Carbatec need to really rethink their customer service
Ill just stick to the facts.
There is a thread I started earlier on the unsurpassed AWESOMENESS of Kregs service. In short, I had a bent router plate. I wrote Sunday night, by Monday morning 9.10am...yes AU time, another was posted. I RECEIVED it Thursday... from the US.
AWESOME.
Now, let me show you UN-AWESOME:
Friday 27 June 10.55am, contacted Carbatec (with their OWN ONLINE FORM!!!) to see if I ordered 3 items whether they would ship that day (Veritas Frame clamp, Veritas plug cutter and countersink set, I specified the items)..... waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting.... bugger it, ordered it from the US Sunday*.
Friday 4 July 12.55am... a FULL WEEK... 7 DAYS LATER...Carbatec writes: "the quickest way to get an order processed and dispatched is to phone it through with the product codes cheers"
That was it. One line.
WWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????
I must be stupid. Here is a website with stock. I want to buy. I use the website THEY provide and use the contact mechanisms THEY stipulate and this is the brushoff I get?
Is this company for real? Is this all some sort of elaborate joke? Is this the way Mr Carbatec CEO wants his business protrayed?
Well. It goes right to the soul of the whole "Australia Tax" problem. Pure arrogance. If it isn't arrogance, its incompetence, but it can't be, for this MUST be a deliberately designed system. A manager has approved this process. The CEO must be aware of it. It is designed to frustrate me into buying overseas! That must be it! I'm yet to see how this benefits a local business by ignoring customers, but since this is the design - it MUST be true.
It worked! I was ignored enough to take my order OS, received fantastic service and I saved a ton of money.
My lesson is learned.
* I suspect the items will be here this arvo.
You should try their phone service...
I've just had two disappointing experiences on my two most recent attempts to purchase gear here in Australia.
My first was with Carba-Tec. I phoned to check on an order that I had been waiting for a couple of weeks for. I got the auto response, after selecting which area I wanted to go to, got put on hold and waited. Ten minutes later it just hung up on me.
That was Sydney. I tried Brisbane, I figured I might have better luck. Same again. I was pretty cheesed off, so I tried Adelaide. And again, after the ten minute wait, they hung up. I didn't bother about Perth.
All during working hours on a week day. Not a public holiday in each of these states at the same time.
I suggested to Carba-Tec that they at least change their message if the stores are shut so that they don't waste their potential customer's money:
Quote:
We apologise for any inconvenience which we may have caused you.
Your order is still on backorder. Hopefully, it will be in stock by end of July, but it hasn't been confirmed yet from our supplier.
Your patience would be greatly appreciated on this matter.
No explanation, or promise to fix the problem that is wasting customer's money.
Still,
Not as bad as another recent effort by another Australian dealer (who I won't name). I was looking for the Robert Sorby Deluxe Universal Sharpening System. It retails in the US for $140 US and in the UK for about 89 pounds. I expected to see a price of approx $200. At first the dealer told me:
Quote:
we don't have those in stock .
We can get for you .
We have a local version made by Vicmarc
That seemed to be at odds with the literature on the dealer's very own website for the Vicmarc gear, which stated that Vicmarc had a unique design. So, I tried to clarify again and get a price.
The response I got was:
Quote:
The Robert Sorby unit only does the fingernail style grind. $397.71
Quote:
The Vicmarc allows you to do all your chisels and is easy to set up and use
Yet the Sorby web site claims:
Quote:
The Universal Sharpening System allows the woodworker to sharpen a host of regular shaped tools - like parting tools, scrapers, tips, plane irons, bench chisels. It construction means that its is adjustable for height so it may be used in conjunction with 6" or 8" bench grinders with equal ease.
I should point out that the Deluxe model, which I made very clear was what I was after and even provided a stock number for, also includes the fingernail jig.
Even if I give the dealer the benefit of the doubt here, the fingernail jig, by itself retails for about 67 pounds or US$114 which makes the price disparity even larger. I can only assume this was a tactic to persuade me to buy the Vicmarc instead.
Allowing $50 for postage from the US, with every accessory available for the universal jig I could still purchase it cheaper from overseas.
I was after a jig, but instead nearly got a gouge, and not the kind I could use in my shed.
I deliberately went for an Aussie dealer for the Sorby gear because if I wasn't buying Australian made, then I could at least support an Australian business. I may buy other gear from that dealer in future, but it won't be before I really do my homework and if it is worth my while financially to buy from him rather than from elsewhere, including overseas. Given the apparent markup, and the misinformation, I don't like his odds of seeing my cash.
Australian businesses need to do business smarter and respond better to customers. It's not the 70's anymore and we can shop around on the internet, and shipping from the US by freight companies is a lot cheaper than postage.
Word also gets around thanks to forums like these.
Craig
