Can't Get Upgrade ordered and paid for

bgroome · Post by **bgroome** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:57 am

I ordered A Mark 520 upgrade in December and I keep getting put off about a delivery date. Is anyone else having trouble getting order items ordered? Is Shopsmith in financial trouble?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:32 am

bgroome wrote:I ordered A Mark 520 upgrade in December and I keep getting put off about a delivery date. Is anyone else having trouble getting order items ordered? Is Shopsmith in financial trouble?

I've got some items that have been back ordered but I don't have a problem getting status.

You say you are being "put off" when asking for a delivery date. I'm not sure I know what that means. Do you have a delivery date at all? I do hope that you are talking to customer service

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:32 pm

dusty wrote:I've got some items that have been back ordered but I don't have a problem getting status.

You say you are being "put off" when asking for a delivery date. I'm not sure I know what that means. Do you have a delivery date at all? I do hope that you are talking to customer service

I think there is a difference between being 'put off' and an honest 'we do not know'. Us 'old-timers' who have been through this unfortunate scenario are not alarmed by this situation(unhappy yes). They have always come through 'eventually'.

Realize they are dependent upon external supply chain(s) and are not getting concise commitments themselves.

Although they appear to be struggling, I do not expect their total demise any time soon.

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:48 pm

Just depends on what you are ordering. I ordered six items on Wednesday and it all shipped today. I have never had Shopsmith charge my credit card before they shipped. And when they have to ship partial orders, they only charge for what they ship.

Soooooooo bgroome, are you sure that the upgrade has been paid for?

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:00 pm

bgroome wrote:I ordered A Mark 520 upgrade in December and I keep getting put off about a delivery date. Is anyone else having trouble getting order items ordered? Is Shopsmith in financial trouble?

BGroome, As has been suggested a phone call the the folks at shopsmith will at least give you a clear understanding of where and when re parts ordered. The bottom line in case you are yet to notice most of the world is struggling with financial woes. This translates to issues with demand exceeding supply. No one manufacturer actually manufactures every part they sell. A former client of mine operated a machine shop. I always found it interesting to ask him what the gizmos he manufactured were used for. He often knew they would be part of a car or a machine yet didn't have a clue what they would actually do. Only that he manufactured them to the specs provided and shipped them. Shopsmith has many suppliers not all of which are financially able to ship ordered parts on a timely basis. I hope this explanation helps a bit. Do call the fine folks at Shopsmith toll free at 1-800-543-7586. They are helpful and always pleasant to visit with. Jim

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:10 pm

fjimp wrote:BGroome, As has been suggested a phone call the the folks at shopsmith will at least give you a clear understanding of where and when re parts ordered. The bottom line in case you are yet to notice most of the world is struggling with financial woes. This translates to issues with demand exceeding supply. No one manufacturer actually manufactures every part they sell. A former client of mine operated a machine shop. I always found it interesting to ask him what the gizmos he manufactured were used for. He often knew they would be part of a car or a machine yet didn't have a clue what they would actually do. Only that he manufactured them to the specs provided and shipped them. Shopsmith has many suppliers not all of which are financially able to ship ordered parts on a timely basis. I hope this explanation helps a bit. Do call the fine folks at Shopsmith toll free at 1-800-543-7586. They are helpful and always pleasant to visit with. Jim

You do realize, bgroome, that there are many, many parts in the Mark V that could (if not available) stop the successful assembly of a Mark V.

In early February, I ordered an idler shaft (5041789). At the time of the order I asked for an estimated delivery date. They would not give me one. They could not. The manufacturer of the part had gone out of business. A new manufacturer had to be qualified. I am still waiting but I checked today and was told (by Jan) that the new source has been qualified and is now finishing the first order of parts. She told me - hopefully a couple weeks.

A simple call with a direct question should eliminate all speculation. Even though there might be other parts in the same situation.

bgroome · Post by **bgroome** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:34 pm

I get a delivery date and when that date approaches and I call to check on status and am told that parts on back order and the delivery date is slipped 2 to 3 weeks and the process starts all over again.

dave_t · Post by **dave_t** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:41 pm

A couple of weeks ago I ordered sanding disk paper from Shopsmith by snail-mail and got the package three days after I put the envelope in the mailbox. Possibly a world record.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:16 pm

dave_t wrote:A couple of weeks ago I ordered sanding disk paper from Shopsmith by snail-mail and got the package three days after I put the envelope in the mailbox. Possibly a world record.

You're pretty close to their offices in Dayton. But that's still quite impressive! I don't know who to commend more... Shopsmith or the USPS!

jalt · Post by **jalt** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:35 pm

bgroome wrote:I ordered A Mark 520 upgrade in December and I keep getting put off about a delivery date. Is anyone else having trouble getting order items ordered? Is Shopsmith in financial trouble?

Bgroome: You might have a lot longer to wait. I ordered a 520 upgrade in September 2008 and it took until June 2009 to receive the order. It was frustrating, and I considered canceling the order, but I'm glad that I didn't. It was worth the wait. And my credit card was not charged until the order shipped in June.