Best way to contact Festool UK?

I personally refuse to use contact forms and other website based forms for communication.  All too often I have found that there can be dead ends and black holes where those communications go.  Communicating directly is my preferred method.

Now a suggestion for any customer service oriented professional.  If you are away from your normal routine and let's say you are traveling or away - change your voice mail and set up an automatic reply for your email letting the customer know that there may be a delay in responding.  That way the customer knows that there might be a delay and also that the message isn't falling into a dead end.  Not tough to do.  If a quick response does happen then the situation is bettered because the customer already is expecting a delayed response.

This is not directed at Festool UK - but rather a suggestion for almost anyone who uses voice mail and email for business.

Peter
 
Andy,

I really enjoyed reading your post. It was very well written and described the issue in a very concise way that even can understand.

As a Yank living  in the UK, I've learned a few things about the differences. One issue I find noticable different is Customer Service. I think its a cultural difference amoung other things. One of the non cultural differences is competition. In the states for example I have at least 10 shops that sell festools with in 20 mins from my home, at leat 150 shops with in a hours driving distance plus all the online competition.

So when I go to a shop and dont get the service I feel I should get, I drive past that one to the next one where I will get the customer service. That isnt unusual I have posted here before where a dealer gave me a hard time about bringing my dog into the store, I have not bought anything from that shop at all since.
Another difference is most woodworking shops here in the UK are set up for professional tradesmen. In the states we have a lot of DIYers and shops that cater to them, there is a huge market in the states for DIY folks, we even got our own TV channel there.
Festool also though huge in europe is facing fierce competition in the states. No matter how good the tools are people still are set in using their trad tools, table saws, jointers etc. Festool stands apart by their customer service and their dust collection. Remeberr Makita, Dealt ect all came out with track saws.

Now with that being said Festool UK is very good. By UK standards they are out freaking standing. Are they perfect? No are they making strives for improvement, Yes they are. Phil coming here to address issues and resolve them shows the effort. Even the Xmas give away contest is showing the effort.
The cultural differences I can discuss but it wouldnt be a good thing in this forum. If you come to my BBQ/ get together that Im putting together with the UK FOGGERs we can have a chat and I can explain my feelings on that as well.

You are more then welcome to come as is any FOG member.  Its a day for us FOGGERs to hang out chat, play with some festools, bring other brand of tools and jigs, accessories whatever and to share knowledgee. Look in the member connection thread around march for a up date.
The wheels of change move slow
 
I think it's OK to discuss cultural differences if it's done in a positive way and it is not contentious. I think most people would agree that the USA is known for providing higher levels of customer service than we are used to in the UK. It is of course a generalisation and will be unfair to some. Most would also agree that the Germans are adept at producing quality engineering and they are renowned for it globally. A friend of mine did an engineering apprenticeship in Germany in the early 80's. On his first day he was given a square block of steel, a hand file and plans for a fairly detailed cylindrical plumb bomb. He spent his first month shaping the block by hand to the exact dimensions on the plan. In the UK an accountant somewhere in an ivory tower would want to know how much the apprentice had earned the company at the end of day one. They would have been placed into a production environment immediately. I don't own a single power tool from a UK manufacturer.

It would appear then that if we subscribe to national stereotypes that the guys in the USA have the best of both worlds with American customer service and German engineering. However I don't want to go down that route as it could become contentious and I don't think it's that useful. If we are to discuss the perceived difference between the customer service offering either side of the pond I think it's more useful to look at the differences between a proactive and reactive approach.

I've been around on the FOG for about 4 years now and can remember countless occasions where Shane or the mods on here have resolved all sorts of issues when the poster is merely asking for help from other users. There is no complaint, it's just the proactive way they go about things and they will do it for people from any country in the world. They must all constantly monitor the forum looking for problems to solve. I've asked questions on here about things and had PM's from Shane with the name and contact details of the specific person in Festool UK that can solve my problem or query. It blows your socks off and you're left thinking these guys really do cut the mustard.

It should be noted that Festool UK do appear to be trying to improve but it is still a very reactive approach in my opinion. They will act if someone makes enough noise in a public place. We get there in the end but there is no wow factor with that approach.

It's maybe like comparing two different mums. It seems that Mum UK doesn't really care if we graze our knee badly, but they will give us a plaster if another mum sees we are in pain. USA Mum does everything to make sure we never get hurt in the first place. 

It may well be a bad and unfair analogy but it is how I feel. One thing makes my analogy correct though. I'm the customer. Simples! Never forget it.

 
 
Phil Beckley said:
mr-gobby said:
You're not alone, one of my systainers needs replacing from the PDC18/4 ebay drill sale. I notified them via ebay but have not heard yet. I imagine there is probably a simple explanation but hope to hear back soon like you.
Mark
Click to expand...

Let me know if this is all sorted.
rg
Phil
Click to expand...

Thanks for asking Phil, no I didn't hear anything back via ebay so (after 7 days) I used the online form yesterday (Friday) to ask again for a replacement systainer and an Invoice reissue with my Company details on for VAT MAN reasons (it just had my name and a delivery address which was at a different location).

I'm new to FOG and indeed the Festool range but I would say my initial thoughts were it's great to have a tool knowledge base and user community to help each other out. Secondly what a great warranty and support/repair network it looks to have and thirdly, I hope I haven't made a huge mistake and it's turns ot to be all smoke and mirrors!

Had rather hoped to have won either a plunge saw or a dust extractor in the Christmas competition too! Can you fix that as well please Phil  [wink]

Mark
 
Us Brits are good at certain things but none of these attributes will necessarily help Festool UK resolve customer service issues. We are spectacularly good at making and drinking tea, queuing and pop music. I have yet to have a cup of tea anywhere in the world that matches anything made in Dear Old Blighty.

I have often watched the Great Escape scene and cringed when Richard Attenborough and Gordon Jackson are tricked into speaking English as they board a bus. They are immediately arrested. All they had to do was form lots of queues at strategic locations all around the POW camp. The Brits wouldn't have been able to resist and would have run out of all their hiding places to join the queue. We do so love queuing. Brits could also have easily been identified in existing queues as they would never queue barge and would have displayed considerable outrage if anybody else did.

I always feel that our contribution to pop and rock music for such a small country is amazing and we continue to shine in that area. I don't know how we do it but there are people who are trying to discover  whether creativity can be enhanced by excessive tea drinking and queuing. Festool UK should be commended for their Xmas tool give-away whilst keeping an eye on the Beatles back catalog. The line that does it for me comes from "Money Can't But Me Love":

Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy....

That's what I want from Festool UK.
 
Peter Halle said:
I know that emotions can get high when people have an issue and there seems to be a communications dark hole.  But one thing that may not be common knowledge is that very few Festool employees are authorized to post on the forum - both here in North America and also now in the UK.  This is for continuity and consistency of information posted here.  When someone is called out or mentioned by name - whether or not they deserve it - those individuals are very likely not able to respond here.

Just offering this as information.

Peter
Click to expand...

Hi
The last part of Peters comment is the reason why i ask that names are not used.
RG
Phil
 
andy5405 said:
However I can't help feeling that something is fundamentally wrong within the UK organisation. I know that one of my local dealers has told me that Festool UK have become impossible to deal with over the last few years. That would seem to be echoed in many of the comments on here from end users.

I like many welcomed the introduction of Phil as the man from the UK who would solve all problems. I have no doubt that he works like a Trojan but wonder whether or not it might be a sticking plaster approach when major surgery is the answer. That's pure speculation and maybe not useful. However if we are lead to believe that when all else fails we are meant to get in touch with Phil and everything will be resolved promptly then he should at least have access to the forum on a daily basis. He should also have the resource within his daily workload to action those complaints.

Phil has come on here and dealt with this particular complaint after admitting that he too didn't pick up the message for quite a while as he was away in Germany. So it seems that he is no different from the rest of them, he was too busy doing something else that was more important. I really don't intend to be inflammatory but if a promise is made in a public forum, Festool UK should seriously consider whether or not they have the resources and intention to back it up before they make it. I might be way out of line with these comments but it should never be forgotten that a big part of delivering customer service is perception. If I can perceive it that way, unfairly or otherwise, then I'm sure others can too. Also we will all compare any official offer of help from Festool UK on the forum to the work that Shane does. I've been astounded at times to find a PM in my inbox from Shane offering to help with a problem when I haven't even complained or asked for it. The man is on a different continent, doesn't even work for Festool UK and yet still finds time to help people with a massive ocean between them. He fully understands the importance of protecting the brand at all costs. That is the benchmark that has been set and Festool UK would do well to understand that.

I really do aplogise if I have upset any Festool UK employee but please never ever forget who pays your wages. We are a demanding bunch and maybe even unreasonable at times but we pay a lot for the tools on the understanding that the customer service experience will be exemplary. It won't stop me buying another Festool, I'm converted and do have faith that any problems I encounter with the tools will be resolved even if it is a little slow at times.

However it should never be underestimated how big a leap of faith is required to become a first time Festool user. Any prospective first time purchasers would read these type of threads and I'm sure many would carry on using Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee or Dewalt etc and not see the value in the Festool proposition.
Click to expand...

Hi Andy
As others have said - intresting comments.
  When i introduced myself to the forum i said i would do all that i can to assist. I did not say i would be able to solve all problems. What i have done is reported back to the relevant person any challenges that have come up and asked for any improvements to be made.
  I was late to reply but i am unable to monitor the forum 24hrs a day, travel to Germany in preperation for 2015 and carry out my role as Technical Trainer for Festool U.K. I am also a human [blink]. Most of my posts are between 18.00 and 23.00hrs so dedication to help is clear.
  My presence and work on the forum i hope is more than 'sticking plaster'. This implies that i am just a front to take the grief - i do not work in this way and would not do it if that was the case.
  Before i was official on the forum i used to ask Shane to send my contact details to any one who posted about a problem so i could help out with the U.K owners so yes i understand the 'brand' and the importance of customer service. Many of those who have read this thread will have had contact from me in this way.
Phil
 
jobsworth said:
Andy,

I really enjoyed reading your post. It was very well written and described the issue in a very concise way that even can understand.

Now with that being said Festool UK is very good. By UK standards they are out freaking standing. Are they perfect? No are they making strives for improvement, Yes they are. Phil coming here to address issues and resolve them shows the effort. Even the Xmas give away contest is showing the effort.
The cultural differences I can discuss but it wouldnt be a good thing in this forum. If you come to my BBQ/ get together that Im putting together with the UK FOGGERs we can have a chat and I can explain my feelings on that as well.

You are more then welcome to come as is any FOG member.  Its a day for us FOGGERs to hang out chat, play with some festools, bring other brand of tools and jigs, accessories whatever and to share knowledgee. Look in the member connection thread around march for a up date.
The wheels of change move slow
Click to expand...

  I went to the Summer BBQ 2014 and will hopefully be allowed to attend in 2015 if Rons wife lets me near the burgers again  [eek]. You guys wanted more contact with Festool U.K and this type of event is part of it.
  One thing to mention is that Ron sorted this himself  [cool] and it was not 'hosted' by Festool U.K i was invited. If this is an example of U.S hospitality then in the U.K we have a long way to go.....maybe also with customer service.
And sure, change takes a bit of time
Phil
 
andy5405 said:
I've been around on the FOG for about 4 years now and can remember countless occasions where Shane or the mods on here have resolved all sorts of issues when the poster is merely asking for help from other users. There is no complaint, it's just the proactive way they go about things and they will do it for people from any country in the world. They must all constantly monitor the forum looking for problems to solve. I've asked questions on here about things and had PM's from Shane with the name and contact details of the specific person in Festool UK that can solve my problem or query. It blows your socks off and you're left thinking these guys really do cut the mustard.

It should be noted that Festool UK do appear to be trying to improve but it is still a very reactive approach in my opinion. They will act if someone makes enough noise in a public place. We get there in the end but there is no wow factor with that approach.

It's maybe like comparing two different mums. It seems that Mum UK doesn't really care if we graze our knee badly, but they will give us a plaster if another mum sees we are in pain. USA Mum does everything to make sure we never get hurt in the first place. 

It may well be a bad and unfair analogy but it is how I feel. One thing makes my analogy correct though. I'm the customer. Simples! Never forget it.
Click to expand...

As i said in a previous post you may find that the information was sent by someone else.
  If a comparison is made between the U.S and U.K a cultural diffrence will be seen but also the U.S is way ahead of the U.K in communicating information. Something for the U.K to work on.
  Any type of change is going to be reactive as the information we recieve is then collected and worked on. All because one person shouts does not make a complete system poor. You have the advantage of using the forum to highlight and air any issues you or others may have so by communicating in this way you are also helping us to improve.
I will try and make sure i have a stock of plasters at hand  [wink]
rg
Phil
 
SRSemenza said:
      Oft times the names of helpful Festool employees in the US are mentioned in posts. This is fairly common on the forum.  It seems that it would be preferred that the UK Festool employees names are not posted for the reason Phil has stated.  Though not specifically a rule , it would be good to respect their wishes concerning privacy.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Surely if the UK festool staff  were helpful then posts of a positive nature would not be a problem?,so rather than make compaints anonymous improve the service?

and while you say its not specifically a rule not to mention uk staff names, does this request also apply  to posts of a positive or even  a neutral  nature?

thanks
 
Festoolfootstool said:
SRSemenza said:
      Oft times the names of helpful Festool employees in the US are mentioned in posts. This is fairly common on the forum.  It seems that it would be preferred that the UK Festool employees names are not posted for the reason Phil has stated.  Though not specifically a rule , it would be good to respect their wishes concerning privacy.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Surely if the UK festool staff  were helpful then posts of a positive nature would not be a problem?,so rather than make compaints anonymous improve the service?

and while you say its not specifically a rule not to mention uk staff names, does this request also apply  to posts of a positive or even  a neutral  nature?

thanks
Click to expand...

Festool U.K are helpful [wink] and if you want to send an email then this can be done direct to Festool U.K. Not everyone wants to be named on a forum either in a positive or negative nature so personally i believe the best way is to avoid any problems and keep names out. The reply from Seth and Peter is clear as to why also.
rg
Phil
 
What is the "catch all" email address for Festool UK please Phil. Monitored during office hours.

Sending them individually to now unnamed members of staff is hit and miss.
 
I have been following this thread with great interest. I have had to contact UK twice by email. The first time was to say I put in the wrong date when I registered a new tool on line, that was sorted out in a couple of days. The second time was a general question about the Kapek, that was answered in a week. I am happy with that time scale. The trouble with emails is that we can send them off in an instant and expect a instant reply. That one email we send is probably one of hundreds.

Just my thoughts on the subject. I am lucky that I have not had any problems with my Festool tools so have not had to deal with them directly.

Mick

 
Phil Beckley said:
Hi
Contact form link is below
https://www.festool.co.uk/About-us/Contact-form/Pages/Form.aspx

The name part applies to the forum which i think is reasonable as i have been asked to have names removed.
If you need email contact then no problem and of course this is given out when a call is recieved.
rg
Phil
Click to expand...

My contact form request for a warranty change date from the 14th has yet to be answered - but the problem with the systainer damaged in transit (mentioned in the same contact form submission) was looked into after 4 days.

Meanwhile a quick phone call cleared things up...only joking, it made it worse. I was given an email address  to use for someone who ignored(?) the email until he/she went on holiday and was told to call back later to speak with another person (bad practice that) regarding the eBay issue.

But I've mentioned that already in this thread, perhaps you missed it. It's why I was asking the question in the first place.

I like your dedication Phil, in fact we may even have spoken once on the phone regarding technical details on a boom arm that nobody else seemed to be able to give me the information on. At the time I was surprised I could speak with someone directly and was floored when MTMC gave me a phone number for the person from Festool that could help me out.

I am confident it will all get sorted out, possibly after Christmas too, make no odds because using email means I have a paper-trail to back up any statements or promises made. It's how I prefer to do things for non-urgent matters, so apologies to all those that think we should all just pick up a phone. If I had a problem with a tool I would, absolutely grab the phone, for non-urgent matters it can "fester" [smile] for a while.
 
Phil,

I hadn't intended to be critical and if I was I intended it to be constructive criticism. I'm also aware that we can freely speculate as end users and often do so. We might be right some of the time and I'm sure there are other times when you and your colleagues get extremely frustrated when we try to micro analyse a business operation that we don't really understand. However it is the internet where even the uninformed can become experts. We all get to have our 15 minutes of fame.

Do you have something that stands out on your CV that Festool UK recognised as being particularly suitable for dealing with prima donnas? Maybe you all drew straws to see who would take on this role?

 
Phil Beckley said:
jobsworth said:
Andy,

I really enjoyed reading your post. It was very well written and described the issue in a very concise way that even can understand.

Now with that being said Festool UK is very good. By UK standards they are out freaking standing. Are they perfect? No are they making strives for improvement, Yes they are. Phil coming here to address issues and resolve them shows the effort. Even the Xmas give away contest is showing the effort.
The cultural differences I can discuss but it wouldnt be a good thing in this forum. If you come to my BBQ/ get together that Im putting together with the UK FOGGERs we can have a chat and I can explain my feelings on that as well.

You are more then welcome to come as is any FOG member.  Its a day for us FOGGERs to hang out chat, play with some festools, bring other brand of tools and jigs, accessories whatever and to share knowledgee. Look in the member connection thread around march for a up date.
The wheels of change move slow
Click to expand...

  I went to the Summer BBQ 2014 and will hopefully be allowed to attend in 2015 if Rons wife lets me near the burgers again  [eek]. You guys wanted more contact with Festool U.K and this type of event is part of it.
  One thing to mention is that Ron sorted this himself  [cool] and it was not 'hosted' by Festool U.K i was invited. If this is an example of U.S hospitality then in the U.K we have a long way to go.....maybe also with customer service.
And sure, change takes a bit of time
Phil
Click to expand...
Phill off course you can come Mrs Jobby enjoyed having everyone over. Maybe Ill into you guys to what we call a  chili size hehehehe its a open face burrger with chili , cheese and onions if ya want onions great tasteing combo buddy...
Ill be sorting out a date and posting it around March for everyone to get things sorted so they can make it. I hope we have a more of a crowd( sorry I re read my original post and I think I sent a wrong messase, I wasnt my intention, I want the same guys from last year coming to)  we had 14 folks last time, and more of the FOGGERs from Scotland can make it along with the guys from Wales and Ireland to.
Heck ya all can come. We had good feed back from the last one and I had some "lessons learned" hopeffully to make it a little more organized but not to organized, I like the free flow of the last one. But i didnt get to see alot of whateveryone brought as their was a lot going on at the same time.

Anyway Andy, Phil , James Johnny RB, Garry GB and the rest Im looking fwd to seeing yas again, I had a great time.
 
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