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Repairing a relationship with my dealer

PBMW

Titanium
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Location
Bremerton, Wa
Most of you know that I have had a less than stellar experience with Selway machine Tool here in the Puget Sound. I am interested in a Horizontal and Scott from Methods called Vince Selway who gave me a call a little while ago.
Yesterday Vince stopped by my shop and we had a chance to sit down and talk about what had gone wrong, and more importantly, what's being done to improve the situation.
I don't know if I'd go so far as to say we're best friends but I believe he is sincere in telling me that they are trying to do better.
This was really going a long way from their original position which was there was no problem.
I just thought I'd share.
 
Hey Jim,
I have had excellent luck purchasing late-model, used machine tools. Mostly Mazaks. The only thing a new machine tool gives a real world job shop is a warranty. Since most builders have less-than-stellar service, the new machine warranty is not much of a comfort.
I have learned about any good quality cnc machine less than 10 years old or so, will be as accurate as any new machine, as long as it hasn't been beat to death. Maybe not quite as fast in rapids, tool changes, and accel/decel. But, with good tooling, fixturing, and programming, any late model machine tool can produce just as many parts as a brand spanking new one. Accuracy and reliability are the keys to making money with a cnc machine.
For horizontals, you can't go wrong with a late model Mazak, Mori Seiki, Kitamura, or Matsura.
Good luck!
Greg
 
Good news PB! It is always better when you can get along with your suppliers. I am glad to hear that you are getting you fences mended. It certainly will benifit you in the long run. It isn't something that is easy to do but pays off in the end.

Good for you!


It is also great to hear that your shop is doing so well.
 
PB

This is good news. I am very glad Vince and you can mend the tie and get it all going the right direction again. Vince is an outstanding guy and a long time friend. I think you are in great hands.

Scott
MMT
 
We'll see how this goes Doug. I am looking at a couple of machines. The "There is no problem" is what I got too. It "Seems" to be changing. We'll see. You can believe I ain't ready to jump in to the water just yet!
 
"Well...the guy cared enough about his rep to show up at your shop. We'll see how the follow through is. "
The problem I have, is that the guy didn't care, until he found out PBMW was looking to drop $250,000 or more on a new machine.
 
The problem I have, is that the guy didn't care, until he found out PBMW was looking to drop $250,000 or more on a new machine.
I tend to agree. If Selway at made the effort prior learning that there was a pile of money to be made it would have carried more weight. On the other hand nobody is perfect, hopefully they are taking geniune corrective action.

There is a popular fortune 500 leadership training course that says, you cannot 'talk' your way out of a situation you 'behaved' yourself into. So the ball is in their court to demonstrate improved customer service not just talk about it.

Charles
 
In Great Britian, I think its easier to "find another dealer".
Not that we dont have em here, its just that the next closest dealer may be 2000 miles away- Imagine if you found another dealer, but he was in Turkey.

The USA is just so big that sometimes you have to break down and deal with the guy who is close.
Not on something that can be UPS'ed, of course, but on big things, sometimes its a lot easier to deal with the local people.
 
Point taken Ries, and an apology to all for being a bit short, but some of those guys are high on my pet hate list.
Admittedly in my line of work, (1 man manual jobbing shop) I don't need the sort of dealer support you guys do, LOL dealer support? in this neck of the woods that would be a first.

I've 3 or 4 dealers within what 40 miles, and have long given up with them wasting my time, (yes we can get you one, but no not in stock) then they come out with the schpeel,......... only to present me with a worn out pot of pooh at some exhorbitant price...... round here they think a machinery truck with a crane turns you in to a machine dealer. :eek:

So for me it's 150-200 mile each way trip and an overnight stop, to the big city dealers when I'm looking for something,..... pro's who at least know what I'm looking for. ;)

Funny old life, innitt? Sami.
 
I have never dealt with Selway - so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. . .

Sounds like Vince is either the owner or the son of the owner or ???

If his attitude is reflective of the ownership attitude. . . (note I said IF) and it doesn't change for the better over time. Selway will go the way of the dodo bird. Far too much competition for a company to be able to withstand smart-ass comments to customers who have real concerns. Usually - whatever is tolerated by the management becomes status quo for the rank and file.
 
Vince is the son of the founder Pat Selway. Pat retired some years ago and Vince and his brother ( I believe) are running the shop now. I have known Pat for years and have bought many machines from him. I understand that Selway is the largest Haas dealer in the world, ammounting to something like 2/3 of their sales. I don't know th eexact figure but it's a lot. They are also the west coast distributor for Matsuura and Toyoda. I used to have some Matsuuras in the shop and never had an issue with Selway. I have only delt with them for my two Haas'.
I am in no way defending them, But I AM trying to be more objective than I had been.
They settled the issue I had with them to my satisfaction and tell me they are trying to cure some issues with service. They have offered to let me see a customer list which includes happy customers as well as unhappy. We'll see what happens.
The thing about them not calling me untill they found I was interested in a new machine, is not a big deal. I had talked to Scott at Methods Machine and he called Vince Selway. I'm sure that once Vince looked at who I was, he realized there had been a problem. That issue had been resolved prior to this... We talked and mostly he wanted to know what Selway could do to mend the fence so to speak.
Anyway, I think they are sincere in their intent.
We'll see with more looking.
 
PB,

I am glad that you guys are mending the fence.

Selway has always done a great job with our products, in sales and service. They are indeed the largest Haas dealer in the world, as well as the largest Toyoda dealer as well. They are our biggest dealer outside our direct offices.

Enough from me though, I hope they you guys come to a conclusion and you get a Matsuura in you new shop.


Scott
MMT
 
I was passing thru Charlotte early on a Saturday morning several years ago, and stopped at a McDonalds. Didn't realize it when I took the exit, but the place was dead in the middle of "the wrong side of town". Quite a few people in line at the counter, so I just assumed that, when I got to the counter at some point in the distant future, I'd be greeted by the typical mindless stare and "what the hell do you want" attitude.

As I stood there and watched, I soon realized this place operated with a smooth efficiency like I'd never seen before in my (far too often) visits to fast food joints. The manager was a black guy who looked to be in his mid-30's, and he was right there on the front line with the troops, bouncing from place to place, pulling drinks, setting up trays, and generally doing whatever was necessary to keep things moving. He seemed to be able to tell when one of his employees was on the verge of a slack moment before the employee himself realized it, and had quietly given that employee some new task as he passed by, never missing a step in his own work. The attitudes of the employees would've made you think they were all making 30 bucks an hour for playing video games instead of minimum wage for dealing with the cross section of bozos that make up much of "the public".

As I was eating, the manager passed thru the dining area picking up this and that, and checking to see if the food was satisfactory. I told him he ran the best McDonalds I'd ever visited, and that, if I had even a fourth of his ability to manage people, I'd be a rich man. He grinned from ear to ear and stopped to chat for a minute. He said all he did was try to make sure every customer was treated the way he liked to be treated when he walked into any business with the intention of spending his money, and that every employee knew all they had to do was to display that same attitude toward the customers, and he'd treat them as good as their momma and daddy ever did. If they couldn't, they obviously needed to work somewhere else, because he refused to employ kids he couldn't be nice to.

Pretty simplistic approach to customer service, but it sure seemed far more effective than all the "you're #1 with us" slogans and other ad-man crap used by people who don't have a clue. When a fellow will work that hard to make sure you want to come back and buy another dollar biscuit, its doubtful he'd have to travel around begging for a second chance if he were selling machines with 6-figure pricetags.
 
"The thing about them not calling me untill they found I was interested in a new machine, is not a big deal......That issue had been resolved prior to this..."
Ahhh...ok. I didn't realize they had already resolved your previous issue. I remember that being a pretty significant f-up on Selway's part.
 
I was surprised the factory guy was so candid. In some ways it speaks well for Haas that they didn't try to BS me.
Dealers are the bane of almost all manufacturers (just ask the Big3). Going from Factory-Direct to Dealers almost sank my father's business in the late-80's, though the transition can be alluring with minimum yearly purchasing contracts.

It's all about the honesty (and diversity of their sales-line) of individual dealers, and that as we know can vary up and down the board. And they can sour a public on a great product with very little effort (in both sense of the word)! Haas has the right idea with their quasi-Factory Direct HFO's in and around the country.

So Jim, are you looking at Haas or Matsuura now?
 
Applied, you have no idea how right you really are.
Just look at every medical manufacturer, and see that their core business, the ones that they simply cannot allow to putz around with, are always always factory-direct service. No question about it.
Dealer may sell it, but in no way allowed to install, repair or even PM it.
Haas does in fact have the right idea, except they did not go far enough. IMHO they need a HAAS guy at every HFO as a last resort go-to person, the HFO guys need to spend more time at HAAS, down at the assembly floor even, get familiar with the process, technology, the inside guys.
Difficult, very much a big disclosure on HAAS-s part, but essential for proper service as well as proper field feedback.
Been there, done that, screwd it up, did it again, screwed it up again, so after 10 years of trying my old company is back to direct only.
 








 
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