Member
Here's the point, I think (and it really has nothing to do with Patrick personally). Word of mouth advertising used to be worth something to a company, but it was just that - one person talking to another. With the internet, one person says something and thousands of people "hear" it. Woodpeckers gets that, and goes above and beyond to deal with problems. Companies that don't get it do so at their own peril.
Contributor
Patrick, you're right - I'm mystified how it could bother you enough to complain publically, but not enough to let them correct it for you. But I guess we just think differently about things like this.
Fred
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 01-21-2017 at 8:46 PM.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
[OP]
Guest
Fred it is two things.
The first being my whole point in posting to start with. I was not looking to strong arm a small business into a replacement. If i just wanted a replacement im pretty sure Woodcraft would had done the exchange no questions asked. Further it is clear Woodpeckers would had if they did not.
Im not stupid enough to go posting a thread looking for a replacment vrs just calling the company and seeing what i can get done. So now its a moral issue with regard to taking a replacement. If i took a replacement it would kibosh my original intent and be pretty two faced imop.
My sole point was this is a reacuring problem and to be another voice putting the word out in hopes it saves another the same aggravation.
The second reason is because i already made a new one and it would be a waste of resources..
Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly
Last edited by Patrick Walsh; 01-21-2017 at 9:24 PM.
Contributor
I see. Thanks for clarifying.
Take care!
Fred
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Member
Hi all-
This is my first post on the site after being a "lurker" for a few years. You all are great but I have to admit I've felt a bit hesitant to join in because of my gender. In any case, I've learned a ton of things from your discussions and I appreciate the wealth of information I find here. So I found this particular thread while trying to find and read about other's experiences attaching a Woodpecker's DP table to a T-slotted Drill Press table. I wanted to see how other people chose to install it so I could avoid having to make a table for the table to attach. So here's what happened. After reading this thread, I went and checked the table to make sure it was flat. This hadn't even occurred to me as a possibility coming from Woodpeckers! Sure enough, before I even checked it for flat with the fence, I could see my table was slightly curving up on both sides and looked like a smiley face. So I called Woodpeckers customer service and let them know about it, very inspired by this thread. The person I spoke with was very nice but unfortunately, since I purchased it online via "Amazon" he could not help me and said I need to try and arrange a return with Amazon. Apparently if you purchase Woodpecker's products from Amazon, it is a "different account" and must be settled with Amazon. Complicating the whole situation was the fact I purchased it last October right before a cold and rainy few months (even for Seattle) and this limited my ability to work in our garage. So I kept it in the house until my garage was usable again and I had time to devote. The vendor who Amazon shipped it from did not respond to two requests and Amazon can do nothing after 90 days. I ordered it from them because I have a prime account and shipping was free.
So I emailed Woodpecker's customer service yesterday and included proof of my Amazon purchase info. The response I received today was polite but form-letter style and instructed me to mail the table back and fill out a "repair/return" form. It said "we will determine if the product meets our tolerances" (whatever that means.) I know very well a warped MDF table cannot be "repaired" and this thing is super heavy. I am thinking shipping charges back to them will be as much or more as a new table. What would you all do? I am thinking of just taking the hardware off and reinstalling it on a flat baltic birch plywood replica- minus the table's awesome coating of course.
To make it worse, I placed an order yesterday for a few more Woodpecker's products- some in stock along with the One-Time Tool DelVe square. I chose to checkout with PayPal because it was easy and I was being too lazy to go grab my card from the depths of my purse. So I learned (too late) if you choose Paypal as your choice of payment, you do not get the option of shipping items separately. You have to wait until the entire order is filled before it ships. Well the DelVe square does not ship until June! So I asked-in the same letter sent about my dp table- if I really will have to wait on other items until June. For this I was informed I should call customer service with my request- in order for them to collect additional shipping charges first.
Nothing like being asked to pay even more money when you are already down!
So lesson learned- and (for me) the takeaway is do NOT buy Woodpecker's products from Amazon! Or if you do, just know you can't turn directly to Woodpeckers if the product is defective. Despite all this, I am still a Woodpecker Tools fan and have invested more money than I care to admit on their products. I own a few steel rules and measuring tools that I love. But a quick web search about these DP tables quickly made it apparent I am not alone- these MDF tables are often warped right out of the box. I just didn't expect it from a company with such a focus on "precision" tools!
So I apologize for hijacking this thread! Just thought, after the interesting discussion I've read here, you all might find the "We can help-except if you buy it from Amazon" information helpful. Obviously, once I start talking/posting, I tend to be long-winded!
Member
Cindy, welcome to the forum and congrats on your first post.
As you probably realize, if the table had been returned within the relevant period after receipt, you'd be a lot happier as Amazon would refund or replace. In terms of whether its worth moving all the gear onto a home made ply table - depending on the result you get from the return to Woodpeckers I would say go for it. I didn't realize they were now making the tables out of MDF as my version is Baltic Birch and has never warped. MDF is ok as long as it's properly sealed otherwise it will react to changes in humidity. I had a Bench Dog router table made out of MDF that stayed dead flat for years so it can work.
If they send you a replacement, seal all the open edges with something like shellac to avoid changes in the future.
I have several Woodpecker products and have been very happy with them. Having a long return period with no questions asked is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of vendors due to the abuse it attracts by some (not in your case) users. I've seen this happen in other situations like Williams and Sonoma - people return pans that have been abused for years and expect a full refund or like new replacement. Profit margins for most vendors these days are razor thin unless they are market leaders like Apple or, in our area, Festool
Contributor
Welcome Cindy! Glad to have you join us.
I'd make one more run at WP. Ask them if they will split the return shipping with you. What do you have to lose?
Let us know how it goes.
Fred
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Member
Thank you Andy! Yes, I completely understand where vendors are coming from and this was completely avoidable if I had just taken the time to check the table for flat right away. On the bright side, I will still have the precision double t-tracks and fence for the table I think I'll make tomorrow. It is supposed to be in the mid-40's here for the next few days- practically summer compared to the cold weather we've had- and I can comfortably work in my garage shop again.
Member
Thanks Fred! I might just do that. But after I posted my rant today, I realized it is not so much about the cost- and more about disappointment with the company continuing to sell a table that does not seems to live up to the standards you find in most of their other products. I had high hopes for this table because I absolutely love using my drill press and my current setup makes it a pain to use.
Member
Hi, Cindy
FWIW, I recently purchased one of the WP MDF router tables. It's nice and flat, no problems. They do, though, recommend to people living in coastal environments to apply wax to all exposed surfaces on the MDF. While I live in the center of the country, we do see pretty wild humidity changes, so I waxed it anyway. Can't hurt, and it's easy to do.
As for your reluctance to post because of your gender, on the few occasions that I've seen women posting here, I always think, "You go, girl!"
In Memoriam
Not relevant to the original/first post, but an option, nevertheless.
MIC-6 an Alcoa ground aluminum jig plate is flat.
Not only flat, but stiff, and of uniform thickness.
Heavy, not for DP tables that don't have cranks, unless Charles Atlas.
This sandwich is simple, tap-able for fence hardware or accessories.
Member
I have found a few things over the years that I like from woodpeckers. Behold the red wall.
IMG_0643.jpg
Member
Where can I source such a jig plate?
Member
I've got just a bit of "Red" on my walls too...
2012-12-06_14-52-02_879.jpg
Plus some on another wall and several in drawers & my apron. Shhh, don't tell the wife...
"I've cut the dang thing three times and it's STILL too darn short"
Name withheld to protect the guilty
Stew Hagerty
Member
It's good to see that I am not the only one.
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