TOP MARKS

[axe]

I am still not convinced that three months is worth praising?

Anyway, I had some stuff delivered from them yesterday and the quality is so poor it's going back.

I filled in the on-line returns form last night and it will be interesting to see how long they take to sort it out

To be honest, with your constant negativity and carping towards Axminster both here and over on the other forum, I reckon they could have given you the stuff for free and you'd still whinge and send it back.

I find that rather rude to be honest. It would seem that only praise is allowed for Axminster.

Over the years I have bought plenty of stuff from them. It's just my opinion that's all that three months is a long time to wait.

It seems strange to me that I can easily get parts for Makita, Dewalt, Festool etc? I did in fact buy some parts recently for an Elu router and biscuit jointer and had the parts within two days which is just as it should be.

Will you keep us informed regarding progress on your return?

No, I'm afraid not. Obviously unless I come up with a glowing report, it won't be welcome

Cheers

Dave

 

[marcros]

I would be a little disappointed to have to wait 12 weeks for parts on a machine, but at the end of the day, it is (now) rated as "hobby". I would be more disappointed if i had a trade rated machine that i required parts for (to enable me to make a living) and having to wait longer than a few days (at most). The TS200 is quite a common machine on this forum, but in the grand scheme of things it probably doesnt warrant a full inventory of spares- presumably Axminster have ran some analysis to look at what parts should be stocked. Outside of a relatively small group, it is an unheard of machine.

As stated somewhere above- a hard balance to strike.

 

[Eric The Viking]

It seems strange to me that I can easily get parts for Makita, Dewalt, Festool etc? I did in fact buy some parts recently for an Elu router and biscuit jointer and had the parts within two days which is just as it should be.

I agree that three months is a long time. But the OP didn't wait that long, and it was a highly unusual part to fail.

I assume also, since Elu stuff is no longer made, your parts came from a parts specialist, and that you paid a premium for them. I bought a LH-thread bolt for my EB mitre saw recently. It was several quid - for one, short M8 bolt! I also replaced the base on an old, small Bosch router, and the collet and a few other small bits. Overall, that was more than the thing cost new (but it's a great little router).

But both are from major manufacturers with long-established 3rd-party spares channels, who treat spares as a profit-centre. I can't be certain about Axminster's internal accounting, obviously, but I suspect you're not comparing apples with apples.

Will you keep us informed regarding progress on your return?

No, I'm afraid not. Obviously unless I come up with a glowing report, it won't be welcome

That's a shame. If they do badly it's helpful to know. If they do well, that's helpful too.

E.

 

[Jacob]

.........
It's a hard balance to strike - support costs big money, and that ends up on the price ticket, one way or another.....

It's a very effective promotional / customer relations thing and failing to do it loses sales. All the bigguns seem to have immaculate no quibble return/refund options and/or other efficient ways of dealing with issues like this.
This thread alone could lose Ax. some sales on the ts200 saw (their own brand!) and quite right too.

....it was a highly unusual part to fail.....

Not so. Bearings and belts are the very first things to fail.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Jacob, you're somewhat frustrating!

It wasn't the bearing that was the issue. The OP changed them himself, and anyway, bearings are standard parts, readily available.

And I said:

Regarding your combi, incidentally, how long ago was it, and what was the price difference between the two machines?

So what are the answers to those questions, because they're pertinent.

E.

 

[pip1954]

seems to have hit a bit of a nerve , (hammer) just to put my side i bought the saw second hand as i said it must be more than five years old I was pleased that ax could get the parts 8) , they said 12 weeks but took about 8/9 weeks( which is the way like to treated) not being told they will be 12 weeks and getting excuses one after the other about why your part is late and it takes more like 14/16 weeks.
i thought that i have had a good service , the main point is a 5 year old saw and the parts still fit and are available and the price £22-00 pounds i paid almost that to replace the bearings the first time that did not work that is why i changed the arbor ?/shaft so i could just bolt on the new part.
well i am impressed =D> =D>
this is only my opinion .
don't get me wrong i think there are things i could moan about ie postal costs but if you shop wisely no probs
pip

 

[Jacob]

.......Regarding your combi, incidentally, how long ago was it, and what was the price difference between the two machines?

So what are the answers to those questions, because they're pertinent.

E.[/quote]
It was one machine - Minimax Lab 300 bought from Axminster. they weren't very helpful about moving it (it could have been part dismantled to get through a doorway) and they were crap at after sales service and discontinued the model. But SCM were very good. I wouldn't buy another machine from Axminster and went a couple of years without buying anything at all from them - they lost more than they saved by providing 2nd rate service.

 

[axe]

I am still not convinced that three months is worth praising?

Anyway, I had some stuff delivered from them yesterday and the quality is so poor it's going back.

I filled in the on-line returns form last night and it will be interesting to see how long they take to sort it out

To be honest, with your constant negativity and carping towards Axminster both here and over on the other forum, I reckon they could have given you the stuff for free and you'd still whinge and send it back.

I thought about this a bit more and came to the conclusion that you're right.

Yes, if they had given me this stuff I would have still sent it back due to it being of poor quality.

Sad thing is I would be prepared to pay way more for the item I want but after looking around for ages that there does not seem to be anyone that makes a quality version. All I can find is cheap imported junk.

 

[Eric The Viking]

It was one machine - Minimax Lab 300 bought from Axminster. they weren't very helpful about moving it (it could have been part dismantled to get through a doorway) and they were rubbish at after sales service and discontinued the model. But SCM were very good. I wouldn't buy another machine from Axminster and went a couple of years without buying anything at all from them - they lost more than they saved by providing 2nd rate service.

Not cheap, I quite agree.

Just curious: did you take out a service contract with SCM, or pay them per instance, or did they act as warranty agents for the manufacturer? It's Italian, IIRC.

E.

 

[Jacob]

It was one machine - Minimax Lab 300 bought from Axminster. they weren't very helpful about moving it (it could have been part dismantled to get through a doorway) and they were rubbish at after sales service and discontinued the model. But SCM were very good. I wouldn't buy another machine from Axminster and went a couple of years without buying anything at all from them - they lost more than they saved by providing 2nd rate service.

Not cheap, I quite agree.

Just curious: did you take out a service contract with SCM, or pay them per instance, or did they act as warranty agents for the manufacturer? It's Italian, IIRC.

E.

Neither. I phoned up when it broke down - they diagnosed the prob over the phone and sent me the bits by next day post.

 

[RogerS]

.....
Sad thing is I would be prepared to pay way more for the item I want but after looking around for ages that there does not seem to be anyone that makes a quality version. All I can find is cheap imported junk.

There I agree with you 100%. Trouble is that the great British public know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. The man in the street just looks at how much something costs. Cheap = good in their book whereas both you and I know that cheap = crap. This 'lack-of-value' set applies across everything you can buy these days...from food to clothes. Sadly it gets harder and harder for niche manufacturers or suppliers to maintain a sustainable and profitable business as the number of their customers gets less and less.

Out of curiosity what item was it from Axminster?

 

[Eric The Viking]

Sad thing is I would be prepared to pay way more for the item I want but after looking around for ages that there does not seem to be anyone that makes a quality version. All I can find is cheap imported junk.

I'm fascinated to know what this is. I don't think you're the only one with that problem, by any means.

I've had some trouble getting measuring tools that are accurate, for example I'm now the proud owner of quite a few engineers' squares that aren't, quite. The one I trust is Fischer (from Chronos, I think), that's got "BS 939" actually stamped on it. Others, notably from Soba, simply aren't square (bought two or three, stupidly!), although they all claimed the same standard. Without actually checking them physically when you buy, I can't see how to win on this one.

That said, I have an Axy 750mm straightedge that was pretty good value - certainly works for planer setup, etc., but I think it's an exception to the general rule that non-Japanese far eastern imported stuff is pretty rough quality (it may even be locally made, I don't know).

E

 

[Jacob]

....The man in the street just looks at how much something costs.

Very sensible - in the absence of any other criteria. If in doubt buy cheap.

Cheap = good in their book whereas both you and I know that cheap = rubbish.

Well not so nowadays. Surprisingly good quality stuff coming from the far east and ridiculously cheap.

This 'lack-of-value' set applies across everything you can buy these days...from food to clothes. Sadly it gets harder and harder for niche manufacturers or suppliers to maintain a sustainable and profitable business as the number of their customers gets less and less......

Markets change - everybody has to find a viable niche. It has always been that way and always will. You can't compete with IKEA on their ground so you have to do something which they can't.

What is a rip-off (Axminster are particularly bad at this) is re-badging cheap stuff under another name. It implies some sort of seal of approval, commitment and back-up, but as we see from this thread you aren't going to get it.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Sorry Jacob, I think that's grossly unfair.

Give me a single instance where Axminster isn't price competitive with other vendors, on a like-for-like basis, with that far eastern stuff you were suggesting was such good value.

I have an Axminster sub-£200 morticer, for example. It was almost identical to a Record Power version (paint differences), but Axminster was significantly cheaper. It's obviously not got the grunt to do 2/4" in oak, but it does what I need. The design was revised recently, and significant changes made to improve usability, which, as far as I can tell, other distributors haven't got. That looks like an OEM customer flexing its muscles with the manufacturer, and it's a world away from just re-badging a standard Chinese product.

I've had a close-up look at their UJK range recently, too. I wouldn't swap my Kreg pocket hole system, but if I was buying again, I'd look seriously at the UJK one - the build quality is pretty good and it's not expensive. Similarly, the same brand of router table is dead impressive - I gave one a careful inspection at Peter Sefton's open day three weeks ago. It's well made and finished, and again, highly competitive on price. I'm seriously tempted by one of their table-tops in phenolic, as it'll stay dimensionally stable and not warp in the winter. The equivalent from other people is quite a lot more dosh.

Same on many power tools - within a few quid either way of the cheapest you can find elsewhere.

I don't think Axminster are a rip-off at all, and whilst you may complain about their after-sales service, the price points are spot-on, especially at the lower end of the market, where I am.

E.