Request inspection of new tools

[Maik Tobin]

My shop is in my basement. The access is via a bulkhead, so getting heavy tools (saws, etc) is a bit of a pain. To increase the likelihood of success, I always request that my tool be inspected and fired up at the warehouse prior to shipment to me. I did this with my cabinet saw and my band saw and both have performed flawlessly out of the crate. My new 15 inch planer is enroute to me as I write this and I requested the same on this one.
Grizzly has been very accomodating.
I would suggest that anyone buying a large tool to do the same.

[Neil Brooks]

Out of curiosity ... how do you know that they DID what you asked, or did anything different to/with your machine(s) than they do with every machine ?

I mean ... most of them are probably fine, so ... couldn't yours have been treated exactly like all the other machines, and you simply got good ones ?

[Maik Tobin]

Obviously, I don't know that they do what they say. I do however, request that the inspection be put on the order and I have a tech support manager follow up. If there was an issue upon arrival that should have been noticed with the inspection, I would have no issue at all insisting that Grizzly pay the cost of getting the tool up from my basement. I hire movers to get it there and I have no 220 power anywhere else.
If you question the integrity of the Grizzly staff, I would suggest you buy elsewhere.

[Shiraz Balolia]

Just to be clear Maik, you were probably done a favor.

It would be impractical for us to open every crate or carton, clean the machine up and check it out prior to shipping. Our operation would come to a grinding halt, or we would have to double our technical staff, neither one of which are practical. I wanted to make that clear before every reader of this post ordering from Grizzly starts to request their machines be checked. Shipments are thoroughly checked by our inspectors at the factories before they leave and once they get here, we check a sampling of the shipment so that we can make sure there are no glaring issues.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

It would be impractical for us to open every crate or carton, clean the machine up and check it out prior to shipping.

Never occurred to me that this service was done without charge. I do know that I would pay money to have the equipment verified before a similar installation. The only question is.... would people be willing to pay enough that it would cover the expense incurred by Grizzly to offer the service.

[Jeff Monson]

I would suggest that anyone buying a large tool to do the same.

Thats alot to ask of a company IMO, its nice they do it for you.....but I'm sure that would change if everyone was asking
for that service.

[Keith Outten]

Andrew,

People would have to agree to the additional costs upfront and have the fee included in the cost of the machine. Unless Grizzly Tools becomes a non-profit organization it is reasonable for them not to be paid for an additional service.

Paying for an inspection is like buying insurance....you are betting against yourself. Considering the huge number of machines that they ship every month and how few machines have problems I believe I would prefer to take my chances and deal with any problems that might come up after the machine is received. The odds are in my favor
.

[Neil Brooks]

If you question the integrity of the Grizzly staff, I would suggest you buy elsewhere.

Actually, I wasn't singling out Grizzly in any way.

I just think the odds are OVERWHELMINGLY toward you getting a machine that meets their specs.

And I think Grizzly knows this.

So ... as others are implying ... this may not be a practical step for them to take -- particularly without some clear agreement as to what would BE done, and at what cost.

I'm certainly a tad cynical, or skeptical, but ... that's definitely not confined to Grizzly

[Russell Smallwood]

Interesting thread.

I think there is already a way to do this.

Buy from your local woodworking store, you may have to pay a bit more, but that is the cost of reducing the risk of your purchase. You will get white glove service (in most cases) and be able to deal with a single person who will go out of their way (again in most cases) to make sure you get exactly what you ordered.

Or, if you're like me, you can decide to roll the dice, save the money and order directly from a manufacturer (like Grizzly) who competes on price, knowing up front that you are ordering from a business that is working on very tight margins and cannot provide white glove service without either reducing quality or raising price.

If you can have your cake and eat it too, more power to you but I personally would not expect someone to do this for me unless I was paying for the service. Just economics 101

[Neil Brooks]

Russell:

Well said.

Time and again, I'm reminded of the old adage:

Price !
Quality !
Service !

Pick two

[Andrew Pitonyak]

On average, an extended warranty is a loss to the buyer, it is designed that way. The cost in time and money incurred because of a problem makes the decision. If I hire people to come to my location, move the equipment and then install it... More than five years ago I hired movers and I was paying $100 an hour for three guys working. For shorter period of times, there is usually a "show-up" charge. Someone who handles significant volume or is in other circumstances will likely not pay the extra charge, I agree.

[Rod Sheridan]

Andrew,

People would have to agree to the additional costs upfront and have the fee included in the cost of the machine. Unless Grizzly Tools becomes a non-profit organization it is reasonable for them not to be paid for an additional service.

Paying for an inspection is like buying insurance....you are betting against yourself. Considering the huge number of machines that they ship every month and how few machines have problems I believe I would prefer to take my chances and deal with any problems that might come up after the machine is received. The odds are in my favor
.

Keith, statiscally I agree with you.

However when you go from being a statistic to one of the exceptions sometimes it doesn't feel as good.

The last two machines I purchased, the manufacturer checked before delivering them to my house. Note that I purchased directly from the manufacturer, they did the inspection, and the delivery. It wasn't contracted out to a trucking company.

The results, (and the cost) was as expected, and as I wished.

Sometimes it's worth it to bet against yourself, depending upon how much sweat equity you want to put into a purchase...........Regards, Rod.

[John Fabre]

Most of my tools come uncorded or with no plugs, I don't know if I want some kid working on a shipping dock hooking my machines up. This sounds like good idea, but, if I don't trust the company's machines or warranties i'm buying from, then I don't buy from them.

[David Prince]

Unpacked, unbolted, cleaned, wired, and tested. Then, unwired, bolted, and repacked. Then shipped to you?

I think I would prefer that nobody messes with it and if I have a problem, I will sort it out with customer service.

I would think only a fraction of any tool could have a potential problem, but most customer complaints seem to come from shipping problems and not the tool itself. Repacking a table saw doesn't sound like that much fun to me and may actually cause more problems with the shipping company if it is messed with.

But, there are times that it would pay to have someone clean the cosmoline off my tool for me!

[Anthony Whitesell]

Obviously, I don't know that they do what they say. I do however, request that the inspection be put on the order and I have a tech support manager follow up. If there was an issue upon arrival that should have been noticed with the inspection, I would have no issue at all insisting that Grizzly pay the cost of getting the tool up from my basement. I hire movers to get it there and I have no 220 power anywhere else.
If you question the integrity of the Grizzly staff, I would suggest you buy elsewhere.

I would expect if the machine had been assembled and tested before it was shipped, there would be signs. Jointers and planers typically have cosmoline on the cutterheads. After testing it should be gone, or noticeable that it was removed and reapplied. The 220V machines would need to have a plug attached and removed so the wires should show "use". I highly doubt that they would actually run any wood through them so there would not be any chips or sawdust evident (which would also lead to the tables not having their cosmoline removed). In the case of the jointer I ordered, most of the bolts were through holes on painted surfaces, so I would also expect to notice disruptions in the paint around the holes while I was assembling it, either chipped or repainted.