Man, is my wife mad...

rkh2 · Post by **rkh2** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:11 pm

I have been ordering from Shopsmith since 1993 and as well never had such a negative incident that has been described in the previous posts. In fact I had ordered a belt which I did not need and the girls at Shopsmith called me to verify what machine I had and saved me from having to return something I wrongly ordered. I have nothing but good to speak of for SS. I can understand the frustration some folks may have with the issues SS has been dealing with in this rough economic times but understand their situation and just use some additional patience. I am so thankful that they are still in business and still supporting this forum.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:51 pm

8iowa wrote:I've been dealing with Shopsmith since '83 and I've never experienced a price increase on any order that I've placed. On a couple of occasions they have even given me the "sale" price a day or so after the expiration date.

With a certain amount of attention to civility and courtesy, all comments, positive and negative, are acceptable on this forum. However, the "Emperior's new suit" comments are probably a little over the top.

And a terrible analogy! The shoe just does NOT fit! IMHO our 'sponsor' is extremely tolerant! For that I am thankful!

jmoore65 · Post by **jmoore65** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:53 pm

When I lived in a townhouse community, I was elected to be the association President. This was a neighborhood of 35 homes - and small, comfortable and neighborly place. By and large.

Whenever a homeowner would come to me with a complaint about a neighbor, my first question was always "Have you talked with your neighbor about your concerns?" The answer was ALWAYS "No". My answer was always, "You should really discuss this with your neighbor. I'm happy to go over now if you'd like." No one ever took me up on the offer. No one ever came back with that issue again.

All I ask of people posting negative comments about ShopSmith on this forum is:

Please pickup the telephone and call them about the problem. Please have some patience as they are a small group with a lot to do. But my experience has been that if you do call them, you will come away from that call a happier person.

On the other hand, as a customer, you have the handle the situation any way you want. If you want to be unhappy, then that is your right. But if you're unhappy too often for extended periods of time, Corticosteroids will build up in your hippocampus and cause premature brain cell death. I'd hate for this to happen to you. Phone calls to helpful people are much cheaper and less onerous than premature irreversible brain damage :-)

jmoore65 · Post by **jmoore65** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 1:46 am

foxtrapper wrote:Chettrick,

I've had similar results. Shopsmith has taken it upon themselves to change prices on items I've ordered and illegally helped themselves to my credit card to pay for them. Unfortunately, it seems to be nothing new with Shopsmith.

Equally unfortunately, it is effectively illegal to mention this on this forum. Here, the emperors new suit is always a stunning work of art, impecible and beautiful to behold. None will ever notice what the emperor is really not wearing.

foxtrapper,

Sorry you feel this way. Perhaps being a ShopSmith customer isn't for you. It is a voluntary decision. We'd miss you though.

Jim

chettrick · Post by **chettrick** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:26 am

This post may have opened up some interest.

My wife had called them the first time time it happened. They still have not corrected the issue. She called them again after the second episode and so far, it has not been corrected.

I did receive her order, the 42" Dust Collector Hood but it arrived missing all the hardware. I have seen this with other companies, nothing new. When I discovered the problem, it was after closing so I emailed on Monday to the tech support email as it suggests on the insert of the box. At this time, Wed morning, I have not received any response.

I AM giving them time to respond.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:44 am

chettrick wrote:This post may have opened up some interest.

My wife had called them the first time time it happened. They still have not corrected the issue. She called them again after the second episode and so far, it has not been corrected.

I did receive her order, the 42" Dust Collector Hood but it arrived missing all the hardware. I have seen this with other companies, nothing new. When I discovered the problem, it was after closing so I emailed on Monday to the tech support email as it suggests on the insert of the box. At this time, Wed morning, I have not received any response.

I AM giving them time to respond.

Are we certain that there is any hardware that comes with a replacement hood. I originally had the small hood (part of the DC3300). I bought the 24" hood and am now using it but I don't have any extra hardware laying around. The small hood has been washed and put away (with no hardware).

Just thinking out loud.

foxtrapper · Post by **foxtrapper** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:07 am

mickyd wrote:Curious to know if you refused and returned the merchandise that they up'd the price on without your consent? That is your best option if you haven't thought of that.

This happened some time ago. Far too late now. Didn't catch the price change until I got my credit card statement some days after I'd received the merchandise, and was probably using it. Fie on me for not checking the packing invoice closely.

Mistake me not, I'm not into simply bashing shopsmith. But equally, I'm not into pretending false wonderfullness either.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:17 am

Items do go on sale but the sale price is not for ever. Eventually, the price returns to what it was or sometimes even higher. Is it even remotely possible that sometimes we miss that sale price cut off date and don't even realize it.

I have been a very regular customer with Shopsmith. I buy as much online as I do by telephone. It seems to me that I would have had one of these "bad experiences" if it was a Shopsmith routine. But I have NOT. Therefore, I have to believe there is some other force working.

When I get ready to order something, I do "due diligence". I check all the flyers, emails, online, etc. I know what the regular catalog price is. I hope ALL of you do the same.

I maintain a "want/need" list of woodworking items. When something is offered on sale that is on my list, I have a debate with self. If now is the right time to buy, I buy (at the sale price). If there is no sale going on but I am inclined to buy, I review sale history. Sometimes this is a pretty short review because I don't have the info. But if it has been a long time since there was a sale, I might wait to order otherwise I get on the phone.

I very seldom find myself in a situation where a project cannot go on because I need something.

All of this having been said - I believe Shopsmith Customer Service is one of the very few that I ever work with that leave me with the feeling that they are working in my behalf. They are a great group of people all of whom offer and provide a great service. They are one of Shopsmith's greatest assets.

paul heller · Post by **paul heller** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:38 am

foxtrapper wrote:Equally unfortunately, it is effectively illegal to mention this on this forum. Here, the emperors new suit is always a stunning work of art, impecible and beautiful to behold. None will ever notice what the emperor is really not wearing.

I think we should all consider what is written here. I don't think anyone should let their particular fandom for Shopsmith make others feel like they can't post an opinion. This is not the first time we in this site have been viewed as being one-sided. Here it is again. People have feelings, and we seem to stomp on them if their views and opinions are different than ours.

Are we one-sided? Are we really glad to have people here only as long as they share the same opinion? Do we want that?

Paul

discordanian · Post by **discordanian** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:01 am

In spite of our love for SS, chettrick definitely has a point and a right to be upset. Our service expectations are high (for good reason) and we should hold SS to that level of accountability going forward.