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WTH is going on with ShopSmith (the company)?

jsburger

dusty wrote
Asbrand wrote
P89DC wroteI dislike the wait but it's not as if shopsmith is making money hand over fist. I always ask them what's in stock before I place my order.
I get that. However, one would assume they have something in stock if they are going to blast out an e-mail "sale special" on it. :)

And yes...I know what happens when one assumes...
I guess I must be terribly naive. I tend to assume that the special offer was quite successful in clearing out the existing inventory and that since I hesitated to place my order I have to wait. This has happened to me at least three times and each time the orders were eventually filled and at the price offered in the special.

The list of Shopsmith users is much longer than I once thought. Check FB. There are many, many users who never post here.

Well, I will never use FB. However, there seems to be many new users here recently. Not withstanding the SPAM. Maybe the FB site has let users know there is an other alternative. Good!

Bdowning21875

I had quite the opposite experience. I ordered a set of premium casters through the website. Got a call from customer service stating they had a problem with my credit card. I gave the info over the phone and my order was processed and shipment was received about a week later. Then a duplicate order arrived a week later. The packing slip indicated that this order was a reprint. Shopsmith issued an RMA to return the casters for credit. I did return the items but it took three phone calls to get my credit for the return.the credit was less the shipping. I called and customer service told me I would not be getting credit for the shipping because I ordered them twice. I DID NOT! Remember my second packing slip indicated it was a reprint of the order.

JPG

WARNING!!!!!

If thee have less that 70 decades of 'life experience' this may be perceived as an old fart griping.

The sequence just described is a glaring example of the current state of the world and of it's wet behind the ears population.

The result of expectation and of experiencing instant gratification. Everything is only skin deep. Only examine the 'apparent' obvious. Do not seek further details. Only provide an instant shallow answer. Never verify conclusions/assumptions made from the thin observations. Always assume the world is 'organized' in the way of thy limited experience. Never question any 'thoughts'.

Yes too much sage is a bitter spice.

END RANT.

P.S. I fear the institution on Poe Ave is nearing implosion. I perceive way too much lack of understanding of what I just described by management. CS has lost it's rudder. Inexperienced pilots are traveling in circles. I fear employment there is not currently a pleasant experience. I DO hope I am wrong!!! I perceive an environment that requires instant answers regardless of their accuracy. Do not fix a problem, just make the messenger go away. Two very myopic actions.

END RANT 2 :D

Asbrand

@JPG

I suppose I just don't follow you. Wondering where my order is two and a half months later is expecting "instant gratification"?

I'm not entirely sure who you are ranting at here.

Shawn

dusty wrote

Just curious. What do you have on order? Have you received an email confirmation of the order?

A hat and shirt that they have had on no less than 3 or 4 e-mail specials since my order, a filter hood which is listed in the catalog, conical sanding disc and package from the catalog, table saw blade insert (520 system) and a screw and plastic piece for the saw blade guard.

I have had multiple phone conversations and e-mails telling me my order would be shipping. Well over a month ago. Every time the order was delayed, I was told a different item was now on back order. After they ran out of items that could be on back order (since everything should now be in), they just stopped giving me information - just telling me it would ship. I asked that they ship what they have and they won't.

Nothing I have ordered should be anything not in a current production Mark V or 7.

Have no fear though, 10 days ago, it was confirmed to me that my order would be shipping in 4-5 days. I can hear the crickets chirping.

If it ever comes, the $25 gift card I am supposed to get with the order will go towards the last order I make for as long as I can help it.

Asbrand

Just a follow-up to my original post. The bandsaw fence kit *finally* shipped out and was delivered this past Monday (2-10-2020). Three months to the day that I ordered it. I'll be setting it all up this weekend.

JPG

Asbrand wrote@JPG

I suppose I just don't follow you. Wondering where my order is two and a half months later is expecting "instant gratification"?

I'm not entirely sure who you are ranting at here.

The younger generation(s) in general, and SS CS in particular as an example.

Again a very near sighted view from afar.

I agree 3 months is excessive, but not as excessive as never! Give SS some slack/credit for at least hanging around.

DLB

I'm not overly concerned about the delays in fulfilling my order for 520 to M7 upgrades. Problems arise when you make things and those problems may take time to resolve. However, I strongly object to the fact that I must pull the information regarding my order from Lowe's and Shopsmith rather than those companies letting me know what is going on. It literally takes hours of my time to let these folks know that I did not receive my shipment on the expected delivery date and to find out what, if anything, they are doing to establish a new delivery date. And it includes all of the features of what passes for CS these days, long hold time, calls dropped by the system, people not calling you back when they say (or ever), dealing with people that don't have a clue, etc.

I am led to understand SS is experiencing delays (which I had already figured out) with certain products. In my case, SS is unable to provide the Double Tilt Upgrade at this time due to a problem with some tooling, reportedly further delayed by the Corona Virus. For the same reason, they are not currently delivering M7s. For some other reason, same for DCs. I get it, and I'm sure that SS is more concerned about this than I am.

I do, however, have major problems with how SS and Lowe's are treating their customers. Neither the SS demo/salesman, SS CS, nor Lowe's CS is doing anything to inform the customers at the earliest (or any other) opportunity, of these delays. They are going to proceed to bill the customer's credit card (this is reportedly unique to those customers buying at a Lowe's demo) without regard to whether or not the order has shipped. At that point, which is now for me, the customer has no obligation to pay for the unshipped items but must make a decision about the bill. The option I want, to accept the delay but not pay for unshipped items, is not available to me solely "because I bought from the demo." For any other customers, for example on-line order from either SS or Lowe's, the solution I want would be the default resolution. Neither Lowe's nor SS CS seem the least bit inclined to look for an acceptable solution.

Hint for SS/Lowe's - "Because I bought at an in-store demo" is not a good answer to the question of why I was charged for unshipped items. There is, in fact, no good answer. You're creating bad perceptions and forcing your customers to cancel orders and/or refute charges because this is the only option you give them. We, don't want to do those things, we just don't want to be charged for products until they are shipped. Figure out a solution.

These, to me, are honesty and integrity issues. I am certainly neither the first nor last customer to be put in this situation. SS/Lowe's continue to have demos each weekend and I don't think it is likely that they are giving customers valid delivery dates for much of what they sell. As far as I can tell SS does not know those dates and Lowe's 'system' requires a date. SS provides a date, regardless. When Lowe's gets a date from SS, the charge is put through. That is fundamentally dishonest, if SS knows that the date cannot be realized.

Also, it is my opinion that ALL customers, not just those being charged without a shipment, have a right to an honest assessment of estimated delivery date, to be updated as assumptions change. That information should be pushed by SS, not pulled by each customer.

Two cents worth of venting,

-David

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