questions. Can't always say that about the other local Atlanta woodworking stores.

[Brian Jarnell]

Loved your old time story Dev and nicely written.Brought a tear to my eye.
Was impressed with Highland's response,good to see you are back in the fold.

[Kurt Aebi]

Miss Vega & Mr. Bales; Very good for you, and us.


I agree with John! Good for you HH!

It is not wether we screw up that we should be judged as we are ALL only Human - It is how we recover from that screw-up that we should be judged!

They responded well and should be judged well!

[Chris Barton]

So Dev,

Let me get this strait, you got all worked up over this for a $20 plug cutter? I guess I don't get it. My health and happiness isn't worth getting spun up over something as trivial as that but, maybe I am too laid back for my own good.

[Frank Pellow]

I am glad that you have reconsidered and that Highland Hardware is back in your good books.

By the way Dev, I grew up in an apartment above a hardware store much like the one you describe. The store was owned and run by my Dad and he was following in the footsteps of his Dad. For both of them, customer service was the key to success.

[Greg Tatum]

"These guys need a lesson in dealing with the public and a lesson in curtesy before I call them again for anything!"

Hi Dev....as you have explained it, you spoke to one person, who was rude to you, in this one instance, and now you will no longer do buisness with the company to teach a lesson about curtesy...without getting personal about this I have to wonder about your motive for the post....It's a onesided account of events...a statement....you are not posing a question or asking advise about a problem...not seeking resolution other than your own...as a buisness owner myself, I am constantly dealing with the needs of others and the personality/character that is initially displayed...I tell my employees to refer all complaints to me; the one in position to effect change or compromize...If I can't satisfy the client it's certantly not for lack of trying...If they choose not to speak with me or seek resolution with my organization and instead go on a public forum to criticize then I think the issue of curtesy goes both ways.



Just my interpretation of the post.

[Rob Blaustein]

Well Kiddies, its the next day.

Highland has been in my top drawer for many years now and I have no intent on removing them at this time...

At any rate, my issues have been resloved and I will still continue to use Highland hardware and I will continue to steer business that way.
Hey Dev,
Given these sentiments, you might consider editing the title of your thread since it is now misleading and unfair to HH. Also given your, how shall I put it, somewhat mercurial bent;), you might consider waiting a little bit to let things sort out before firing off these sort of rants. Just some friendly suggestions.
-Rob

[Harry Goodwin]

I too have had great experience with Highland. It's like talking with the fellow behind the counter rather than the girl in the cubacle. SP. Harry

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Dev, you don't think they know you, do they?

Richard

Good one Richard!

[Jim Dunn]

Welcome to SMC Elena. Just wish it was under the best circumstances. Hope you and Dev resolve your differences and everybody is happy. Sincerely!

[Jim Dunn]

Jeez Donnie, your sounding like my future wife!;)

Wouldn't that be "your future Ex-wife:)"

[Chris Barton]

Just curious here but, are there no moderators awake on this thread?

[Dev Emch]

Highland Hardware has always treated me well, even though I don't spend thousands of dollars in their store. (Many hundreds, but not thousands!) I've always managed to get answers to my beginner-level questions. Can't always say that about the other local Atlanta woodworking stores.

Might I suggest a multirouter or one way lathe?:D:D:D:D They are not old iron but in today's tool collection, they are extremely respectable machines! Then you may need to hire a divorce attorney when you explain these purchases to the wife unit #1.:D

[Corey Hallagan]

I think every company company can have a bad day as said by others, but today's world is very competitive. Companies have to know that they often will only get one shot at someones business. Customer service is the name of the game and a pleasant person on the phone and good service is the only thing that seperates many of the competitors out there. Personally I wouldn't have been happy being handled in that manner myself., but I think i would have tried to contact them. Good to see Highland stepped up to the plate. I haven't used them but plan to when I need some good hinges. Glad everything was resolved.

Corey

[Bill Lewis]

...For the one thing, its an old family owned business trick to route customers to your compeititors when you cannot set them up yourself. WHY you may ask? Simple. Any business that is confident enough and helpful enough to put the needs of a customer first will always be in the first position with that customer for the next transaction. And more often than not, that next transaction is one you can help the customer with and it often is much more lucrative than the item you routed the customer to a competitor to in the first place.I can relate a completely opposite story...

While in college I got a part time job to make a few bucks at a local hardware store. Let me tell you it was only a few bucks. The owner had so few employees that he was leagally able to skirt the minimum wage rules. I didn't care, it was summer, it was only a few hundred feet where I lived, and I was told the hours would be flexible when classes started up again. Well it worked for awhile, but then I got caught telling a customer to go down the street to the larger hardware and building supply store for an item we didn't have, couldn't order and would never carry. Boy I got read the riot act over that and was told that I was basically supposed to act like the store didn't exist or that somehow I didn't know about it.

This really rubbed me the wrong way. I often found myself in the dilemma of pretending to be ignorant when the customer's would ask "do you think the other store would have what we're looking for?" I bascially had to tell them I didn't know, and that I wasn't allowed to recomend the competition. On many occasions, the customers would drop the items they intended to buy and go directly to the other store. This was a college town and many of these customers were parents only in town long enough to get their kid settled in to their dorm or apartment.

When classes started, I told the owner about my class schedule and he arranged my work schedule so that even between classes I'd have to come in for a few hours here and there. Not exactly the kind of hours I wanted to work, but I was accomidating. That was until the Xmas break rolled around.

As usual I planned on going home during this time, about 5 hours away. But the owner had something else in mind. He scheduled my time so that I could go home for a week, then come back for a week, then go home again. On the other hand another employee, who lived in town, was given a somewhat opposite schedule. I talked to the guy and we worked out a swap so I would stay a week, then go away for two and this was fine for him. When I told the owner, he just went off. That his schedule was THE one to follow and that was that. Well not for me it wasn't, I wasn't about to make several unecessary trips in my very old and struggling car just to feed this guy's ego. I told him that I had another option, and I quit, and walked out. It was very satisfying.

Later, after the break, I went back to pick up my last paycheck. He reluctantly gave it to me, but then followed me out the store ranting about "loyalty" and how unfairly I treated my fellow emplyees, and that his poor teenage daughters had to work in the store (they were sent away to boarding school). I left with a smile on my face knowing I did the right thing.

I still needed some employment, so I went down to the "other" store. I had a great time talking to a guy down there who once worked for the same guy. Knew him pretty well, and didn't think he was right in the head. He told me some rather convincing stories about that guy. They offered me a job in the warehouse, and I told them I'd think about it, I went on to find a job on campus that basically allowed me to study while I monitored a big line printer (for 2X's the $).

Needless to say, that hardware store that I worked in for those short months went out of business after only about 2.5 to 3 years. I knew then that the owner should have learned about that business trick you mention Dev. I guess he never saw the movie "Miracle on 34th street" either.

[Keith Outten]

If anything this thread has reinforced the feelings of many here about the quality of service that Highland Hardware has provided for decades. When the CEO takes the time to visit SMC and respond to a complaint with an offer to make things right well, it dosen't get any better than that.

Since so many have stated that they are satified customers of Highland Hardware I might as well add my name to the list as well. I have ordered from them in the past and never had a problem, I will feel better now about future purchases considering how responsive their Management have been in this thread.

Problems that develope between a customer and a salesperson should always be resolved by Management. This is the only fair way of giving the company an opportunity to resolve the issue productively and to demonstrate that their company is responsive to their customers purchases and problems.

Highland Hardware is at the top of my Favorites List.

I believe that everyone has had ample opportunity to state their opinions concerning this issue so I am closing this thread to public posting.

.