Taking delivery from Grizzly

Ronald Coates

Member
Messages
27
Location
Fresno, CA
I ordered a bunch of tools (table saw, band saw, jointer) from Grizzly and I advised them that I was asking for delivery to a residential area and that I would need a lift gate. They charged me extra and said said that was all I need to do and that FedEx would call me before delivery... No call from FedEx so far. I look at the tracking number and it shows delivery for tomorrow but then I see a note that says you have to call the service center to arrange an appointment for residential delivery or a lift gate. Now I'm not so sure my tools will be delivered tomorrow. I'll call them in the AM, but I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with this.

Oh yeah, I'm the new guy. I live in Fresno, build guitars and have little other wood working experience. I've been reading posts here for a while and since I know everyone likes pics, here is one for fun.

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The last mile level of service seems to be very, very localized in its quality. I received a call two days before FedEx Freight delivered and another call an hour before they arrived just as agreed. I would think being on the I-5 corridor that, like me, your stuff would leave Washington state and come straight on down to you. My driver was able to back his tractor trailer up into my little suburban driveway (whilst blocking the rest of my cul-de-sac) , put the stuff on the tailgate, lower it a bit and backed it right into my garage. This guy was not lazy or afraid to please a customer, that's for sure.

BTW, If I missed your intro; Welcome Aboard.
 
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i had both my new drill press and band saw delivered from grizzly, and specified the liftgate right off the bat. i did get a call from ups the day before, to make sure someone was there. they said it was supposed to be there between 2-5pm, and it was there around 2:30. be ready to find a way to move your tools from point a to point b, since the driver only offloads at the curb.
 
i had both my new drill press and band saw delivered from grizzly, and specified the liftgate right off the bat. i did get a call from ups the day before, to make sure someone was there. they said it was supposed to be there between 2-5pm, and it was there around 2:30. be ready to find a way to move your tools from point a to point b, since the driver only offloads at the curb.

Well as long as they show up I'm golden. I have a pallet jack and a couple of neighbors.
 
It seems to vary from driver to driver.

The drivers I've had to deal with were golden. In one case the guy had a 500# bandsaw strapped to a double pallet with a frame around the b/s. The guy used his pallet jack to move it 100' down my driveway while my neighbor and I played musical sheets of plywood with 3 sheets so he didn't have to drag it on gravel.

I've been extremely lucky!
 
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Well this time tomorrow I should know. My main question is about calling them ahead of time to advise of the need for a lift gate and residential delivery. Grizzly charged me for these things. I assumed they would arrange for them.
 
Welcome to the clubhouse Ronald. Glad to have another luthier here...something I hope to do one of these days myself.

Sounds like Santa's being real nice to you this year. I'm pretty sure your local FedEx will already know about the need for a lift gate, but I don't think it'd hurt to touch base with them tomorrow if you have any concerns. As has been said, the service provided by the driver will vary from drive to driver. When I bought my Grizzly jointer, the driver rolled it into my shop with his pallet jack. When my Powermatic Lathe was delivered (obviously not Grizzly, but another lift gate delivery), I had the driver leave the boxes in the driveway, since I was still in the process of remodeling my entire shop. He was more than willing to take it all the way into the garage for me had I wanted him to, though.

BTW, nice chisels. I've got four of those seven myself and really like them.
 
Thnx for the welcome. I had a full set of Japanese chisels and they just never felt quite right in my hand, so about 4 years ago I bought a set of the two cherries and they feel like home to me.

About 3 years ago I decided to sell of my entire operation. Family and corporate obligations were a bit overwhelming. Wood, machines, tools, supplies, plans... everything gone.

So now I'm setting up shop again. Large machines and basic hand tools should all be in place before the end of the year. The first order of business will be to furnish the shop (benches, shelves, cabinets, etc) then the obligatory jig building will be next. So getting back to guitar building will still be several months in the future.

Thanks again for the welcome. Looks like a nice place here and I like the family friendly atmosphere.
 
Welcome to the family Ron! Sounds as if you are a newbie to this family but not the family of working with wood! Look forward to watching your shop build progress in the form of pictures in the shop tour's section here. Sounds like Santa needed help with all of this iron! :doh::D Yep, each driver is different and each difficulty that day determines their demeanor a lot! A good cup of coffee or offer of a soda, might be the cheapest labor ever purchased! A bag of mints or cookies as a send off and man that driver will look for your address in the future! Hope all goes well and again, welcome! :thumb:
 
Thanks Guys;

Ok so if you've never done this (freight delivery) here's how it works. The FedEx website says estimated delivery 12/21. It also says that you need to call for residential delivery appointments or to secure a lift gate.

So I called this morning 12/21 (didn't see instructions that I needed to until last night) and they tell me between 1pm and 5pm tomorrow. They said had I not called, they would have called me today. She also said that they had gotten the word from Grizzly that a lift gate was required.

I asked why the tracking number shows delivery today. She says that date is estimated delivery to the depot. So, one more day to clean the garage/shop.
 
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