KBC Tools and Machinery - good experience

I recently ordered a KEO Cutters center drill set from KBC Tools and Machinery. I chose the set in a wooden box in order to be able to easily get them in and out and to avoid losing them by putting the cover on when not in use. The order arrived promptly. I received the center drills in a plastic case. The bits were so hard to remove that I had to cover the one I wanted with a cloth and pull it out of the foam with pliers. While it may have been due to operator error, the smallest one promptly broke. I sent an E-mail complaint to KBC emphasizing that I don't think that the bit should have failed and that the product I received differed from what was depicted at the time of purchase. Given the condition of my hands, the case issue was especially important. Also, the depicted set was KEO Cutters. I received KEO by ARCH. Hmmm....

Steve Rowe from KBC promptly contacted me for additional information, and said he would get back to me. This is the point at which I thought the BS was going to start. No BS ever started. Steve promptly replied to me by phone and explained that KEO Cutters was now owned by ARCH and that ARCH had made a change to the product line, namely the case. Steve had already located a wooden case, he put the one replacement bit into it, and shipped it out. There were no additional costs. The items arrived promptly.

As Forrest Gump observed, It happens. The fact that an issue arises, which is inevitably going to happen, is less important than what a supplier does to address it. The response from Steve Rowe at KBC Tools and Machinery was thoroughly prompt and professional. I decided to get a smaller Wilton cam action vise for my vertical mill and placed the order this morning with KBC. A Drill press quill return spring that was supposed to arrive on 19 December is still fossilized in the United States Postal Dissservice. Do I seriously want free shipping and the item at the absolute lowest cost? Not if it means weeks of waiting for something to arrive. Let's see how this order goes.

I respectfully recommend that in the future, KBC make the depiction of the product in question be the same as the one the customer will actually receive.

cc: Steve Rowe

Vintage original Keo center drill wood case. Just $99.99.

I can see it now.

Sure glad I bought an extra set last time.

metalmagpie

They're my "go to" for tooling and supplies here in the Toronto area and I've had similar good experience. As you mention, chit happens, it's what happens after that counts.

Paula Bass (the original owner's daughter and current President) spends most of her time here, I've seen her several times in the warehouse. If you find a lower price elsewhere they can sometimes match it too, don't be afraid to ask!

I do not think Keo is owned by Arch anymore although the name may still stand.
Arch global was a investor group that bought a lot of tooling companies, packaged them together and then sold it.
Not to take anything away from Keo which is a great cutting tool company with a long history.
Bob

You sounds like a real pain in the ass customer and the reason you need an account to deal with most tooling suppliers.