A bit OT, A rant about tool web sites

[Leon]

Well I have decided to order a new speed controller for my Triton router. Unfortunately doing so is done through a web site that offers no means of communications other than e-mail. The web site has locked me out using my user name and trying to re register indicates that my user name is already in use. Applying to reset the password results in no response via e-mail.

Frustrated I go to the DeWalt site to look for a new router. SHIT! Click the tools tab, click the power tools tab and I have a choice of 8 different power tools. No routers listed. Putting "router" into the search box reveals 78 hits with protective glasses being at the top of the list, followed by 7 pages to sort through. I'm done.

I go to the Triton tools web site and call the first telephone number that I come to. I explain the problem that I am having with their "third party" replacement part web site and the guy is very understanding and promises to call me back in a few minutes.

He does call me back in a few minutes, offers to take my order right then and there and offers me a 50% discount on the replacement part. That cut the delivered price from Seattle to Houston to $44.00 instead of the previously quoted $80+.

I think the parts will be shipped tomorrow. ;~)

[woodchucker]

Didn't seem like a rant to me, seemed more like a gloat... Wait, that means you deserver a big .... YOU SUCK!!!

But not really , glad to hear it worked out. Hopefully you get the part.

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------------------- Some days the elevator, some days the dark hole.

Looks like you caught the elevator.

Lew

[John McCoy]

Leon wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I rarely order anything on-line, for the exact reason that there are too many badly coded websites out there that make it difficult or impossible to address any problems. Ordering by phone tends to be more reliable.

I also figure if a company doesn't provide an easy way to contact them, they're saying they don't actually want to do business with me.

John

[Leon]

And had that been the easiest of steps the one I would have taken in the first place. Unfortunately I had to go through Triton directly and use a middle man to order from the third party source.

But it was $80, now $44, or at least $250~$325 for a new different brand router and maybe a lift. The Triton is still the best design for hanging under a table and or using as a standard plunge or fixed base router with out changing bases.

[Swingman]

When you consider the age of the current crop of web developers raised on "whiz, bang, flash, f*ck the content" ...

[Ed Pawlowski]

Yeah, it is being shipped from Nigeria as soon as the credit card payment clears.

[ads]

Haven't gotten money from my credit union in a while. Tried the online access today and they don't know me. Do have the statements they send out and there's still $$ in the account. I'll call them tomorrow and play menu bingo to get info on car loan rates and get the online access restored. My wife's car is 20 years old and we're looking to replace it. Did several hours of paper research (Consumer Reports) plus some online research (specs and prices). Found a half dozen used vehicles that meet our criteria.

Also have a problem with the company that installed our HVAC. We prepaid for seasonal checkups and can't reach them by phoine. The business number goes to a residence number that's "temporarily out of service". The 'contact' form on their web page got no response, so we're using ancient technology to contact them - paper mail. Used anywho.com to do a reverse lookup on the phone number and got a name and address.

[J. Clarke]

Don't trust Consumer Reports. About 30 years back I got what according to them was the most reliable car on the market. Went through three engines in 30,000 miles, none covered under warranty.

Which might be meaningless. I frequently get calls at work from a collection agency that thinks that it's calling somebody's house.

[Lee Michaels]

Tenacity, plus southern charm and bullshit will get the job done. ;-)

[Leon]

Exactly

[Leon]

[adsDUMP]

I read the Consumer Reports section on reliability. If a given model has been reliable, then the current year IDENTICAL model should be also - never buy the first year or two of a new version. Example 2015 Ford F-150 is a new version. Wouldn't consider it. Toyota Highlander has a godd to very good reliability record going back 12 years. A 3 year old Highlander is nore reliable than a new Dodge SUV.

I'm smary enough to do verification. The names match the business owners.

[woodchucker]

So typical of our American shitboxes. Detroit doesn't know how to make a good car. We are getting beat out by the Japanese, German's and the Korean's, at making cars.

I had a bunch of friends that were engineers there. They have their heads up their asses when it comes to foreign cars.

[John McCoy]

woodchucker wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Y'know how investment firms always say "past performance is no gaurantee of future results"? That's how you should read Consumer Reports. Their reliability grade is based on the reliability of prior years (they go back 3, I think). You have no gaurantee the car maker will be as good this year as they were before.

That's going overboard. Ford, at least, makes excellent vehicles (altho, like ADS, I wouldn't buy the first year production of anything). Mitsubishi makes a fair bit of crap. VW cheats. You can find good and bad anywhere.

John

[tomwalz]

We sell Triton tools and would be happy to help you. We have three people answering the phone from 8 - 4 West Coast time. We use email, instant messaging and we have our 800 number in big print on our home page.

It sounds as though you have been taken care of for now. If anything else comes up feel free to call us at 800 346-8274.

Tom

[woodchucker]

I think excellent is going way overboard. The fords are still below Toyota , Honda, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, maybe Hyundai.. Hyundai has caught up quickly.

Mitsubishi is not that good, in my opinion so is Nissan, it just has too many issues.

[pastedavid]

European arms of Ford & GM have made great cars for a long time. The Ford Mondeo is car that shows up BMW and Mercedes in several areas.

I think North America are getting more of the European stuff from Ford (not sure about GM) now, and really, it's about time. The North American divisions seemed to have been hampered by accountants and unions to their detriment. They learnt NOTHING from the demise of the old UK car industry!

[John McCoy]

woodchucker wrote in news:_fqdnfRnpZa9prXLnZ2dnUU7- [e-mail]:

Well, that's a little bit of apples and oranges. I'd agree that Lincoln is not on a par with BMW or Mercedes (or Lexus), which is a more reasonable comparison, market-wise.

But if Ford is behind Toyota and Honda, it's only by a little, and so is everyone else in the world. I don't see anyone else in the mainstream market that's better. In part that's because Ford has brought a lot of design from their European (i.e. German) side (as pastedavid said), in part it's because Ford actually has tried to implement Japanese quality practices.

GM, and especially Chrysler, have a ways to go to be at the same level.

John

[Electric Comet]

did not know dewalt sold glasses everything i have for eye protection collects fine dust i even found an old pair i had that were real glass lenses and they too collect dust

maybe they make something that is like diving mask defogger for safety glasses

the internet in some ways is better but in others it is worse so many sites selling products do a terrible job displaying the product

they have a piss poor web programmer coupled with some manager that just wants to see the product photos in his browser and is satisfied

my favorite is when they say there are 7 pages and really there are 3 and they are showing the same products twice

broken searches and sorting

you should have made a video and sent it to dewalt