Worst Service Ever! woodworkershaven.com

[Steve Canada]

I rarely ever feel motivated enough to comment on service issues, having spent a lot of time on both sides of the register in my life, but I just had to vent my frustration with woodworkershaven.com. The blocks are only like 11 bucks, but it's the principle!

_____Sat, 3 Nov_____

I attended a woodshow in my area last November, at at the time there was a promotion from said company for Bandsaw blades. These are the highly reputable Viking blades, (formerly Tiberwolf Baldes). Anyway, the were slightly reduced and the company was throwing in some phenolic Bandsaw plates or cool blocks. They didn't have my size, so i agreed to have them sent out "in a few weeks". Here is the correspondence that followed:

(I reversed it for logical progression)

_____Thu, 28 Feb_____

Michael,

Back in November, I purchased 3 Viking Bandsaw blades from you at the Calgary Woodworking show. At the time, you were including one of your Safety Paks as a promotion, but did not have the cool block size I required for my General 90-150 14” Bandsaw, ready at that time.

We agreed that you would send them out in a few weeks when they were ready. Well it’s been a little longer then a few weeks and I have not seen the blocks yet – could you please send these out?

Please let me know if there are any issues. I’ve included the receipt indicating our arrangement.

Thanks for your time,

Steve

_____Tuesday, March 11_____


Hello,

Just following up as I did not receive any reply to my email (below) sent last week.

?

Steve

REPLY_____Tue, 11 Mar_____

Steve
Sorry for the delay but I wanted an answer for you first. I am still waiting on time frame for the material which has all of a sudden become an issue. I will let you know once my supplier gets back to me
Thanks
Michael
888 994 2836


_____Wed, 28 May_____

Mike,

Just following up on this outstanding request. Have you got the Cool Blocks in yet for the General 90-150 14” Bandsaw?

Standing by,

Steve


_____Friday, June 13_____

Mike,

Seriously. It’s been over 8 months I’ve been waiting for you to make good on your promise to send me these blocks. I certainly feel like I’m getting the brush off here. This whole experience has really tarnished my opinion of your company and customer service.

Do you have these blocks in stock? If not, what can you do to restore my faith in your company. I’m getting tired of having to send an email every 2 months to remind you of something you should have taken care of last year. I’d like to wrap this up if I can.

Hopefully you can find the time to reply to me,

Steve


_______________

Oh, and I still haven't heard back from my email sent on the 13th. Ah well, I just had to share. Sorry if it's off topic.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Thats a crock. He left you a toll free phone #. I would be calling him EVERYDAY until I got my product as promised. If not thru him then go above him in the company.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Thats a crock. He left you a toll free phone #. I would be calling him EVERYDAY until I got my product as promised. If not thru him then go above him in the company.

Have you seen the website? I have a feeling there is no "above" this guy. Looks like you're getting screwed, Steve.

[Matt Meiser]

Did you pay by credit card? If so, contact them. It might be too late, but a chargeback would probably get his attention.

[Jack Camillo]

Matt Meiser with the excellente solutione. Good call!

[Mike Heidrick]

Wait a couple more months and go back to the show with your receipt and retun the blades. Stick around his booth showing other potentail buyers the chain of emails as well. Would very much be worth the $7 entrance fee.

[Craig McCormick]

I would say if that is the worst service you have ever gotten you are doing pretty well.

Craig

[Phil Thien]

Many times you can raise a chargeback as many as six months after expected delivery of an item (and the seller extended his deadline by sending E-Mail saying he'd look into it).

Ultimately, it depends on the card issuer. But CC companies truly have unlimited power to screw with merchants. It is at their sole discretion and when you have a paper trail as you do, they will more often than not help.

Call/E-Mail the seller. Tell them that you need a resolution in 24 hours or you will take the E-Mail you have to the CC issuer and raise a chargeback. If the seller doesn't respond, then follow-through with it.

[peter de tappan]

Steve, I suggest you alert Woodworkershaven to all the free publicity that their stellar customer service has got them at Sawmillcreek. I won't be buying anything there soon.

[John Dorough]

Steve,

I emailed the company this morning. I have pasted the contents of that email below. Will be interested to see what response, if any, I receive. Thanks for the heads-up about your experience.

Contents of email:

I have been reading about the fiasco you are putting a fellow member of the Saw Mill Creek woodworker’s forum through for the last nine months. Common sense says if you don’t have the product you promised, send the guy a decent item in its place or refund his purchase price. Either alternative represents a very inexpensive way to avoid the ill will you are creating for (so far) 500 fellow woodworkers who have viewed the SMC page containing the story. For what it’s worth, I won’t be patronizing your company as long as lack of concern for customers is so evident in the way you do business.

Here is a link to the SMC web page: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=87060 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=87060)

John

[Vince Shriver]

I would say if that is the worst service you have ever gotten you are doing pretty well.

Craig

Yea, he's doing great; we should all do so well. Gimme a break.

[Craig McCormick]

Vince,

You are right.... Maybe I should have taken a nap before responding.

On the other hand I have witnessed much worst customer service a few times in my life.

Geeez, I still need a nap.

Craig McCormick

[John Dorough]

I received a reply from Mike Hartman to my email referenced above. He was courteous and thanked me for the heads-up. He indicated he is going to sign on to SMC and will post a response. I appreciated his response.

We all have times in our careers when we drop the ball, don't appreciate the impact on others of what seems to us to be a small issue, or otherwise cause problems for others and ourselves that we never anticipated nor intended. If this is such a case for Mike, then he is just the newest member of a club to which I have been a member for a long time.

Steve, I hope this issue gets resolved soon.

John

[Steve Canada]

WOW.

I posted this yesterday afternoon, just to vent, and first thing this morning I have an email in my inbox from Woodworkershaven asking me to call and rectify the situation. I truly didn't expect it to escalate as it has.

True, it's not the worst service I've ever had, and it's not about a $12 set of Cool Blocks either. But after almost 9 months of nothing, it looks like I've found a way to finally be heard.

I will follow up with Mike, and I'll let you know what the outcome is. Thanks for the support, and reserve judgement for now. They may still come through with a suitable solution.

I'll keep you posted!

[Jason Otto]

Is the company located in Baden Ontario?

If so, I pass by that area everyday heading to work. I should stop in and give my two cents worth.

Jason

[Rob Bodenschatz]

...reserve judgement for now...

No way, Steve. Eight months of incompetence is enough for me. He's just trying to save his butt now.

Judgement made. Sorry.

[Gary Lange]

I would say that a site having 35000+ members and 10000+ of the active would constitute a significant amount of power. When they have the possibility of loose a significant amount of potential customer base then they listen. Good companies don't do customers this way. They need to go well over and beyond just getting the Cool Blocks sent out. It is strange that companies don't see that Customer Service is what makes or breaks a company. It most likely costs them about $2.00 or less to make them so rather then loose a customer and possibly set the stage for loosing a lot of his friends why not just get the blocks out in the first place. Then companies wonder why nobody buys more then one product from them.