Shopbot Has The Best Customer Service!

[rb99]

Some time ago I ordered three 25 tooth pinions and one 20 tooth pinion for my old PR. The 20 tooth pinion was for a new Z upgrade. I never finished the upgrade at the time, but a couple of weeks ago I started back at it.

A couple of days ago I put on the new pinions. The three 25 tooth pinions installed no problem, but the 20 tooth pinion was about 1/16th of an inch larger than the shaft and would not work.

I called Shopbot and talked to Frank. He looked up my order and I bought them in 2012. He asked me if there was any markings on the pinion. After some investigation Frank tells me the gear is correct, and the numbers are correct, but the center shaft opening should be 1/2" not the 9/16" that it is. He deduces the pinion manufacturer must have erred, and states he will send me a new one ASAP no charge.

So they took me at my word, never asked me to send back the defective one as proof, and honored a 3 year old invoice by sending out the new piece no charge. Best customer service ever!

Thank you Shopbot!

[feinddj]

When asked who has the best customer service I always reply Shopbot. Hands down. My neighbor is looking at a new machine. He said he's looking at Laguna. I told him that the customer service at Shopbot would overshadow any difference in price. The people at Shopbot have answered questions on the weekend allowing me to complete things on time. This has happened more than once. Posting a question or problem on the forum often gets a follow up from Shopbot to make sure you're up and running.

The only people who come even close are Tabasco and Shopsmith. Shopsmith was able to find and send me a belt for a 1957 machine without any drama or even asking me if I wanted to upgrade to a current machine. Tabasco sent my dad a copy out of print pamphlet of a cookbook that they used to distribute with C rations in Vietnam. He also got the current one that they distribute with the MREs now and a bunch of small bottles of Tabasco.

David

[rb99]

Today is Saturday, they sent it out yesterday and tracking shows it is in Ottawa Canada so I will see it on Monday.

[JimmyD]

Some time ago I ordered three 25 tooth pinions and one 20 tooth pinion for my old PR. The 20 tooth pinion was for a new Z upgrade. I never finished the upgrade at the time, but a couple of weeks ago I started back at it.

A couple of days ago I put on the new pinions. The three 25 tooth pinions installed no problem, but the 20 tooth pinion was about 1/16th of an inch larger than the shaft and would not work.

I called Shopbot and talked to Frank. He looked up my order and I bought them in 2012. He asked me if there was any markings on the pinion. After some investigation Frank tells me the gear is correct, and the numbers are correct, but the center shaft opening should be 1/2" not the 9/16" that it is. He deduces the pinion manufacturer must have erred, and states he will send me a new one ASAP no charge.

So they took me at my word, never asked me to send back the defective one as proof, and honored a 3 year old invoice by sending out the new piece no charge. Best customer service ever!

Thank you Shopbot!

I'm glad you had a positive experience. Mine has been less than stellar. When I needed help they were "too busy" in response to multiple phone requests over a week. I gave up and eventually solved the problem myself. One of the reasons I dropped a large sum of money was what I read about customer service. Perhaps those with a negative experience give up and go elsewhere, which is what I plan when I figure a way to offset the investment loss of money and time.

[Davo]

My experience has also been having to call back over and over to catch them when they were free - however I ended up leaving my number and they did call me back


Luckily I have had no real need to call other than some random questions

This site answers all my questions normally

Being from the south I still think I hear more polite people here than their phone support - they are nice but southern hospitality is hard to beat.... Unless it's fast food...

[myxpykalix]

JIM DUNCAN.....I try to help when i can as do many others so when you have a problem you might want to post it here as well as call in for support so if you can't get help there maybe someone here will help instead of coming here after you get frustrated.

I see you have a custom indexer. Tell me what is custom about it? What do you use it for? Any pictures of it or what you make with it?
I have a 12" deep by 18" wide by 8' long indexer bay and have made 12" wide by 8' long columns.

[JimmyD]

JIM DUNCAN.....I try to help when i can as do many others so when you have a problem you might want to post it here as well as call in for support so if you can't get help there maybe someone here will help instead of coming here after you get frustrated.

I see you have a custom indexer. Tell me what is custom about it? What do you use it for? Any pictures of it or what you make with it?
I have a 12" deep by 18" wide by 8' long indexer bay and have made 12" wide by 8' long columns.

Jack,
Thanks for your input. I wasnt seeking anything with the above post. I simply wanted to share my experience so that anyone considering a purchase would hear, as with everything, that there is more than one point of view on the subject and make a more informed decision. I am a member of other forums for other brands and there are issues with all companies who sell CNC machines. Shopbot is no different than anyone else, they are staffed by humans and humans make mistakes.

Jim

[Ajcoholic]

Regardless of how great any company is, there will always be some less than satisfied people - for various reasons. Not every employee has a great day every day, some times they can be short a person and exceptionally busy, etc. PErsonally, I have only had to call support a few times (maybe 3 or 4 ) in the 3 1/2 years I have had my machine. Each time I was dealt with promptly and got the issues resolved immediately.

I can relate to being frustrated - I have tried dealing with other companies in this industry based on the recommendations of others, and personally I was less than excited about the service I received. Even with my own company, as hard as I try and please everyone, I still manage to have the odd customer that gets a bit miffed over something. I think everyone in business does.

I really have nothing but good things to say with my dealings with Shopbot, though; and if I ever decide to get another machine, I would be inclined to purchase one again based upon my past dealings.