Smashed cans are okay as far as Woodcraft is concerned


deke

Recommended Posts

Ordered some finishing supplies from Woodcraft. The box they came in was perfect, but inside were two dented cans. I started an online chat to inform them they might want to be more careful in shipping/packing. I wasn't looking for a refund, freebie... I was just taking time out of my busy day to notify them and to help them run their business a little better.

 

The response was so typical these days. Instead of putting the customer first, it was all CYA (cover your a$$). Instead of the customer always being right, they were compelled to win an argument (of their making) and tell me why they are right. The online chat person told me they often receive cans dented like this and decide that the contents are fine and ship them to customers. So, my can's weren't dented in shipment after all. Instead, someone packing my order (or those managing them) decided it was perfectly fine to send me something like this. I'm sorry, but while the shellac and varnish are obviously okay inside a dented can, if I am buying damaged goods, just tell me up front and offer me a discount. If I buy a table saw from them are they going to send me one with a big gash in the side... because, after all, it works just fine? It's not the price, it is the principle.

 

I have spent close to $10k at Woodcraft over the past few years. Their response made me question this and my money will be going elsewhere. All they had to say was this, "I'm sorry for this, I will make sure to notify our shipping department. Thank you for letting us know" and that was it. So simple. 

 

Am I being petty decided where to spend my money? It doesn't matter what anyone thinks. I can do what I want with my money. You can do or say what you want too. Why? Because the customer IS always right. 

 

 post-15097-0-69130700-1402750790_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

==>The box they came in was perfect, but inside were two dented cans.

The same guy must have packed my boxes... :)

 

Your observation is spot on -- Woodcraft's finish shipments always have at least one dented can -- and usually quite impressively so. It's funny how they receive the cans dented from the manufacturers, while the other dozen or so vendors I deal with on a regular basis* seem to avoid the problem...

 

==> So, my can's weren't dented in shipment after all. Instead, someone packing my order (or those managing them) decided it was perfectly fine to send me something like this.

No. No. No... You've got it all wrong... It's not Woodcraft's fault... The finish manufacturers send all the non-dented cans to Woodcraft's competitors and stockpile the dented ones for shipments to Woodcraft... You should have realized this and not bothered Woodcraft's Customer Service department with such nonsense. :)

 

 

*I get regular shipments (on a weekly basis) from Mohawk, Jamestown Distributors, AquaCoat and perhaps a dozen more -- but funny enough, they rarely arrive dented -- go figure?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I honestly expected to come back here and find I was flamed for being super whiney about a few dented cans, but I'm glad to see I am not alone in feeling a customer deserves better treatment and explanations.

 

TripleH, we can only hope we have the same guy packing our stuff! When I was a teenager I worked for a medical supply company and was delivering a big glass bottle of, "gentian violet" - a chemical that is probably the most purple substance known to man. My buddy didn't pack it so well and it broke. Parts of my arms and legs were purple for weeks! I guess he went on to get a job at Woodcraft.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never buy any food product in a dented can.  I have some place in my primordial memory that a dented can is compromised and the seal could be broken letting in oxygen and bacteria, etc.  I don't see how a can of finish would be any different and I would never buy a dented can unless it were only slightly dinged.  For sure nothing close to the smashed cans that they sent you.  Appalling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right Mike, because online it can sound like some kind of rant, like this is the greatest crime against humanity... but that's the funny thing. I wasn't even asking they do something. I wasn't saying, "I want a replacement, I want a refund..." I was just giving them a FYI and there response was excuses instead of just saying, "Ok, thanks for the heads up."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have requested a return and replacement just based on principle, even if it was gonna be an inconvenience for both of us.  I'm an Amazon FBA seller...an AZ fulfillment center wouldn't even accept those items into my inventory if I sent them in, and rightfully so.  They'd call them "distributor damaged," and my choices would be to have them sent back to me for a fee or have them destroyed for a fee.  They wouldn't even consider letting me sell them, because that would be a piss-poor customer experience.  Fortunately Amazon puts the customer buying experience above all else, and that's why you rarely hear AZ horror stories, and that's why people keep buying on AZ.

 

I've never been impressed with Woodcraft, either online or B&M.  Perhaps because they are dying a slow, inevitable death.  Or perhaps that's why they're dying a slow, inevitable death.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with Eric on this. The second they didn't offer an apology and a replacement I would have told them I want a refund and you're getting them back. Dented cans can be off balance, crush even more when resealing, and not stack if you have limited space. The explanation they gave you is horseshit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't imagine a can in that condition would sell on the shelf at the local Woodcraft, so the online Mother Woodcraft may be selling things the franchisees have turned back.  Kind of like why I don't go through drivethroughs very often... having worked at a fast food place as a teen I know that during a rush the questionable food goes out the window rather than into the lobby as you know the customers aren't as likely to bother coming back in to complain. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, that's it! Not only are my Woodcraft days behind me, so are my drive through eating days! I just realized something. At Five Guys you can watch them make your burger and every single thing in your meal. That is a good thing. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you were right to make the observation - a dent is not a problem, but those photographs show some serious mishandling, and I'd be a little worried about the lid seal to be honest. The reply was unsatisfactory, to say the least. Sending on dented cans won't help their quality control (if they care), and is, to use a certain catch phrase, simply passing the buck, or can in this case.

 

I must admit I've rather enjoyed the reverse of this situation. Once with Dieter Schmid I asked if they had spare parts for a hand brace I'd bought months before, since the ball bearings had 'escaped'. They didn't unfortunately, so they sent me a new hand brace - with apologies. All I'd asked for were prices. What can you say to that? Thank you?

 

Especially on the internet, customer care is everything. Some companies get it, others don't. I know where my money will go. As do you.

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two words LEE VALLEY. Rob Lee and his staff go out of their way to benefit the customer.

Our nearest Woodcraft closed and it's not worth the trip to go to the other store for the sales they have.

I only buy online from Rockler when they have a decent promotion of interest - which is infrequent to me. I HATE their Schaumburg store - the biggest power tools there are the staff.

I usually buy online from Lee Valley and Highland Woodworking - their customer service, selection and prices are worth the wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ihaving worked at a fast food place as a teen I know that during a rush the questionable food goes out the window rather than into the lobby as you know the customers aren't as likely to bother coming back in to complain. 

 

Didn't Leo Goetz cover this in great detail in that Lethal Weapon sequel?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I should be hesitant to post this but here goes ...

 

I don't think I've ever seen quite so big a mountain made out of a mole hill.  You "took time out of your busy day" (paraphrase) to call your vendor about some dented cans, product that was in no way compromised other than a couple dents, suggested that they should warn you in advance and offer a discount for product that was in a usable and uncompromised condition and equated it to shipping you a table saw with a gash in it.

 

The jumping on the bandwagon that followed was unbelievable.  The only fault I can find with the whole situation was the inability of Woodcraft to own any part of it and, seriously, if you hadn't wasted the time on a phone call they wouldn't have been put in that position.

 

Really - a gash in a table saw, that requires customer service.  A couple dents?

 

I've spent a number of years working in a variety of positions that required some sort of direct customer contact and complaint resolution.  Your citing of the old adage of "the customer always being right" needs the coda "except when they're wrong."  I've dealt with in-numerous instances of circumstances where customers blame their own lack of ability or defects in workmanship on the product they were using.  Never mind the examples I could cite where individuals have figured out that if they make a sufficient level of noise they gets discounts or free product.  

 

While one tries to be polite and non confrontational, there comes a point where you just gotta say, "Really, a couple of dents?!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Woodcraft gets discount rates on dented cans then they need to pass this on to the customer, otherwise it's dishonest.

I don't like buying cans that are dented if only because I can't stack them to save space.  I don't have endless space.  

 

If I go to a store and I have a choice between an undented product and a dented one I'm going to choose the undented product because it's better.  Other people might see my dented cans and form opinions about me :lol: , a dented can is a weakened can, and depending on the product it may be more difficult to dispense nearing empty.  

 

Don't they still have 'scratch and dent' sales and if so, how come?   :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand Byrdie's point of view however, I really think the point the OP was making was the piss poor "i don't care" attitude from the vendor.  My "jumping on the bandwagon" was over horrible customer service which was way worse than dented cans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

==>You do not ship customers damaged goods.  Period.  Full stop.

In principal, agree -- but you can negotiate a deal for factory seconds... Look at all the dollar stores...  But, does the retail customer enjoy the favorable transfer price, or does it simply go to improve your margin and the customer be damned? I've never looked at the price of something at Woodcraft and compared it to another retailer...

 

This sort of thing happens in areas you might never guess... In BigPharma, we sell short-dated inventory to specific high-turn drug wholesalers... We clear at-risk E/O inventory and they get a discount...WinWin... Now, is that discount passed along down the chain? Sometimes yes, sometimes no... It's that wonderful gray space of, "It depends". Some E/O is donated to community clinics that simply can't afford high-cost drugs... WinWin... Stuff really short dated (like six months) is donated for disaster relief efforts... Expired inventory is used by the VA -- sorry, couldn't resist... :) Actually, expired product is just product lacking stability data. In may cases, it's efficacious for years after expiry (if stored properly) -- expired inventory is donated to humanitarian organizations (like CARE) or put-up for extended stability testing...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 56 Guests (See full list)

  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,757
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined