Thread: Makita Australia's (lack of) service

Years ago I reqiured a part for my Makita saw sharpening machine, Makita Australia told me that they did not make a saw sharpening machine and never have, ended up getting it from Japan.

Just order the whole kit from the UK. Even with postage it will be cheaper than buying it in Australia, that's if you could buy it here

So... yep I bought a chainsaw sharpener from an ebay seller...price good.
Delivery a little slow, but that's the deal for the cost, plus was not an urgent need, just getting ready for the firewood season.
All the purists will say not to use one, but for me, that does not hand sharpen chains apart from during the season, getting the chain the same both sides can be tricky. The sharpener helps every 6-8 hand sharpens...
Anyway, got the box and opened...
Missing two parts, a purpose made bolt and a handle. Handle not really an issue but the bolt, that held the two halves together was.
Contacted them and indicated that I was missing the aforesaid two things, could they send forthwith, please.
We had a answer, unbelievably, and truthfully, I kid you not, asking for a photo to be sent of the two missing pieces...###!
By now we're two weeks in from delivery..
I recontacted them and pointed out that...I was NOT able to supply requested photos, as I did not have the parts to take pictures of, and really it was quite easy, just need a handle and the bolt that holds the two halves together...you know the big one with the smooth shank that has the big black knob as a nut and allows for the angle adjustment.
At this point it appears to have all got a bit too hard, so they sent me a whole new machine! So now I have my own spare parts too, apart from a handle and a bolt...
I suspect that many of these ebay sellers "dropship" and do not actually sight what they are selling, just take payment from us, send half to China that then sends the gear direct to us...great business model until some actual customer service is required...

You mentioned that Makita aren't aware of what products they sell....

(This is a true story..) I have a mate who has a business laminating bench tops. That is all he does and has been very successful. A lot of his laminate comes from Laminex Industries. A new state manager turned up at his door and introduced himself. This is the gist of the conversation-"I have only just joined Laminex Industries. I don't know what you buy and don't know what you do with it but what have I got to do for you to buy 20% more from us?"
Can you believe this guy???

Its such a breathe of fresh air when you go a counter of a shop and ask for....and then they say "you know that you have to buy this part with it as well". People who have first hand knowledge with a product and can tell you the best way round to use it are gems! There seems to be a lot of oxygen thieves who only turn up to get paid

Mate of mine had his own cabinet business for about 15 years after his 4 year apprenticeship. Quite successful - employing 6 staff.

He worked hard getting the quotes out and winning work to keep em all going... and spent a day a week doing all the Govt tax requirements accounting ordering paying bills etc. He earned less per week as proprieter than his empoyees did under the award wages!

He came back to the factory one day unexpectedly to see 2 of his apprentices with Makita Belt sanders nailed to a piece of wood and having races across the factory floor on them (electric skate boards) and the supervising tradesmen watching on!.

It was near June 30 and his accountant had just advised him he needed over $30K upfront to keep trading for July 1 annual expenses of workers comp and pubic liability, all compliance costs basically.

So he changed the locks on evening of 30 June, and when his staff got there July 1 - business closed - all unemployed!

For the next 25 years he went to work for Wilberforce selling board and laminates etc all cabinet supplies...

He's just quit - after 25 years - the new "manager" kept "adding" to his territory he has to service.. Guy lives out of Bunbury, and covers Esperance to Exmouth & is expected to see every customer face to face once a month. He covers about 250,000kms a year behind the wheel all this time.

So when one of the metro reps quit - this new manager tells him he can now take over half of the Perth run as well (everything south of the river)... and still see all the clients once a month (impossible) as well as be at Friday afternoon meetings in Perth every week.

He told em to shove it. Business should fold within another month or 2 at best! (All the other employees want to get out and preserve their super contributions by rolling it into another fund etc before the company inevitably goes under)

Reason he had so many clients?

Being a cabbie - he KNEW their needs & always went the extra mile - making sure delivery's happened on time if not before and providing advice and materials to get them out of a tough spot. I used him as my supplier for 20 plus years.

These company's - many of them...just have no idea at management level.

So the guy who pulled the plug now works for himself - using his property equity and now self managed super, to buy renovate and sell investment properties...for a living.

These company's drive away their best employees in many cases - by appointing managers still wet behind the ears - the bloke was the longest serving employee at the company including all the managers! When the other staff saw him go they asked why and he just stated he wanted to get out before the company collapsed and get his super out before it all went belly up and the liquidators etc had their hands in it.

So another 3 staff resigned the next week....

Good start for the new manager.

This blokes daughter is one of the managers for Laminex Industrys - one of Wilberforce's biggest competitors....

I see this all the time - anyone that's any good in customer relations becomes indispensable, so can't be promoted - they then overload them with work until they quit.

Meanwhile the peons who can't do the job rise to the top!

And we wonder why these big companys fall over (go bust) so often.

They come in with big overdrafts from the bank, and big ideas, and all the latest management strategy's from their uni degrees, and are going to play merry hell with a big stick and break things, - and all they end up doing is sending themselves broke.

It's the way business is done now in Australia unfortunately.

The old owner / operator family business based on service provision and interpersonal relationships - is dead in the water.

We are reaping what we have sown.

I worked for a project builder as construction, estimating manager. The general manager was a railways trained auto electrician. The type of bloke who had to be the boss cocky of everything no matter what.

When I started they had some suppliers and sub contractors who had banded together and were making a meal of the rates they were charging them. Took me 1 month to get new suppliers and subbies. At the end of 6 months I had reduced their construction/contract time from 5months to 3 months and improved the bottom line by 18%

Well, the general manager had the directors convinced that he had done it all and relegated me to supervisor. I quit, he ran it, employed a few yes men, costs blew out, construction time increased to old levels, he told the directors that they didnt understand the industry (both real estate gurus) so they sacked him, employed another construction manager who had a poor track record but the gift of the gab.

End result, company folded, suppliers and trades still waiting to be paid 9 yrs later.

The general manager went to work for a very large and well known project home builder as a district manager, lasted 3 months, then went to Boral as a sales contract manager in the scaffolding section, lasted 4 months, he now works in a post office.

The probable reason that there is now no reply from Makita is that Paul was sacked by his 'efficient' manager for taking too long to close the enquiry.
"Everyone' knows its all about throughput not actually helping the customer or getting sales for your retailers - there will always be a new management job just around the corner, another company to drive under, just jump ship right before the c*@p hits the fan (It was all my replacement's fault).

This is all the same disease right across Australian supply - only offer the customers rubbish, then bleat about how evil they are for going to someone off shore who gives a d@*n - Gerry Harvey and his anonymous cronies (at least Gerry stood up when he put his foot in his mouth). The current catch cry seems to be 'buyer's remorse' - if you give the customer a choice he/she will eventually be disappointed he/she didn't buy a different item, so you are doing them a 'favour' by taking away any choice & only offering them cr@p at an inflated price - after all, what were they going to do with all that money.

Bah humbug

It all has to do with marginal edge pricing.

What happens when you run an engine at 98% capacity? It breaks, fast.

This is what is happening to our economy. It and everything in it is geared to the last 1 or 2%. The human element of need, stability, satisfaction and joy is removed. It is replaced by a sterile dissatisfying machine and the managers regaled above rise to the top.....not through competence, but job hopping and CV pumping.

It's not uniquely an Australain experience, but it is worst in Australia. There is something fundamentally wrong here. It is present elsewhere, but it is not as prevalent.

Australia is broken. We've all seen it and if you are truthful with yourself, you will feel that in your guts too.

I can only hope the kids of today rebel and simply say "no". No, I will not work a "mac job"; no, part time casual is not ok; no, I won't travel 250k a year and cover half of WA a week; no, I will take my holidays thank you.

I can see it in my kids. This isn't some 1970's thing, they simply don't want to participate in the toxic society we have created.

There definitely is a fundamental problem with how management (my mates and I call it "damagement") is done in big companies - not only here, but all over the world. I've worked for a few, and good managers (those who look after their staff, try to take a long term view, make sensible decisions based on rational thought, and show a real commitment to and interest in the company they work for) are actively discouraged and demeaned by the cv pumpers and job skippers. So I've gone back to contracting - I will provide my best advice based on many years knowledge and experience, and I will provide a service to my customers to the best of my abilities - but if they choose to ignore my best advice and continue to make stupid decisions I will take their money. You can't help people who are intent on being stupid regardless of circumstance or consequence.