on line sales

[counterfix]

so i spent the better part of an hour this morning to buy a ct 26 plus its necessary accessories and found one site out of three that
offered its accessories on the same page that's Bob Marinos site however i still couldn't get a plug it cord for a ts 75 how Meany of you find it this difficult to purchase products on these web sites. i believe it should be user friendly for all to navigate and if you rep a
proprietary product you must list all of its items. i would like to here your thoughts on this as i may be an expert in solid surface
but clearly a novice on the computer [tongue]

Thanks for your imput
Lance

Counterfix Inc

 

[tbellemare]

Lance:

You can find everything for the CT 26 and CT 36 here.

Oh, and the cords are here.

Tom

BTW: I answer the phone almost all the time. 512-428-9140 follows me everywhere except the shower.

 

[Bob Marino]

Lance,

Thanks for the heads-up and couldn't agree more than it is very important to have an easy to navigate  (as well as complete!) web-site.  As mentioned  via email, my new web-site is almost done.
But I just double checked and that Plug-it cord is listed on my site, under Plunge Cut Saws - Stops and Acessories.
http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/subcategory.html?sid=2ec38dd2a01e7905ebb5b80ece28c77a&scat=7.

  Bob

 

[counterfix]

tom i must be missing something when i click on dust extractors all i get is Ct's so i go back to the festool categorises and look for
accessorise there is none so i just keep going around in circles like ground hog days ??? ??? know keep in mind i don't have the
computer skills that i should however I'm not alone in this
there are Meany people out there that find it difficult to navigate these sites i spent 40 Min's on your site alone trying to get this order. i think when you click on a item all of the necessaries accessories be there for the taking and not be redirected around the site

Lance

 

[tbellemare]

Lance:

I am glad you told me that. I wasn't aware that it was difficult. I can certainly make it easier and will do so immediately. You've given me a good idea.

Like I said, I answer the phone almost all the time. Please don't hesitate to call...

Tom

 

[counterfix]

I'm not directing this at any one dealer but at the way we are able to shop like most of us out there have a huge investment in FESTOOL i myself have completely outfitted my company with FESTOOL to the tune of 30grand and rising .so when you say we innovate not imitate why sell a tool with out the innovation like centrotec 2010 the fact that you are in north America should not
keep these accessories out of touch its simple if you don't want it dint buy it [eek] look at the ras when it first got here no one
wanted it so it sat on the shelves the n the word got out and it was a feeding frenzy then illusive again. if you don't offer these innovations what are you just a tool company with a fancy European look without the bells and  you know

 

[chrisrosenb]

I'm not directing this at any one dealer but at the way we are able to shop like most of us out there have a huge investment in FESTOOL i myself have completely outfitted my company with FESTOOL to the tune of 30grand and rising .so when you say we innovate not imitate why sell a tool with out the innovation like centrotec 2010 the fact that you are in north America should not
keep these accessories out of touch its simple if you don't want it dint buy it [eek] look at the ras when it first got here no one
wanted it so it sat on the shelves the n the word got out and it was a feeding frenzy then illusive again. if you don't offer these innovations what are you just a tool company with a fancy European look without the bells and  you know

I agree.
We are told it is the UL that keeps a lot of Festool items out of the USA.
I have never understood this because of all of the junk that is sold in this country.
How can that stuff be sold here, but quality products not be allowed to be sold?

 

[mouppe]

True, true and true again, but...

[dead horse]

 

[nickao]

UL may be a part of it, but the bottom line has to be money. If they felt they could make the right amount of profit you bet they would get the tools here no matter what. I am sure they have people getting paid just to figure out what tools are worth going to the USA and whether the expense of making them pass UL inspection is worth it.

UL inspection, I would think, would be tied to insurability and it is possible they get a better deal from the insurance company if they go through  the UL approval. Possibly they can't get insurance at all if they do not go through UL approval. It depends on what they have worked out with the insurance company. It has to be better going into a court case saying the item was UL tested and approved. Especially not being an American company how else can they be sure they are making the tools up to the US guidelines without the help of an outside source.

 

[harry_]

UL approved & better..... like the ryobi table saw incident we have heard so much about?

UL approval is not much more than a scam. A bunch of insurance companies threw some money in a pool and created a testing laboratory to that they (ins. co's) could reduce their exposure to losses. It is for the sole benefit of a particular industry (insurance) and driven into place by it's parasites (ambulance chasing lawyers). It has nothing directly to do with the consumer and they certainly do not have a direct concern for our safety.

 

[PeterK]

I know - beating the horse again!!
So - how can Ryobi or Milwaukee introduce new products like crazy all the time? They can't be having the UL issues. Every time I walk into HD or Lowe's I see several brand new versions or models of power tools. Wish someone here worked with UL and could properly explain this once and for all. Like so many others here, this issue has never made sense to me. Only thing that I can think of is that there is a fee per tool for testing that Festool balks at due to lower volume sales than the discount tools.

 

[mouppe]

Peter,

Perhaps other tool companies simply do not seek UL approval?

 

[Holzhacker]

I've also always wondered if the UL excuse isn't a bit of a cop out on Festool's part. When you look at the junk that is easily available to buy it doesn't quite add up. I've noticed the same thing as Peter in terms of tools at HD. It seems like every few months there is a new set of tools from most of the Manufacturer's. Basically same tools with improvements, changes, additions to go along with the latest fad, etc.
I tend to think it has to do more with Festool not thinking various tools won't meet minimum sales thresholds. But heh, what do I know, not much, you? [big grin]
Once again my recommendation. Have a pallet of X shipped to Lebanon. Shane can post 'we have 100 X available as a special tool/accessory of the month'. Call your dealer and order now. When they are gone, they're gone. This would allow for minimal investment on Festools' part and a good way to gauge demand. Can't cost much to substitute one pallet of tools over another in the container.

 

[PeterK]

Next time I stop at HD or L, I am going to check the tool labels to see if they carry UL listing. Have never looked before and maybe they don't but I thought it was a requirement in the US for powered items. Of course, one can easily find cheap electrical parts - receptacles, switches, etc - at the big box stores that are not UL labeled. Buyer beware!!

 

[tbellemare]

Next time I stop at HD or L, I am going to check the tool labels to see if they carry UL listing. Have never looked before and maybe they don't but I thought it was a requirement in the US for powered items. Of course, one can easily find cheap electrical parts - receptacles, switches, etc - at the big box stores that are not UL labeled. Buyer beware!!

It's an insurance thing, hence the term, "underwriters"... Some insurance policies might require it or offer preferential terms because of it.

Underwriters Laboratories is just CYA in case they end up in court. It's an interesting exercise to look at all of your possessions that use line current and find a UL listing tag or find them in the on line UL database of everything that UL has sanctioned. It's an eyeopener.

Tom

 

[mouppe]

According to a conversation I had with Festool this morning,  UL approval affects Festool's general liability insurance. If they cannot get it for one particular tool, it affects their total product portfolio, so their legal team insist on all Festool products having UL.

I think this was the gist of what I was being told.

 

[Neill]

Maybe this question belongs in the "Ask Festool" category.

I understand the implications of the UL approval on Festool products, but how about the other non-powered products that are NAINA?

For example, we read posts from users outside North American and they talk about how great the polishes and waxes are.  Are there chemicals deemed not safe for the North American market?

Certainly if there is a profit to made, why wouldn't Festool sell them?

Neill

 

[Kevin D.]

UL approval is not much more than a scam. A bunch of insurance companies threw some money in a pool and created a testing laboratory to that they (ins. co's) could reduce their exposure to losses. It is for the sole benefit of a particular industry (insurance) and driven into place by it's parasites (ambulance chasing lawyers). It has nothing directly to do with the consumer and they certainly do not have a direct concern for our safety.

There are a lot of firefighters alone who would disagree strongly with this viewpoint.  Don't you like that someone is testing stuff so your house/car/ass doesn't catch fire/poison/electrocute you.  Insurance companies benefit, but who buys the insurance, and who pays if the costs are higher.....YOU & ME BUDDY!

 

[Frank Pellow]

Kevin, I am glad that there is a responsible body testing for the safety of products. 

But, I am not happy the the Canadian body (CSA) seems to rubber stamp whatever the USA's UL body  finds acceptable while seeming to ignore the testing for safety done in Europe.  I, for one, would trust the European recommendation for safe tools before I would trust the US or Canadian recomendations.

 

[Kevin D.]

Kevin, I am glad that there is a responsible body testing for the safety of products. 

But, I am not happy the the Canadian body (CSA) seems to rubber stamp whatever the USA's UL body  finds acceptable while seeming to ignore the testing for safety done in Europe.  I, for one, would trust the European recommendation for safe tools before I would trust the US or Canadian recomendations.

And that's where I'd be lost.  I have little clue as to whose standards are significantly better than others.  Doesn't surprise me that CSA would largely be a rubber stamping body of its US counterparts.  Many of our regulatory bodies seem to do this it seems.  Luckily, this did not seem to be the case in the banking sector.