Hi,
I ordered an new carvex recently and have been patiently waiting for it to arrive at the dealers. I know that there are shortages after the recent rush to purchase things before the price increase. I was going to be in the area of Queen streetdowntown Toronto today so I thought I'd call and see if my saw was in yet. The clerk put me on hold and returned to say it was in and I could pick it up.
When I arrived the salesman said he was the guy I'd spoken with and he'd go get my saw. After I spoke with one of the other clerks, he reappeared with a case, slightly smudged and dusty on the top. He then proceeded to go and take a cable cutter to clip the cable holding a carvex on their display shelf and pops it into the systainer. I looked at the sawdust on the side, under the clear shield and along the foot. I asked why he was giving me a demo when I'd paid for a new one, "Oh, this just came in, we just did one cut with it for someone," he said. I asked why he'd do that with a new saw, and he repeated that it had just been used once and he took it to the cash. I said that it looked used to me, and joked that I could I get a discount since it's been used...that I didn't know whether it was used for one cut, or been there for awhile." The other clerk just looked and said, "No".
I spoke with one of the other clerks about something else I needed while the first guy took it to the cash, and then i went to get the saw. I looked inside the case and commented that I thought there should be a vacuum attachment in there...off he went to get that and returned with it.
Just then the manager stepped over to the counter and said, "Where'd you get that?" Which aroused even more suspicion about it. The clerk said "It just came in." To which the manager said, "We haven't had those in for a long time." I said, so this IS a demo. "You don't have to take this one if you want to wait for a new one" the clerk pipes in, to which I asked, "Why would you take a new saw, someone ordered, and use it to demo something?!" The manager then said, "You can take this one to use until your new one comes in if you'd like." I told them I didn't need it immediately and that I'd wait for a new one to arrive. I paid for the router bit I did need and left.
I felt really pissed off about that experience. Not only did I waste a trip all the way downtown to pick this up, but I was lied to and mislead more than once, by more than one employee, and they were trying to pull it off in front of their manager. When he asked "Where'd you get that?" it confirmed what was happening. My time was wasted, they lied and tried to take advantage of me. Not what Festool is about I should think!
I had recently purchased a number of Festool items from this dealer last summer and again this month just before the price increase, and several from Lee Valley up the street. Though not a professional carpenter, as a hobbyist, this is a very significant outlay of cash for me, a significant investment, because I appreciate the quality of these tools and the joy i got from using my first Festools I got last summer. I know that there are no "sales" at Festool, so the thing that differentiates buying them one place from the other is the customer experience, which comes down to the way a customer is treated. This is NOT how a Festool customer should be treated, or any customer for that matter!
I don't know if any of you other members have had this experience at this shop, but I simply put this up for your information, and awareness without prejudice...this is what happened.
I ordered an new carvex recently and have been patiently waiting for it to arrive at the dealers. I know that there are shortages after the recent rush to purchase things before the price increase. I was going to be in the area of Queen streetdowntown Toronto today so I thought I'd call and see if my saw was in yet. The clerk put me on hold and returned to say it was in and I could pick it up.
When I arrived the salesman said he was the guy I'd spoken with and he'd go get my saw. After I spoke with one of the other clerks, he reappeared with a case, slightly smudged and dusty on the top. He then proceeded to go and take a cable cutter to clip the cable holding a carvex on their display shelf and pops it into the systainer. I looked at the sawdust on the side, under the clear shield and along the foot. I asked why he was giving me a demo when I'd paid for a new one, "Oh, this just came in, we just did one cut with it for someone," he said. I asked why he'd do that with a new saw, and he repeated that it had just been used once and he took it to the cash. I said that it looked used to me, and joked that I could I get a discount since it's been used...that I didn't know whether it was used for one cut, or been there for awhile." The other clerk just looked and said, "No".
I spoke with one of the other clerks about something else I needed while the first guy took it to the cash, and then i went to get the saw. I looked inside the case and commented that I thought there should be a vacuum attachment in there...off he went to get that and returned with it.
Just then the manager stepped over to the counter and said, "Where'd you get that?" Which aroused even more suspicion about it. The clerk said "It just came in." To which the manager said, "We haven't had those in for a long time." I said, so this IS a demo. "You don't have to take this one if you want to wait for a new one" the clerk pipes in, to which I asked, "Why would you take a new saw, someone ordered, and use it to demo something?!" The manager then said, "You can take this one to use until your new one comes in if you'd like." I told them I didn't need it immediately and that I'd wait for a new one to arrive. I paid for the router bit I did need and left.
I felt really pissed off about that experience. Not only did I waste a trip all the way downtown to pick this up, but I was lied to and mislead more than once, by more than one employee, and they were trying to pull it off in front of their manager. When he asked "Where'd you get that?" it confirmed what was happening. My time was wasted, they lied and tried to take advantage of me. Not what Festool is about I should think!
I had recently purchased a number of Festool items from this dealer last summer and again this month just before the price increase, and several from Lee Valley up the street. Though not a professional carpenter, as a hobbyist, this is a very significant outlay of cash for me, a significant investment, because I appreciate the quality of these tools and the joy i got from using my first Festools I got last summer. I know that there are no "sales" at Festool, so the thing that differentiates buying them one place from the other is the customer experience, which comes down to the way a customer is treated. This is NOT how a Festool customer should be treated, or any customer for that matter!
I don't know if any of you other members have had this experience at this shop, but I simply put this up for your information, and awareness without prejudice...this is what happened.
