Question on Great Lakes Casters, and a possible pre-rant.

[Jim O'Dell]

I can see from the Zambus/Great Lakes Caster threads that several here have ordered the GLC casters. I ordered from this company last Sunday, and my order still hasn't shipped, but they confirm on the order page that my CC was charged on the day of order. Is this delay normal with this company? I sent them an email last night when I saw that it hadn't even shipped yet. I'm sure it will be Monday before I will get an answer, but thought I'd check with those who have ordered if this is just normal for this company. I don't want to complain too much yet if this is just how they work, and I was bad for not finding that out before ordering. If the casters, not the type most of you have ordered, were not in stock, I would have expected an email with an ETA by now. Thanks for any insight you have to offer. Jim.

[Russ Massery]

Jim, I ordered the same casters from them a while back. And got great service in fact I received them in just two days! ( I'm not far from them though) I do hate when a supplier doesn't informed you of a back order. On the upside there well worth the cost and the wait.

[Larry Fox]

My experience was pretty much the same as Russ'. I don't recall the specifc amount of time between order and receit but it was only a few days at most. Sorry you are having trouble.

[Jim O'Dell]

Russ, I'm not getting the casters like you have. These are just some cheap locking casters for my temporary outfeed table I'm working on. (stripping the old paint off the metal frame today) It's a small order, and shipping was more than the casters, but I can't find what I need locally. It's good to know, though, that this may be an isolated problem. Thanks! Jim.

[Tom Godley]

I ordered casters for my MM16 from them -- had them in no time.

The are great by the way -- I had no idea that this type could be had for the price I paid.

Jim, maybe yours were out of stock - this is the one place where a lot of internet retailers slip up a little.

I know that the software is available but it must be too expensive for many to purchase - just my guess.

[Steven DeMars]

I ordered a set of ZAMBUS style caster from Great Lakes, got them in a few days . . . I think this company is a lot larger than some of us realize . . . I say that because I think they ship from several different warehouses.

Any way, I got good service from them and would definitely recommend them to anyone . . . I initially looked at ZAMBUS, but between price and hard to understand sales guy, I went with Great Lakes . . . .

Have mobile stand for a JET Jointer/Planer Combo cut out, need to weld & paint . . . . Will post pics as soon as complete . . .

Steve

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, to rub salt in the open sore, guess what I just got in my email?? A request from Great Lakes Casters to rate their product!!!! Sent at 5:42 am today. :confused: I know, it's automatically sent, but somehow you'd think they would tie that to orders that had already been sent out and had a chance to arrive. I mean, just to keep from having egg on their collective faces if for no other reason. :rolleyes: Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, in my email last night I got a tracking number, and my casters were shipped out yesterday afternoon, delivery eta 6/13. Now if the Friday the 13th jinx doesn't hit and UPS actually drops off the package, I can get my outfeed table finished up Sat afternoon after work.
But I still haven't heard from the email I sent them Friday evening, nor the scathing reply I sent to them wanting me to send in a testimony on the casters....before they were shipped. So 7 business days to get it shipped, and 3 business days shipping (normal shipping time). I'll report when/if :rolleyes: they show up. Jim.

[Barry Reade]

Jim, I want to thank you for posting your experience with GLC. I was thinking of purchasing some of their products but am concerned about your problem. I sent GLC an email saying I was considering their product but there was a fellow wood worker member on the Creek that had a membership of 35K of which 11.2K were active and wondered if they had checked out the thread and what were they doing about it.

Let see what happens.

[Jim O'Dell]

I won't hold my breath. They still have 2 communications from me they haven't answered. :D But maybe they will. And others that bought the Zambus like casters all got great shipping times from them. Maybe it is the difference between a caster they sell, and one they make. I guess my biggest gripe is they didn't let me know that there was a delay, if that is what happened. And now not responding to the messages just adds to the bad feelings. Let's see if my order was the odd ball, and if there is a good reason for it. Jim.

[Barry Reade]

I just got a call from GLC and the gentleman was concerned. He had read the whole thread and will be contacting Jim. I will wait to post the rest of my conversation until Jim says what happened.

[Jim O'Dell]

Barry et all, Travis from GLC called and talked to my wife. She said he sounded like he wasn't too happy with me.:eek: ;) Said something about a sister company. I came in to turn the computer on and email him just now when I saw your post. I'll let you know what the conversation is, but I'm sure it will be tomorrow night before I can get messages again. Jim.

[Steve Clardy]

She said he sounded like he wasn't too happy with me.:eek: ;)




Not happy with you? :confused:

Very strange

[Jim O'Dell]

That's exactly what I thought. :D:D:D I wrote him a long note. I spelled out how all of this made me feel. Lots more than I have said here.
I'm not totally unhappy with GLC. Now if the casters don't perform, then I might change my mind on that, but I am disappointed with the lack of communication. Let's see how this plays out. I encourage everyone reading this to not make a decision only on my experience. Read the others above that had great experiences and weigh it all in your decision. Jim.

[Steven DeMars]

Great service, knowledgeable sales staff & good prices . . . . .

The above has been my experience . . . . .

Steve

[Mike Davin]

My experence with GLC has been nothing but positive. I hope things get resolved to your satisfaction.

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

Jim, I want to thank you for posting your experience with GLC. I was thinking of purchasing some of their products but am concerned about your problem. I sent GLC an email saying I was considering their product but there was a fellow wood worker member on the Creek that had a membership of 35K of which 11.2K were active and wondered if they had checked out the thread and what were they doing about it.

Let see what happens.

Barry, are you going to feel the least bit foolish if they reply back to you that they ship in excess of 35k of their casters, each and every month and have never had more than 1 fall through the cracks and have delayed shipment? Come on folks, everyone has a burp in the process now and then.

Oh, and aside....I seriously doubt 11.2K active members on this forum.

Doug

[Barry Reade]

Barry, are you going to feel the least bit foolish if they reply back to you that they ship in excess of 35k of their casters, each and every month and have never had more than 1 fall through the cracks and have delayed shipment? Come on folks, everyone has a burp in the process now and then.

Oh, and aside....I seriously doubt 11.2K active members on this forum.

Doug
Doug, you can believe/doubt whatever you want.:rolleyes: I did have a phone call from GLC and they are concerned about even one customer:) and you will have to take up the 11.2K active members with the good folks that run the "Creek" as on the main forum page that list who is on line at any given time it lists total membership and active membership.:p Yes, there can be a burp in a company's service. ;) It is what they do about it that separates the wheat from the chafe. :eek:

[David G Baker]

I had great service when dealing with Great Lakes Caster. My items were shipped from Lavonia Michigan and that is not too far from where I live.
My feelings on the lack of communication is that Great Lakes Caster may do a tremendous amount of business and get tons of E-mail. It may be very difficult to respond to all of that E-mail in a timely manner.

[Chuck Saunders]

I ordered Monday and the order will be here on the 13th. I am hoping that Jim just had a case of the oops we're out of that one till next week. This may just be a lapse of followup communications.

[Jim O'Dell]

Chuck, that was my first thought, and the reason I started this thread asking if others had had shipping delays. It sounds like of the experiences here at the Creek, that mine is the exception.
David, it is possible that they were inundated with email after the weekend, but they sure got to Barry's email quickly on Monday afternoon.:eek: :p
I see that someone from GLC has signed on as a member this morning. Hopefully they will spell out what happened for all to see. Like I said, I can't get my email at work, and will be after 7:00 or so this evening before I can get it pulled up at home. I'm anxious to hear also. Jim.

[Jim Fox]

Wow, that's quite shocking. I've ordered many of times from them for both myself and work. Never had any issue, and they arrived quickly. But then again, they are 1 hr away from me.

Hope it works out for you.

[Jim O'Dell]

snip
Yes, there can be a burp in a company's service. ;) It is what they do about it that separates the wheat from the chafe. :eek:


Well, let me tell you about the email I received from Travis when I got home. As I told him in my reply, I'm still not sure how I feel about accepting this. It was certainly not what I was seeking. As an apology for the delay, they refunded the price of the entire order! I told Travis that the offer just blew me away, and that I believe he and his company went way beyond what would be considered a good faith gesture, way beyond. GLC has shown me that they are a company to be trusted, and operate in the same manner that drew me to the company I now work for.

So Barry, order away!! I'm glad that the outcome proves that GLC is the company that all of you who have had great service from said they are. Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

I thought I'd close this thread out with the news that the casters arrived today, and are now on the cart. They seem to be well constructed, and they will work fine for this application. Also wanted to bump it back to the top one more time so that those who had read the early postings but hadn't seen the outcome, would have another chance. Jim.

[Barry Reade]

I am glad everything worked out for you Jim.

[Chris Padilla]

So basically you got FREE casters, Jim?

[Jim O'Dell]

Yeah, that's right Chris. And I still don't feel right about that. But I'm not sure how to make it right, to me, other than make sure I order from them again, and encourage others to do the same. Jim.

[Steven DeMars]

I am very happy to hear that . . . . I had no doubt . . . .

Face it most companies selling a product that is typically bought by a reseller would not sell to you period . . . Even fewer would sell to you without a minimum order amount of at least $100.00 . . . . not to mention the excellent prices they offer . . .

Usually the bean counters in a company convince them to not do business with individuals through inflated "cost of doing business" numbers and suggestion of increased liability risk . .

Take care,
Steve