Kudos to Stewmac

[Pete Jenner]

Last night I sent Stewmac customer service this picture of the fret cutters I received last week. They had only cut one set of frets for one mandolin and as you can see one jaw is chewed up while the other is still fine.



This morning I discovered Stewmac had emailed me to let me know a new set was on it's way via DHL - no questions asked.

I've been impressed by their customer service before but now I'm an even bigger Stewart MacDonald fan.

[mirwa]

It looks like they have been used to cut stainless frets

[Pete Jenner]

Yeah but they haven't - that was just stewmac 147 wire.

[StuartGold]

About 6 months ago, I was starting to route a mandolin peghead and noticed that I had lost a metric set screw from the StewMac dremel router base. Although I had purchased it a few years earlier, when I called to order another, they immediately offered to send me one for free with no shipping charge. I was quite surprised. These days, you don't get that kind of customer service very often. Since then, I have purchased from them even though I could have bought something a bit cheaper at another place. It pays to support your customers. I wish that other companies would learn that lesson.

[jim simpson]

I've made my own version of the Stew-Mac fret puller but did not temper the steel after grinding it down. I would think Stew-Mac would temper theirs but not sure. The thinner biting edge is vulnerable to some damage if not carefull with grinding evenly.

[Jim Rowland]

I've dealt with Stewmac since the supply shop was (literally)a bumpout shed on the old banjo kit factory,and,although I have nattered a bit about their prices on some bits,I have always found their service to be extraordinary. Once,ten or twelve years ago,I ordered four ounces of MOP and was charged for it,but only received one 1oz packet. I called immediately and reported it. Although it was obviously a simple picking/packing error,and I had no substantive proof,they sent the other three without question. I had no personal acquainance with anyone there,so I can only assume that my order history was all they had to go on. Good folk all around up there.
Jim

[Pete Jenner]

I've made my own version of the Stew-Mac fret puller but did not temper the steel after grinding it down. I would think Stew-Mac would temper theirs but not sure. The thinner biting edge is vulnerable to some damage if not carefull with grinding evenly.

It looks like one half is tempered and the other half not.

[Rodney Riley]

Looks like operator error at the heat treat operation on one side. Or might of fell on the floor and whoever picked it up threw it in the finished pile accidently.

Use a torch, harden it and regrind.

[Andy Miller]

I've been impressed by their customer service before

No kidding. Nobody gets orders out faster, nobody is easier to work with. When mistakes happen, they take care of it without making it a pain. They really have it together in an industry where many suppliers are still kind of stuck in the mail-order era!

[sunburst]

Stewmac is a good company with excellent customer service in most cases.
I make my own fret-pulling pliers by grinding down the face of end nippers. I don't use them to cut fret wire, only to pull frets... and maybe cut plastic side dot material and such. I have flush cutters for cutting frets off, but I just feel like the flush-ground end nippers are out of their design parameters after the modification and are too fragile for cutting metal.

[belbein]

I agree--StewMac is great. In a world of no customer service, they really stand out.

[Bill Baldridge]

Count me among the StewMac fans. Excellent costumer service.

[Ron McMillan]

Please note that I am not belittling the praise being passed StewMac's way in the least, but isn't it a sign of the terrible standards of service we normally experience that StewMac are being praised from the high heavens simply for doing what everyone ought to be doing?

That said, well done to StewMac for not accepting that the only thing that matters is the bottom line, and believing that loyal customers deserve quality service.

ron

[Dlchap]

I have been always pleased with both thier customer service and the products that they sell.