From: pmeyer@.intel.com (Paul Meyer)
Subject: mail order saw problems
Originator: pmeyer@sedona
Organization: Intel Corp., Chandler, Arizona
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 18:53:37 GMT


	I just wanted to relate a little tale about Williams Tool &
Hardware Supply.  I have to say to begin, they have good prices and I
have no reason to believe they generally have problems.  But they had
problems with me.  
	At all stages they were reasonable and helpful on the phone.
They never tried to dodge responsibility for their mistakes.

9/14/92
	I ordered a Delta Tilting Arbor Saw (220v, 2hp, one up from the
contractor's saw) from Williams.  They had the best price I found, $870,
with Jetlock fence.
	The salesman told me it was in stock, and would take about 2
weeks to get here to Arizona.  He assured me that they shipped to
ground.  (He was also convinced that this 300lb saw was going UPS, which
should have been a hint of incompetence.  Their limit is 70lbs)

9/28/92
	I glanced at a copy of their catalog from a friend.  It clearly
stated they did not ship to ground, so I called back to check.  They do
NOT ship to ground.  No big deal, I can get some friends together.  But
now I found out that it wasn't going to be in stock until 10/12, so I
wouldn't get it until a full month after they had told me I'd get it,
and I'd still have to unload it myself.  I was upset, and talked to a
supervisor.  They were all very nice and helpful, and they threw in a
$40 wobble dado blade to soften the blow, and said that they would talk
to the sales manager about the man who took my original order.

	The $870 charge showed up on my Discover, though, dated the day
I placed the order.

10/2/92

	I get a letter in the mail from Williams Tool stating that my
credit card charge hadn't cleared.  Considering the charge was on my
last statement, I doubted that.  So I called them today (10/5).  It
turns out they lost the paperwork on the first charge, so they tried to
charge it to my credit card again.  This is a low limit card, so the
second $870 charge didn't clear.  Hence the letter.  They apologized.
	
	They then told me that they wouldn't have the saw until 10/26.
I told them to cancel the order and transfer me to the same supervisor I
had talked to before.  I let her know politely that they had lost not
only a sale, but also a customer.  She understood and apologized again.




	If they had told me it was not in stock, they might have lost a
sale, but I would still have used the company in the future.  They have
good prices and they were very polite and helpful on the phone.  

	But with the combination of the error in the shipping info, the
two changes in the availability date, and the attempted double charge to
my credit card, they have lost a customer.  

	The original guy who took my order was incompetent, giving me
wrong shipping info and not checking (or lying about) the availability.
The second change in the shipping date was Delta's fault, not theirs.
The credit card double charge was their mistake.  If the second charge
had not bounced, it would have been even more of a pain.

	I just place an order with WoodWorker's Supply in New Mexico.
It's $70 more, and no free dado blade, but they have 9 in stock and
they'll ship (to ground) in 3-4 days.  

	This is not meant to be a total slam of Williams Tool.  Gauging
from their helpful positive attitude on the phone, I would suspect this
to be a glitch.  But I thought my experience would be useful. 

-- 
Paul Meyer

Intel, Corp.
5000 W. Chandler Blvd.
Chandler, AZ  85226
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