Whats going on with Woodmizer?

[tmarch]

At this point I would be talking to a lawyer, hate saying that, but it's apparent they could care less about you or the $ you've spent.  If they can't even call you back..................

[LaneC]

   I am with you barbender. This just keeps getting worse. I wonder if they have anyone from WM looking on this site. It is hard to believe how bad this is getting, and now more wrong parts! Man, I would hate to tell my customers that I could not give them what they were expecting. Wait a minute! who said something about a Massey? :D (I am joking about that one). Although If Massey messed up something this bad and is handling it like this, then I would not have another one. Thanks for the updates and please keep updating. Maybe they will look and see what is happening and get back with you. I wish the best for you.

[MartyParsons]

Hello,
   I have been watching this from the beginning. It is unfortunate that there have been some mistakes made with the order. I know WM is working on it and will make it right.
   We as an ASC have been growing and now have 6 employee. Trying to keep everyone educated, trained and knowledgeable about all the products we sell including Wood Mizer is quite a challenge. This is not an excuse for what has happened to this order or orders. Part # and revisions with the 70 DCS and other models of WM can be quite confusing if you don't have some experience looking up the parts. The parts manual has notes but you need to read them. It would not be hard to miss the note or part #. For the log deck for a LT70 DCS there are three part # LD70-DCSKit ( this is the right one) LD70-Rkit 1 and LD70-Rkit 2 then if you have a non remote 70 there is another kit. The 1 and 2 designate a valve body change by revision. 
I know this does help this order.
I am sure WM will make this right.
Marty 
   

[grweldon]

I'm sure this situation has some Woodmizer operational staff screaming for resolution.  I commend you Cypress for restraining your commentary to the point you have.  I know that people from WM read this forum and from what I know about the company, they WILL make it right.  I know that doesn't make the sour taste in your mouth turn sweet.  Maybe WM will do the right thing to make you happy in the end.  I sure hope so.  I'm empathetic with the frustration this has caused you.  It will get better...

[Sixacresand]

My Lt40 forward saw head movement stopped.  After doing a simple diagnosis from the instructions in the manual I called WM.  I received a part the next day and was up and running 30 minutes after the FedX truck left.  The mill was under warranty.  That is pretty good service in my opinion.
   
A side note:  The WM tech told me that before putting the saw head in reverse, the variable control switch should be turned down.  That would prolong the life of the electronic module, which in my case, went bad.

[Okrafarmer]

I'm not sure what everyone expects, but if I had a customer this disappointed in me for mistakes I had made, I would have made it right by now. If I were held up by logistics, I would be calling the customer every day or at least every other day with updates and apologies.

[Dave Shepard]

I am relatively new to milling. I have an LT35 HD. I love it, but already recognize the need for greater capacity/efficiencies. I will be looking for a machine from a competitor who can deliver a quality product, as Wood-Mizer has, just in case this issue doesn't get ironed out. I am disappointed with your difficulty and only hope the company will consider what got them where they are. If they lose that, they lose everything...eventually.

And what is to prevent you having an issue with a competitor down the road? We all need to remember that companies make mistakes. All companies. For every mistake at WM, there have been thousands of perfect performances. I have a feeling that working with two divisions at WM is part of the problem. The mill is from the portable sawmill division, and the log deck is from the industrial, which I think was formerly AWMV. I know when I call WM about my mill, they have all of my info in front of them at the computer. Perhaps the Industrial division doesn't have that information available? We should also consider ourselves lucky when working with any of the sawmill manufacturers that the companies are, comparatively, small, and we can contact somebody at the HQ. Try taking an issue with your new Ford, Chevy, Dodge to the HQ. I still think WM needs to just bring the right log deck and parts, and get Cypress Man up and running, no matter what it costs them to do it.

[Gary_C]

When the truck door lifted I immediately noticed it was AWMV green not woodmizer orange. On several occasions I spoke to the Woodmizer dealer about making sure it would be painted woodmizer orange to match the LT70, inclined conveyor, transfer table, and twin blade edger I also have and I was assured that would be taken care of.

Talking to the dealer is not the same as having the color on the order. If the actual order said orange, then it's Woodmizer's problem. Otherwise it all on the dealer's promise.

For me, as long as the paint is good and the product works as advertised, the color is the manufacturers choice. And this is not like a car where it's offered in multiple colors. I would expect a color different than standard would be very difficult and expensive for most manufacturers to supply, especially with a good powder coating paint system. And the present paint job will be far better than even a professional repaint job in the field.

So Woodmizer is not the villian they are being portrayed as here. I would have put that log deck to work long ago. It's too nice a unit to leave waiting for a vanity color change.

[beenthere]

And putting it to work in the beginning would have brought to light the wrong valve bank shipped, so the right one would have been exchanged.  And much wood would have been cut and orders kept up to date.

Brings to light the headaches manufacturers have when changing models, and providing retro kits. No wonder they don't readily upgrade.

[drobertson]

Just a thought, but I mentioned a while back engineering blunders, it happens all the time,  communication in all facets of the scope are so critical.  It just kills me when it happens, but it does and will.  The main thing is to keep on trucking as soon as possible.  These folks on here are a good sounding board, but can do nothing to rectify the situation.  The right persons must be contacted, at whatever the expense.  Or just go to another supplier, this is how it's done.  Lots' of wasted dialog here, not to  mention production.

[downsouth]

If the man wanted and ordered a orange log deck then he was charged for the paint job and if it came in another color then the order was wrong. Period. He should get what he wanted,he should get what he ordered,and he should get what he paid for.

[beenthere]

He should get what he wanted,he should get what he ordered,and he should get what he paid for.

Yes, and to be realistic, in due time... ;)

[Gary_C]

Just a thought, but I mentioned a while back engineering blunders, it happens all the time, 

???

The sales people may or may not have placed an order for a product that Woodmizer does not make nor sell and it is an engineering blunder? How can it be an "engineering blunder"?

We don't know what was actually ordered or if he paid extra for his wishes and yet are condemning Woodmizer because his wants and wishes were not fulfilled?  :

[stavebuyer]

I had a similar log deck issue last year. Mine was painted correctly but built the height of the WM4000 instead of the deck height of the LT70. The LT70 deck is a different part number. I settled for a green deck the correct height that they had in stock rather than wait for another deck to be built. I was given the option. They sent the wrong stops for the loader arms twice; the engineering specs had been copied from the original deck that fits both the 70 and old LT300 when they were developing the WM4000 and saved the altered file. Wood-Mizer built the new stops and drove them 318 miles from Indy the next day when the 2nd set was wrong and they figured out why.

Two observations.
1. They will make it right.
2. Its worth the wait. The deck works great and added more to my production than anything else I added by far.

I would suggest calling Indy and asking to speak with the customer service manager. I have had them screw up more than once and each time they went out of there way to correct the issue.

[Cypress Man]

When the truck door lifted I immediately noticed it was AWMV green not woodmizer orange. On several occasions I spoke to the Woodmizer dealer about making sure it would be painted woodmizer orange to match the LT70, inclined conveyor, transfer table, and twin blade edger I also have and I was assured that would be taken care of.

Talking to the dealer is not the same as having the color on the order. If the actual order said orange, then it's Woodmizer's problem. Otherwise it all on the dealer's promise.

For me, as long as the paint is good and the product works as advertised, the color is the manufacturers choice. And this is not like a car where it's offered in multiple colors. I would expect a color different than standard would be very difficult and expensive for most manufacturers to supply, especially with a good powder coating paint system. And the present paint job will be far better than even a professional repaint job in the field.

So Woodmizer is not the villian they are being portrayed as here. I would have put that log deck to work long ago. It's too nice a unit to leave waiting for a vanity color change.

Gary C: I have been dealing with Woodmizer for nearly 15 yrs now. I have bought 3 new woodmizer sawmills, 2 blade sharpeners, dual tooth setter, twin blade edger, sawmill extention, inclined conveyor, transfer table , and more blades, parts, and other wear items than I care to mention. I know how to place an order and I know what I want when I order it. I did not dream up the idea to paint a log deck orange. It is an option in the woodmizer products catalog to match the equipment you already have.  I take great pride in keeping a clean and organized sawmill operation and have gained many customers by doing so. And after spending over $100,000.00 on new equipment I want it to match like its supposed to. I have not portrayed anyone as being a villian and as far as putting the log deck to work, the WM guy that is going to paint it said it would be easier for him to paint it if it was not installed and dirty from use with sawdust everywhere. I was waiting to use it as a favor to him not as a simple "vanity color change".

On a lighter note, when I originally posted this to vent off a little frustration, it has accomplished exactly what I wanted. I have recieved a call today from Mike Handlin at Woodmizer.  He was very professional and genually concerned about all the problems I have been having.  He explained to me how these problems will be corrected in the future and he is personally overseeing my problems to ensure they are QUICKLY rectified.  THANK YOU Mike for all your help. Sometimes all it takes is just one phone call to make things right. ;) 

[Okrafarmer]

Looks like the fix is on the way. 

[Gary_C]

Cypress Man, thanks for clarifying the part about the order and even though you still did not actually said you have ordered and paid for orange, there is no question that Woodmizer has made some mistakes on your order. And I've never had any doubt that a very good company like Woodmizer would make it right ASAP.

But what did concern me was in your post to "vent off a little frustration" you had stirred up an angry group that was intent on vilifying a good company unnecessarily. Perhaps as you said, one phone call could have made everything right in the first place.

And yes, for me a high quality paint job trumps color any day. And in a production environment, it's quality, price, and service first.

[SawyerBrown]

When I was deciding which mill to buy, I really wanted to find both the positives and the negatives about the companies, and I could find NOTHING negative about WM.  I doubted they never had problems, but I just couldn't find any negative comments.  So this has been a very open and honest documentation (isn't that refreshing!) of their response to a problem, which in my mind is what really determines how good a company is.  I don't think they get an "A" on this one, but I'll bet if there was a thread on what WM does right, it would rival the "weather" thread.  So, Gary_C, I think full disclosure is healthy

[DGK]

Thanks to Cypress Man for the original post. I own a LT40G28 that I converted to a hydraulic and am happy with it and the service that I have received from Wood-Mizer in Canada. That being said, I have had experiences with companies that have made mistakes. Depending on how they respond, I can either be satisfied that the errors will be corrected in time, or it can escalate to frustration and a battle very quickly. The key difference for me on which way it goes, is whether or not the individual that I initially deal with, cares or is empathetic about my situation. Customer Service Representatives of any business need to remember that they are there to give service and that you are the customer that eventually pays their paycheque. Unfortunately, CSR's are often entry level positions in many companies and the individuals do not have the experience and or authority to assist with more challenging circumstances. This is where management must facilitate a means for the customer to be able to deal with someone who can help, WITHOUT the frustration of voicemails, callbacks etcetera.

I spend a fair amount of money on of equipment of many kinds. When deciding on where to buy, price is important but it is not the first consideration. The most important item to me, is the service both before and after the sale. If a company has poor service, they lose my business.

[Don_Papenburg]

They have the option to purchase the deck in WMorange , And after spending $100,000 I wanted it to match like it is supposed to.
That and he said in the OP he wanted WMorange
I think he said it without  those words.
Oh and the words I spoke to the dealer several times to be sure it would be orange makes me think that he did indeed order it in orange.

[hamish]

Thanks to Cypress Man for the original post. I own a LT40G28 that I converted to a hydraulic and am happy with it and the service that I have received from Wood-Mizer in Canada. That being said, I have had experiences with companies that have made mistakes. Depending on how they respond, I can either be satisfied that the errors will be corrected in time, or it can escalate to frustration and a battle very quickly. The key difference for me on which way it goes, is whether or not the individual that I initially deal with, cares or is empathetic about my situation. Customer Service Representatives of any business need to remember that they are there to give service and that you are the customer that eventually pays their paycheque. Unfortunately, CSR's are often entry level positions in many companies and the individuals do not have the experience and or authority to assist with more challenging circumstances. This is where management must facilitate a means for the customer to be able to deal with someone who can help, WITHOUT the frustration of voicemails, callbacks etcetera.

I spend a fair amount of money on of equipment of many kinds. When deciding on where to buy, price is important but it is not the first consideration. The most important item to me, is the service both before and after the sale. If a company has poor service, they lose my business.

We all have different experiences at different times with different companies.  My first experience, and my 2nd-5th with Woodmizer Canada was terrible. Would I deal with them, well yes if they have something I need that actually works before I load it.

My past experience in dealing with larger US companies has been outstanding.  Customer service has been outstanding.

Personal interaction is key.

CypressMan must have been dealing with Woodmizer Canada.

[tmarch]

"But what did concern me was in your post to "vent off a little frustration" you had stirred up an angry group that was intent on vilifying a good company unnecessarily. Perhaps as you said, one phone call could have made everything right in the first place."
From what I've read it appears there were several calls TO WM but not many the other direction which leads me to believe they either don't get their messages or don't find them important enough to respond to.
After 3 weeks this should have been handled, period. 
If that's vilifying a good company so be it, deserved response in my book.
I personally can see why the OP was upset and while listing it on the internet wouldn't be my first choice he apparently contacted WM first and didn't get any satisfaction.

[Paul_H]

CypressMan must have been dealing with Woodmizer Canada.

The guys in Salmon Arm BC have been great to deal with.

[Gary_C]

From what I've read it appears there were several calls TO WM but not many the other direction which leads me to believe they either don't get their messages or don't find them important enough to respond to.

The "it appears" and "leads me to believe" are exactly what is the problem here. There are at least two sides to every story and we've only heard parts of one. Clearly there have been mistakes made in this transaction and I'm sure it can be worked out without pointing fingers unnecessarily.

[LaneC]

   I agree. No one should point the finger at anyone because it will do no good. The only comments I have seen from WM, is that they have surely messed up, and after 16 days and nothing being done to rectify the problem, there is no reason to point the finger. It seems as though a huge mistake has been made, and nothing is being done to rectify the problem. Just another one of those deals where you have to shake your head and wonder what would you do if you were in his situation. I surely feel for cypressman. Please keep us updated on the situation. I really cannot believe this is still going on. I realize everyone makes mistakes, but you can always do what is right. That is what matters most. Doing the right thing. Please keep us informed and good luck.