In small Southern towns almost everything used to be bought from a
kindly old local merchant whom we all knew personally. If we didn't like
him for whatever reason, we didn't give him our custom, that is unless
the clerk, his teen age daughter, was pretty. Sit-up & Rear-back and
Monkey Ward were the only mail order firms we dealt with then, and
although the A&P and the 'filling stations' were owned from 'out of
town', they were run by locals held to our strict standards of conduct.

Times have changed and now it seems that residents of small hamlets and
large cities alike buy by mail or e-mail and pay to a different
location. Our inquiries are filtered thorough a lengthy logic tree with
its roots in a different country, but they do record that "our calls are
important to them", whoever "they" are, wherever "they" may be.

We don't know the individual whom we buy from anymore, so I'm beginning
to believe that it's best to buy the best product at the best price,
regardless of the vendor's attitude or his location.

Forgive me if I've used this analogy before, but I think it's valid. The
famous painting of the beloved incompetent old doctor sitting by her
beside while the little girl dies from diphtheria is sweet nostalgia,
but most of us would rather have a young obnoxious competent 'hotshot'
phone in from the golf course a prescription that cures our little girl.

I guess I prefer to buy a superior gouge from an inferior dealer than
give my custom to a superior dealer for an inferior gouge. Seems that
there's not much middle ground these days, but I hope you all will
dissuade me or tell me it isn't so.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Arch,

We have a couple of local stores here in San Diego that sell to
woodturners. I frequent them whenever I can, even if the price is a
little more. When it comes to tool selection, I think in terms of the
requirement for the tool. I might have a brand preference, but if the
local guy has an alternate tool that meets my needs, I buy local.

I also make a point of spreading my dollars out a bit when I can,
favoring the most local over others.

So why support the local guy? We have a place here in San Diego called
the San Diego Woodturning Centre. They sell tools, accessories and
lathes. They offer classes for beginners too. I shop there whenever I
can. What they provide on top of this is a GREAT place for our club to
meet, a place for our club to store things and a constant stream of
world class turners for demonstrations and advanced-level classes. I
owe them a lot.

After six years in business, they announced this summer that they are
closing down the business. I am somewhat upset with my club mates that
we didn't do a better job supporting them. Next moth, I get to take a
class with Binh Pho. They close up for good after that. We all lose.

Joe Fleming - San Diego

Arch wrote:

I guess I prefer to buy a superior gouge from an inferior dealer than
give my custom to a superior dealer for an inferior gouge. Seems that
there's not much middle ground these days, but I hope you all will
dissuade me or tell me it isn't so.

It ain't so Arch. In this day and age there's so many good dodads
available that one isn't restricted to the bandit on the corner. A
google search or query in the newsgroup usually turns up dozens of
options at good prices from good dealers.

I'm probably just an idiot, but I don't support business that I perceive
to be butt-heads. Some years back a well known turning vendor in one of
the western states was engaged in what I considered to be slimy business
practices, and posted some inflamatory messages here rather than
responding in a calm, professional manner when the matter was debated
here. I posted at the time that they need not bother sending me any
more of their catalogs as they lost me as a customer. (They must have
read it because I haven't gotten a catalog from them sense!)

They have a very good selection of turning tools, generally a good
reputation for support/service, but to tell you the truth, I've never
regreted my decision. I've not lacked for choices or competitive prices
since. Some folks might thing I'm just being a COC, cutting off my nose
to spite my face, but I figure my principles are of more value than some
slight advantage I might gain by dealing with jerks. At any rate I sleep
well at nights...

....Kevin
--
Kevin Miller
http://www.alaska.net/~atftb
Juneau, Alaska
Registered Linux User No: 307357

Arch,

Here is a little twist on your discourse. I refuse to purchase from
vendors that I feel are dishonest (for example Comp-USA). I'm very
reluctant to buy from vendors who provide poor or no support. I also
try to buy the best quality that I can afford, within reason. I had
what I thought were service problems with a certain vendor 2 out of 3
orders and decided to write them off. I even posted my displeasure. I
eventually went back to them because they were the only source for a
particular brand. Once again a problem. However, I realized that all
of the bad experiences came when I ordered a particular brand. The
single order that had nothing from that brand was perfect. Ahhhhh.
This time I gave the vendor the benefit of the doubt. I gave them time
and they had to hound the manufacturer over 6 months to get the problem
resolved. They never gave up. So now I have the opposite dilemma.
The vendor is great, it's the manufacturer of the high quality brand
that's the jerk. My problem is that I have 3 chucks of that brand and
6 sets of jaws. I had intended to keep buying chucks till I had each
jaw set permanetly mounted. Now, even though I still consider the
product best I don't trust the manufacturer. By the way, Craft
Supplies is the great vendor that I had unfairly complained about in
the past. Axminster is the company that produces a wonderful chuck and
every jaw conceivable BUT at least in the US does not support it's
products.

I think that for the most part, customer service is such a rarity, I
almost always go with price/selection. I buy on the net from several
different companies, and have even had grea luck with my EBAY
purchases.

I always use my American Express business card to pay as (unlike
Visa/MC) they will eat a vendor alive if they don't stand by their
product.

At my local woodworking machine store, and at Woodcraft, it is the same
situation. If the good guys are there, you get better service, and I
will sometimes buy from them. But when the knotheads are there, I find
out what I want at their store and go search the net and have it
delivered to my office.

Robert

wrote in message
oups.com...
At my local woodworking machine store, and at Woodcraft, it is the same
situation. If the good guys are there, you get better service, and I
will sometimes buy from them. But when the knotheads are there, I find
out what I want at their store and go search the net and have it
delivered to my office.


Strangely, I have found it to my advantage to have someone to look in the
eye when I have a problem. If there are others in the store, even better,
because I am doing two things which affect their business - taking their
time and giving the prospective customers a look at what they might expect
if they have a problem.

It's price point people that keep the impersonal big box places growing. Of
course, they soon find out that they don't sell many advanced tools, and
drop them in favor of the consumer-grade stuff the price point people want.

If Craft Supplies cant supply your needs them complain cos we only
supply what they order from us. Or use our web site to order
axminster.co.uk
ebd wrote:
Arch,

Here is a little twist on your discourse. I refuse to purchase from
vendors that I feel are dishonest (for example Comp-USA). I'm very
reluctant to buy from vendors who provide poor or no support. I also
try to buy the best quality that I can afford, within reason. I had
what I thought were service problems with a certain vendor 2 out of 3
orders and decided to write them off. I even posted my displeasure. I
eventually went back to them because they were the only source for a
particular brand. Once again a problem. However, I realized that all
of the bad experiences came when I ordered a particular brand. The
single order that had nothing from that brand was perfect. Ahhhhh.
This time I gave the vendor the benefit of the doubt. I gave them time
and they had to hound the manufacturer over 6 months to get the problem
resolved. They never gave up. So now I have the opposite dilemma.
The vendor is great, it's the manufacturer of the high quality brand
that's the jerk. My problem is that I have 3 chucks of that brand and
6 sets of jaws. I had intended to keep buying chucks till I had each
jaw set permanetly mounted. Now, even though I still consider the
product best I don't trust the manufacturer. By the way, Craft
Supplies is the great vendor that I had unfairly complained about in
the past. Axminster is the company that produces a wonderful chuck and
every jaw conceivable BUT at least in the US does not support it's
products.

In article .com,
"Joe Fleming" writes:
After six years in business, they announced this summer that they are
closing down the business.

Major bummer. I had a great time that one time I visited and took a class to
escape watching golf on TV with the inlaws.
I guess I'm going to have to find another excuse next time I visit San Diego...

bruno.