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Personally I steer clear of dealing with local agents after similar experiences - (not Carbatec). The problem is that they do not stock all the lines that they are agent for and more often than not have to order them in. I now prefer to deal direct.
As far as Carbatec goes, I placed an order for a drawbar for a spindle moulder and it came within a few days for the total cost of $8.80. I can't complain.
I have just started dealing with Carba-tech Sydney direct and pay the postage. However of 12 items 3 (Advertised in the Catalogue) were not available.
This is a common trait amongst suppliers these days, so I cannot blame Carba-tech alone.
BB
With companies like Carba-tec it seems to be par for the course. I tried to purchase a pedestal drill from them in October and although they had all models on display in their showroom, none were available to purchase and delivery would probably be after Christmas if I ordered one. Needless to say I ended up buying a $400 pedestal drill from another company. Lots of the big furniture stores do the same thing, had to wait 8 weeks for a bed and 6 weeks for a mattress so its not just in woodworking equipment.
Thank you for the spelling correction. I agree with you on the late service provided by some of the most major stores and suppliers.
Just a simple thing like a belt for a thicknesser takes a 10 day wait through Bunnings. I have smartened up and bought two replacement belts now.
I get nervous when suppliers say that the fault lays with their supplier. This sounds as though the first supplier has not paid their import bill or summit!!!! I am awaiting a 4 inch blast gate from Gasweld and Carba-tec with both places saying it is on 'Back order'.
I don't feel obligated to wait for one supplier anymore, I just take the first one in, and tell the others that I waited for a 'reasonable time'.
I think it's easy to underestimate the complexity of running a business like Carbatec. The vast range of items they carry and offer is in response to market demand. This vast range not only creates a massive inventory burden on them, but exposes them to hundreds of suppliers and supply chains through most parts of the world.
Even with perfect suppliers, timing stock levels and demand is incredibly difficult. Holding stock of everything for the 'what-if' scenario would cripple their business and expose them to obsolete stock and other things. All this would be reflected in the prices we pay too.
We all know in business that the 'they' have let you down, be it a transport co, distributor, manufacturer, freight forwarder etc. It only takes on knob down the line to stuff things up and forget a pick-up, order, phone call or detail.
In general, I find their service fine, nothing remarkable in retail terms, but generally good amongst their competitors. I do however expect them to carry the obvious spares for machines they sell.
They're not there to support the woodworking community and that crap, they're there to make money and they staff if with wood enthusiasts because they sell better. If you don't like it, shop elsewhere or import yourself perhaps.
Fair nuff.
What irritates me is that they may have eg. a special on the website, you order, it goes through, and then you get an email or phone call: 'out of stock'.
So plenty of other retailers link their website to their inventory database. Why not C-tec?
Part of the problem is that the suppliers guarantee a delivery time of xx/xx/xxxx so the retailer gets their catalogues printed expecting stock to be there.
Unfortunately the delivery truck has a flat tyre, the boat is held up because customs have discovered a huge drug haul or in most cases the supplier is waiting to fill a whole container and doesn't bother telling anyone, so the delivery date is delayed by a month or so.....
I have had good service from Carbatec Brisbane over the years. Pays to get to know the staff and develop relationships - they can be so helpful and supportive, but some of them are so overworked that it takes ages to get a response to specific technical queries, if at all.
That said, I do find it difficult to get parts for machinery from them - they don't seem to want to know, or just don't know
Most Carbatec stores are owned by individual proprietors who have a group buying/marketing arrangement . Not quite a franchise as I understand it.
This means that the experiences we have in each store are largely dependant upon each store owner's approach. In Perth for example, they seem to be reasonably good about supporting customers with spare parts. While I was picking up my spindle moulder part, people came in with old power tools looking for brushes and other parts, which Carbatec had in stock.
Carba-Tec Melbourne is by far the worst retail experience I ever experience. From the cramped old days in Richmond, where they never had the item you wanted, to the flashy new Springvale showroom, their service has been deplorable. And that's on a good day.
I only ever go to them when I have exhausted all other options, or I have no choice. Here are a few examples from only my last few dealings with them.
I recently ordered a 5/8" arbor for my tablesaw, an MBS-300. Other retailers wanted $80 with the dado table insert, Carba-tec wanted $45 without it. Since I prefer to make my own inserts, I opted for the Carba-tec. After waiting a week for the Melbourne store to get back to me, they insisted I place the order with Brisbane even though I had opted to collect from the Melbourne store. When it arrived weeks later I the price had increased to $119, not $45. I was told it has always been $119 despite being quoted $45 via email (I still had the email for proof).
I needed a replacement tension hand wheel for my new bandsaw with the 5 year warranty. I was told that because they couldn't conceive how I could've possibly broken it, they would not honor the warranty. They claimed that their quality control would pickup any defect in the part during manufacture, therefore I must've hit it with a hammer or something.
Last Saturday week I had to drive out there to pickup the hand-wheel. I wasn't sure what time they closed, so I thought I'd ring to find out. I got the recorded message and answering machine 8 times straight. Funny thing was the recorded message included information about their Saturday trading hours, but it was interrupted each time by the answering machine just as it was about to say the time. "Our new Saturday trading hours are from 8 AM until .BEEP, Your call is important to us, please leave a message."
Got a phone call from them recently to kindly inform me that the mortiser I'd ordered finally arrived. I wish I could've seen his face when I told him I had collected it 2 years earlier.
After at least 15 calls to determine they actually had one, I made an appointment with them to check out the Robland combo I'd been trying to buy from them for over 2 years. Now that's a long story on it's own. After waiting a half hour to be served, I was told they were unsure of the specification, or even if the unit was complete and that they would not open the shipping case to find out. That meant they were unsure if it was single-phase or three-phase, what length sliding table it had, whether it had a Tersa cutterblock, if it had the mortising table, or if it was indeed complete. Talk about pot luck!
Carba-tec Melbourne is the woodworking equivalent of Telstra.
I now deal directly with Jan in Brisbane and highly recommend you do the same.
BTW. If any Carba-tec senior management is reading this, I'd happily sit down with you to discuss your stores pathetic service provided you are genuinely interested in fixing it.
On the other hand I have no problems with them. I ring them before hand to find out if it's in stock and get served efficiently when I'm there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Too Many Clamps
Peter.
Yeah, it makes you wonder how the big companies of yesteryear, when I was a young man, could supply the items straight off the shelf or at the worst, maybe wait a couple of days for it to come into stock. And just to think, in those days we didn't have all the modern technology like computers to help,. and you know something else? staff didn't make lame excuses in those days and there was a little old saying that went something like this. "The customer is always right" Today it seems its just the opposite. Maybe the good old days weren't so bad after all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Green Beetle
Often when I ring and inquire about stock they check the computer and say it should be there but then they go and check the shelves to be sure. So their stock control system is cactus.
Hey rsser
Is it not better to be sure of something than to have you arrive and it not be there.
and as for you too many clamps
I'll just bet you are perfect in your life as well !!!!!https://www.woodworkforums.com/images/icons/icon13.gif
You miss my point Lindz. They don't have reliable control of their inventory. So if you did ring up first to check and the counter jumper just checked the computer, you might well still get down there to find no stock.