Vendor performance

Clark O'Neill

Member
Messages
177
Location
Decatur, Illinois
Reading through Jay Knoll's thread on the Tools for Less web site triggered a point of interest. I order most of my WW stuff on the internet and I've found a wide range of delivery performance from various vendors. The best vendors ship the same day and charge your credit card when they ship. The next level would be those that ship the next day and charge your credit card then. Next level would be those that don't ship quickly but don't charge your credit card until they ship. Bottom of the list are those that charge your credit card when they receive your order and do not ship for a number of days. Of course, when I'm ready to pull the trigger on a purchase I want the merchandise ASAP. I live in central Illinois.

Here's a list of my recent experiences:
Vendors that ship the same day are Woodcraft, Grizzly and The Cutting Edge.
Vendors that ship the next day are Amazon, LeeValley and Rockler.
Vendors that take their time shipping but don't charge your credit card until they ship are PriceCutter, Penn State.
Vendors that have charged my credit card well before they shipped and are slow to ship are Tauton Press and Ernie Conover.

Grizzly got my 500 lb. 8" jointer to me in three days and it was shipped Freight! That's their typical performance.
Tauton Press charged my card on 30Apr and I still hadn't received the item on 16May when I wrote them a nasty email.
Ernie Conover charged my credit card the day I sent the order and I had to call to ask where my videos were before they shipped them.

What are your experiences with vendor performance?
 
Last edited:
I had a big dance with Craft Supply U.S.A. on this issue with a large order. It looked like they charged me twice and charged at the time of order and again on shipping. What happens is that the charge does go against your card on order but the vendor does not receive the funds. They are simply frozen. Whether with a charge card or debit card, it looks like you have been charged. The customer is denied use of those funds but the vendor doesn't get them. Don't ask me who has them, I suspect the big bank that issues the cards does. Then on shipping, the vendor actually gets paid and your account is formally debited. There are Federal regulations on this and it is legal and partly required by law. The vendor is only assuring themselves they will actually get paid before going to the trouble of putting the order together prior to shipping. I don't like it anymore than you do but I do understand the vendors point of view. Don't blame the vendor. You can look up the Fed. regulations on the Internet but be prepared to get angry when you see that very little is written for consumer protection.
 
BTW, I checked this thread just to learn what a "venor" was. :rofl:

I thought it might be about "Veneer" or some type of caliper. :dunno: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


On a serious note, I have only ordered from 2 places.
Amazon.com - great if you can get free shipping
Service Net - carries parts for DeWalt, Delta, & P-C - I ordered replacment bumpers for my P-C FN250 finish nailer. No problems there.
http://www.dewaltservicenet.com/ServiceNet/logon.asp

There are a number of dealers in my area that I can go to in person.
-Rockler
-Phillips Brothers Supply - tons of Delta, Jet, Steel City, Powermatic, SawStop
-Harbor Freight
-Lowes, Home Depot, & Sears
 
Last edited:
Top