Thread: Carbatec (again)

Well said Chook,

My experience has been much the same as yours, although I haven't spent 50 grand with them (are you sure an extra zero didn't creep in??.

Anyway, most of the machinery in my shed is Carba-tec (or Triton) and I 've never had any dramas and their after sales service (at least here in Bribane) is top shelf.


Ian

Originally Posted by Ian Smith

Well said Chook,

My experience has been much the same as yours, although I haven't spent 50 grand with them (are you sure an extra zero didn't creep in??.

Anyway, most of the machinery in my shed is Carba-tec (or Triton) and I 've never had any dramas and their after sales service (at least here in Bribane) is top shelf.


Ian

It really was $50000. I was working for a school and they said "Go and spend $50000 and you decide what to buy." and so I did! It was not my money but I had the key to the shed where the goodies were housed. I was like a little boy who found that his father was Santa Clause.

I live in Brisbane and I say the same.

For the record let me reinforce a few points.

Firstly, I hope Carba-Tec prospers and does well.

Secondly, their stocking levels, at least on internet orders has improved markedly over the past year.

Third; in my experience many of the staff try to be helpful, especially in the Sydney store.

Unfortunately there a number of things that detract from dealing with them.

Since the last thread on this subject was closed, I have had more problems when dealing with them.

I had a warranty issue on a product that was only a few months old. I was asked to remove the defective part and send it back to them.

I subsequently had a brand new product that was defective straight out of the box. (Just to reinforce, neither of these problems are CT's fault.)

I rang the guy I had been dealing with about the second issue. He said he would dispatch a replacement for the second item. He also confirmed he had examined the defective part I had sent back and that he would post a replacement part to me that day (Friday.)

When I had not received it on Thursday, which is unusual as most of the deliveries from CT are either next day, or two days via Oz Post, I rang to find out what was happening.

I was informed that it did not hit the mail room till Monday, and was informed that "the mail room may be behind in the dispatches."

On Friday I received a parcel. The replacement for the brand new product (second item) was there, but the warranty replacement for the part was not what I expected. In the box was the unrepairable part I had returned to CT. It was in my original wrapping and did not appear to have been opened (but I could be wrong there.)

Another phone call to CT. The guy I was now dealing with was quite helpful, but it soon became apparent as the conversation progressed that the first guy I was dealing with had made multiple errors in processing the replacement. I thought all was good when the conversation was finished.

A little later the guy rang me and explained he wanted to make sure what he was going to send was right this time. Good thinking, and its just as well he did! The part he was about to send was not the right part. All was well when I received the part on the following Monday, a week later than it could/should have taken.

This is the abbreviated version of this story. There were other minor issues, and things that don't make any sense that I can't be bothered to detail.

In summary, my concerns in dealing with CT are

1. Their computer systems are hopeless. This leads to lost staff productivity and customer frustration/dissatisfaction.

2. Some staff are not properly trained for the jobs they are doing. This has two consequences. Time lost by staff correcting the situation and customer dissatisfaction.

3. Some staff in Brisbane think that they are doing the customers a favour by servicing them.

If CT fix their computer systems then half theses issues go away. Staff training can fix the rest. And by fixing these things they will be more profitable. Its not rocket science. Just business 101.

ADMIN NOTE: The reasons stated above are opinions Not Facts. Stick to the facts please.

One other thing I should mention. The average woodworker (or serious craft person) undoubtedly has far more patience than the average general consumer, and CT takes advantage of that to the max.

I have had my (updated) say, and will not respond any further as its all been said before.

Oh for goodness sake, take yer barrow and push it somewhere else will you Torb. The last time there was a bloke like you they threw him off the boat.

Originally Posted by TORB

I have had my (updated) say, and will not respond any further as its all been said before.

We know that it has all been said before by you as your record of posts indicates.

Just wondering how your shop in Mittagong before you retired got on with your customers. I presume that you ran it so well that there never were any dissatisfied customers.


Peter.

I can honestly say that my dealings with the Melbourne office when face to face have been good including warranty, phone orders so so, Mrs Phil will only deal with Nola in the Brisbane office as she reckons all the others are idiots.

Every work place has good and poor employees, also having dealt with woodworkers (selling them electric motors and variable speed drives) they are not the easiest people to deal with some are just awkward and these usually copped an A$$hole tax on their second sale because they were so hard to deal with. I am glad I have retired and don't have to deal with them any more.

The problem I usually find is the age of the sales person I deal with, the older ones are really good and will spend the time and HAVE the knowledge, when ever I come across a young one I find they almost all have a smart attitude, they think they know everything, they will not listen and they want to move you on so they can get the next sale, lately I have come across too many of these type of sales people at Carbi-tec in Melbourne, and the big green warehouse for that matter also. Perhaps I am getting too old for BS

Originally Posted by TORB

In summary, my concerns in dealing with CT are

1. Their computer systems are hopeless. This leads to lost staff productivity and customer frustration/dissatisfaction.

2. Some staff are not properly trained for the jobs they are doing. This has two consequences. Time lost by staff correcting the situation and customer dissatisfaction.

3. Some staff in Brisbane think that they are doing the customers a favour by servicing them.

If CT fix their computer systems then half theses issues go away. Staff training can fix the rest. And by fixing these things they will be more profitable. Its not rocket science. Just business 101.

ADMIN NOTE: The reasons stated above are opinions Not Facts. Stick to the facts please.

Admin, I can not let that pass without comment.

Firstly, the vast majority of points made on this forum are either opinions, or facts based on peoples experience. My posts are no different.

Secondly, the conclusions I have drawn in my points above are inevitable and unalterable facts. Any competent business person will agree with the conclusions, so stating the conclusions are not facts is blatantly incorrect.

As far as CT's computer systems being hopeless, yes it is my opinion, but it is based on factual experiences. You want proof. They have multiple databases/systems that don't talk to each other. They have systems that generate incorrect emails to customers. They can't always tell when items are due in to stock, even if they are almost in the country (by sea.) They have many incontinences in the way their online shop works. These are not opinions, they are facts. And my conclusions are based on a very successful 15 years career in the computer industry.

As far as my comments about some staff not being trained properly, they are based on the many stuff ups I have encountered. These stuff ups are not opinion, they are facts, and to say otherwise is wrong. If (Admin) can come up with any other logical conclusion to explain my experiences that proves my conclusions are not fact, please enlighten me.

Just because someone says something does not make it fact, and just because someone says that something is not fact, does not make it so.

If telling the truth gets me booted off this forum, then so be it.

If my opinions and the facts stated are incorrect and as a result I have slandered Carba-Tec, they know exactly who I am and are welcome to take appropriate action.

I'm afraid I must agree. The only time that I've bought a big piece of machinery off them ( horizontal borer), it was a song and dance production til it arrived, largely due to the branches not talking to one another, or head office not talking to the branches. In this day and age it means computers not talking to one another.

Added to the fact that there's always one (in my record of 4 buys of such products from them) and sometimes more manufacturing defects in their own-brand Chinese sourced cast iron equipment, and it's made me a devoted customer of WWWH, another forum sponsor. It's combination of QC and design, and not looking over thir supplier's shoulder carefully enough, I think. So, slackness by the biggest player on a number of fronts leads to a proportion of narky customers, in what is a small and slightly captive market. Can their competitors make hay from this? Maybe. It's how capitalism is sposed to work - a competitive supply of the right product, to the customer's satisfaction, at the right price.

Originally Posted by chook

Once I wanted to spend $50000 in a single order.

Buy a school approved Wintec CNC and most part of $50.000 is gone
Cheers
Wolffie

Like I said earlier woodworkers are a hard lot to deal with especially cashed up retired ones.

Seems to me Rick there are two things you can do.

1. Give up and just enjoy your hobby and life.
2. If you feel so strongly, there is an opportunity for you. You have 15 years experience in computers and selling that sort of stuff, get in touch with CT management and offer to act as a consultant and teach them how it is done. You could sell them the correct CRM tools and travel to all their stores and teach the correct customer service.
   You could pay for the "Grey Nomad" Odyssey this way.

I suspect that you would sooner just complain and carry on.

One thing that worries me about this and other threads on CT is the assumption that if we complain too much they'll pack up and go away. Are we so much of a back-water that we must put up with lesser quality service/goods etc than areas with a larger market?
So, cashed up woodworkers are picky. Since when have cashed up customers not been picky? That is the market and if you want your share of it, you satisfy it.
Cheers,
Jim

This is going round in circles once again. This thread is closed and any further threads in the same vein will be deleted.

If you have a complaint sort it out with the company concerned.