Rutlands

[Kieran62]

Afternoon all.
I've just had a very pleasing customer services experience with Rutlands.
I ordered the planer blade set up jig to help with my new to me planer/thicknesser.
When it arrived, one of the jigs had misaligned magnets; the jig wouldn't even sit flush to the cutter block without rocking.
I phoned customer services, expecting a long wait in a queue; the phone was answered on the third ring and I explained what the problem was to a very helpful Nathan Grant, he agreed it need to be returned, and before we'd finished our conversation, I had an email with a returns address label attached.
I returned the jig late Tuesday afternoon, and received an email from Nathan today, informing me that he had checked the new jigs and calibrated them before dispatch.
What can I say?
A first class service, with excellent communications.
Thank You Nathan

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Hopefully a new trend for Rutlands rather than "one good apple".

 

[YorkshireMartin]

What compelled you to post that here?

Not having a dig, genuinely interested.

 

[monkeybiter]

What compelled you to post that here?

Not having a dig, genuinely interested.

Surely it's because they get so many complaints on this forum, credit where it's due.

 

[MikeJhn]

Credit for what, putting right their mistake in the first place, no credit due there.

Lets not loose sight of the fact that their QA is such, that it was sent to a customer, unusable, without being checked.

Mike

 

[Glynne]

Credit for what, putting right their mistake in the first place, no credit due there.

Lets not loose sight of the fact that their QA is such, that it was sent to a customer, unusable, without being checked.

Mike

The reality of modern day manufacturing and commerce is that very few (as in really very few) organisations can afford to check 100% of their products and companies such as Rutlands who re-sell from other manufacturers will probably only check selective batches.
If you look at British QA standards then often the difference in standards is simply the %age of products that are checked before being sold.
I agree it would be nice if everything was checked before being sold but given the reality that this isn't going to happen, then I think it's more than reasonable to give credit for rectifying the issue promptly.
Rutlands do get a lot of negative press but at the same time they do provide some usable and cheap kit (I have their router table for instance) and so this type of post will give some confidence to forum users thinking about buying from them.

 

[monkeybiter]

I had electrical problems with my table saw, a big 12" 3hp with a sliding table, cast top etc., cost a fair bit for a hobbyist. I had to contact the supplier, who dealt with it very well, but never the less I spent a lot of money for something that failed.
The supplier was Axminster.
If you regard that as a 'mistake' then I think you're mistaken. Faults happen, it's how they're resolved that's important.

 

[MikeJhn]

So a company supplying a faulty product is not a mistake, Wow that is the kind of acceptance that allows companies to get away with supplying defective products and allowing it to continue, without complaints this sort of thing will happen over and over again this is not acceptable in modern day manufacturing and commerce whatever is being manufactured and wherever it is coming from, Rutlands do not make anything and everything they buy in for re-sale will have gone through a QA procedure before it gets to them in the manufacturing and packaging of the item, to continue being complacent with this type of faulty manufacturing we perpetuate the problem.

Mistake synonyms: error, fault, inaccuracy, omission, slip, blunder, miscalculation, misunderstanding, flaw, oversight, misinterpretation, fallacy, gaffe, faux pas, solecism, misapprehension, misconception

Mike

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Most UK companies are in the business of importing pallet loads of already packaged products. Checking the quality of the contents immediately renders the product "second hand" as at the very least any packaging and labels will be compromised.

So QA can only rest with the manufacturer. The issue is the pressure put on the manufacturer to improve.

Some companies value customer satisfaction and the future business that good products and service engender. They will be prepared to pay a little extra to the manufacturer to minimise future complaints.

Others will take a short term view - replace faulty products and accept returns as a normal business risk. Will beat suppliers down to the lowest cost per unit.

The worst pressurise the manufacturer to the lowest possible price and then provide a dilatory or reluctant response to customers with faulty products.

There are examples of all three in the woodworking community!!

 

[lurker]

hell will freeze over before I buy anything from Rutlands ever again

 

[YorkshireMartin]

hell will freeze over before I buy anything from Rutlands ever again

Why not buy from them, all their products are reviewed 4 or 5 stars so they must be good. =P~

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Just to think a little of perspective, I wonder how many of an idividual item a large company imports? Some years ago I read a piece of marketing blurb by DeWalt which said they had a manufacturing rejection rate of something like 0.000127 - which sounded brilliant until someone pointed out if airliners failed at that rate there would be a major air disaster every day.

 

[Kieran62]

Afternoon,
YorkshireMartin. I put it here because I'd bought something that was faulty and was pleasantly surprised at how promptly the issue was dealt with; considering the many negative comments we've seen about Rutlands in the past, I was fully expecting a drawn out process.
MikeJhn. All companies have faults with stock, it is how they deal with complaints and remedy the situation that counts; I've had truly awful experiences with some companies that have dragged on for weeks before being resolved!

 

[jnw010]

hell will freeze over before I buy anything from Rutlands ever again

I tend to agree, they are my supplier of last resort.

 

[Bob Graham]

I've bought several bits of kit from Rutlands involving a fair bit of money and have dealt with Nathan on two or three occasions by phone and e-mail and this guy is on the ball and a pleasure to deal with.

 

[Brian18741]

I've bought a good few things off Rutlands and rated them 5 stars! I've dealt with Nathan as well. I bought their Wetstone sharpening system a while ago but the water bath was missing from the package. Nathan had it posted out to me the same day! I'd have no problem buying from them again.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[MikeJhn]

interesting to read the definitive definition of QA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_assurance it would seem to me that nobody archives its objectives, so in effect its meaningless.

ISO 9000 Pah.

Mike

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I heard someone I know saying years ago that ISO 9000 was pretty meaningless, as it was more concerned with consistency than quality - you could turn out something indifferent so long as it was consistently indifferent.

 

[MikeJhn]

Can't remember the details, but I think its was BS5750 that checked the paper trail of a company to ensure consistency, I worked for a very highly technical profession and the first time we where audited, it was carried out by a newly trained ex-bricklayer this did not inspire a lot of confidence in the system, I expected the paper trail to be inspected by someone that at least knew something about the technicalities of the profession being checked.

Mike

 

[RobinBHM]

interesting to read the definitive definition of QA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_assurance it would seem to me that nobody archives its objectives, so in effect its meaningless.

ISO 9000 Pah.

Mike

Im not sure I understand what this means.......

ISO9000 is a quality assurance system. It is a management systrm. It allows a business to define and control quality using a standard system that is externally audited.

It does not set a quality standard, that must be defined by the business.

BS5750 was the UK standard that was harmonised into the Intetnational standards.