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BIG mistake

G

Grant Wilkinson

Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
169
Likes
26
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
There has been much discussion on this forum about the pros and cons of various lathes. For the benefit of the Canadians on here, I would like to emphasize that, if you are considering a Jet lathe, you should be aware of a major issue. If you buy the Jet lathe from a dealer in Canada, you are not buying from someone authorized by Jet to sell in Canada. There are no exceptions. So, if you do buy a Jet in Canada, and if you need parts for it, Jet will not sell them to you. You are stuck! (Just as I am.)

I was also just told that the same MAY be true of Powermatic. There are authorized dealers for Powermatic in Canada, but you cannot be sure that you are buying from an authorized dealer simply because the dealer has those lathes. Further, you cannot go onto the WMH site and find out if the dealer is authorized. WMH does not have that information on their site. You can call them, but there is no guarantee that the information you get will be accurate, since the "authorized dealer" name may be a corporate name and not the name used at the retail level.

Are we having fun yet?
 
Grant Wilkinson said:
There has been much discussion on this forum about the pros and cons of various lathes. For the benefit of the Canadians on here, I would like to emphasize that, if you are considering a Jet lathe, you should be aware of a major issue. If you buy the Jet lathe from a dealer in Canada, you are not buying from someone authorized by Jet to sell in Canada. There are no exceptions. So, if you do buy a Jet in Canada, and if you need parts for it, Jet will not sell them to you. You are stuck! (Just as I am.)

I was also just told that the same MAY be true of Powermatic. There are authorized dealers for Powermatic in Canada, but you cannot be sure that you are buying from an authorized dealer simply because the dealer has those lathes. Further, you cannot go onto the WMH site and find out if the dealer is authorized. WMH does not have that information on their site. You can call them, but there is no guarantee that the information you get will be accurate, since the "authorized dealer" name may be a corporate name and not the name used at the retail level.

Are we having fun yet?
Click to expand...


One of the very best lathes on the market is made in Canada. I certainly would go to their web site and see if there is anything there that suits you. You may have some advantage price wise buying a Canadian lathe and the shipping probably would be less as well. The company is very good to deal with.

Malcolm Smith.
 
Thanks, Malcom. However, assuming you are talking about Oneway, they are way out of my snack bracket. Further, I can't vouch for their after sales service, but I can attest to the fact that I filled in their online form asking for a quote - 2 weeks ago - and I've not yet had a reply. Maybe they only "serve" people who have already paid their money.
 
I guess an individual would have trouble playing the border crossing game to get a machine part and/or service. Too many tax collectors want a piece of the action. Does JET have a different marque on its tools in Canada? here's a familiar look in a different paint job http://www.wmhtoolgroup.ch/user_content/editor/files/_Katalog2007/deutsch_Holz_low.pdf page 30, for broadbanders.

When I got my Kubota I was warned about the "Gray Market" items. At least they had authorized dealers listed on their website, though.
 
Grant
I don't know about today, but I know in the recent past Oneway actuall cost more in Canada then in the USA. But you should be very familiar with that idea.... (why the same book costs $5 more in Canada, when the exchange rate is about even is amazing)

I found the following on the parent co web-site
WMH Tool Group™ lines are represented in the United States and Canada. Our brand names include JET®, POWERMATIC®, WILTON®, PERFORMAX®, COLUMBIAN®, WAXMASTER®, and POLISHMASTER®. These brands are valued by our distributors as well as their customers.
Click to expand...
However, else-where I found this statement
JET® branded products are not sold in Canada by WMH Tool Group.
Click to expand...

I was interested to note that WHM does not appear to have any Canadian listing of dealers, although they do for places like Vietnam (???)

Lastly,. I found this
If you are calling from Canada, please call 800-238-4746
Click to expand...
So, maybe you can use that to learn who is a real, no-grey-market, dealer

TTFN
Ralph
 
Tks Ralph

WMH does have Canadian distributors for some of its tool line, but not for the Jet. What they do not tell you is that if a Canadian buys a Jet from a US retailer, and has it shipped to Canada, WMH will not honour any warranty, nor will they provide parts for it even if the Canadian is prepared to pay for them. Their position is that the tool never should have been shipped to Canada in the first place. Of course, there is nothing on their web site about that, either.

I'm just glad that I found this out before I bought any more Jet tools. The Mini will be my first and last WMH product.
 
A number of years ago I purchased a Performax sander and a Powermatic 3520 from two Canadian dealers. I never had a problem. If WMH doesnt want to sell Jet products to Canadians, thats their choice. There are lots of other good mini laths out there. Oneway lathes are among the best lathes on the market but are too expensive for me.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Norm
 
Norm: You're right on both counts. There are lots of good minis out there and Oneway makes an excellent product. Like you, I can't afford any of them. 🙁
 
Grant - Couldn't you get the parts you need from the dealer that sold you the lathe? Seems like the dealer should also have to honor the warranty if they incorrectly told you (or lied) that the equipment had a warranty when you bought it.

Ed
 
Ed: I bought the lathe from Woodcraft. When I tried to order parts for it, they told me to contact Jet. I don't blame Woodcraft at all. I don't believe that Jet has told its US dealers how badly they will treat their Canadian customers. I can always have the parts delivered to a US UPS store and drive down to pick them up. It's just that it's a 2+ hour return trip and at gas being well over $5 a gallon, it's a pricey trip.
 
Grant - If you bought it from a Woodcraft store, I'll bet they would order the parts for you once you explain the situation. The guy that owns the Woodcraft stores in Florida will do just about anything for his customers.

If you ordered from the Woodcraft website then you will probably have to work a little harder to find someone willing to do something for you. At a minimum you should demand to speak to a supervisor and have them explain why the product they sold you isn't covered under warranty and what they are going to do about that.

Ed
 
Grant Wilkinson said:
Thanks, Malcom. However, assuming you are talking about Oneway, they are way out of my snack bracket. Further, I can't vouch for their after sales service, but I can attest to the fact that I filled in their online form asking for a quote - 2 weeks ago - and I've not yet had a reply. Maybe they only "serve" people who have already paid their money.
Click to expand...

At the time I bought my lathe, I dealt with them a number of times on the phone and found them very good to deal with. I don't know what you have encountered but suggest calling them.

Malcolm Smith.
 
Grant,

If the lathe is a real problem and woodcraft can't order you the parts, return it to woodcraft. They have a 1 year no hassle return policy.

Its not something I'd prefer to do, but it may be necessary in this case. Usually the only thing the breaks on the jet mini is either the tool rest or the switch.
 
happy ending

As you guys thought, Woodcraft came through with flying colours. They've ordered the parts from Jet and will ship them to me when they get them.

Like you, I've had nothing but good experiences with Woodcraft. This time out, they really showed how much they care about their customers.

Thanks to you all for your ideas and support.
 
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