Justifying A Major Tool Purchase

[Dan Friedrichs]

When I bought my C3-31, I paid a deposit using a credit card (no surcharge), but they wanted the balance via check.

As Rod said, I think it's a mentality geared more towards commercial customers.

[Warren Lake]

a dep and then a cheque should be fine, I didnt read all this but there is a time period before you get the machine correct? I dont think its geared towards commercial especially being in so many commercial shops and not seeing hardly any felder or hammer stuff. I did a craft show many years ago and had one thing sold there, credit cards knick you pretty well when you are not a regular user (Twice a year) Commercial customers and residential work they always paid by cheque never once by visa.

[Brian Holcombe]

I invoice through my accounting service and customers can pay with a card, same with PayPal invoices. Both avenues cost about 4%. It’s expensive by comparison to other services, unless you only do a few transactions with a credit card per month in which case it can be less expensive than the monthly fee.

In any case, a big business with an ecommerce website and so on should be including the fee in the pricing.

[John Sincerbeaux]

Wish I could at least complete the sale. Wave $5K in front of any salesperson and watch that money vanish from your hands. Not with my Felder rep. I sent the authorization form and deposit on 8/27. Yesterday I had to remind him I'm still waiting to complete the sale. One of the ladies from his office emails me with some info. I write back with a simple question. Still waiting to hear back. If it's this hard to buy something, what will it be like after the sale? I'm having concerns...

Not sure why you are having a tough time with this? Your money is in YOUR bank till they deliver?
Putting down 10% deposit, then pay the balance before they put your machine on the delivery truck is exactly how four of my machines from Germany went.
Breathe!

[Rod Sheridan]

So this is an Austrian thing? Remind me not to do business with Austrians again.


This whole Felder buying experience has been like pulling teeth. And the verbiage of the deposit and purchase contracts offers no protection for the consumer while providing full protection for Felder. My experience has been companies that go to these extremes to protect the company do so because they don't want to deal with dissatisfied customers after the sale is complete.

Then yesterday I was told if I want to pay with a credit card I have to pay an additional 3%. Nowhere did I see this in the quote I was given. Nowhere did I see this in the non-refundable deposit contract I signed. Only after they have my money do they tell me this. This caused my SO to want to cancel.

Sorry Rod, but I'm just not feeling really good about this experience.

Yes Julie, however you will when you receive your new machine.

Felder only take credit cards for deposits as the credit card companies take a percentage of the sale price from the vendor.

I can't think of any major purchase I've ever used a credit card for, ( cars, motorcycles, machinery).............Rod.

Regards, Rod

[Martin Wasner]

I can't think of any major purchase I've ever used a credit card for, ( cars, motorcycles, machinery).............Rod.

Regards, Rod

Which is funny, because I routinely put $20k on a credit card in one transaction for lumber.

[brent stanley]

Which is funny, because I routinely put $20k on a credit card in one transaction for lumber.

Me too. I just used it for $10k. My card gives me purchase protection, and an extension on the manufacturers warranty to boot. I always pay it off the same or next day, but use it for the perks.
B

[Warren Lake]

some lumber companies went to that one of mine did found it insulting first when they asked, I dont care if other shops burned them I always paid them on time. I know lots of shops went down so figured thats why.

[Greg Parrish]

Yes Julie, however you will when you receive your new machine.

Felder only take credit cards for deposits as the credit card companies take a percentage of the sale price from the vendor.

I can't think of any major purchase I've ever used a credit card for, ( cars, motorcycles, machinery).............Rod.

Regards, Rod

Felder took my payment 100% on the card. Logged into card and paid it off on Friday. Earned a nice sum of college 529 money via the cards cash back program too.

That said, Felder also accidentally charged me twice for the machine. Only caught it when going to pay. I called and they apologized and corrected while on the phone but the credit probably won’t show till next week. No big deal since I caught it early but had I planned to pay that card at a later date it would have sucked to find an interest charge on that duplicate charge.

[Rod Sheridan]

Felder took my payment 100% on the card. Logged into card and paid it off on Friday. Earned a nice sum of college 529 money via the cards cash back program too.

That said, Felder also accidentally charged me twice for the machine. Only caught it when going to pay. I called and they apologized and corrected while on the phone but the credit probably won’t show till next week. No big deal since I caught it early but had I planned to pay that card at a later date it would have sucked to find an interest charge on that duplicate charge.

Thanks for the correction Greg...............So what did you purchase?

regards, Rod.

[Greg Parrish]

I bought a hammer A3-31 with silent head. Supposed to get here Tuesday afternoon.

Thanks for the correction Greg...............So what did you purchase?

regards, Rod.

[Rod Sheridan]

Congratulations, you'll love it.........Rod.

[Julie Moriarty]

Not sure why you are having a tough time with this? Your money is in YOUR bank till they deliver?

That's not how it works here, John. The customer signs an authorization form requiring a 20% deposit be submitted to begin the ordering process, in this case, $1,000. The form the customer signs states the deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE. The 20% deposit is on a credit card that, of course, could be disputed if the customer chooses to do so.

The after-the-fact 3% fee was like a bomb dropping here. For my SO, who very reluctantly agreed to the purchase, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. For me it was an ethical issue. Be up front with your policies from the start. Don't implement them later, especially after the customer has made a mandatory non-refundable deposit.

I know Felder sells to individuals. I'm sure they have handled many transactions that were payed for fully with a credit card. To stand on the assumption using a credit card is highly unusual seems disingenuous.

EDIT: I should add the same machine I am trying to buy, as well as many other more expensive machines, can be purchased through their e-Shop using a CC, no CC fee applied. The quote I received had the same price as their e-Shop. I chose to go through the local rep because, when I ordered the Felder catalog, he called me and sent me the catalog.

[Jim Becker]

Is the "local rep" an independent contractor and is he/she the one processing the transaction?

[Julie Moriarty]

Is the "local rep" an independent contractor and is he/she the one processing the transaction?

As far as I can tell, the local rep either works directly for Felder or under the Felder umbrella. He has a Felder email and Felder lists his office as one of theirs. As for the processing, up until the time I submitted the deposit, he was handling everything. At that point he handed it over to Felder's office in Delaware.