After reading the entries here surrounding a SC motor problem on one of their band saws, some comments came up with the SC table saws as well. There were other comments regarding a change over in company and customer service? I thought I’d add a comment regarding my CS experience with Steel City which to date has been a good one. Believe me, for the following reasons I am quite sensitive to the topic as well.
I had originally purchased a Griz g0478 hybrid in November of 08 and after only a few months and categorically the worst customer service experience I have ever had, I pushed the thing into the back yard and let it collect rust. Imagine being told by a factory service rep that it’s just a contractor saw with a cabinet, that 1/64th of an inch of convergence to the miter slot is a factory spec to shoot for and for that matter they don’t actually check every one of them after assembly in manufacturing. What are you going to do when you’re told something like that? Granted, they did replace the saw after I shipped it back and they inspected it. They should have since of course it was within the warranty period but the second one came with other serious issues. I wasn’t about to go through all the shipping hassles again. My down time was now well over a month and further conversation was useless. I honestly would have felt badly about selling it to any one else so I ate the thousand bucks and dumped it along with the rest of anything else Grizzly in my home shop..
I subsequently bought a SC 39510G and it has been a great saw in nearly every respect. The G0478 did have more power over the SC but considering I do not have 220v power, using a thin kerf blade has made this an acceptable saw for up to 12/4 stock. Unfortunately in shipping the granite side wing came chipped. Their customer service was extremely responsive to my needs and frankly was a breath of fresh air to deal with. The second wing arrived broken in shipment as well and they got a third out right away. Things happen but they were extremely responsive to my needs.
One of the primary reasons I chose this saw was that unlike the other hybrids, it has a cabinet mounted trunion, the same as on their 3HP cabinet saw making adjustment a much simpler and reliable process. My thinking is that once I have 220v power available, I can simply switch to a higher HP motor rather than purchase a whole new saw all over again.
Of course this saw is not a Powermatic, Delta or Sawstop in quality but it’s less than a third the price and my cuts come out perfect every time..
Edited 8/31/2009 4:25 pm ET by Richinsd52
Replies
I'm the one that had motor problems with SC. When did you purchase your saw? I purchased my band saw in Sept. of 08, their customer service was excellent then. Overall I think their products are good, but a 5 year warranty is useless without good customer service. Last year everything that was defective they took care of. I had problems with the granite table on mine, the miter slot was milled under size and they replaced it, along with the guide bar on the extension kit. That was not the same thickness throughout it's length. Had to reset the blade guide bearings if you changed for a different material thickness, it's better with the replacement but not perfect. Good luck with your saw.
okahun
I bought my saw in around March of this year 09. I don't know who you talked to over there but I talked with a young lady named Leigh or Lee I'm not sure which. I believe she's in charge of shipping or something but if that's the case, I think she's under utliized in her position. She should be made director of customer service. In the calls I made, she always remembered who I was and took care of everything I needed. I had her direct number but after everything was handled, I didn't need it any more and threw it away. I'm a little confused as to where everyone is over there. I think Leigh was in the south somewhere. Judging from her accent, that's a safe bet. They had just moved the shipping warehouse to California and the company is apparently in Canada. I have no idea where the service calls go but if you can get hold of her, she seems most responsive to customer needs.
I was left with the general impression that if things are not right, they seemed willing to take care if it without the slightest hesitance. If your table doesn't fit right, I'd certainly call and let them know. You should get what you paid for, a saw that works as designed. I am interested in how all this pans out for you. Keep us in the loop. Rich
Edited 9/10/2009 1:09 pm ET by Richinsd52
The first time I called I talked to Todd and he was very helpful, that was back in June of 09. He told me when I'm ready to work on it SC would take care of me. Then when my son told me he'd do all of the physical work (because of my back surgery) I called back in July and talked to Terry and he's in Canada. After many calls He was less helpful, he was more amazed that I was having problems with my SECOND MOTOR. We continued going over everything I had already checked. Now I find out later that Todd, who I couldn't remember when I called in July, is Terry's supervisor and he's in California. I got Todd's direct line from Terry. After arguing with Terry a number of times I called Todd and I was rude to him which was a mistake. When I talked to Todd I started the conversation with you lost a customer and went into a tirade about their customer service and the clown that came out to look at my saw and said "they're all like this". I was angry at this kid Terry not Todd and I took it out on him. I still remember how I wanted to reach into the phone and grab Terry by the throat. I feel stupid I let Terry get to me. I will call Todd back and apologize. As of now I have the saw apart and am rebuilding it, I'll isolate the motor, use it till it quits. Then if they replace it, fine if not, I'll buy one. I'll keep everyone posted once it's back together as to what the results are. All I want is a saw that doesn't vibrate so bad that knobs don't unscrew themselves.
okahun
It's funny how people tend to unwind with a sincere admission of responsibility. It sounds like Todd should have a little training session with Terry. You wouldn't be calling if you didn't believe there was a problem in the first place. Your frustration is justified. Somehow in our society, we've gotten to the point where we consider ourselves fortunate if a product even works as promised. It's expected that service people will be less than satisfactory. Let's not even go onto the topic of electronic voice delays, telephone hold times and heaven help us if we leave a callback number and sit waiting for a call which never comes. As consumers, it amazes me that we're not all postal from the moment we open the box on these products. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my SC tablesaw but I do consider myself fortunate to have that experience in general. My overall opinion of manufacturing today is some what tainted.
I just bought a Festool Kapex and realistically, it's a decent 10" saw but I don't see any quality of construction that even close to justifies more than double the purchase price of any other top grade 12" saw. Sure it has some nice features that others don't have but there's a great deal of plastic and the cost of adding those features doesn't justify the price. The only reason I bought it, was it's the only (accurate) saw that slides forward and can be placed against a wall. Other than that, I would've bought the Milwaukee 12" at less than half the cost and had a perfectly fine and functional tool. As much as I like the saw, I won't be rushing out to buy other Festool products any time soon.
I guess my point is, there was a time when quality was the accepted standard in the minds of manufacturers. A good deal was getting a great product at a good price. Today we pay a ridiculous amount of hard earned money for even a reasonable product and those products are price controlled to insure they are never discounted. The few great products are reserved for the very few which can actually afford them. The rest of us are left to deal with the myriad of issues which come along with the affordable. That's the underlying source of our frustration. No one calls customer service for enjoyment! In their accepted job descriptions, customer service people need to understand that before we even make the call, our frustration far exceeds theirs. The way I see it, the fact that we are even civil is a gift. With glowing reviews that are bought and paid for, or downright lies created by manufacturers in blogs, from the moment we open the box and suffer the disappointment of yet one more product which is less than promised, our frustration begins. As so called customer service professionals, their job is to find solutions to the problems that they delivered along with their product. If as manufacturers, they did their part in quality control, there would be no call. For us it doesn't end when we hang up the phone. For us, it only ends when the problem is finally resolved and from the beginning, experience tells us that we are not assured of that outcome. With this in mind, don't be too hard on yourself for unloading on Todd. It sounds like as a supervisor, it's his job to insure the quality of his department. Terry is his problem, not yours.
That said, so far with these guys, I've had exceptional service. I hope everything gets worked out for you. I have a feeling that whatever the problem is, they'll get it handled. Have a great weekend
Rich
I couldn't say it any better (in fact I wish I could have said it as well), have a good time with your saw.
okahun
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