Buy gmc?

No Matter what if you are into tools that work and a company that cares!.. (Most have no clue what that word means) do not buy gmc products.

I knew after reading here about other GMC products so yes I have an idea.. BUT NEVER KNEW GMC do not care.. Idiots they are...

I bought a router from them the GMC 1200 sk just a crappy router nothing special
I own a 3612c makita and a Elu, I took the gmc 1200 sk home thinking this is ok for hand router jobs. As I got out a new router bit and put it into the collet this router has a Design Fault !! The push button locker for the sharft is no where in anyway going to lock off the sharft it will work as a stop but NOT A LOCK....

What the hell is it going to do when the dam thing can not lock the sharft to tightn the collet ?

Well after getting home and finding this out I thought I will ring GMC the guy was good on the phone and my main reason for calling them was not to get a replacement as it was only a cheap router and I know you get what you pay for.. WELL DID I GET WHAT I PAYED FOR !!!!! No I got a product now that I can not use this is just ridiculous.

GMC DID NOT GIVE A RATS TAILS ABOUT THE PRODUCT !!!

I told them in detail about the fault and the guy did not even care about it, I said I dont want a refund I want it sorted out !!..... If I can not use this dam thing what happens to others that are going to buy this product there STUFFED IF THEY DO you can not do the BLOODY COLLET UP FOR CRIST SAKES....

SHAME SHAME SHAME ON YOU GMC your nothing but a user of us hard working wood men and ladies,

You are talking Australia for a ride... and I will let eveyone know...:((

Has anyone has the same problen with calling GMC ??

Im just stunned at the marketing for GMC and how they dont say that...

WE DONT GIVE A RATS A$$ ABOUT YOU !!!!

We will take yor money but we will not care about our products!
Before Jumping in boots and all read
WHAT A CRAP OUT!!!! :no: Before jumping in boots and all read post no 17. This has been added and edited by .

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The push button locker for the sharft is no where in anyway going to lock off the sharft it will work as a stop but NOT A LOCK....

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Can you explain in a bit more detail what your issue is here? Are you saying it doesn't stop the shaft from rotating?

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Originally Posted by NGX

I said I dont want a refund I want it sorted out !!..... If I can not use this dam thing what happens to others that are going to buy this product there STUFFED IF THEY DO you can not do the BLOODY COLLET UP FOR CRIST SAKES....

SHAME SHAME SHAME ON YOU GMC your nothing but a user of us hard working wood men and ladies,

You are talking Australia for a ride... and I will let eveyone know...:(( :no:

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I hope that is not an exact quote, if so both the tone and the wording didn't help you at all. I understand your frustration but rationality does far more good than berating the person.

Denn

Good question Silent, it's not very clear.

If the lock is momentary that is how it should be, a fixed lock would be dangerous unless it is like the Triton's, where the power is disabled until the lock is released.

I found GMC to be most helpful with excelent service.

You may have a defective router or you may be doing something wrong, but I can't believe that your router has a design fault, after all, GMC must have sold thousands of them.
I suggest you take it back to where you bought it and ask them to change the cutter for you.
If they can't do it either, ask for your money back on the grounds that the machine is unfit for the purpose for which it was sold.

Good luck.

I'm sorry it was not worded very well I have not been well at all for the last few months :( and have been very tired there for loosing my rationality.

My main complaint is that the push lock on the router will not lock the shaft, If you try and turn the shaft with your fingers it will not move but once you try and undo the collet with the spanner it spins underload.

after calling GMC and receiving no help what so ever I looked at it my self and found that the locking mechanism is not going to hold the shaft Im like this is not right it will do this on most routers of this model.

Again Im sorry the post was not clear. I was not after a refund I just wanted to see some commensence from a company that takes money from us thats all and only to find out they dont really care thats all.

And posting here was to see if others have had any problems with this type of router ;)

Thanks guys!

I have a few GMC products.

I am happy with them so far, have had no issues with what I have got, and would buy again if they had something I wanted at the right price.

I know you only get what you pay for, and sometimes if you only have limited need for something, then a low end/low price product can fill that need.

I don't have a GMC router but the Makita 3612 that I have requires you to rotate the shaft while holding in the lock pin until it locates the detent on the shaft. Once it's there, you have to continue to hold the locking pin in order to prevent the shaft from rotating while you tighten or loosen the collet.

You say you have a 3612, so I guess you would be familiar with that. So you are saying that the GMC has a friction lock and that it's not providing enough friction to hold the shaft while you loosen the collet? So there is no hard detent position to lock it as there is on the Makita?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NGX

I'm sorry it was not worded very well I have not been well at all for the last few months :( and have been very tired there for loosing my rationality.

My main complaint is that the push lock on the router will not lock the shaft, If you try and turn the shaft with your fingers it will not move but once you try and undo the collet with the spanner it spins underload.

after calling GMC and receiving no help what so ever I looked at it my self and found that the locking mechanism is not going to hold the shaft Im like this is not right it will do this on most routers of this model.

Again Im sorry the post was not clear. I was not after a refund I just wanted to see some commensence from a company that takes money from us thats all and only to find out they dont really care thats all.

And posting here was to see if others have had any problems with this type of router ;)

Thanks guys!

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I'd go back to the shop and ask them to open up another router box for you and check it out. Perhaps you just got a dud one and the next one in the box may be better? I actually have this router in my shed. Had it for a few years and have changed a lot of bits with no problem at all. :?

Hey thank you lots guys for the reply's it helps a lot.

here is a photo of the said problem.

Again I am sorry for my first post I did not think it over very well and my gamma was not there at all let alone the the problem I was getting.

And at the end of the day I am happy with the product for what I paid, But I am not happy with the help I was after in telling GMC.. I could have just thrown the router away but I was thinking they would like to know why this is doing it.. I would have sent it to them like I told the guy on the phone but to my amazment he did not care and said no we would not look at it.. lol ???

Thank you that posted.

Hasn't the shaft got a couple of slots milled in it that the lock slides into when it's turned to the correct spot? That's how it looks like it should work to me. Maybe you have got a dud.

NGX, the picture suggests that you DO have a lock on that router. The shaft probably has two flat surfaces, that should slide into the "flat" area on the black collar ... try rotating your shaft while pressing in the black tab.

The shaft shows some signs of slippage which should not happen (or be possible) when the plunge lock is fully depressed. It would seem the lock is not going far enough to lock the shaft, it should depress at least 1-2 cm to properly engage the lock on the shaft.

You know what I would do?

Take it back, grab the money and run. And never buy cheap stuff again.

NGX

I have a 1100 watt router which I paid 39 dollars for three years ago. It has the same mechanism for locking the shaft to change the cutter which is 1/4 inch. I note you always have to hold the lock in with your thumb while undoing the nut with the other hand. You need to take care when centering for the cutter or it will not spin true. I cannot fault the router and it has been used quite a bit as the hand held router in my shed, I have two makita routers 1/2 which are just great. One is over twenty year old and still going strong. It is basically the workhorse, A faultless performer.

Sorry to hear about your experience, I believe cheap power tools are a bit of a lucky dip at the best of times.

Regards Mike:2tsup:

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Originally Posted by Wongo

You know what I would do?

Take it back, grab the money and run. And never buy cheap stuff again.

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Your a wise man Wongo !! ;)

I got a email from GMC... nothing like the GMC I talked to on the phone.. We will see what happens if they replace it that is really good, as I said I was not after a refund or replacement I just wanted them to know that this is not the best setup for a locking shaft it is posissible to get no locking of the shaft at all, we all know that you need to make sure the collet is secure and tight yes.. :2tsup:

Hi there,
It’s terrible to hear that you have not had satisfactory service from GMC as we try to help everyone out.
I have been advised to offer you a new Triton router as an apology and hopefully this will fix your problem.
Can you please forward your contact details so I can arrange this replacement?

GMC Customer Service

Australia 1300 880 001
(AU Customers only)

Bribing you with a Triton router.......it's your lucky day.

as i used my gmc routers for trade (i think ive had 6or 7 in past 4 years)not home use ive never contacted gmc to get replaced when they have had problems wish i had lied:doh: and complained :Bnow if thats the new policy triton replacement wow:2tsup:

Maybe the thread title needs to change to "Great service from GMC" :wink:

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Originally Posted by blackhole

Bribing you with a Triton router.......it's your lucky day.

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I know and I was not even looking at doing this I just wanted it looked at, I was not happy with its safety that's all. And then when the guy on the phone was so negative I was like no way this is not right I'm only trying to help.

I just got a call from GMC head office they tell me there not happy with how I was delt with and are sending me a New triton router.
Now this is good service if this happens, The company that cares motto is still alive in these modern days.

cheers Noel

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Originally Posted by Groggy

Maybe the thread title needs to change to "Great service from GMC" :wink:

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Or:

How to get a cheap Triton Router.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Groggy

Maybe the thread title needs to change to "Great service from GMC" :wink:

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Good Point Groggy !!

GMC have a pretty good history of support, despite what may be said about them. In the cheaper range of tools my experience has been that GMC do the job and provide (generally) pretty good backup service.

I'm glad you continued to post the outcomes from them. I've seen much worse responses from supposedly "better" brands.

Title has been altered a little. Postscript added to original post.

Yeah shaft does show wear, although the button looks fine to me. Can you push it all the way to its maximum travel against that spring? If not, thats probably the problem. Spray some lube around the button area to make it slide better (rub off spray from flat surfaces). You do have to push this button in a fair way to properly engage on the router shaft and make sure the flats on the button assembly match the flats on the shaft (i.e. hand turn the shaft while pushing on the lock button until it engages the shaft correctly).

It's either the flats on the shaft are badly worn, or the button isnt travelling, or being pushed in enough??

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Originally Posted by

Title has been altered a little. Postscript added to original post.

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cheers !

Yer Dean the shaft where the locker connects or slides down dose show this and I was not over tightening as this would be the norm for this problem. there for looking at the design of this its not the best in my eyes. My comments are not to be taken in any bad way, I just can not see why you would have this when its way better to just use a spanner. I may have just got a lemon GMC head office said this can happen due to production. Just my luck to get this problem :(


Thanks for your help Groggy your an asset to this site ;)

Glad to see that it worked out okay in the end, I was always satisfied with GMC service and it looks as though you got a bad rep' in the beginning.

Sorry if I came on a bit sharp in my other post; I have been guilty of venting my frustration on a few occasions - sometimes it helps but usually it has been negative.

Denn

G'Day All,
I had the same problem with my GMC router, The fix is quite easy, undo the 4 screws that hold the plate over the locking mechanism, there is a spring that holds the locking button out and the spring is too long and does not allow the flats on the lock to locate fully.
Easy fix - shorten the spring.
Catch ya
Andrew

Sssh........my Triton router is now over 5 years old (very low serial number as well) and still going strong, so it must be classed as a cheap router on that basis.:)

So did the guy at Bunnings know what he was talking about when he told me that Bunnings have dropped GMC tools from their range because of poor after sales service and failure to honour their guarantees?

Here is an update on the GMC :( and its not good really...

After talking and emailing them they picked up the GMC 1200SK what a design fault it is.

Now I have looked at it in detail its crap. The locking device they use on this router is so diff: to others they use I have no idea why or where they got it from ?

So after I got an email saying we will send me a new router I knew it was too good to be true... As they did not do anything of a sort... They sent me back the FAULTY router that I had sent to them and a used GMC 1/4 inch router ???? OMG !!!!!

It’s terrible to hear that you have not had satisfactory service from GMC as we try to help everyone out.
I have been advised to offer you a new Triton router as an apology and hopefully this will fix your problem.
Can you please forward your contact details so I can arrange this replacement?.


After all this I knew I should have just thrown it away in the first place, But now I know what GMC are really like I don't have to listen to others Iv done every thing in my power to help them only to be treated like a fool.. :( This is wrong how can a company think like this ? Iv even had a engineer look at the lock on this unit and he says its cactus.. Like trying to undo a 12mm with a half inch spanner.. it will not lock it can spin.

So after all this I feel let down and told some thing that I know is not right, This is just plane and simple to see. I'm guttered to think that this company can do this.. I don't like been lied to.

Sorry GMC you get a thumbs down Im ok with you saying we will send you a new router, BUT I will not listen to some one telling me that this router is safe WHEN I KNOW It is not.

Bloody shame on you for treating Australian customers with contempt bloody shame!

I have sent an email to them AGAIN, All this for trying to help them out !! :~

Macro photos to come you will see plain as day what the problem is.

to be continued... Tonight as I know they will ring me..

Replying to MICKYG who Emailed me..

I am curious as to how you were treated by the GMC crew, did you in fact recieve a new router as they apparently promised ? There is a thread going at the moment which is about Warranty for their equipment as sold to the consumer - It has been brought about by that company going into recievership. The contact I have had with a few of their resellers, they all seem to be off with GMC and unlikely to stay as resellers.

Well there will be NO UPDATE sorry guys..

Companys like this need to be taken to the law and dealt with, I was treated like a FOOL !
And with the time I have spent with wood working I am just so mad in some ways its just NOT CRICKET...

What the hell do these guys think ??? It was like anything I had to say they did not want to know.. Now did they know that the company was going belly up ?? May be..?.. I dont give a rats I Will stop there ....I'M just so angry that I'M not going into detail..

All I can say is when you buy some thing DONT BUY CRAP !! buy some thing that has been around for a long time.. as some companys just use us and I HATE BEEN USED !!

I would love to meet the guy who owns gmc who ever made it.. AND I HOPE YOU READ THIS!

Why ask for feed back when you just palm your customers away ??? thanks for makeing me feel like crap GMC

Cheers guys..


EDITED POST

NGX,

Thanks for the reply and I must confess I was expecting an email. On the matter discussed it may well be a case a lot of things are best left unsaid. Have a good Chistmas and festive season

Regards Mike

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Originally Posted by MICKYG

NGX,

Thanks for the reply and I must confess I was expecting an email.

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Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people respect the confidentiality of personal communications theses days. I'm highly circumspect in my business emails nowadays until I get to know the other party.

Is there a right of privacy in an unsolicited private message or eMail?

I've occasionally replied to a private message with a post back to the thread, when I've thought that the reply was more valuable to the broader audience.

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Originally Posted by Ron Dunn

Is there a right of privacy in an unsolicited private message or eMail?

I've occasionally replied to a private message with a post back to the thread, when I've thought that the reply was more valuable to the broader audience.

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The clue is is in 'private message'. If one wanted to post the content of a private message on the forum, the courteous action would be to request permission from the originator first.

Good point, Woodwould, except that I've never understood why some people use private messages for a fairly general question, on the topic of a thread, the answer of which would benefit a wider audience.

I've often thought about turning off my private messages for this reason, but I do get some more general enquiries that aren't related to any specific thread.

Now my approach is that if I get an eMail I'll reply in person; and I'll decide my reply to a private message based on its relevance to any thread, and the need for privacy in the communication (ie, embarrassment to the author).

Unfortunately, there is no right to privacy in a PM, email or letter. Some people have publicly posted PMs in the past and no doubt will do so in the future. The bottom line is to expect ALL PMs to become public and phrase them accordingly.

The "Private" in PM simply means it will be seen by those you send it to only. What they do with it from there on is up to them. :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Groggy

Unfortunately, there is no right to privacy in a PM, email or letter.

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Not quite accurate. There have been some notorious cases in law where the rights to peoples' privacy in electronic communications have been defended and won.

Granted, a PM is slightly different, but any email containing a privacy statement, is, by law, actionable. One would hope recipients of PMs would have the decency not to disclose the contents, but there's just no accounting for folk.