Thread: What do you want from a professional tool shop????

i used to live in sydney and have bought all my festool tools and other stuff from vektools. there customer service is excellent and they are very friendly wether it be over the phone or in the store.
they always have had stock on the stuff i have bought. and the price is always competitive or they match it.
and i still buy tools off them and get them sent to alice springs. and the freight is reasonable to get it here
if you check there web site out they always have items on sale


the only thing that pisses me off is GST everyone know you have to pay it so put it on the price tag

cheers
bryan

Vex Tools,
Well if that is how you think and run your business then I can see no reason why you will not be still operating in twelve years time.
All too often we are presented with half truths and sometimes just false claims. Even formerly respected institutions such as Health Insurance has become a joke with what I call sanitised terminology. Their policy says co-payment but fact is they expect you to pay 80% or more of the bill in some instances. Not ranting or singling out Health Insurance but just using it as an example of a half truth.
It is refreshing to see a business ethic of loyalty, respect and trust.

I am your customer...I have priority....I have taken the time and effort to travel to you to seek the required service....

I don't ask you to ignore the phone...have someone in an office answer it....or politely ask them for their name & number & when you have finished serving this customer you will ring them back...the least you can do....I have walked out of stores because of this before.. the ultimate rudeness

......& if your going to employ young staff that do not know the correct answers tell them to say so

.....Sorry I don't know that...my learnerd college will however....much nicer than a load of ???????? & wrong information....

employ experienced staff...that know what they are taking about...not young employers who keep the cost of hiring staff down....whats staff with out customers!

Thankyou for you enquiry glad to add my thoughts.
Respectfully KEKEMO

Just a woman!
http://Groups.msn.com/WOODWORKCountryCottage

Forgot to add a couple of points:

I like employees and their companies when they say what they will do and do what they say when they said they would do it, i.e. keep and honour their word, unlike a certain business who will remain nameless but made all the countless promises under the sun to ring me back and never did, for a 5-month outstanding order. I'll not be dealing with them again and no, don't ask me who they are, I'm not saying.

Being proactive eg once every 2 weeks send an update on outstanding items. eg a quick and polite telephone call or email to say we haven't forgotten you, your order/request is at this stage is greatly appreciated.





One thing I really like that will keep me coming back to a company:

So, would you like a assistant in your life today or are you happy without me? (got my attention, made me laugh and they made a well-earned sale)

Cheers and many thanks for asking for our thoughts.

Wendy

I was under the impression it was illegal not to put GST in the all up price. May be I have been living under an illusion all these years, I now understand why your Festool prices seemed so much cheaper than your competitors. If you want to price in this manner put it up somewhere so it is obvious, not on the bottom line of the page in light grey.

Originally Posted by Eli

Why does it have to be a woman who's pushing a stroller! Just cause I go out for a roll with the boys doesn't mean we don't want more tools. I can fit a whole lot of power tool shopping in the dually!

Eli no offence meant actually last time I visited this store I was doing that some 26 yrs ago.

As Kiro has pointed out in PM's to me the store has been extended giving more room for strollers n rollers.

Parking is at the rear, the other thing is the closeness of the Smithfield Tavern somewhere to quench the thirst.

A big bloody sticker for me shed of the brand product I just brought!

I have to agree with 3 of the comments above about including GST. I researched my last big purchase and VK had the most competitive price. Of course they did - no GST!
Called anyway (STD) and it took an age to work out the GST component. When it came to working out the freight it was already 12+ minutes on the phone and it was in the 'too hard basket'.
Finally went to my old supplier with free freight for orders over $250.

The demo days sound good but the only post on here was 2 days after the Festool demo.

I will visit the store some time but most of my purchases are made over the internet.

Cheers
Carry Pine

Originally Posted by Mini

I was under the impression it was illegal not to put GST in the all up price. May be I have been living under an illusion all these years, I now understand why your Festool prices seemed so much cheaper than your competitors. If you want to price in this manner put it up somewhere so it is obvious, not on the bottom line of the page in light grey.

The law is quite specific, retail prices in Australia must include GST, VEK as an Australian company promoting itself primarily to Australians should be showing GST inclusive prices in its stores. Its web site perhaps sees itself as marketing to overseas buyers and may be barely compliant but runs counter to the spirit of the law. The web site is misleading in its presentation and I would rather see the GST inclusive in bold and the gst exclusive price in a fainter type face if they want that shown. Quite frankly I see this as a deceitful and misleading practice that should end, it is a real blemish on a company that in other respects conducts a well respected business.

Originally Posted by Carry Pine

I have to agree with 3 of the comments above about including GST. I researched my last big purchase and VK had the most competitive price. Of course they did - no GST!
Called anyway (STD) and it took an age to work out the GST component. When it came to working out the freight it was already 12+ minutes on the phone and it was in the 'too hard basket'.
Finally went to my old supplier with free freight for orders over $250.

The demo days sound good but the only post on here was 2 days after the Festool demo.

I will visit the store some time but most of my purchases are made over the internet.

Cheers
Carry Pine

if you do most of you buying over the internet then there should not be a problam with the gst and when you go through the steps to check out it displays the gst there apparently they are changing the gst sing at the bottom of the page to bigger and not grey

and they dont include the gst because of over seas buyers thats what i heard

I have always bought my Festool products from VEK.

All my experiences have been positive. I like shopping at an authorised repair centre. I think the reasons for that are obvious.

I'm happy with what you are doing.

VEK seem to me to have been pro-active in selling. I have no gripes. I have enjoyed reading their newsletters et al.
I would be interested as to what VEK have learned from leading with the chin on this Forum. Are you happy/ satisfied with the feedback? Do you feel your staff are on the ball? Are there changes you feel you ought to make, now? What do you feel about the feedback?

Originally Posted by Bryan1982

if you do most of you buying over the internet then there should not be a problam with the gst and when you go through the steps to check out it displays the gst there apparently they are changing the gst sing at the bottom of the page to bigger and not grey

Bryan1982. The GST component appears only at the very last stage of the transaction when you get to press the 'order' button. This makes it a bit hard to compare prices.
The postage is an unknown quantity when you order (as opposed to 'free').
I've been bitten already this year by a 3-letter company and I now expect up-front pricing which is clear and agreed delivery times (I wish).

Congratulations to VEK for seeking the feedback. Otherwise you never know why people are not buying from you.

Carry Pine

Originally Posted by Bryan1982

if you do most of you buying over the internet then there should not be a problam with the gst and when you go through the steps to check out it displays the gst there apparently they are changing the gst sing at the bottom of the page to bigger and not grey

and they dont include the gst because of over seas buyers thats what i heard

Well don't let a good story ruin the truth. My experience was I looked at the site for Festool prices and the impression I got was they were selling at the displayed price as that is what I am used to seeing on other websites. Now I don't mind that but I want to see it written up in BIG type, in a prominent position so that I am aware of it before I start shopping. I know of no other Australian site that sells tools and things that uses pricing without GST inclusive in the displayed price. A response on this point would be greatly appreciated.