New Hammer A3-26 arrived today - broken!

cliffp

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Jun 22, 2012
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My new Hammer A3-26 was delivered today but it wasn't the great experience I was hoping for :(.

The first thing I noticed was that there was a sheet of A4 paper that stated that it was a showroom machine. When I ordered it I was initially told there would be a 12 week delay. A few days later I got a call to say they had one in stock and that it was brand new and that they hadn't realised that they had one in stock. I didn't think to explicitly ask if it was a showroom model as I would have expected them to tell me if it was.

On further investigation I discovered that the arm to which the blade guard attaches was broken (see photo below)


The fence has a deep scratch and an area of pitting caused by not being packed properly (I should say re-packed as it had obviously been unpacked and re-packed).

The supplied paper manual was in Russian with no English version.

I have informed the company about the damage and the fact that I am not happy about being given an ex-display model without being consulted about it. I know (or trust) that it has not actually been used but will have been messed about with by potential purchasers who won't know how to operate it and could have damaged it. I have supplied them with photos of the damage and await their offer to offer me some kind of sweetener plus replacement damaged parts or just a complete replacement. They have advised me that it will be several days before I can expect a response which adds to the disappointment as I was hoping to try it out. I'll keep you all posted on the outcome.

 

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That's just wrong on so many levels. Doubt I'd want anything but a complete replacement.
 
Paul G said:
Doubt I'd want anything but a complete replacement.

This should be your stand in my opinion, however you are likely to be behind again waiting for a replacement.

That is shocking service from Felder / Hammer.

Edit: Appreciate the crappy aspect of this as well, nothing worse than waiting for good kit to be let down by it. I would say persevere, this is not typical of Hammer service or the equipment.
 
In Russia, these machines (Hammer) showed a bad side.
They sold poorly.
Delay delivery up to six months as a common thing.
Reputation Felder company here at a low level.

I would choose refund and turned to another manufacturer.
 
Alex, given that my machine was supplied with a Russian manual, maybe it was rejected by a Russian customer!
 
Very likely. Several times I heard that people were canceling the order because of the long delay
 
To be fair, its typical for long delays what ever country they supply Felder / Hammer kit and people are advised of this timescale prior to ordering.

The delivery is slow but the equipment is spot on.

That said, what's happened here is still appalling.

 
Sorry to hear your news Cliff.

I  think a 6 month delay  is a bit much. But I'd gladly  wait  a few months  for one of these machines if I was buying new.

Have just purchased a  second hand C3 31  and  very impressed  with the quality.
 
I've emailed Uk Hammer to tell them I am only interested in a replacement. It'll be interesting to see what they come up with.
 
I've also noticed that they managed to scratch the planer bed where the fence slides backwards and forwards. There are a couple of bolts under the rear cutter guard that attach the fence and one of these was proud of its surrounding plastic foot (which should rest on the planer bed) and this obviously did the damage.

I have a question for other Hammer owners - did your digital handwheel arrive assembled with the gauge loose in the same box or were they packaged separately? Mine were thrown in together with a small, unsecured piece of bubble wrap around the gauge. The alloy handwheel has a few dents in it which wouldn't affect use but don't give an impression of quality or manufacture or packaging.
 
Hi Cliff,

Did Hammer UK deliver this with their own transport? I think that heavy equipment like this needs to be handled by carriers who know what they are doing. My planer/thicknesser came from Axminster and was delivered by them as well. The guy helped me unpack the machine and we inspected it together. Needless to say there was no damage at all and the only "defect" was a sticky label slightly peeled off near the bottom of the machine.

I would insist that Hammer UK get a new machine, which they should inspect especially before dispatch, delivered to you within a week - if they complain of lack of stock then you should get a free upgrade to whatever machine they have in stock.

Good luck sorting all of this out.

Peter
 
Hammer used a company called Yusen. They didn't hand around to inspect the machine at all. I have emailed the CEO of Uk Felder expressing my extreme disatisfaction and he replied at 9:15 which is very good. He obviously needs to investigate at his end.

Peter, I like your suggestion that they upgrade to whatever they have in stock and that they supply it within a short timeframe.

Axminster are in a league of their own (like Festool) when it comes to customer service.

I'll keep you posted.
 
Axminster you have to be kidding they sold me a panel saw that was described as new, the motor was not fitted properly and the live feed to the motor left unconnected inside the cabinet

there was even a ratchet and spanner in the bottom of the packing case left by the person who had started to fit another motor and left the job half undone

many of the parts look to have been used and came wraped in pallet wrap the matter is not yet resolved after a poor first response from axminster
 
Maybe the guy from Axminster who dealt with your order went to work at UK Felder?

I tried to speak to the CEO of UK Felder but he was on the phone - I am waiting for him to return the call.
 
I have to agree with Festoolfootstool regarding Axminster. They have not had a good rep lately with delays in delivery of heavy equipment and the unfounded price rises every New Year.

One of the reasons I went with a Hammer n4400 band saw was because they could get a saw delivered quicker than APT and Hammer still quoted 3 months - (I actually got it quicker but that's a different story).

I agree with Peter, you really shouldn't be waiting here. If they don't stock what you ordered, deliver the next best thing up the chain. Despite your issues here I would have faith in Hammer doing the right thing as they are customer focused in my opinion. Reference this thread when you speak with them.

 
Interesting about the negative experiences with Axminster. I haven't bought any heavy equipment from them so can't comment on their reputation in that  area.

I didn't get a phone call from the CEO so I phoned him again. He is apparently catching up with work after a holiday (hence the lack of a solution already). He has promised to phone me tomorrow before 10:00 with proposed solution/(s) - I'll let you all know.

 
I spoke to the Felder UK CEO today. He said that although the machine label stated "Showroom machine", it was never in fact unpacked and used as a showroom machine. The fact that it was damaged in so many areas was a combination of being poorly packed at the factory and in the case of the damage caused to the planer bed, this must (he claimed) have been caused when the factory assembled the machine to test it. He also thought that the transportation company may have been responsible for some of the damage. I am very skeptical about these reasons but on the other hand, if they were trying to offload an ex-demo machine, they would surely remove the very visible label that indicated it was a showroom machine.

They are going to source a new machine (it will take a few weeks but expected to be a lot less than the normal lead time), inspect it at Milton Keynes and an engineer will deliver it, set it up and take away the old machine. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

 
I think anyone reading this should make sure they make it clear that they don't want a showroom model (though the CEO was adamant this machine had never been unpacked).

I didn't have the commissioning (I imagine its a cost option). Looks like I am getting that next time.

Jmbfestool, It sounds as though your delivery experience wasn't great. The guy delivering mine nearly dropped it off the back of the truck (the pallet truck wheel went over the edge) but I managed to push it back.

 
For what it's worth, my A3-41 was delivered flawlessly, and in PERFECT condition.  Couldn't have been happier.

Sorry you have had a different experience, but then again, you're in the UK!!! [scared]

Cheers,

Frank
 
Hi Cliff

So what is the situation? Have you had a satisfactory promise of replacement or repair from Hammer UK? When do you expect something to be done?

Peter
 
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