Local dealer quandary?

[tm3]

finally decided to move on my sander/vac purchase to the tune of $800 or so.

called the dealer closest to me and was told that the items are not in stock but they can order them.  the catch is, i pay the shipping. ???

so, i can pay for gas to drive over there and back, shipping, and sales tax OR i can order online with no gas or shipping charge, and possibly no sales tax, and save some time.

i like to offer support to local businesses especially given the current climate but this charge for shipping seems odd to me.

what do the rest of you all do?

 

[Neill]

Having to bear the shipping charges sounds odd to me unless you have indicated you needed it right away and expedited service was required.  

If you are in a hurry, I would consider another dealer that you could drive to.

If you are not it a hurry, I would seriously consider the online alternative.

You could also buy online, pay for expedited service but save the sales tax and gas.

Neill

 

[ForumMFG]

I drive 30 miles 1 way if I have questions about a festool product or want good service so I go to my favorite dealer.  If all my questions are answered here, I drive 5 minutes down to woodcraft and just pick up what I need.  I never buy any major equipment like Festool Online because the first time I did, it was damaged from shipping and had to wait for a new one.  (No offense Festool online dealers)  I had a bad experience and it changed how I buy things.

I'd ask them to order it for you the next time they place an order for themselves so they kill the shipping. That's if you can wait.  I've never heard of someone pay for shipping like that if an item is out of stock unless it was direct shipped to your house.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I believe Festool dealers will charge customers shipping on items not in stock if they aren't willing to wait for the dealer's next regular Festool order. Some dealers give the customer to option to choose to wait or have the item ordered right away but pay for shipping. I buy almost all of my Festool products from online dealers and I'm quite pleased with my service.  

 

[sw1211]

I order just about all I can on-line, Festool and other brands.  Never had a problem.  Just take the savings in taxes, gas and shipping and "invest" that locally for any consumables you might need.

 

[HowardH]

The Woodcraft guys have to order a $1000 worth of stock to get free shipping from Festool.  That is what my local Woodcraft manager told me. 

 

[ForumMFG]

Which is extremely easy to do.  So say you go into a store and they don't have what you want.  They order that for you plus 1 or 2 to have on stock and the shipping is taken care of.  If thats the case, then no supplier should charge you for shipping if you are going to pick it up at the store.  Unless you ask for it fasten then normal.

 

[tm3]

thanks for the help.

after hearing multiple responses here and in my PMs, it seems to me that a brick and mortar dealer is justified in charging shipping for some type of expedited service (such as overnight delivery), but otherwise they should be able to match the online deal e.g. no shipping charge.

 

[kdzito]

I've also bought many Festool products through on-line dealers and some even offer free shipping and depending on where one lives can get the items delivered the next day!!! 

 

[jb883]

Same here.  I order Festool accessories and other items that they might not normally stock from my local Rockler dealer all the time and they never charge me shipping.

 

[Wonderwino]

I've bought from both Festool Junkie and McFeely's and if the Festool order is over $150, there is no shipping.  Both have shipped items from their in-store stock and drop shipped directly from Festool USA with no shipping charges.  I don't think a dealer that is selling an $800 dust extractor and charging shipping is following the rules.

 

[festoolman]

My 1st Festool order was from a local dealer, since then I have ordered all my Festools online.  No taxes, no shipping and no gas.  I purchase from one online dealer and I am treated very well. The money I save can go to consumables.  The benefit of the local dealer in my case is the ability to touch and try out the tools.

 

[bonesbr549]

finally decided to move on my sander/vac purchase to the tune of $800 or so.

called the dealer closest to me and was told that the items are not in stock but they can order them.  the catch is, i pay the shipping. ???

so, i can pay for gas to drive over there and back, shipping, and sales tax OR i can order online with no gas or shipping charge, and possibly no sales tax, and save some time.

i like to offer support to local businesses especially given the current climate but this charge for shipping seems odd to me.

what do the rest of you all do?

I bought mostly online because at the time I started buying festool i lived near saint louis and the sales tax was a bear!  Although I would visit my local rockler and use and look at the festool and wanted to support them, so I bought the domino and ct33e from them.  I've moved back east to PA and work two days a week in DE the land of no sales tax.  I take a lunch break go drool at the woodcraft, and have bought my last two tools (ets150, T15) from them.  I love looking picking up and taking home.  If I have a relationship with a brick & mortar, I'll buy from them if the sales tax rate is not to extreme.  Especially if I get al lot of other stuff from them, which I do.  If the Brick and mortar wanted to charge me shipping, I'd sever that relationship right quick. 

 

[tm3]

follow up to my original post ...

i got several PMs on this issue, and one was from a Festool rep who asked for the contact info for my local dealer.  the next day i got a call from the owner of the dealership, who told me that they would get my tools for no shipping charge.  in addition, he offered to loan me a sander to use while waiting for mine to arrive.  that is the kind of perk that a local dealer can offer to offset the cost of taxes, gas, etc.  i went ahead and placed the order.

i'm impressed from a customer service standpoint that Festool monitored and corrected the situation.

i'm also glad that it looks like my local dealer is going to be good to work with.  if they provide a site to audition, support, loaners, etc. it imo is worth the extra cost of buying from them.

 

[Chowman]

I purchased a vac and several sanders from an almost local lumber dealer who is also a Festool dealer (small volume) and elected to pick up at the yard so the guys in the shop could get some hands on learning time and demo pretty much every Festool available from a guy who uses Festools daily.

I placed a second order and this time absorbed the freight.

The third order was for items that required truck delivery (oversized) and had to come from Festool. I asked that they be drop shipped to me direct and was told that Festool does not allow that.

Kinda strange because I had also recently purchased from an online guy who has stuff shipped from a fullfillment center not far from Festool headquarters and at no cost.

So, is there one shipping policy for all? Or do high volume dealers benefit from an advantage not available to smaller dealers?

 

[Bob Marino]

The third order was for items that required truck delivery (oversized) and had to come from Festool. I asked that they be drop shipped to me direct and was told that Festool does not allow that.

Kinda strange because I had also recently purchased from an online guy who has stuff shipped from a fullfillment center not far from Festool headquarters and at no cost.

So, is there one shipping policy for all? Or do high volume dealers benefit from an advantage not available to smaller dealers?
[/quote]

Of course, Festool can and does drop ship to end customers. What Festool does not do (for sometime now) is take orders directly from customers, orders are submited to Festool from the dealers.

Bob

 

[fshanno]

The third order was for items that required truck delivery (oversized) and had to come from Festool. I asked that they be drop shipped to me direct and was told that Festool does not allow that.

Kinda strange because I had also recently purchased from an online guy who has stuff shipped from a fullfillment center not far from Festool headquarters and at no cost.

So, is there one shipping policy for all? Or do high volume dealers benefit from an advantage not available to smaller dealers?

Of course, Festool can and does drop ship to end customers. What Festool does not do (for sometime now) is take orders directly from customers, orders are submited to Festool from the dealers.

Bob
[/quote]

Bob,

I'm about to hijack this thread, but just for a second.

Any idea on when we can get the new thingy for the Domino?  The one for $22 that screws on the bottom and has stops that allow mortises closer to the edge of the material.  I'll pay shipping if necessary.

 

[gkeas]

I'd highly recommend using Uncle Bob Marino.  You'll be hard pressed to do business with a better guy, and it would be next to impossible to replicate the level of customer service he employs!

 

[Bob Marino]

Bob,

I'm about to hijack this thread, but just for a second.

Any idea on when we can get the new thingy for the Domino?  The one for $22 that screws on the bottom and has stops that allow mortises closer to the edge of the material.  I'll pay shipping if necessary.
[/quote]

  The base plate bracket is currently on backorder and call later this morning for an update.

Bob

 

[Bob Marino]

[Any idea on when we can get the new thingy for the Domino?  The one for $22 that screws on the bottom and has stops that allow mortises closer to the edge of the material.  I'll pay shipping if necessary.
[/quote]

Looks like Festool has recieved some and shipped them to the dealers. Sooooo, some dealers either have them are are geting them in very soon.

Bob