Who is Adept Tools and how did they get my address?

[greg mann]

Got a flyer from 'Adept Tools' today. The layout appears to imply that they are part of Festool itself. Nothing actually says that, mind you, but there is a promo for a trip to Germany with a Festool factory tour and a photo of stacks of dust extractors that looks like it could have only been taken in a Festool warehouse. If this is a direct sales move on the part of Festool I will be sorely disappointed as they have built their business around an entirely different model, that is, independant ISAs that compete on service and expertise. This is clearly someone's attempt to horn in on local ISAs by emphasizing things like no sales tax and free trips. If Festool is directly involved, shame on them. If not, then they should be reigning this outfit in a little before they ruin their relationship with longstanding ISAs, IMO.

How did they know I was a Festoolie?

 

[Brice Burrell]

I got that flyer to, now in the trash.

 

[Eli]

Let them know Greg.http://www.adepttools.com/Articles.asp?ID=132

 

[James Metcalf]

My flyer went in the trash last Wensday,I did not think about it prior to your post. Just dug it out. Bulk mail from Santa Rosa Ca. Return address Suite E 2315 , NV. Sounds more like an office or maybe not. It will not change anything with me.

 

[Bob Marino]

  The very little I know about Adept tools is from what I am reading here and from my customer inquiring about them. I can tell you that Festool had nothing to do with the mailing. Adept Tools is a dealer in Nevada and has no more or less to do with Festool than any other dealer.

Bob

 

[greg mann]

It appears that some of you had reactions similar to mine. That's good, I think. I would hate to see business lured away from ISAs by mass marketing. But my suspicions are now confirmed that this is highly targeted mass marketing. This outfit generated a mass mailing list of Festool users from somewhere. Bob, I'll bet you don't have the addresses of every Festool user in the country. Nor would you ever attempt to run your business by horning in on another ISA. You do some generally targeted mass marketing, for sure, but it is to every woodworker that might pick up a WWing magazine and read your advertisement. That's different. You are trying to broaden your business through new users, not steal them. I can say this with certainty because you are not my ISA but we have exchanged many personal messages over the years about many subjsects without any effort on your part to get me to buy from you.

Eli, I will let them know I don't like their appraoch and I hope any of you who feel similarly will as well.

 

[Brice Burrell]

  My question is who was the company that sold our names and addresses to Adept? I have bought Festools from Bob, Timmy, McFeely's and Woodcraft. I have some faith in the vendors here, but the last one, I don't know about. I don't think it would be a good idea to sell out your costumers and to your competitors of all people.

 

[Fred West]

Brice and everyone else, I was the one that called Bob immediately upon receiving the Adept flyer. I have ONLY purchased my Festool tools from Bob and I KNOW that he did not give out our addresses. I did however get those nice little sticker things from McFeeleys that we put on our Systainers with our names. I can't imagine McFeeleys doing this either but maybe their printer if they do not process these themselves or heaven forbid now that Grainger has taken over maybe their policies are different. Fred

 

[Bob Marino]

I can't imagine any dealer "selling/supplying" their customer's names to anyone, let alone to their competitors. As for me, I am so far behind the times technically and electronically, that I wouldn't have a clue as to proceed with such an endeavor.

Bob

 

[mastercabman]

maybe it is a good place to order festool.maybe they know more than you think.you're never know until you try it!  but,i would do more research on adept.maybe call festool and ask if they are an authorize dealer.everybody has the right to do buisness.IMO.

 

[Bob Marino]

maybe it is a good place to order festool.maybe they know more than you think.you're never know until you try it!   but,i would do more research on adept.maybe call festool and ask if they are an authorize dealer.everybody has the right to do buisness.IMO.

If they are listed on Festool's site (and they are listed) they are an authorized dealer - no worries there.

Bob

 

[Michael Kellough]

We received adverts from a Festool dealer but that doesn't mean we are the only ones who got them. That would be a waste of marketing dollars, preaching to the choir. I put mine in the can too after signing up for the contest, so I expect to get more adverts from them. I don't mind that but I would like to know where they got my address.

For what it's worth, Adept says they wouldn't pass on our info, "We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information....This policy was last modified on August 6, 2003." So, it's odd that they got someone else to do what they wouldn't.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
I got the sales material from Adept as well, and wondered about the same questions everyone here is asking.  I wrote to the company and asked them to join the Festool Owners Group and post about themselves in the Sales Zone.  Especially now that people have some questions about the company, I think it would be a good idea for them to describe who they are and answer members' questions.

Just a technical note...

We received adverts from a Festool dealer but that doesn't mean we are the only ones who got them. That would be a waste of marketing dollars, preaching to the choir.

Yes and no.  While the most active posters in this forum are people who own Festool tools, the forum's polling suggests that about 13% of our members are either potential customers or people about to make their first purchase (POLL RESULTS).

The reason I say this is because the forum is a potential way for dealers to reach new clients.  This is important for me, and it is one of the missions of the forum.  The forum can be a way for dealers to expand their current client base, but with the wrong methods it can also be a way to erase their client base.  The word will get out either way!

Matthew

 

[greg mann]

We received adverts from a Festool dealer but that doesn't mean we are the only ones who got them.

True, Michael, but I can tell you that my girfriend didn't get the advert.  :

My primary reason for bringing this up at all was that we have discussed Festool's marketing philosophy at length, perhaps ad nauseum, and while there is not unanimity, there is probably a general consensus that we liked the way things had been done in the beginning. There now seems to be different approaches allowed that are at cross-purposes to the original model and some of these are not for the good, IMO. As an example, my ISA is a long established full-service type retailer that has represented the line extremely well. For example, their booth at a local show last year consisted primarily of two product lines, Festool and Fein. At first, there was total opposition to doing so on the part of Fein but they eventually went along with it and both product lines were very well recieved with a lot of traffic and interest. They also have a 'Festool Room' set up for hands-on. I relate this as a way of articulating the depth of their commitment to Festool's product line. So what happens? Well, there is a Rockler store two miles down the road. Three months ago or so Rockler gets the line because of a nationwide agreement and a very good ISA gets cut off at the knees. I don't think that should have happened.

As a possibly interesting sidenote this two mile distance is along Woodward Avenue in suburban Detroit. Think Woodward Dream Cruise here and you will get an idea of how much of an advantage this would be for a retailer.

 

[adeptTools]

My name is Kevin and I am with Adept Tools.  I am using this letter to address the many concerns questioning our business practices. To begin with, no addresses were purchased from Festool dealers, and without question, Festool certainly did not provide them to us.  If you have been to woodworking shows, subscribed to magazines or are part of on-line forums pertaining to woodworking, your information is probably available for rent or purchase.  As you can imagine, thousands of dollars have been spent on this contest, not to mention the time, effort, plus additional contest expenses that will result.  Festool has paid for none of this. 

Everything we have done to this point with regards to Festool has been with their approval.  For instance, every item on our website was price approved by the Festool senior man in sales before going on-line.  If there has been any doubt, such as with the no tax issue, we play it safe and post that we will charge sales tax like we do in Indiana because we do drop shipments from the Festool warehouse just like any Festool dealer can.

The last point I would like to make is that this contest was motivated, pitched and sold to us by our Festool representative.  He had told us of another dealer contest in which the prize consisted of free tools and lessons on the basic utilization of them.  Therefore we decided a better prize would be a Festool factory tour in Germany; drawing serious power tool users.  I decided to go forward with the contest after being told that the approval was given from the top level of Festool.

We invite anyone who wishes to be removed from our database, to send an email to me directly at kevin@adepttools.com .  Now that I have said my peace, I will leave future discussions on this forum to the one dealer who best utilizes it.

-Kevin

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Kevin,
Thanks for coming in to clarify these details.  I think it's important.
You are now registered as a "Festool Dealer" (you'll notice that your name appears in green).
Feel free to tell us more about your business, and about your current promotions.
Matthew

 

[greg mann]

So, Kevin. Does this mean you have targeted a wider audience than present Festool users? I hope so, as this seems to me to be where you should be concentrating your efforts. Having said this, I don't think offering a possible free trip to Germany to present users is a bad thing, but in general, I think you should try to stay out of other dealer's shorts. JMHO

 

[mastercabman]

I think you should try to stay out of other dealer's shorts. JMHO

greg, what is wrong about advertising their business?  not like i really care about adept,but "if"they are a honest place to deal with,what 's so bad about them?            just curious.

 

[Eli]

I think the whole campaign would have gone over a lot better if Adept had been represented here. Now they are. Thanks for taking the time to give your side of the story Kevin. All are welcome here, not one more than the other. You can't fault a business for trying to do business.

 

[greg mann]

I am trying to not be a curmudgeon about this but we are all somebody's customers here alsready. Bob Marino's, for example. I'm not speaking for Bob here but if I was him, I would be more than a little annoyed at someone else trying to move in on my hard won territory in this manner. If someone grows their business the way Bob did I have absolutely no problem with it.