Brisbane Carbatec: Poor Service

[groeneaj]

Has anybody else had very poor customer service from Brisbane Carbatec lately? I understand they have just moved, but it's become beyond a joke now.

[dai sensei]

They moved :?

Dam, used to be good to fill in time between meetings whilst I was in/around Brisbane. Now it will be whilst on the way to/from the airport maybe only

[BTman]

Was there on the weekend. I can't believe that a new store like that is not set up yet, it was a shambles. They have been plugging it for months and I expected it to be all set up now. I thought it would have been a bit bigger too. At least it saved me money though, couldn't browse. :wink: Also thought that the car park was not big enough either.

[Denim]

Yeah, I stopped in last Friday and was surprised to see they weren't setup. There were a few items on the shelves but no prices. The move was good for me though as it's quite a bit more convenient to get to their new premises.

[Toggy]

Now that you mention it; YES!

I ordered on 10/5 and they received the order because I got a phone call on 12/5 confirming my new delivery address.

The LV saws were in stock and the Japanese waterstone placed on back order (due in 2 weeks).

They appear to have point blank refused to reply to my several enquiries as to the the non delivery of my order. My account has no further activity shown in it.

I am getting very pi**ed off at the lack of customer service.

I am also looking at buying a new dusty, thicknesser and jointer. I have no intention of going through with this crap again.:no:

Ken

[groeneaj]

I ordered a spare part about 4 weeks ago. I then realised they sent the wrong part so I phoned them to see what the go was. I asked if they could please send the correct part and he said he'll do it maybe today as they were busy. There was never an apology. They then sent the new part to the wrong address. I even called them to say that might have been the case but they kept insisting they didn't. I found out last week they did on fact send it to the wrong address. To top it off they then charged my credit card again for the new part even after I sent back the old part. Again no apology at all for this. I have been calling this week (atleast 2 times a day) and i either leave a message and never get a reply or they tell me they are looking into it and never do. I understand they have just moved but there are no excuses for being so rude on the phone and never returning my calls. At the very least they could have returned a call and apologised say they were trying to resolve it. I'll never do business with them ever again. Sydney Carbatec on the other hand are always helpful and polite. Thumbs up for them

[Barrie Restall]

Went to the new store last week and it was pretty obvious they were still getting organised. Not to worry, I gave the sales person a list and away they went. They didnt have everything, or couldnt find some stuff but I wasnt that put out as we were mainly sticky beaking.

The salesperson added up my puchases and then just said "$299". It was obviously an error for the few items I had, so I said "Thats a bit too much". The reply was "Do you want to leave some out?". I said "No, show me the account".

The assistant attempted to turn the computer screen around, tapped some keys and then just said "$177".

What me off is that no apology was offered. If they had said "Sorry I pressed the wrong button" I might have made a joke off it. All I got was a surly look and a shrug when I said it was an expensive mistake to make.

Those who have been to the store can probably guess who the assistant was. It should have been obvious to them that the first sum was way out of proportion to the goods being purchased.

Common courstesy is cheap. We wont we going back there.

Barrie Restall

[Doc0055]

Internet order took a week and a half to get to me, and I am 160km away.

[Toggy]

In all fairness I must report that I received an email mid afternoon from the pleasant lady who rang me on 12/5 stating that ALL my article had arrived in-store on 31/5 and that my order had been sent to the warehouse to be dispatched. Also an apology for no-one having kept me informed.

Ken

[FRB Design]

I would like to thank the guys at Brissie myself for great service over the last three months, especially knowing that the extra huge load on these guys dealing with the huge logistical relocation not to mention they had to set up the Brissie show as well.
Once again thanks guys and the new showroom and set up is looking awesome.

Kind Regards,

Frank.

[groeneaj]

The manager called me today and have since sorted my order out and have apologised. As I said in my previous post, I understand they have just moved but I was disapointed with the way they dealt with me, even if they are moving, returning a phone call keeping me updated and an apology was all that was needed. It's sorted now which is the main thing.

[q9]

Several years ago my parents ordered me some tools from them for my birthday. I was pleased to receive them in time for Christmas, around 4 months later.

So from what I have read, my avoidance policy is paying off :)

[blockhed]

gee,i feel sorry for you guys!
the Adelaide branch is top shelf for me.
never let me down on anything, and i get discount too!!
i'm not goin' anywhere.
regards
the block
:2tsup:

[timelord]

My only beef with them is slow delivery time, I can order items today from them and woodcraft or Rockler from the states at the same time and the goods will always arrive sooner from the US.
It doesnt matter if I order online or by phone it always takes 8 days on average whereas 5/6 days is the norm for US based retailers.:no:

[Jethrow]

Hi guys
My comments refer to Carbatec Sydney.
Ive found them to be extremly good. I have been dealing with them for about 6 years, in all that time i can honestly say ive not had a problem.Some of the items ive purchased, 20" thicknesser, 8" Jointer, 18"-36" drum Sander, 2 x Room air filters. All of these among lots of other gear ive purchased arrived mostly within 2 or 3 days of ordering.
So I have no complaints with Carbatec Sydney, always helpfull, and goods always arrive in minimal time.
Just my 2 bobs worth.
Brian

[Barrie Restall]

Maybe if the Brisbane folk had closed for a week, got their new store organised, had a good night's sleep and opened up smiling with everything in place, we would have got a better and more polite service.

Perhaps they dont realise that there are other places selling the same stuff, with less surly staff.

I'll give them a good six months before I go near them again.

Barrie Restall

[chippy 71]

Maybe if the Brisbane folk had closed for a week, got their new store organised, had a good night's sleep and opened up smiling with everything in place, we would have got a better and more polite service.

Perhaps they dont realise that there are other places selling the same stuff, with less surly staff.

I'll give them a good six months before I go near them again.

Barrie Restall

I don't believe it will matter how long you stay away, their attitude will not change.
I have always contended that if the Owner/Manager has an attitude problem, then it will trickle down to the staff and they in turn will treat the public in a like manner.

Colin.

[Chesand]

I have always contended that if the Owner/Manager has an attitude problem, then it will trickle down to the staff and they in turn will treat the public in a like manner.
Colin.

Very true. A business will always reflect the attitude of the person at the top.

They forget that if customers stop coming through the door, the owner does not have a business and the employees no longer have a job. Retailing is that simple.

[bobsreturn2003]

several years ago i wanted a belt sander rang carbatec brisbane :2tsup:, yes on the floor . can you send it to me answer was NO.:no: Ithought about it and rang a few stores melbourne had one :2tsup:. so bought it and they sent it up to cairns , no worries . when it arrived it had been landed in bris ,from china ,then sent to melb , then to me in cairns, well traveled . why didnt they sell the bris one :rolleyes:???? didnt need the money i guess ,they have recently reduced the price:C have found many other companies that will give good service though . happy shopping its meant to be a pleasure.:doh:

[kiwigeo]

Quality of service from Carbatec and other major suppliers seems to change like the weather in this country. Carbatec Adelaide went through a bad phase and I decided to switch to Jet. Of late Jet's service here has plummeted to rock bottoms and Carbatec seem to have pulled their socks up markedly.

Lee Valley......theyre NOT like the weather...always good and quick service.

[Old farmer]

I'd like to put in a good word for Carbatec, Sydney, please.

I am bent, on a stick, cannot walk well but there is always a chair there for me and the service is courteous, knowledgeable and quick. There are, usually, about four coves serving and not stopping.

We have just returned from taking advantage of the 10% off all stock sale and, again, I was in and out quickly with the cove carrying the purchases to the car for me, as always.........different coves each visit but still the same courtesy.

[chippy 71]

I'd like to put in a good word for Carbatec, Sydney, please.

I am bent, on a stick, cannot walk well but there is always a chair there for me and the service is courteous, knowledgeable and quick. There are, usually, about four coves serving and not stopping.

We have just returned from taking advantage of the 10% off all stock sale and, again, I was in and out quickly with the cove carrying the purchases to the car for me, as always.........different coves each visit but still the same courtesy.

You can bet then that the Boss is a good bloke and treats his staff well!

Colin.

[groeneaj]

Sydney carbatec are always helpful !

[Alastair]

:whs:

[munruben]

Maybe the Brisbane staff should take a turn in the Sydney store and see how its suppose to be done.

[kiwigeo]

Maybe someone at Carbatec head office should be asking themselves what's the use of having a chain of stores operating under the same name if each individual store is basically a stand alone entity in terms of quality of service being offered.

Surely one of the aims of the whole exercise is to build up the Carbatec name to a point where people associate good quality goods and service with ANY store bearing the Carbatec name.

Jet needs to be addressing the same issues although of late their Head Office seems to be the source of 90% of their problems.

[kiwigeo]

Maybe the Brisbane staff should take a turn in the Sydney store and see how its suppose to be done.

Not such a stupid idea as it sounds.....How about also sending Carbatec staff from one store to other stores.......as customers.

[Ironwood]

Went to Carbatec Brisbane on Wednesday when I went down to watch the "State of Origon".

I found the new store a bit harder to get to than the old one, as I usually use public transport to get there.

The staff were still setting up the new shop, with some shelves still empty and a lot of gear still without pricing displayed, I got around that by carrying a cataloque with me and checking prices that way.

I found the majority of the staff friendly and helpful, one guy was too busy with stuff he was doing and could have been a bit more helpful, but I soon got over that.

I will go back next time I am back in Brisbane, the only downside for me is the distance from the city, and the long walk from the bus stop to the shop.

[Enfield Guy]

I went there today and yes there are still issues but I think the new store is a great improvement. The machine area is well lit and the showroom seems to be better laid out.

I have been involved in a couple of company mergers and can honestly say that a move of that scale is a logistical nightmare. Deferring supply so you don't have to move it is one method but affects continuity of supply. Hence the empty shelves. More power to them I say.

I must say that there are some real bargains to be had. It seems that there is some sample style stock that they are keen to get rid of, I suppose so that they may focus upon stock lines.

I for one will continue to shop with them

Cheers

[Chris Parks]

CT's pricing policy puzzles me, as has been mentioned already. I found Sydney more expensive than Melbourne but if it is a national franchised operation all prices should be the same. When challenged on this Sydney point blank refused to match the Melbourne price and they lost a sale.