Rutlands

[Dibs-h]

theres two schools on here - those who've never had a problem with rutlands and those who'd cheerfully nuke them. It seems to be the general experience that if you are lucky enough to get something that works for the price you wanted to pay then the products are great - but if you get a defective one, or charged the wrong price or whatever their customer service sucks like a lemon.

sounds as though you probably belong to the former school while wizer and I are probably founder members of the latter.

I'm with you and Wizer - wouldn't buy anything off the feckers again. Being treated like I'm bothering them, when I'm a paying customer and haven't received my goods isn't my idea of customer service.

 

[big soft moose]

....that I have few other vices....

you better buy some more quick then mate, you can never have too many clamps and vices

 

[wizer]

Right, I'll schedule another Rutlands bashing for about 2 weeks time. Put it in your diaries people :roll: :lol:

 

[big soft moose]

theres two schools on here - those who've never had a problem with rutlands and those who'd cheerfully nuke them. It seems to be the general experience that if you are lucky enough to get something that works for the price you wanted to pay then the products are great - but if you get a defective one, or charged the wrong price or whatever their customer service sucks like a lemon.

sounds as though you probably belong to the former school while wizer and I are probably founder members of the latter.

I'm with you and Wizer - wouldn't buy anything off the feckers again. Being treated like I'm bothering them, when I'm a paying customer and haven't received my goods isn't my idea of customer service.

too true - my first contact with them was a router table plate (for work) which arrived bent like a banana - the (misnamed IMO) "customer service" people basically told me it was fine when it left them and pretty much accused me of damaging it and then lying about it

imo they dont compare at all well to the lovely gemma at axminster or to matthew from workshop heaven, or to jeff and co at yandles, or to turners retreat , or to... the list goes on and on.

 

[yetloh]

you better buy some more quick then mate, you can never have too many clamps and vices

It's in hand; workshop extension, proper extraction and I'm sure there must be other things essential to my health, safety and general wellbeing - and she is getting a new and bigger kitchen.

Jim

PS Come to think of it, now I don't have to have my bench against the wall, one of those nice pattern makers vices from Axminster (not Rutlands) would fit a treat on the other side of the bench...

 

[Dibs-h]

imo they dont compare at all well to the lovely gemma at axminster or to matthew from workshop heaven, or to jeff and co at yandles, or to turners retreat , or to... the list goes on and on.

Gemma - no idea, haven't bought anything off Axminister in a long time or most of the others.

Turners retreat - bought the vacuum attachment\rest thingy for the Leigh Jig last Nov @ Northern Woodworking show and they said they'd sent it out in about 1 week. Turned up exactly as stated - no issues.

Matthew - now Customer Service may well be his middle names. :wink:

Cost isn't always the primary force - having been pineappled about by suppliers who have been purely chosen due to them having the lowest price - now I'd rather pay more knowing it turns up as they said, when they said and how they said. And if it doesn't they actually give a dung.

 

[big soft moose]

Matthew - now Customer Service may well be his middle names.

Indeed - he sets the standard by which I judge everyone else - I was very impressed with him contacting me to sort out a problem i was moaning about on here - even before i had actually called his customer services to complain

that said axminster come a very close second and i was quite impressed with how yandles handled my faulty scrollsaw issue (they wound up giving me a load of wood gratis to say sorry - which was nice). Another top line customer services team was stiles and bates who left one item out of my order and then sent it me free of charge when i rang up to complain.

In fact every woodwork suplier ive dealt with in the last few years has been top line in customer services apart from rutlands (and screwfix whose customer service team were much nicer to deal with than rutlands but totally ineffective at getting anything actually done)

 

[Mr Ed]

Something must have changed at Rutlands, because although I haven't used them for about 5 years I have in the past made some big purchases with them and got good service.

I bought my Mafell KSP55 from them and Lamello biscuit joiner - good service.

I bought my Scheppach planer/thicknesser and bandsaw (since sold) - good service.

These days I usually stick with Axminster and CHT as both have never failed me in any way. When I first started going elsewhere than Rutlands it was because they seemed to start focussing on their own brand stuff which never interested me, not because of bad service. Clearly times have changed.

Ed

 

[big soft moose]

in my experience rutlands are fine if the goods arive and everybody is happy - the problems arrise if the goods dont arrive , arive damaged or if there is a problem with the invoicing because their customer service people seem to operate on the premise that every disasatified customer is a chancer trying to rip them off and/or like they are doing you a big favour by putting their coffee and donuts down long enough to answer the phone.

btw what is this CHT of which you speak ? I'm always up for finding new suppliers

 

[Mr Ed]

Classic Hand Tools

 

[Dave S]

Clearly times have changed.
Ed

I don't know - I've used them several times over the last few years and my experience has been much the same as yours.

Dave

 

[yetloh]

Agree there Ed, Classic Hand Tools may not be the cheapest but nice people and I've always had good service.

Jim

 

[Gary]

Well I decided to give them a go. :shock: Not used them for some time and ordered a few small things yesterday morning.

They stated next day delivery but with the impending postal strike, I wasn't holding my breath. :roll:

Well everything arrived via the Post Office this morning so I for one am doubly surprised. :lol: