Starrett disappointment.

[Matt Meiser]

Hey Spring, if you don't get a new one or some relief, may I suggest a 12 lb. sledge. That should fix it mighty fine.

I'll come down if I can have a swing and take pix. You think Casey should get the first swing? Or would you want the honor?

Karl

Then ship it back to the address they gave you with a note that it doesn't seem to work right.

[John Miliunas]

Once again, thanks for all the great suggestions! Tod, I especially appreciate your going the extra mile to try and help with a resolution. You rock, man!!!

I was just plain old too busy today to get over to HD and see about a refund or possibly a replacement. BUT, here's what I did do today: I started a second job, part time. What's that got to do with this thread? Oh nothing...Except for the fact that the job happens to be at a very popular WW store in our area. These guys sell a number of different brand measuring devices and wouldn't you just know it, the "S" brand is among them!!! You're free to draw you own conclusions on that one!

Oh, and for whatever it's worth, I have definitely decided that I am not spending my hard-earned money on additional shipping costs back to that particular outfit, especially after the treatment I've received from them! At this point, it's way beyond the accuracy (or lack of) of the product. It's now a matter of principal and the acknowledgement that their CS is terrible. If I can get my (my daughter's) money back or get a unit which does indeed work from the reseller of this thing, I'll call this case closed. Heck, even if I don't get satisfaction there, I'll still call it closed! I've got a LOT more pressing issues healthwise to deal with right now, without having to mess with a Mickey Mouse outfit unwilling to do the right thing and just add more stress to my life.

With that, let's just let this dead dog lie and move on to more important things. Thanks again for your support, gents!!!

[Barry O'Mahony]

John,

I'd just like to stress one thing, that goes beyond the matter of the Digitape. That's the fact that tape measures, whether the Digitape or any other, are not precision measuring instruments. They're designed for construction and carpentry, and not the kind of precision one may need in woodworking.

Tape measures are manufactured in what is essentially a specialized type of printing press. The "plate" is a rubber belt. As you can imagine, rubber stretches, and otherwise changes shape due to temperature and other factors. It's not at all unusual for two tape measures to have markings that that are in slightly different places, or for an inch on a single tape to be different lengths on different parts of the tape.

So what is a reasonable precision to expect? In the absence of any other guidance from the manufacturer, the rule of thumb is the precision is on the order of the smallest graduation on the instrument; the old "significant digits" criterion for a measurement.

For alot of woodworking measurements, this doesn't matter. If one needs two boards the same length, about 3 feet in length, you can use a tape to make them the same and it doesn't matter if they are in fact both 36 1/32". However, if you need to then make another board that's half the length, making it match the 18" mark on the tape may not result in a board that's exactly half the length of the other two.

If one needs better precision then that, they are better off using a steel ruler with engraved markings, rather than something that was produced via a printing-type process.

[tod evans]

Tod - Been thinking about this thread and your "I don't have the answer" thread all day as they've both been troubling me. I wonder if I'm the only one who sees the parallel; and perhaps the answer. Technology - and specifically these frigging computers we stare at.

andy, computers are both good and bad but given the chance i`ll do human to human. much easier to resolve anything and if you type one fingered much faster too! untill i stumbled accross smc my time on this darn box was limited to mail and the occasional auction...i interact much better with kids and dogs than grown-ups so i`m really quite supprised i haven`t been asked to leave.(yet) ......02 tod

[John Weber]

John,

Working in a tool store, it's that like a kid in a candy shop...

Anyway with all this Starrett talk, I picked up a new battery for my Digitape, it really is a cool little tool, the electronic display is especially helpful for inside measurements. With the new battery mine works like a charm, even American made ( I had assumed it was made in China - because everything weems to be made there).

So if you have a chance, you might just swap for a new one. Nice tool. Not to take up for Starrett, but they are a very traditional company, trying to compete and transform in the "new" economy, while maintaining the long standing name for quality products. The building I'm in also houses a Starrett distributer, and at the core industrail level they seem to have as strong customer support as ever. I think the consumer business is new for them and they may or may not be successful in it. Not to let them off the hook, but I might not totally wright them off.

Take Care Buddy - John

[John Miliunas]

John,

Working in a tool store, it's that like a kid in a candy shop...

Anyway with all this Starrett talk, I picked up a new battery for my Digitape, it really is a cool little tool, the electronic display is especially helpful for inside measurements. With the new battery mine works like a charm, even American made ( I had assumed it was made in China - because everything weems to be made there).

So if you have a chance, you might just swap for a new one. Nice tool. Not to take up for Starrett, but they are a very traditional company, trying to compete and transform in the "new" economy, while maintaining the long standing name for quality products. The building I'm in also houses a Starrett distributer, and at the core industrail level they seem to have as strong customer support as ever. I think the consumer business is new for them and they may or may not be successful in it. Not to let them off the hook, but I might not totally wright them off.

Take Care Buddy - John

May have more "news" on this forthcoming. Not saying for sure until and if it happens. Stay tuned.

[Steve Clardy]

So John.

With this new part time job, are you getting a paycheck

or,----------------trading fer more goodies

[John Miliunas]

So John.

With this new part time job,
or,----------------trading fer more goodies

I'm afraid it's the latter, Steve. If I can make it through August or so, I may be able to scrape up a few bucks to take advantage of the discount but, for now, all I can do is drool and dream. Getting to meet some nice WW folks, though!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I'm afraid it's the latter, Steve. If I can make it through August or so, I may be able to scrape up a few bucks to take advantage of the discount but, for now, all I can do is drool and dream. Getting to meet some nice WW folks, though!

Can you wear your SMC hat at work...?

[John Miliunas]

First of all, Stu, I don't do hats! Never did. Just don't care for them so no, not going to be doing the SMC hat there BUT, I have been handing out a LOT of url locations for SMC!

OK, to the meat of this post. I left the thread pretty much resolved to the fact that I was done dealing with any further calls, emails, expense of sending the unit back or with Starrett as a whole. My last email to them indicated just that. Well, I guess they intended on having the last word, after all.

I believe it was on Wednesday, I called the LOML from work before leaving for Job #2. She said same lady from ???? called to let me know that she checked out a new tape measure and was shipping it out to me!!! Sure enough, I got home from work today and there sat this little package from FEX. Yup, it was a brand new Digitape, complete with a battery, as well as a spare in the original package!!!! Just a packing slip accompanied the unit and in the description a short blurb that the unit should be given to Karen to check out before shipping! (I'm thinking Karen may be the gal who I left a message for and didn't get a call back from several days earlier. Don't know for sure...) Regardless, not even an RMA to send back the original! That's pretty decent, me thinks.

At any rate, this particular tape is slightly different than the one I originally received but, the good news is, it works exactly as advertised and as I had expected it to the first time!!! And, as John W. indicated, it is pretty darn slick.

So, in the end, it appears that Starrett may indeed be willing to retain the following they've built up over the years! Not only does that make me happy personally but, it restores my confidence in a good 'ol US company! Quite frankly, I'd have found it hard to not recommend Starrett over much of the TaiChi stuff out on the shelves at the store! Further, I can now honestly tell folks that, "Yes. Starrett will take care of you!" Granted, it did take a bit of perseverance but, in the end, Starrett went the extra mile to make sure I was taken care of! My hat's off to Karen and the folks at Starrett. You made my day!

[Bruce Page]

I love happy endings!

[Jim O'Dell]

John, sorry you got so frustrated that you were to the point of giving up. None of us need to have to go through that, sorry you were made to. But I'm glad it got resolved and you got a tool that works. I know that's all you wanted from the beginning.
Forget the hassle it took to get one that works, and just think of your daughter each time you use it!!! Jim.

[Mike Henderson]

In the January 30th issue of Business Week, page 94, there's a story titled "Would Your Recommend Us?". What it says is that there's a correlation between revenue growth and positive response to that question.

Quality products and customer service would seem to be one of the paths to success for a company.

I'm happy to hear that Starrett finally decided to step up and address the problem you had, John.

Mike

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Glad to hear that Starrett made you happy! I have several of their metal working tools and am very satisfied. I was shocked to hear that they were ignoring your complaints. Seems like they may have their own way of handling complaints.

[Jay T. Marlin]

Further, I can now honestly tell folks that, "Yes. Starrett will take care of you!" Granted, it did take a bit of perseverance but, in the end, Starrett went the extra mile to make sure I was taken care of!

I don't know about that. There really is no conclusive evidence as to how good Starrett's CS really is. You made a huge deal out of it by starting a giant, 3000-view thread on it. More imporantly, you sent a link to this thread to Starrett.

So the question remains.... did Starrett make things right because of this thread, or would they have done it anyway?

We'll never know.

Had it been me who received the defective product, the FIRST thing I would've done was try to exchange the product for a new one at the store where it was purchased. Had the store refused due to no receipt, I would've bought a new one and returned the old one. Case closed in 30 minutes.