Thank you for starting this thread - this is poor customer service and I will do my best to avoid the situation by scratching them off my list for my next bandsaw.
rb
Member
Thank you for starting this thread - this is poor customer service and I will do my best to avoid the situation by scratching them off my list for my next bandsaw.
rb
In Memoriam
I feel compelled a bit to add some comments for folks adding MM to any personal blacklist. Despite the switch problems I had, I would still recommend the saw and I'm under the impression that while they seem to have had a few CS problems lately, they generally have very good CS. For comparison, go to the Knots Forum. There are numerous extremely long threads there from Laguna (no personal experience with them) owners with horrible CS experiences. To be fair some of the posts on those threads are from folks happy with their Laguna's (and I dont want to start a MM vs Laguna war here) but in comparison MM comes out looking pretty good. My biggest beef with MM is really lousy documentation. If they intend to sell mail-order only to the general public, they really need to improve tha manuals that go out with their machines so that folks doing WW primarily on weekends can diagnose problems and fix things. Us weekend woodworkers end up losing a lot of time, having to wait until weekdays to contact their CS for issues that could/should be addressed better in the manuals.
Use the fence Luke
Member
Hmmm? I have a 7 year old LT-18. Never had need of CS from Laguna on it. Perfectly flat table. Perfectly square fence. Always starts. Never had to adjust any foot brake microswitch. Makes perfect cuts everytime. I really get annoyed when folks point out how much better MM is at CS than Laguna. No war intended here either but, I beg to differ with how well MM comes out looking on this subject. I have a friend with a MM bandsaw and he told me the long saga which is amazingly similar to those reported on this thread. A search of the archives also reveals more. Now Laguna is not perfect but, if you look at the problems reported on bandsaws between the two brands there is absolutely no comparison. Many of these issues with the MM have been pointed out on this very thread, when I upgrade to a larger bandsaw, I definitely know what brand it will not be and I have a pretty good idea what brand it will be. And for what ever its worth, every European machine I have ever owned (several different brands) has had lousy documentation.Originally Posted by Doug Shepard
Member
Its sad to hear this, but it doesn't make me mark off MM for any more purchases.
I have a FS41 and when it arrived it had a cracked switch plate and one of the handles to tighten down something was broke. Gave my sales rep a call and he got me in touch with the parts department and sent me everything. Then when I actually got the switch I called again and a technician walked me through changing the entire switch and even stayed on the phone with me until I got it running.
I have even called/emailed my sales rep just to ask basic operating questions on the machine because I couldn't find it in the manual or understand it. I always got a call or email back.
After going through my experiences with them I myself would still buy something from them. I would hope I get the same amount of customer service on what ever I would buy from them. I would hope all sales reps treats their customers the same, but maybe not.
Member
Personally, this thread scares me a little bit. I too am/was saving for a really decent bandsaw. I may now change my strategy and opt for a less expensive one for light duty and see what the future holds as far as a more expensive purchase.
Those who have had bad experiences and talked about all of the problems they've encountered shouldn't have to deal with customer service for that long. If there is a problem, they should be taken care of pronto, in my opinion anyways. That is way too much money to be spending on a tool and to have that much down time. Then to have to personally fiddle with the machine to get it to perform as well as a $2,000 bandsaw should (I think that's what they cost) out of the box is just a little discouraging to say the least.
I am sure they make a decent bandsaw and that most don't get delivered with that many problems or obviously they wouldn't be in business. But when things don't go right, why should a customer be taking a table to a local machine shop to get it ground flat??? That is just not right, even if as a customer you don't mind doing it. If they compensate you, then obviously that is different. They should send out a new one and have the delivery guy pick up the defective one if MM wants it back to inspect. Maybe it's just me, but I will be rethinking my bandsaw purchase for sure, thanks to your post Brad and to some of the replies that followed. I hope it works out well for ya Brad.
Dave
Life is a gift, not a guarantee.
Member
Recently, the motor on my MM16 died. Bad bearing. It was out of warranty. They sent me a replacement, it also had a bad bearing. They sent me another replacement and it got damaged in shipping. They sent me a 3rd replacement, and that one was fine. Tech service even put a new pulley on the shaft so I wouldn't have to pull the old one off.
Admittedly a frustrating experience, but it happens. Through it all, I got very good customer service from tech service and my sales rep. They shipped all the motors I didn't use back at their cost. The table is dead flat, and I have had no switch problems at all.
Will I buy from them again? Yes, I'd love to get one of their big jointer/planers some day. If I had the room (well, and the $), I'd get one of their sliders.
Once a company sells enough items, theres going to be some variability in the quality of the sales and cs experience. Except maybe LV. Those people continue to amaze me.
Everyone has to make up their own mind about who they will and won't buy from.
Last edited by Gary Herrmann; 05-01-2007 at 10:04 PM.
Where did I put that tape measure...
Member
I purchased my MM16 3-4 years ago and had a similar experience with rust and customer service. At the time, everyone raved about their CS, which just left me all the more confused. It's not that they didn't talk the talk or that they didn't make things right in the end, but the execution just left a lot to be desired. I won't chronicle my experience as it's several years old now and hopefully does not reflect current practice. (but it sounds like it does)
I agree with several of the other posters in that this saw needs more refinement and better QC. Stop adding HP and resaw height and fix the things that need fixing.
BTW - I barely use my saw and it starts every time that I ask it to.
Moderator
Brad, you want Jim Strain...not "Strand".
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Guest
Sounds like the beginning of another MM horror story. for some reason it's just their band saws I see horror stories about. I have read accounts where MM had gon way far to get it it right but the band saws keep popping up and it's almost always an issue with some stubborn customer service moron who simply refuses to go the extra ten feet.
Do you think MM has a separate Cust' Serv' Dept' for Band Saws and that person is like bi-polar or a paranoid Schitzo' otr something?
Another wacky thing. Why impose on the customer to schlep their defective equipment around??They wouldn't send another, but asked me to have it machined locally and they would pay.
And that is the point I'd be considering sending them a letter they'd notice 'cause it'd look exactly like a Summons and Complaint.I start having problems with the electrical switch. The "on" pushbutton sticks in and won't come back out unless I disassemble the switch and pull it out. I submit a request through the MM website and I got a call back within a day saying to take apart the switch and clean it. Ok, so I do that. It works 2-3 more times. I go to use it 2 weeks ago, and the switch sticks again. I take it apart, clean it (fyi - there was never any visible dirt or dust in there, ever), this time I can't get the dumb thing to even come back out again. So, I call MM support again, nobody answers, I leave a message, I get no call back. I wait 3 days.
YAh Yah you are out of warantee so technically it's the right thing that you gotta pay. But for all the nonsense you've been through they should comp it just for the sake of not having you on internet forums talking about their customer service failures mach8ining errors and crummy table tops.He says yes, there's a newer switch that's better but I'll have to buy it.
[/quote] fast forward 4 business days, I receive no call...[/quote]
Ouch The hits just keep on coming.
It's way past time you were writing short stern letters to MM management. This is a Customer service failure that just won't end. It could be fixed with one memo from the bosses.
That is not merely BS it is an absolute lie deliberately and willfully calculated to make you feel like you are at fault. I seriously doubt this if MM policy I think you got really lucky and have found the world's worst Cust Serv people.BTW - switch doesn't work because I don't use it enough? I don't think I buy it... I think it's a cheap switch. I've never had this problem with anything else.
Go over their heads and write a letter to management.
They need to get a paper route.
Also there is a MM rep ( I forget his name) who is a member of this forum and all my interactions with him have been positive. He may be able to steer you.
Member
This is similar to my experience - all questions answered promptly, and I get "pinged" every now and again from my sales rep asking how I like the saw [I should note that he knows I'm not likely to buy anything else for a LONG time].
As for the "out of flat tables"... A bandsaw isn't a table saw, IMHO, and a couple thou on a table won't make much difference, in my opinion. If I could get my work that close, it'd move a few thousandths by the next morning after I cut it. There's more than a few thou drift in the blade on all cuts.
It's wood, not metal, and it's a bandsaw not a jointer.
Dare I say this, but get on with cutting wood - it you don't get great results and technique isn't the issue, THEN start troubleshooting.
Again, just my $.02 and I really am not trying to offend anyone.
Anyway - if I were in the market, I'd buy from them again. I bought my MM16 to cut big wood & it does that just fine.
Cheers,
-Mike
[OP]
Contributor
Thank you for that correction Jim.
I appreciate it.
Cheers
Member
My bad on that one.....sorry!!!!
Anywho, I think there will be a happy ending to this story. I'm very satisfied with the CS I've received.....Sam Blasco @ MM is the MAN!
[OP]
Contributor
..........
I'm beginning to think the MM name and reputation is becoming the victim of inconsistent customer service more than anything else. Obviously I just need to keep trying until I find the right person.This is similar to my experience - all questions answered promptly, and I get "pinged" every now and again from my sales rep asking how I like the saw [I should note that he knows I'm not likely to buy anything else for a LONG time].
I used to get the same calls
As for the "out of flat tables"... A bandsaw isn't a table saw, IMHO, and a couple thou on a table won't make much difference, in my opinion. If I could get my work that close, it'd move a few thousandths by the next morning after I cut it. There's more than a few thou drift in the blade on all cuts.
It's wood, not metal, and it's a bandsaw not a jointer.
It's more than a "couple thou" so you made an assumption here, but as you notice, I let it slide with MM anyway. The only time it's really annoying is when I'm resawing for guitar bodies for a friend of mine. There's alot of hand cleanup work. It doesn't bother me with something I can jam through the planer.
Dare I say this, but get on with cutting wood - it you don't get great results and technique isn't the issue, THEN start troubleshooting.
Ummm, I wish I could "get on with cutting wood". I think we're past the troubleshooting part...
Again, just my $.02 and I really am not trying to offend anyone.
No offense taken. If I got offended easily, I'd probably be upset about this whole situation. As it stands, I just want my saw to function reliably and am willing to be polite with MM until I've exhausted all viable options.
Anyway - if I were in the market, I'd buy from them again. I bought my MM16 to cut big wood & it does that just fine.
Cheers,
-Mike
Cheers
Last edited by Brad Schmid; 05-01-2007 at 1:19 PM.
Member
"As for the "out of flat tables"... A bandsaw isn't a table saw, IMHO, and a couple thou on a table won't make much difference, in my opinion. If I could get my work that close, it'd move a few thousandths by the next morning after I cut it. There's more than a few thou drift in the blade on all cuts."
My first table was so out of flat that I couldn't get the blade perpendicular to the whole table at one time. I had to chose which side of the table was at a right angle to the blade. And the second table they sent me was the same. I do bandsaw boxes and this problem made it very hard to do a good job so I resorted to putting a piece of MDF on the table. I guess my table was more than a "couple thou" out of flat.
Alan T. Thank God for every pain free day you live.
Member
I don't have a lot to offer on the BS. It seems there were problems with the switch. Seems MM has a newer style switch to fix the problem. I don't know anything about the tables. I have a MM20 and have not had any problems with it at all. I bought it July 2005. I also have a MM 410 S model an just got the ME 30HFE bander. I have needed and always received great CS from the folks at MM. I know Jim S was out a few months last year and was hard to get a hold of. Things are getting back on track now though.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
