Support for Kim and others: Letter to B&D re DeWalt 788

[handibunny]

As promised, here is a working draft of a letter to William Taylor, President
Professional Power Tools & Products, at Black & Decker. I used the corporate headquarters address, as provided by Kim.

If you are inclined to "join the cause" please make whatever changes you'd like. If you are a DeWalt 788 owner, that certainly should be mentioned, along with whatever specifics you'd like to include, especially if you've had problems with your saw.

The more diverse the letters are, the more impact they are likely to have. It may not be effective, but just complaining to each other is not likely to bring about the change we'd all like to see.

I'll probably get mine out over the weekend, since I don't think it matters if they all come at once or in a regular stream.

I'm pasting the text of the letter because I could not get it small enough to allow an upload. However, if you want it as an attachment, email me at [email protected]

[wood-n-things]

Very well done. I will copy it, make it my own, print it & send it.

[JackM]

That's a great letter, Carole. I hope that it gets their attention or maybe they just have the "let'm eat cake" attitude. Thanks for your work, I'll be saving it and hope that I will not need it in the future.
Jack

[wood-n-things]

Jack,
The intent is to send them in now to get things fixed and bring attention to the problems that already are prevalent. Don't just hang on to it. Change it a little and sign it and mail it.

[NC Scroller]

Nicely worded. Thanks

[Janette]

Great letter! I do need to write him.

[Janette]

Perhaps we should start a thread for everyone to put their own story into - all could be printed and enclosed with your own letter...just a thought.

[lkbraa]

WOW Carole...quick and very professional!!! THANK YOU just does not seem adequate enough.

I will definitely make a copy and perhaps add a few additional notes concerning the 'design' of the on/off switch and the availability of parts for repair (or should I say the lack of availability) for owners that do not have access to a nearby authorized service center or their warranty has expired.

I do appreciate everyone’s support on this issue! I do want to make it clear that my initial posting was not to smear DeWalt’s name/image, but merely to vent my frustrations and share my experience. I do believe that the DW788 was once a reliable scroll saw, as are many of their products. Perhaps by bringing honest and true attention to the issues, current and future scrollers may be able to enjoy ol’ yeller for many more years to come instead of dealing with an ol’ lemon.

[wood-n-things]

Kim,
I agree with your sentiment. My ol' yeller did not get tired until he was 12 years old.

[Bill Wilson]

Thanks Carole,

Using yours as a template, I have composed my own letter and will send it to Mr. Taylor at my earliest convenience. I sincerely hope a significant number of others join in and we see a positive response and perhaps some sign of a turn of the tide at DeWalt.

[sawdust11703]

Sadly I think you're wasting your time. For Dewalt, their scroll saw is one of their least popular tools. Therefore it's not really a priority for them. When I took mine to my local Dewalt Service Shop, they don't even carry any parts for it. Anything your saw might need has to be ordered. The guy there told me he sees a scroll saw about twice a year. Even though this is our hobby, the reality is most people who own power tools don't own a scroll saw. I understand your frustration but your letter will most likely fall on deaf ears.

[handibunny]

Well, there's no harm in giving it a try. You never know when you'll catch the ear of someone who can make a difference. It's fine to be sympathetic about others' troubles, but real support comes from efforts to do something, IMHO.

[sawdust11703]

I hear you Carole. I wish you much luck with it. For me, my disgust with the Dewalt caused me to go out and buy an EX. It appears that Dewalt gives their scroll saw low priority because I own a bunch of other Dewalt tools and they perform excellent. They seem to be good quality and I have never had one problem. So why shouldn't their scroll saw have the same standards! I should also add that the repair people at the long island service center are completely clueless about the scrollsaw. Not only did they not fix my problem, but they also messed with my tension bar and set it completely wrong. I had to show them how the tension should be set.

One thing about your letter Carol and for anyone else writing, I think its important to give them a full listing of the various problems people have been having with the saw and also some design recommendations or changes you would like to see. They have to be informed as to where the saw is falling short and how you would like it changed. Best of luck to everyone writing. Maybe someday my Dewalt can be up and running as a backup.

[handibunny]

Well, after my own experiences with an inadequate repair job on the shop's DeWalt, I bought a Hegner. I was ready for an upgrade anyway, but didn't like the needless complexity of the the DeWalt, and the problems getting parts. Now the shop's tool has a completely useless tension lever, but since no one uses it anyway now that I'm working at home, it's moot.

At the very least, maybe having a letter of acknowledgement from someone at DeWalt can be used for leverage if anyone needs to bring a tool in. Sometimes knowing the right names can be helpful. And if that helps save some folks some grief, it's well worth my 44 cents.

[Bill Wilson]

Sadly I think you're wasting your time. For Dewalt, their scroll saw is one of their least popular tools. Therefore it's not really a priority for them. When I took mine to my local Dewalt Service Shop, they don't even carry any parts for it. Anything your saw might need has to be ordered. The guy there told me he sees a scroll saw about twice a year. Even though this is our hobby, the reality is most people who own power tools don't own a scroll saw. I understand your frustration but your letter will most likely fall on deaf ears.

You may well be right. I even made a similar point in my letter to Mr. Taylor, acknowledging that the scroll saw is a niche tool. However, many of us own lots of other tools and a bad experience or lack of confidence with a particular brand will translate to customers looking elsewhere when they need to buy a router, or a planer or a sander, etc. I think companies that underestimate the threat of bad PR, especially when that bad PR is being generated at the speed of light on the internet, do so at their own peril.

Companies that take customer satisfaction seriously do pay attention to such things. Perhaps the response we get (or don't get) will be a clear message of how seriously Black & Decker/DeWalt takes customer satisfaction.