[OP]
Member
Well said, Rod. That's a pretty amazing story as well. Unfortunately, finding the tool you want can be tough in smaller towns, especially when the big stores have already stamped out the local stores. I must admit that a bad customer service experience can quickly overshadow any money you save at the big box stores.
Member
I'm dissapointed that HD doesn't take the square back.
I'm even more dissapointed that Starrett doesn't take care of it.
Last year I bought a Starrett combo square from eBay, missing the scribe. I sent an email to Starrett, asking them where I could buy a scribe. Next thing I knew, they sent me one free of charge.
Member
Gosh Will, I feel your pain.
One thing I have discovered is that Home Depot has an extraordinarily generous return policy when an item is brought in through the door. Simply present the substandard item at the return desk and state what the malfunction is. Faster than you can say “Wham, Bam, Thank You…”, you can be credited in the tender of the original purchase; cash or credit card.
I agree with Frank. Make no mention of your previous experience. Walk in and state you received it as a present and it is defective and all you want to do is exchange it. If all the original packing is there and it shows no signs of not being purchased yesterday, there should be no issue. The person at the returns desk does just that, makes returns, not decisions. Give it a try and don't say anything about your previous discussions, etc.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
[OP]
Member
I've thought of that, but I don't know that it would work. Home Depot only sells Starrett squares online. I have a feeling they would realize this when they try to scan the barcode. (They don't allow returns of online items in their stores).Originally Posted by glenn bradley
[OP]
Member
I'm not giving up hope on Starrett yet. They've been helpful thus far and have made it clear that they will work to make things right. I'll see what they say tomorrow.
Sorry, my bad. You are correct. My HD declares the online group to be a whole different company in their eyes.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
I think the starret brand has gone down in quality, I recently ordered a starret protractor when I got it in the mail I checked the accuracy against several angles one being a starret square, it was off about 1.5 degrees, thinking this was just one that made it past QA I returned it and ordered another, same thing with the new one just off 1 deg in the other direction. so I gave up and just returned it.
Larry
[OP]
Member
Disappointed
Update:
Well, after again contacting Starrett, they connected me with their repair shop and had me send in my square to be repaired. At the time, they couldn't guarantee that it would be taken care of or that I wouldn't be charged for repairs, but the employee I spoke with seemed confident that they would warranty it. Now, a little over two weeks later, a package has arrived from Starrett. In it, I found a note stating that the blade had been replaced free of charge and that I should "back off on bolt one or two turns if the square slides rough on blade." Keep in mind that I had sent a letter along with the square in which I very clearly described the problem as being the excessive wear on the blade, not any roughness in function.
Maybe I'm wrong here, but the problem seems fairly simple to me. You have a head and a blade. If the blade is being scratched and worn, then you either have a problem with the blade's finish (unlikely) or a problem with how the slot in the head is machined (most likely). So, I take my repaired square out of the box, run the head down the blade a few times, and observe the finish being worn in the same pattern and on the same side as before.
So, I grabbed a flashlight and took a look at the slot in the head. Compared to the rest of the surfaces on the square, it looks pretty awful. I guess I'll be calling Starrett Monday and directly asking for a full replacement of the square. If they don't take care of it this time, I think I'll be done with Starrett. Of course, in the best case, I'll still be out ~$12 shipping the thing to Starrett twice plus the wasted time. I understand how parts can slip through inspection (you'd have to look closely to see inside the slot). However, I'm fairly disappointed that Starrett's repair shop didn't figure the problem out. I guess I should have specifically told them to check the head in my note...
Hopefully, I'll have better news next week.
Last edited by Will Yancey; 03-10-2007 at 12:36 AM.
Member
I agree w/ Jim , I would go straight to the source and make phone calls,
E-mail tag could take weeks to get anything done.
I Love My Dedicated Machines ! And My Dedicated Wife Loves Me !
NH Woodworkers Guild
Starrett is an old company and the still do things the old way. They do electricity, but the factory is over a hundred years old and it is a wonder that the things are as good as they are. The work force is comprised of two groups, old duffers past my age ( I am on Social Security) and young kids that just want a job. Depending on who worked on your square, you may be out of luck.
I would call the company and ask to speak to some one in charge. The offices are right there, not off in New York or some other bigh city. Don't settle for some low level person. You might mention the bad publicity they are getting. There are some there who care, you just need to find them.
CPeter
Member
Wow, what a lot of grief. I have used online Home Depot once and after reading your story I will pass on any future buys.
I have a Starrett square and like it better than the cheap one I used before, but I wonder if they aren't slipping with their tool quality.
I also second what Rod said about Lee Valley. They are a tool company that stands behind any tool they make.
Good luck
Contacted Starrett and expressed my concern that folks were getting a bad message. Email follows:
From:jrichardson@starrett.com
To:bragl01@yahoo.com
Subject:Starrett: CUSTOMER COMPLAINTDate:Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:44:35 -0500
Mr Bradley, Thank you for contacting us. If it is possible, please contact Mr Yancey and have him return the square to me. He may also contact me directly. I will work with our Repair Department to insure a replacement to his satisfaction. I apologize for his inconvenience. This is not how we normally handle this type of issue and I will work to determine where we went wrong.
John Richardson
978-249-3551 Ext. 178
jrichardson@starrett.com
The L.S. Starrett Company
121 Crescent Street
Athol, MA 01331
And my response to John at Starrett:
Thank you John for the type of response my little community of woodworkers has come to expect of Starrett. I have forwarded your email to Mr. Yancey who I'm sure will be pleased.
Thanks again,
Glenn Bradley
Last edited by glenn bradley; 03-13-2007 at 4:10 PM.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
[OP]
Member
Update
Well, thanks to Glenn's email, I had John and the head of the repair shop on three-way in about 30 seconds. As you might expect from a company with a reputation like Starrett's, they were very concerned about how this happened with my tool, and they were eager to fix the problem as quickly as possible. I'll be sending my square back today to have the blade replaced and the head repaired/replaced. From what I can tell, it looks like this was just a case of bad luck on my part.
I'd also like to add that I didn't start this thread to criticize Starrett or to threaten them with negative word-of-mouth advertising. I was just looking for a little help on a subject that I'm still new to and thought I'd keep you updated on my own personal experience. I appreciate everyone's help. I really do think this was an exceptional case and, after everything Starrett is doing to remedy the problem, I'm quite satisfied with them and will buy their products in the future. I still don't like Home Depot though.
Will
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