Questions on returning a machine for refund

[lharnish]

I received my CW directly from the company as a birthday gift from my wife and kids. I personally couldn’t have brought myself to spend that much money on me but they did and I was grateful as I had been very excited about the TV commercials and the on line demos.
It was opened and set in my garage workshop when we got home from an evening out and they had gotten rid of the box.
Since setting it up I have been able to run two projects (both of which did not look anything like what the demos looked like but I figured that I just needed practice, needed to try different graphics in the software, etc.)
I was never able to complete a single keepable project because I started getting the issue of the swing arm that checks the bit not going out far enough, then a multitude of z axis and y axis errors and the machine randomly shutting down when it wanted to. Sometimes I could fire it back up immediately and try to restart the project and sometimes it would not even recognize it had power going to it (sometimes this lasted for minutes, sometimes hours). So I first tried contacting the support desk through their "Contact Us" page on the website. No response after a few days and to this day I still have not received a response via email. Then I called a few time (read 3 - 5) when it was approximately 2 - 3 pm Texas time, and it rang but no answer, On or about the 7th day of trying to get contact a lady answered that told me there was no one that could help me there right now but she would leave a message. I called back again the next day and she said she thinks the woman that could help may be out sick. On the third day I was told by a different lady that she would get someone to call me back. I finally received a call from the Support desk from Chris. He recommended a couple things for the swing arm problem and sent me a PDF as well as sending a power supply for the axis errors. Because of this long wait period I looked into the warranty for the machine and was shocked to find that a $2000.00 piece of equipment only had a 30 day warranty and even if NEVER OPENED or used collected a 10% restocking fee. If used and found to be defective was still subject to a 20% restocking fee. Most power tools of significant cost or major appliances like stoves and refrigerators have a 1 year warranty and usually no restocking fee. Yester day after exhausting all attempts to fix the issues nothing got resolved and I called Chris to be transferred to Mary in the finance office who said she will have to get back to me on how I should ship it since the box is gone, I haven’t received the RMA to return it, and it looks as though I foot the bill to return something (approx $90.00) as well as approximately $400.00 for restocking fees.
For something that appeared so easy and fun this has been a nightmare. It is costing me about $500.00 for something that I will not even have and my wife feels terrible like it is her fault
I had read the comments from other of how great their support was, how responsive, and how the machine was out of BETA. This is obviously not the case. I don’t mean for this to sound like a complaint letter but do notice that there are no others like this that I can find on the forum and I cannot be the only one that just wanted a reliable machine from a company that stood behind their merchandise and was disappointed.
I really want to know what recourse I have in this matter rather than contacting my credit card company and doing a chargeback against the company. I have received parts from them and completed my own service work, I have spent countless hours on phone at home and work trying to get in contact with someone as well as waiting so long that I had to get Chris to extend my warranty 1 week so I could get the parts through the mail and install and test them, as well as now waiting on information for me to ship it back that never came as I was promised yesterday.
Please help.

[DocWheeler]

lharnish,
Sorry to hear of those problems - it sounds like you are dealing with some other company rather than LHR. I have had a share of problems but think of it as going with the turf - like a Harley or Jaguar owner.
You have me confused when you talk about the short warranty - it is 200 machine hours or a year I think.
I suggest taking a step back, take a couple of deep breaths, and call again in the spirit of a basically happy person with a machine problem rather than the feeling of being beaten-up.
That is just my opinion - and I really like using my machine when I get time to do it.

[lharnish]

lharnish,
Sorry to hear of those problems - it sounds like you are dealing with some other company rather than LHR. I have had a share of problems but think of it as going with the turf - like a Harley or Jaguar owner.
You have me confused when you talk about the short warantee - it is 200 machine hours or a year I think.
I suggest taking a step back, take a couple of deep breaths, and call again in the spirit of a basically happy person with a machine problem rather than the feeling of being beaten-up.
That is just my opinion - and I really like using my machine when I get time to do it.

Thanks for the reply.
The company is LHR as I am calling the 800 nuymber from teh contact us infoprmation from the site.
When I call then I dont yell or act PO'd because I understand that they dont make the rules, they are just workers. I was tech support for a ISP for a couple years so I feel their pain.
According to the warranty that you can read on the webpage under FAQ's it only states 30 days with the associated restocking fees. I could understand an d appreciate a 1 yr or 200 hr warranty. That would be understandable.

[Jeff_Birt]

I really want to know what recourse I have in this matter rather than contacting my credit card company


According to the warranty that you can read on the webpage under FAQ's it only states 30 days with the associated restocking fees. I could understand an d appreciate a 1 yr or 200 hr warranty. That would be understandable.

This is the only question I could find that you asked. While I can understand your frustration with the situation, this not the place to ask that question. This is a USERS forum, not a legal forum. Getting rid of the box ,for anything, is always a bad idea (especially if you mail ordered it). The machine does have a 1 year 200 hour warranty, and LHR has been paying to have it shipped back to their facility for warranty repair (if you had the box), at least for machine purchased from Sears.


From the CW website:
The CarveWright warranty covers parts and labor for one full year or 200 hours of cutting. The warranty excludes consumable items such as bits, sandpaper drive belts, and flexshafts. The machine tracks cutting time for this purpose. Shipping costs are not covered under the warranty. Our service center is located in Houston, TX. There is a 30-day return period after which no returns are accepted. There is also a restocking fee for returned machines. The warranty does not cover commercial or industrial use. Please click here (http://www.carvewright.com/forum/../faq/faq.html#) to read the entire warranty.

It looks like to me that their policy was clearly posted. Perhaps they will send you an empty box (at your expense) for you to ship your machine back for warranty repair (at their expense)? I'm not trying to be unsympathetic but rather realistic. You should have a working machine, that is what your hard earned money was spent on, but the companies policies are clearly stated and not unrealistic.

I hope you can get it sorted out, it's a great machine.

[lharnish]

This is a USERS forum, not a legal forum. Getting rid of the box ,for anything, is always a bad idea (especially if you mail ordered it). The machine does have a 1 year 200 hour warranty, and LHR has been paying to have it shipped back to their facility for warranty repair (if you had the box), at least for machine purchased from Sears..
I never asked for legal advice but asked for any other recourse than that.
Maybe a general questions area would be appropriate for the board so things as this that do not fall into any other category can be placed and answered. I also did not get rid of the box, my family did so it was set up[ and ready to work, which it never did successfully. I understand that a lot of people here have the time and inclination to wait for parts to be ordered and do teh warranty work themselves for things that they should not have to crack teh case for, but I have paid for a machine that has never p[roperly functioned, has a warranty that you will not find in any other piece of hardware that I can find, be it a computer, a router, a tablesaw, or a planer, etc. I am not getting emotionally involved in this matter except in the frustration in getting everything sorted out and resolved after spending almost 2 weeks of my 30 day warranty trying to get someone who could help me.
A lot of the people on the mewssage board offer great advice but a lot of this is as I stated above and a lot of the users have BETA machines or BEtA replacements and you can expect these things when you are working in a BETA environment but not a full production rollout enterprise such as this.
Essentially I pay 2K for a machine and then find out that "Hey even if you cant use it you not only dont get to keep the machine but are out approx $400 plus the return shipping. Whom tdoes that seem fair to i any business model?
Also I did not purchaseit my wife did and it wasnt through Sears, whom I have learned will not offer the basic benchtop warranty for this machine that they offer on pretty much everything else.




It looks like to me that their policy was clearly posted. Perhaps they will send you an empty box (at your expense) for you to ship your machine back for warranty repair (at their expense)? I'm not trying to be unsympathetic but rather realistic. You should have a working machine, that is what your hard earned money was spent on, but the companies policies are clearly stated and not unrealistic.

I hope you can get it sorted out, it's a great machine.

Also a blurb buried in the contact us and FAQ sections of their web sitre isnt being clearly posted as far as a warranty ad being realistic is up to interpretation. I cant find any appliace of piece of shop equipent of comparable price that has such a low warranty.
I truly wanted this machine and thought it would be a great toy for weekend shop activities with my teenage son, but am currently stuck with a machine that hasnt worked riht since and cant get anyone to get back in contact with me since talking to Chris.

I can take the machine hand either have it wrapped at a shipping area or just pay for insuring it for 2k and send it back. I just need an address and an RMA number for which I am still patiently waiting for.

I apologize that I am being taken for doing something somewhat akin to attacking a family member but I cant let the money and time wasted be chalked up to experience.
I really wished it would have turned out as a better experience.
Thanks for any and all input.

[rjp736]

IHARNISH,

I feel your pain and frustration. Myself and many others had problems with the machine. After trying several repairs on my own, LHR had me return the machine at their expense, and fixed all the problems.

The only suggestion I can give you is to have them send you a box and send it back for repairs. Trust me, once you see what the machine can do you'll love it. Problem with this forum sometimes is that your "damned if you do and damned if you don't". Your right, seems like you never know exactly where to post something without getting some kinda flak. I wish I could help you further but don't know what else to tell you. Good luck with your situation.

[castingman]

I agree with Robbie, I had to seen mine back twice. I have found the support from LHR the best Everybody on this forum has probley had some trouble, get a box from LHR and send it back for repair. Mine is working great now. Michael

[Gman_Ind]

I returned my first machine to Sears, it died, kaput.
My second one had to go back to LHR for repair and I have used the forum for other small errors I was able to fix on my own (with forum help of course).
The machine has been frustrating to own at times but that is small compared with the great joy I and those around me have received from what this little machine can do.

[Jon Jantz]

LHARNISH...

Like the others, I totally understand your frustrations... I hate to buy a new piece of equipment and have trouble with it. However, a couple things to note.. like has been said... YOUR MACHINE IS UNDER WARRANTY FOR ONE YEAR... OR 200 HOURS whichever comes first. This 30 day warranty thing you keep repeating is not correct...

Secondly, I promise you, LHR will fix your machine and get it working smoothly... many others here have had problems and though it took a little patience, are now happy with their machines. I have been very happy with mine and have produced many items that would be impossible to do with any other tool, other than a much more expensive CNC.

If you just don't like the machine and the things it can do, or don't think it was a cool birthday present... then I'm sure LHR will help you get it sent back and a refund. They have been very accomodating to many different ones here. If that's the deal, then you can't really complain about the restocking fee.

As far as the restocking fee, I purchase a lot of equipment for our company.. and a LOT of the distributors have restocking fees and make you pay the shipping if you want to return something that you've used. That's something you take into consideration when you are purchasing an item in the first place.... It is not at all unreasonable. I totally understand that once that machine is used, they can't get as much out of it, plus all the hassle to taking it back and reselling it. I hate it too when I end up wanting to return an item I've purchased, especially if it didn't meet my expectations, but if that's the policy... there's not much you can do about it.

Hey, you stated you posted on a public forum so you could get advise and opinions... so here ya go. Good luck... and if you do cool down and decide to get it working properly... welcome to the carving community! ;)

[JOHNB]

What is the warranty and return policy?
The CarveWright warranty covers parts and labor for one full year or 200 hours of cutting. The warranty excludes consumable items such as bits, sandpaper drive belts, and flexshafts. The machine tracks cutting time for this purpose. Shipping costs are not covered under the warranty. Our service center is located in Houston, TX. There is a 30-day return period after which no returns are accepted. There is also a restocking fee for returned machines. The warranty does not cover commercial or industrial use. Please click here to read the entire warranty.


TOOK THIS RIGHT OFF THEIR WEB SITE. 1 YEAR OR 200 HOURS. THEY MAY EVEN PAY (YOUR) SHIPPING? IT CAN BE A P.I.T.A. BUT I'M SURE THEY WILL MAKE IT RIGHT. MAKE SURE YOUR CALLING THE RIGHT PHONE NUMBERS?

[nicobie]

I was told, and it has been proven, that they will not pay for return shipping even for products that are dead on arrival. This just happened to me.

[pkunk]

I was told, and it has been proven, that they will not pay for return shipping even for products that are dead on arrival. This just happened to me.
That's because you're special. ;)

[JOHNB]

That's because you're special. ;)

R.O.F.L. THE WEEKENDS HERE!

[Jeff_Birt]

As this thread has degraded into childish name calling, I have closed it and deleted the last two posts.