Some good news about a couple of companies.

Mark Rios

Member
Messages
797
Location
Central CA
I keep a free checking account for ordering online and Paypal and stuff like that. A few people have mentioned that they do that. I have my FedEx account tied to that bank account. I transfer just enough money plus a couple of dollars into it whenever I make a purchase or ship something and stuff like that. Last month FedEx started making an extra charge of $2.11 for each shipment. This was on top of the charge that I was given an email receipt for. One of those bad charges overdrew my account by .20 cents and I got a $33 OD charge. (WaMu gives their customers one OD fee waiver per year but I had already used mine for the year because of forgetting to make a transfer one time because I'm a bonehead.) I called FedEx and they corrected the problem (they even sent me a letter stating that they had been making a mistake but that it was now fixed) but they wouldn't do anything about the fees that I got from my bank. Anyway, I went to my bank (Washington Mutual) on Saturday and I talked to a very nice lady and all the charges magically disappeared.

Last month I made a purchase from a third-party-seller through Amazon. The item worked for a couple of days and then after nine days I noticed that it wasn't working anymore. Last Sunday I emailed the company and told them the problem and they wrote back that I'd have to take it up with the manufacturer. Their Return Policy clearly states that defective merchandise should be returned within 30 days and that they would refund the cost including shipping. So I called the next morning and talked to a real person and was told to go pound sand. I directly asked if they were not going to take care of the issue and the guy wouldn't answer, he just kept saying that I needed to take it up with the manufacturer. I hung up and called Amazon and started a claim. On Friday I got an email stating that Amazon had refunded my total costs, including shipping, back to my account.

We hear a lot about when a company "wrongs" us (you know, like when a guy orders last years model of a jointer from Grizzly so he can save $12 and it has a small scratch on the table and he wants the manager shot and a 3X refund and controlling stock in the company for his troubles) so I just wanted to share a couple of good company stories.
 
thanks for the thumbs up on a few good company stories mark:thumb: i have a situtaion thati am waiting for the final outcome and i hope it utrns out as well.. 2 delivered boxes and both damaged in shipping the first half is takun care of very well and the second set i am yet to see the outcome,, have received email confirmation that he will refund my money..
 
Good thread. Amazon has always done right by me. Lee Valley, Grizzly and Woodcraft have also, always been more than cooperative. I think we had a thread here (or maybe it was . . . there) about positive experiences with companies to try to offset the bad reports. It is always refreshing to hear about the good stuff. Thanks.
 
Well there was this one >> HERE <<

and this one >> HERE <<

I'm sure there have been more, but I always try to bring this up when it happens to me, I very much dislike the whole notion of "If it bleeds it leads" in these cases. I've gone as far a writing letters to companies to give praise for an employee for a job well done.

Cheers!
 
I had bought some router templates for a porter cable dovetail jig ($80 each at the time) for my FIL a couple of years ago from amazon. The templates I received were not the ones I ordered (twice). The second time they finally figured out they had the wrong picture for the model number and sent me the correct set. Each time Amazon simply sent me a new set, no charge.

They never asked for the other sets back and still got the correct ones in time for xmas.

Edit: I have had sellers try to get me to work with the manufacturer also. I two cases this turned out fine, the other I got refunded from the seller. Personally I don't like to deal with the manufacturers, but the sellers had good attitudes about the situation, so I worked with them.
 
Last edited:
I have to find the article, but good things do still happen in this country. An example would be, Archway cookies closed down this fall. Lance (chips, crackers and some other stuff) bought them out has rehired 60 of the original workers at their old wage. Plans to have all 300 back eventually.

Now that in it self was pretty cool. The icing on the cake though. Lance sent all 300 employees a $1500 debit card just before Christmas :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
 
I have a good one about Hartville tool.

Here's the letter I sent them:

About 3 years ago I bought a set of urethane tires from Hartville Tool for my 14” Powermatic 141 bandsaw. The OEM tires were ok, and so the new tires waited, unopened. This past weekend I decided to replace the old tires. I carefully read and followed the instructions to the last detail - "soak in water at 140 degrees" - I had a thermometer right there in the pot...

Anyway, I put the tires on, let them cool, checked for co-planarity of the wheels, installed a new blade, adjusted all guides, and took it for a run. It seemed to work fine. After the trial run, I opened the upper door to find that the tire had partially slid off the wheel, and had been rubbing against the inside of the housing. One can see that the upper tire is warped, and is throwing the wheel balance off. It adds a lot of vibration to the saw and is not usable. The lower tire remained perfectly intact.

I spoke with Doug today, at customer service and he suggested that I ship the tire back to you for inspection. I understand that your return policy is one year, but since it appears to me that the item I received was probably defective, I would really appreciate if you would send me a replacement tire. As you inspect the tire, you can see that it is does not lay in one plane. I think there may have been some inherent unevenness or weakness in the tire, which caused it to slip off the wheel.

My son, Ben and I have been Hartville customers over the years, and look forward to doing business with you in future. I hope your customer service will not disappoint us.

Thanks for your kind attention.


Today I called and a replacement tire is on its way. Good folks to deal with.

Ken
 
Top