Ordering woes

[WarnerConstCo.]

I am getting tired of having to wait weeks for something to come in at my local dealer.  Seems they will only order things every so often to make the minimum order.  What happens when I need something ASAP.  They wont even consider having something drop shipped.  It gets irritating.  I all ready have the normally stocked tools, now I need some odd ball stuff.  This is getting old quickly.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Time to find a new supplier...  I have had the same experience with my local woodcraft store...and it is getting old really fast!!!  Have to order something large that I want because they don't stock it any longer.  I have to prepay for it in total before they will order it; even though I have spent thousands there in the past few years and have never stiffed them on anything or even returned anything. After I go over there and pay for it they tell me it will be in "in about a week or so..."  I am like I can order it from the main Woodcraft and have it in two days for Pete's sake.  They tell me that some of their stock comes from the warehaouse but other things come from the suppliers and that they now only get deliveries and do orders once a week.

So, something that I can order and get myself from a number of providers in a day or two now has me waiting a week and then having to go back and pick it up....unless of course I want to pay additional shipping to get it sooner or sent to my home.

Where is the service ????  I guess I will just go to them for certain things that they have in stock and order everything else on the internet....  I hope that gives them enough business to survive.

Best,
Todd

 

[PeterK]

You are lucky to have a local dealer!! Closest one for me is 90 miles away and they don't stock a single item! EVERYTHING is by order. Sure don't know why Festool lists them as a dealer. Have another about 110 miles away that stocks a few small tools and a few consumables but most things are ordered. Thankfully there are some fantastic on-line dealers like Uncle Bob and Ron at McFeelys. Bob Marino has shipped stuff so fast to me that it isn't even processed and paid for before receipt a couple times.
Pete

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Oh yes the advantages of living in near the big city...  Actually it is sort of nice to be able to have sources that are within a short drive, but frustrating the way they run their businesses sometimes.  I try hard to spend a fair amount to keep the locals in the game, but it seems to me that service is just not what it used to be and yet people wonder why their business is not doing as well as they think it should.

Best,
Notorious.....

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I think it boils down to my store not wanting to spend the extra money on shipping in that one item.  I mean how much does it cost to send some thing that wieghs  7 pounds tops?

 

[Daviddubya]

I cannot remember ever waiting more than two or three days to get anything Festool.  I call or email or order on-line, and the stuff just shows up.  The dealer I call is Bob Marino, but I know from other posts there are several dealers that take pride in great customer service.  Maybe you should try one?

 

[Jeff Zanin]

I wonder if we are experiencing the results of attempts to reduce labor, shipping and other back-end costs, particularly on the part of dealers who are primarily traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers.

They may see performing ordering, shipping, receiving and similar activities less frequently as a way to do "more with less" without unduly affecting their retail operation.

We are fortunate to have some suppliers who either have a different business model such as primarily internet / mail order and/or a different attitude that motivates them to provide prompt service for customers who need items they don't normally stock.

Jeff

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

I don't see it as a case of trying to reduce costs on manpower in the case I am talking about.  They always seem to have 4 to 6 guys working at the store when I go in.  I guess you can't stock everything for everyone, but I think you have to offer service that I can get by just doing the ordering my self online...
The funny thing is that they put a sticker on each of their store catalogs saying how they want your orders and can get your order the next day...but I think in reality that is only if you order through the catalog and are willing to pay the overnight shipping...

Best,
Notorious

 

[wnagle]

My local dealer used to get orders from festool in much quicker than now.  Something has changed.  Maybe they can only order larger orders or something.  Last time I tried to order the LS130 I was told they just placed and order yesterday and it would be another 2 weeks until they order again.  I asked if they could call and add mine to that order and he said he did that with another customer that morning and festool did it but really gave them a hard time so he would not even try.  I decided to wait... two weeks came and went and I haven't got the LS130 yet.  For us impulse buyers, quick delivery is important.  As for really needing it...  I guess I just thought I had to have one!

 

[Lucy]

My local dealer used to get orders from festool in much quicker than now.  Something has changed.  Maybe they can only order larger orders or something.  Last time I tried to order the LS130 I was told they just placed and order yesterday and it would be another 2 weeks until they order again.  I asked if they could call and add mine to that order and he said he did that with another customer that morning and festool did it but really gave them a hard time so he would not even try.  I decided to wait... two weeks came and went and I haven't got the LS130 yet.  For us impulse buyers, quick delivery is important.  As for really needing it...  I guess I just thought I had to have one!

I don't know what the problem is? As a Festool Dealer, I can drop ship any Festool product directly to our customer. Our profit on a drop shipped item is very small, as there are additional fees that Festool charges us to provide this service.  Tools PLus feels that it is important to satisfy our customers and we do provide this service on ALL Festool products.

 

[wnagle]

Thanks Lucy... I'll keep that in mind when I get the urge again.  I was in the buying frenzy of the woodworking show at the time...  They were probably just trying to help me out since I already have my payroll auto deposited to the hardware store!

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I know that they can have it dropped shipped.  I also know it only takes one day to get it since I live about 2 hours from Lebanon Indiana.  In the 2 conversations I had about this issue with the owner of my local woodcraft he kept saying how they wouldn't make much money on this item because of the extra incurred shipping charges.

My response was yeah, so what, its not like those Festools are jumping off the shelves around here, either you want some more of my buisness or you dont.

In the period of less than I year I have spent nearly 6K there on these tools, accessories and consumables. 

It just breaks my heart that they are not making as big of a margin when they have to drop ship something. 

It just pisses me off to the point that no matter how much I need this tool, I want to F it so no one gets any of my money.

 

[Woodenfish]

I wonder if some of these delays are related to the present economy and are not a practice that the merchant chose but was forced into? This might be a just another sign of change?

 

[peter halle]

Festool has refined their business model for the US.  If you look back thru various posts, they are encouraging dealers to stock more product and handle shipping themselves versus drop shipping.  If the dealers don';t want to do it that way - well, then it costs the dealers money.

Peter

 

[Bob Marino]

Without getting into too much "inside baseball" here, dealers can have anything not currently in stock (or in stock for that matter) dropped shipped from Festool to the customers (with lower margins (profits)) or can wait until they have a large enough order from Festool so the dealer will not incur any shipping charges from Festool.  It's their choice.

Bob

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Just to be clear my item was not a Festool item, but was another equally high end product from our friends in BC Canada...

That being said, though I think if it was a Festool item their policy would still be the same...

Best,
Todd

 

[tbellemare]

I don't think it's appropriate to blame Festool for what a particular dealer is doing.

We, (as Festool dealers), all have similar arrangements and it is up to the individual dealers to make their customers happy.

Festool is a premium quality company... soup to nuts. I got involved with them on purpose and my relationship with Festool has always been totally professional. If someone is unhappy with the way they are being treated, I think the people at Festool would be more than willing to listen and make adjustments.

Tom

 

[peter halle]

My local Woodcraft store has always made me understand that there are two ways for them to get any of their products that they carry but don't have in stock.

1.  Wait until they place an order for store stock - then no shipping costs, or
2.  Order it right away and pay shipping just like thru the internet.

My choice.  Now I don't know how they handle large tools because I haven't bought any of them thru Woodcraft.

I buy my Festool stuff thru dealers here and have always gotten service that exceeded my expectations.

Peter