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  #16  
Old 02-16-2018, 05:10 PM
Zigeuner Zigeuner is offline
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My only complaint with Stew Mac is their prices. They have nice quality items, but their prices are high.
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  #17  
Old 02-16-2018, 05:47 PM
surveyor surveyor is offline
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Default Kind of like this...

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  #18  
Old 02-16-2018, 05:48 PM
murrmac123 murrmac123 is offline
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Originally Posted by Zigeuner View Post
My only complaint with Stew Mac is their prices. They have nice quality items, but their prices are high.
The solution is simple.

You search for the same item online and buy at the lower price.
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  #19  
Old 02-16-2018, 06:04 PM
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Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post
Thank you on behalf of other people who might misinterpret the misleading product description.

I once encountered a similar "don't bug me" attitude from them regarding a product design they might have been interested in. I was stunned at their lack of interest and "just go away" handling of it. I've not viewed them the same since.
A lot of people in this thread are thinking this is about the confusing description. Charles understands, this is about the human being(s) who interacted with a customer and had a "don't bug me" attitude.

We call it the "front line" - those folks representing the company to the customer base.

For the folks who wonder why I was confused......does it really matter? They worded it wrong, I got confused, I was a disappointed customer. I said right at the beginning this isn't about the $20 - it was about the "don't bug me" attitude.


Since then (and I wonder if this thread had something to do with it) I got a fantastic reply, wonderful communication, great customer service, sincere communication from someone else who represented their company wonderfully.

So.....how you interact with customers matters.
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  #20  
Old 02-16-2018, 06:30 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Originally Posted by fazool View Post
.......how you interact with customers matters.
So true. You can have the best product in the world at a fair price, but if your front line reps -- usually the only direct contact a customer has with a company -- are impolite, incompetent, or off-putting, then you lose the business. Probably forever.
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  #21  
Old 02-16-2018, 06:57 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Originally Posted by fazool View Post
Now, note carefully the title of the merchandise I bought "uncarved braces", plural.

What arrived was a single piece of 1"x1" lumber 12" long.......ummmm.....what?
I am glad you actually posted this situation, in the original post as referenced above, I could not understand your problem, uncarved braces are what you got, but having read the reply’s given by yourself and others I too now understand the situation.

Had you received two pieces rather than one, then they met the description they advertised the product as.

I did not get that at the start of your post.

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  #22  
Old 02-16-2018, 08:10 PM
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..and ..how you interact with Customer Service matters.....
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  #23  
Old 02-16-2018, 08:38 PM
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I must say, I think the first thing I ever purchased from Stew Mac was probably in about 1990 and I have not once ever had bad customer service from them. In fact I have had expensive tuners (Sloane I think) installed on a customers guitar who came back to me 5 years later becasue they broke and I let Stew Mac know about it and they sent me another set of tuners no questions asked. I wasn't even asking for another set. That's just one example too.

Any business that deals with people can have people problems becasue any one person can wake up in the morning and have a bad day and take it out on everyone else. It reflects poorly on the business unfortunate. My guess is that you were dealing with an individual who doesn't represent the Stew Mac ethic very well, based on my long history with them anyway.
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  #24  
Old 02-16-2018, 08:52 PM
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I have a Stew-Mac guitar buffing setup. I called to inquire about buying new rubber isolation bushings for the arbor shaft that were worn and they sent me a whole new arbor assembly at no charge! Yes, you pay more but, to me , the peace of mind is worth it. I know that if I have a problem with anything I buy from them, they will stand behind it, no questions asked.
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  #25  
Old 02-17-2018, 02:01 AM
Shuksan Shuksan is offline
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Originally Posted by Zigeuner View Post
My only complaint with Stew Mac is their prices. They have nice quality items, but their prices are high.
I get soooo tired of people whining about Stew Mac's prices. As far as I know, they are one of only two specialty business focused solely on broadly serving the needs of luthiers as centralized sources of many of the materials and tools they need in their endeavors. That specialization and centralization serving a small market comes with a cost by its very nature. As a builder, I'm very happy that Stew Mac and LMI exist. If a price doesn't suit me, I can simply put in the time and effort to find a lower priced alternative and buy that. No whining needed. If there is no good alternative, then that's one reason the price is what it is.

fazool - That's too bad about your first interaction with the rep on the phone. In my experience, that's not representative of the kind of interactions I've had with them. Their followup with you is definitely more representative.
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  #26  
Old 02-17-2018, 02:29 AM
jessupe jessupe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by murrmac123 View Post
The solution is simple.

You search for the same item online and buy at the lower price.
The real simple solution is to buy a cheap contractor table saw and a large 3/4" thick piece of spruce or whatever material you like and cut several dozens for the same price once the initial investments is made, heck I've seen functioning 10" table saws on craigslist for 25$
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  #27  
Old 02-17-2018, 05:04 AM
Zigeuner Zigeuner is offline
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Originally Posted by Shuksan View Post
I get soooo tired of people whining about Stew Mac's prices. .
.................

Last edited by Zigeuner; 02-17-2018 at 09:31 AM.
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  #28  
Old 02-17-2018, 07:32 AM
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I don't think their prices are too high either. I do think they are very clever in their pricing though. I often find that some of their things are priced right at the point to where the cost of time and materials for me to do it myself makes it worth the purchase for just a little bit more. And you know how DIY tools are, maybe you guys are better then I am, but I often end up redoing a tool that I made. Every business has to make a profit.

They have some of the most ridiculous tools I've ever seen too like a tool that shapes the bottom of a saddle when all it takes is a piece of sandpaper laminated to a piece of MDf to get the job done but, so what? Some people like it, I don't but that's fine too. And then on the flip side they have tools like the nut space rule which every repairman or luthier should have.

On top of that they have a wealth of free information on their website.
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  #29  
Old 02-17-2018, 07:36 AM
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After you send it back (if that is your plan)!
and If purchased on a CC then you can create a case and there is a good chance you can get a full refund. It's not a lot of $ but I totally agree with it being more about principle
.
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  #30  
Old 02-17-2018, 09:18 AM
Nailpicker Nailpicker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hearsedriver View Post
..and ..how you interact with Customer Service matters.....
I've observed this too.
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