So disappointed in Rockler

[will8989]

That we stopped ordering from them. In November a customer handed me a cheese board slicer off the table the wire was broken. Blamed Bruce for tightening the wire too much. Next day I noticed one on the table broken. Told Bruce to ease up on Tightening them. At the farmers market a week later another one broke when a customer was testing the slicer. They walked away. I pulled them from the table. Bruce, SLRA is worse on tools and parts, started his investigation. We had bought from them exclusively all year for the kits. They always send 2 extra wires. The new kit had wires that were thinner than original. Not much but noticeable to us and causing the breakage. He called the new store in Fairfax, talked to manager and said he would look into it. That was November. In January the manager was a speaker at Annapolis woodworkers. Bruce said one word to him, wires. The manager knew who he was. Said he would notify Rockler for them to contact us. Almost 2 months later, not one word from anyone. We lost some money but went back to Woodriver parts from Penn State and Woodcraft.. They are 3/4” smaller than rockler making for a smaller board. But we have never had any problem with them. As far as I’m concerned Rockler lost a good customer.

[Don in Brooklin On]

Our club does group bulk buys for 100 at a time from https://www.cheeseslicing.com/

I would think we have bought 300 - 400 and never have I have I heard of a problem with wires even though we have extra wires on hand. They also guarantee the wires.

The ones I made a few and I don't think anyone has broken a wire.

They have other bulk prices too.

[Rolf]

Sorry to hear that. Companies need to support the customers especially since there is so much competition.

[hotshot]

That is too bad. I personally like Rockler and have had pretty good luck with the jigs and stuff I bought there. Thank goodness I didnt' try thier kits.

As for the lack of follow through, I fight that every day at work, and see that across all segments of business. If I ask a question, and if they say, "I'll have to look into it", it's not going to happen except on rare occasions.

[Linda In Phoenix]

In business the worst thing you can do is give lip service without follow through, even if it's just to acknowledge that you don't know the answer yet. Sorry to hear about your experience with them. Since you've already tried the totally respectable and proper route, maybe it's time you got their attention. I know you are on Facebook. So are they. Tag them in a Facebook post about your bad experience and their lack of response. You might finally get some sort of reply.

[will8989]

Don, I really thought Bruce was twisting them too tight. But, we have been selling these for years and just had the problem this past year. I saw a customer try the slicer, it went back in the slot no problem than just popped. We switched from Woodriver parts to Rockler just about a year ago. You can actually see the difference in thickness of the wire from when we first started ordering to the latest batch we got and they aren’t very thick to begin with. Will check out where you get yours from. Thanks. Randy, we overlooked the first request since he was opening a new store, holidays, etc. But after an in person conversation with Bruce? Almost 2 months ago. A simple it’s being looked into and may take some time would have been nice.

[markdavd]

Just curious - did you buy them from the local store or order them from Rockler? I don't see where you say you contacted Rocker customer service, only the local store manager. I also don't see where he tried to return any unused inventory,

I agree that companies need to support their customers better, but the customers need to make sure they are asking correctly. There might be a few lessons for everyone in your story. First, try and start with the right person or department. Unless something was bought at the local store or you are returning the unused stock there, the local store manager is probably not be the best person to start with to resolve a problem. S/He has a lot of responsibility and chasing down quality issues usually isn't a major part of that. Imagine if everyone within 100 miles of that store contacted the manager with every question or problem with a Rockler product.

I think the manager's mistake in this case is the first time Bruce talked with him, he should have given Bruce the contact number where he can directly talk with customer service. They would be better equipped to ask the right questions and to make sure the situation is addressed. By promising to 'look into it' he added at least one extra layer between the customer and resolution of the problem.

The other thing is for any situation is to remember to never rely on an informal meeting as a main contact. When Bruce saw him at the meeting how many other folks did he talk with that night? Most of us have had it happen were we encountered other people while out and made promises we had every intention of keeping only to get distracted and forget by the next day. If you are making this kind of request, always follow up via phone or email as a reminder. This is usually learned the hard way.

[will8989]

This is a new store and Bruce talked with the manager. We got the parts directly from Rockler. Bruce had been in touch with the manager a few times because of the woodworkers club. We overlooked first contact as he was busy with a new store, holidays, etc. When Bruce talked with him in January Bruce had the old and new wires. He said he would get in touch with Rockler and get back. In the meantime, Bruce was going to PT and other tests for his knee replacement. Even a call the manager couldn’t get any answers contact this person would have been acceptable. As for asking and handling correctly, Bruce handled parts for Cummins for 35 years and always handled what he could or got back to the customer in a timely manner for resolution or further contact. I asked Bruce if he wanted to email customer service and he said no, one and done. I am checking out the company Don gave me info for. Otherwise, Woodcraft is opening a new store about 20 minutes from us instead of us traveling to Rockville.