Axminster again, and alternate Rutlands

[wcndave]

Had a delivery of a nice Festool router from UK to Italy. (For some reason routers seem like clamps, I think that's 6 now).

Axminster dispatched within about 10 minutes of order on Monday, goes via DPD, and is "out for delivery" on Thursday in Italy.

I'll take Friday off and really crack on with some cupboards I think.

End of Thursday, nothing, website says there was problem with address. Email them and they pass me on to BRT, the local Italian "branch". I ask them to send out Friday. They say they can't find address. I point out they made a delivery on Wednesday, which they left with someone in the street who did in fact know me, and that not finding address had not prevented delivery in past! Nothing Friday, emails... Nothing Monday. Call them, they say "there's no name on package, come and get it". I point out that I've contacted them since Thursday, they have my name etc, and I'm not travelling 6 hours on public transport to pick it up! Eventually gets to me on Tuesday, and I can see it actually has my name printed in large letters on the delivery label. What a crock.

Anyway, Axminster called me a couple of times to check everything was OK, and the difference between the customer service of the two companies involved could not have been more stark.

So the long and the short of it is another thumbs up for Axminster Customer Service.

At the other end of the scale we have Rutlands, who I have now been avoiding for over a year, after I discovered their duplicity and scams.

I have spent probably a good couple of thou with them in the past, some items crap and some what i expected, and some good.

It came to my attention when I got an email about something on offer, that was rated at 5 stars, and I had already bought, and found it to be the worst tool ever.

I wondered how it was rated so high, and checked the reviews (I had written one). Mine was not there. Further investigation revealed that none of my 3 star or less reviews were there, and all of my 4/5 star reviews were. Yet further looking revealed that I could not find a single 3 star review anywhere against any product.

So they email us the latest 5 star offer, and it's a complete lie. Utterly untrue. Rather dishonest.

However there's a couple of things I can't find elsewhere

- High Absorbency White Knit Wiping Rags - 2kg
- Glue Brushes

Any ideas where I can get these as I'm running out?

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

Dunno about the brushes - I use old business cards to spread glue - but a quick search for "white rags italy" brought up dozens of results. Plenty on eBay too, for far less than that.

 

[wcndave]

Thanks.

I found that most of those are not very absorbent, these have been washed xx times and are better than others I've tried.

I guess I could take a punt on some ebay ones, I was hoping someone might know a source that they rate.

 

[marcros]

rags http://www.frenchpolishes.com/acatalog/Cloths.html

 

[JJ1]

Regarding the brushes. Do you really need 100 of them? 12 months ago I bought 5 for 10 pence each and a year on I'm still using the first one 8) :lol: A quick rinse under the tap and as good as new.

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

I found that most of those are not very absorbent, these have been washed xx times and are better than others I've tried.

I guess I could take a punt on some ebay ones, I was hoping someone might know a source that they rate.

I bought a 10kg bag from eBay a while back; while they'r enot as good as the Axminster ones I bought they're a fraction of the price, you just get through a bit more. Also I find it amusing to use designer lable t-shirts to mop up glue. And sometimes blood.

 

[moosepig]

Axminster's service is indeed legendary. However, they have in my opinion just completely ruined their website. It's been revamped, presumably with the cackhanded chip-grease-smeared touchscreen iGeneration in mind. Call me old fashioned, but I find huge empty spaces and massive fonts insulting, as are the patronising buying guides and adverts that now appear at the top of category index pages, further reducing the amount of useful information on show. Maplin Electronics made their website similarly infuriating a few years ago, I don't shop there any more. Harrumph.

 

[wcndave]

Axminster's service is indeed legendary. However, they have in my opinion just completely ruined their website. It's been revamped, presumably with the cackhanded chip-grease-smeared touchscreen iGeneration in mind. Call me old fashioned, but I find huge empty spaces and massive fonts insulting, as are the patronising buying guides and adverts that now appear at the top of category index pages, further reducing the amount of useful information on show. Maplin Electronics made their website similarly infuriating a few years ago, I don't shop there any more. Harrumph.

It's often the feedback sites get on initial adoption of modern design techniques.

I agree the homepage is just a mass of adverts, however I normally know what I want and after the homepage I find the site much better. The menus and everything work much better, font size is a user preference anyway, and can be alter with a quick keystroke or mouse wheel.

It's been scientifically shown that sites are easier to engage with and read with these types of designs, and for those users with digital assist needs, this becomes more important. Personally I can say that on mobile the site is way more responsive and better, and I find myself using sites on mobile a lot these days, I'll be in the shop and wanting to check on a tool, a fitting, a manual, a price etc... I kept sweating at Axi on a mobile, now I don't

Everyone of course is entitled to opinion, however in _general_ it's shown that designs like Axi new one are easier and better for users.

 

[Roughcut]

Axminster's service is indeed legendary. However, they have in my opinion just completely ruined their website. It's been revamped, presumably with the cackhanded chip-grease-smeared touchscreen iGeneration in mind. Call me old fashioned, but I find huge empty spaces and massive fonts insulting, as are the patronising buying guides and adverts that now appear at the top of category index pages, further reducing the amount of useful information on show. Maplin Electronics made their website similarly infuriating a few years ago, I don't shop there any more. Harrumph.

I agree, I don't like the new look Axminster site either.
I was looking on there earlier contemplating a Christmas present purchase to myself.
But was a little miffed when looking at a couple of Festool products they actually increased in price by a few pounds from the price that was advertised when I clicked on the product image?
I mean I know Festool gear is expensive but it seems the tools have started giving themselves pay rises....... :shock: