Why I go to the US for most of my stuff

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:19 pm

Whereabouts in Tazzie were you born Bob?

Cheers Martin

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:37 pm

Hi
Yesterday I spent an half hour typing a contribution to this thread and some how lost it...again. Heres a shorter version.

I like to buy wholesale, I can do that shopping in Aussie, 30 or more years ago I could even buy tonewood from Lamberti in Melbourne at wholesale prices, not any more.

I've had the same gripes as all of you above, but I changed that around many years ago by using phone contact only for orders and enquiries. The salesperson, who's name I will know, types my order into their computer as quick as I can say it and in a second I know if it's in stock how much and when will it leave. If I dont get enough of my order from that supplier I tell politely, sorry I've got to go to the opposition.

For instance, this week, ordered from Lamberti Melbourne ordered mid morning delivered next morning, Pro Music Brisbane same thing, and this is to North Queansland. No more back orders, part orders and frustration. It costs me a bit more sometimes, but most suppliers have 1300 or 1800 phone numbers.

What gets me is when I go to their web site I'm linked to the manufactureers site and cant do the sort of business on line I can do with Stumac for instance. So I deal a lot with overseas suppliers too. Australian music suppiers have a lot to learn, it must be very expensive to set up or something, I recken if you advertise a web site make the bloody thing worth visiting....... I feel better now

Tigermyrtle · Post by **Tigermyrtle** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:29 pm

Hi Martin,
I was born in the Second best place on Earth Scotland but apart from trips around the world now and then I have been in Australia since 1967.
Came down to Tassie in 1968 from the mainland and fell in love with the place but I do agree with you New Zealand is a magic place and I hope you were not offended by my Kiwi joke, Bob.

kiwigeo wrote:Whereabouts in Tazzie were you born Bob?

Cheers Martin

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:59 pm

Never offended by Kiwi jokes...they go in one ear and out the other.

Have you visited the Scottish part of New Zealand? Around Southland they roll their r's and just about every place name is straight out of Scotland.

Tigermyrtle · Post by **Tigermyrtle** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:08 pm

No Martin, I did not get to Southland Part of New Zealand.
Me and the wife will get there in about another 3 years and this time I will make sure I see allot more of the place.

kiwigeo wrote:Never offended by Kiwi jokes...they go in one ear and out the other.

Have you visited the Scottish part of New Zealand? Around Southland they roll their r's and just about every place name is straight out of Scotland.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:13 am

We had our honeymoon in NZ, two weeks touring. One week in the north and one in the south.

South Island is awesome, I'd live over there if I could. Beautiful part of the world, as pretty as what I saw of Norway was when I was there.

Tigermyrtle · Post by **Tigermyrtle** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:18 am

Hi Paul, you would have plennty of space to move around over in New Zealand as most Kiwis are living over here, cheers Bob.

Paul B wrote:We had our honeymoon in NZ, two weeks touring. One week in the north and one in the south.

South Island is awesome, I'd live over there if I could. Beautiful part of the world, as pretty as what I saw of Norway was when I was there.

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:13 am

I don't know how US companies rate as far as customer service when compared to our global friends. But given the state of the economy I suspect that it would be a good idea for any US economic stimulas plan to include instruction for our entire population in how to properly say "would you like fries with that...."

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:40 pm

No sign of any of my order placed last thursday week. Rang Carbatec Adelaide today and got told 1 of the office badsaw blades Id ordered was in stock but the plane was still on back order. All this after being informed by email last thrusday that 5 blades had been despatched and the plane was on backorder. When I go to my account on the Carabtec website it tells me that the backorder was filled on the 19th.

Carbatec.... Im about to buy a bunch of machinery......was tossing up between Carbatec and Jet, thanks for making my mind up for me with your abysmal service.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:50 pm

Go the Jet gear Martin my friend.

You'll never look back.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:42 pm

I tried quite hard to buy 3 different table saws from Carbatec. Each time I was told that they were out of stock and had no idea when they would receive any more.

It almost got to the point of me asking what they actually had, but I gave up. How hard would it be to update their website to say that they were out of stock on a particular item? Since it's a database driven web site, it's dead easy. They just don't care.

For the table saw that I did buy, the Jet order was place on a Friday, shipped Monday from the Gold Coast and the saw was unloaded into my garage on Wednesday.

I needed to order a new conveyor belt for my drum sander and Jet Brisbane told me that they didn't have one in stock, but placed the order with Melbourne and had it shipped direct to me. Really can't ask for more than that, as far as their service goes.

The mix up with the Gotoh tuner from Stew Mac was resolved in 5 days. They put one in an express post bag, no charge to me, and no questions asked. Outstanding service, and I made a point of telling them so.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 9:53 pm

Allen wrote:
The mix up with the Gotoh tuner from Stew Mac was resolved in 5 days. They put one in an express post bag, no charge to me, and no questions asked. Outstanding service, and I made a point of telling them so.

Stewmac and LMI are great for service. LMI sent me the wrong radius dished forms. They sent the correct ones and let me keep the originals theyd sent. I now have a complete set of dished forms for half price. Outstanding service. Recently LMI didnt have some purflings Id ordered in stock...Chris emailed me straight away and checked if I wanted the rest of the ordfer shipped straight away or held until the purflings arrived.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:14 pm

Yep,

Jet stuff is the best Asian machinery in AU no doubt about that, and besides, no one should ever support any company that considers poor customer service acceptable. I am all for supporting the Aussie economy but I steadfastly refuse to allow my patriotism to be used against me to set me up as a punching bag for those greedy unskilled managers who consider trimming cost at the expense of service to their customers an acceptable way to increase their bottom line.

Stuff them I say and may many cuts just 10mm too short to be useful await anyone who supports these unethical amateurs who seem to have infiltrated and putrefied the culture of Australian business. Make the bastards pay the only way you can, you have a responsibility to go off shore if you find no alternative. But on the other side of the coin, if you do happen to find someone in Aussie who 'is' doing the right thing, do whatever you can to support them, because at the end of the day your dollar remains the only vote you will ever have that will affect the much needed change in Australian business attitudes.

Viva la Australian Tonewoods and bravo to Tim Spittle.

Cheers

Kim

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:22 pm

Most of my machinery is from Carbatec. The majority of stuff I picked up myself but the bigger ones like my twin drum drum sander I relied on them to deliver.
On the third failed attempt, I rang them up with a fair case of the
cranky-pants , hired a caged trailer and did all the grunt work myself. Mind you they knew they stuffed up big time and reimbursed me in cash and off the shelf items as well.

Some places are run like a well-oiled machine........not this one though.

cheers, Stu

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 5:31 am

Im delivering to Sydney CarbaTec today, I'll let them know. They are all seperate franchises so you will get variable service. Curiously Adelaide is the head office.

Bob Connor · Post by **Bob Connor** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 7:37 am

I've only ever gone to the Carbatec shop and pick up equipment so I've had no worries with them.

Having said that we've got a Jet bandsaw, jointer and the Performax thickness sander and couldn't be happier with all of them.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 5:49 pm

Might be time for a post over on the Ubeaut Woodworking forums...

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:18 am

kiwigeo wrote:Might be time for a post over on the Ubeaut Woodworking forums...

Now that is vicious...... They know about this post Martin. I was there yesterday admiring one of their employees guitars, he did a nice job with it. Ive asked him to post it here.

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Why I go to the US for most of my stuff

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