I received 2 workbenches this week, one from Amazon, one from Sears.
From Sears, I had received another Craftsman 6-foot premium workbench. Craftsman had sent it at my request, I did not purchase it. But it had arrived via Sears home delivery, the same as if you would order one from Sears’ website.
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And I also ordered a 6-foot Gladiator workbench from Amazon.
The Sears order arrived perfectly. I hadn’t assembled it yet, but it looks to be pristine. They called me on Tuesday, to confirm my address. They said I would receive an automated phone call later in the day to provide me with a 2 hour delivery window. I asked if I could put in a time request, they said yes, and they would try to honor it.
I requested a delivery time between 8am and 12pm. Later on Tuesday, I received an automated phone call with a 9am to 11am delivery window.
On Wednesday, the driver called me ahead of time, telling me he would arrive in about 5-10 minutes.
The workbench arrived, we opened the top box, and the contents were all in place and seemingly undamaged.
Past experiences tell me that Sears’ customer service is usually pretty okay to deal with.
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The Gladiator workbench arrived from Amazon sometime this morning, when I was out for a little bit. There was a FedEx tag. The box was in pretty bad condition.
The Gladiator workbench box was bulging open, with the flaps of the box taped over loose parts that apparently fell out and couldn’t be neatly fit back within the box. The sides were ripped, with exposed parts showing damage.
Amazon customer service arranged for a return and replacement, with the replacement set to arrive in 5 days.
Honestly, I don’t expect that the replacement will arrive intact. I have great faith in Amazon customer service, but 100+ pound boxes, irregularly sized boxes, large products, and things like that, don’t always travel well.
So here’s what it comes down to:
The Sears Workbench Delivery was Perfect
The Amazon Workbench Delivery Resulted in Significant Shipping Damages
Come to think of it, I had great experiences with a Craftsman roller cabinet delivery a while back, and also the first Craftsman 6-foot workbench delivery. So they’re 3 for 3.
If Amazon cannot get the replacement to me safe and sound, I’ll order from Sears. Maybe a different vendor?
Or maybe I’ll just order more Craftsman workbenches. I like the Gladiator ones a hair better, since they’re slightly more stable and also slightly deeper, but I do really like Craftsman’s.
fred
I ordered 2 Gladiator GAGB272DRG cabinets back in 2011 from Amazon when they were on a super sale. Both arrived damaged. One – worse than the other I sent back. The replacement also arrived damaged. I ended up doing some “body-work” on them – since the price was very good – and they were going in a back corner in the garage.
With some trepidation I ordered a Festool FS2700 – 2700mm (106 inch) long track from Amazon. Paying the then (2014) full price of $320 (with tax) – I was not prepared to accept any damage. It came in a plywood, Masonite and oak crate in perfect condition – but via a small freight company – not UPS or FedEx.
I’m not sure what that says about Amazon – other than they can ship things well if they wish.
Stuart
Festool stuff is an exception – larger stuff I ordered in the past came from Festool USA directly. As you experienced, larger stuff came via freight.
Tom
Lowes did a great job at delivering my full set of Gladiator stuff too.
Six 30″ Premier wall cabinets, 1 Premier Tall Gearbox, 1 Premier Tall Gearlocker, bunch of rails and accessories. Everything was hauled into my shop where I designated and in perfect condition. Only drawback is the $85 trucking fee.
Tim
Sears had very poor customer service in my experience ordering a gift card over the holidays. Their mobile website said one thing (which I ordered from) while the desktop site said another. I ordered from my phone so I had no knowledge what was on the desktop site until I called their customer service.
I have received items damaged from Amazon as well. Their customer service more than makes up for my heartache through refunds or partial refunds in my experiences.
Stuart
Yes, Amazon custom service is awesome. With something like this, that’s some consolation, but doesn’t make a difference when I just really want an undamaged product.
Sears’ customer service is not as flexible when it comes to fixing a issue that strays from common problems.
BikerDad
I’ve only had good experiences with Sears’ customer service, BUT, I’ve never dealt with them on the ‘Net/Mobile side. I’m not a fan of their website, it’s pretty clunky, and even worse, searches returns gobs of crap that I’m not interested in. Amazon does the same, but not quite as bad.
Why oh why don’t huge Internet retailers support EXCLUSIONS in their searches? I KNOW what I’m looking for, and how to search. Also, support for EXACT strings would be handy.
That said, the retailer’s website with the absolute, positively worst search functionality I’ve ever encountered is Zoro.
Spencer
In my experience with Amazon (and, honestly, most large internet websites) I have never had any issue with support for exclusions. While I would consider myself to be in the ‘most experienced’ group of Amazon purchasers (both in terms of purchases from Amazon and IT know-how), I have never had any issues in excluding a keyword from a search result when utilizing the standard intern search syntax for exclusion. If interested, below I have walked through how I typically go about excluding results from nearly all online searches.
Not wanting to give inaccurate feedback, I even quickly navigated to Amazon and tested once more just to be sure that everything *still* worked. As expected, when I searched for an item (e.g. “XYZ”), the listed results were returned, posted in order by “most relevant.” As such, the first 5 or so results turned out to be from 2 different brands. I then edited my search to be “XYZ -abc” (where abc was the name of the first brand). The result updated and, sure enough, the results didn’t include any items with ‘abc.’
I then tried once more, again putting in a minus sign (-) immediately before the term (i.e. utilizing standard internet search syntax) – that is, I typed in “XYZ -abc -def.” Sure enough, my results came back as expected: whereas in my first search I had 2 results each which included brand ‘abc’ and brand ‘def,’ by including the search modifier Amazon’s results were purged of any items where the exact brands which I specified as unwanted.
Stuart
Thanks, excellent tip!
I tried that by searching for “hammer.” And a bunch of hammers came in I then added “-Stanley,” and lots of other hammer brands disappeared, leaving few hammers in the search results.
Thinking I did it wrong, I added quotes “hammer -Stanley” and that seemed to show mainly Stanley hammers.
If I typed in “Estwing hammer -Stanley”, it did strip away some of the non-hammer search results that came up later.
I’ll keep in mind to use this tip in the future. There might be times when it’ll make a huge difference, but it seems to require some specific terms first, such as “Brand A Tool -Brand B.”
Tyler
It’s worth noting that even if some items contain Stanley in the description anywhere, even if it isn’t a Stanley brand, it will exclude them. It’s also possible there are hidden tags that we don’t see that Amazon or other retailers use to bring in related items. The exclude could possibly also affect the searches if it included Stanley in the hidden tags.
Tyler
This is a trick I use on Amazon. I Google: Amazon Hammer
It doesn’t have to be specific yet, then I click a link. At the top of the product window there is a bread crumb trail, the second to last link in the bread crumb usually has their selection of hammers. Click that and then do your search in the search bar, which should to the left of the search bar say Hammers. Meaning you are searching within their hammer selection.
Derek
I really want to order one of these and use it as a bar-height desk for some reason. Picking up my first Gladiator Geartrack stuff from Sears this weekend. Their site can be a pain, but they’ve given me loads of free points to use over the past couple years.
Stuart
A Gladiator bench would work well for that, but height adjustments won’t be as fine-tuned as a tall or standing-height desk.
chris
I’m still battling with an attempted Sears in-store-pickup order from last week.
I ordered a 3 piece socket cap set and went in to pick it up the next day after receiving the notification email.
Punched in my number and waited at the pickup kiosk for nearly 5 minutes when my status on the monitor went to “complete” at 4:59 (obviously so they don’t go over their 5 minute guarantee) Except nobody came out with my stuff. So i pressed the help button and a few minutes later a guy came out and apologized and said they didn’t actually have it in stock.
Okay, no big deal, I’ll just order it somewhere else. But yesterday I tried to make sure my order was cancelled, and notice it’s marked as picked up with only the option to return. Online chat said they would get back to me, and late last night I got an email thanking me for contacting customer support, and that my order is marked complete. ???
So I guess I’ll be calling up the store tonight, or if not that, heading there on the weekend when I can make it down there.
All this could have been avoided by ordering it on Amazon. It would have been here in 2 days. And for $0.50 less, except I wanted to use my reward points.
Derek
Of everything I ordered in 2015 from Sears only 1 thing is showing as picked up. The rest say Ready for Pickup or processing still. I ordered a lot too, Sears kept sending me $7-10 in points every week for some reason.
Tim B.
Having been on both sides of the fence (the manufacturer and the delivery company), the blame is not usually as black and white as “Amazon doesn’t deliver well”. In fact, in my personal experience, multiple parties share different facets of the blame in virtually every case. As an engineer who has had to develop packaging for products (including 100lbs+ products, in some cases), the actual item packaging plays nearly the largest part in this equation. The mistake that often happens is that the packaging is agnostic of the sales channel (the product that is sold in retail B&M stores is packaged the same as the product which is shipped from Amazon). In many cases, these items are over-packed and put on a pallet for freight to the store, whereas Amazon warehouse workers usually have to make a judgement call on how to pack something for shipment.. and in some cases, that judgement call is to use the OEM’s retail packaging (not necessarily a bad thing).
Out of curiosity, how was the item actually packaged (if at all)? Or was a shipping label simply placed on the retail package?
Stuart
Quite simply, this is a product that should be shipped via freight, and it wasn’t. Amazon sometimes doesn’t know how to ship things like this as they should be.
It was in its standard packaging.
I don’t know of any store that carries more than one else or two sizes for store pickup. There isn’t any retail packaging for these that I know own of.
The packaging could be better, but should be good enough for freight shipping.
I called Amazon to cancel the replacement and ordered direct from Gladiator. I spent more and it’ll take longer, but Whirlpool should know better about how to deliver a workbench without shipping damage.
fred
I agree about Whirlpool/Gladiator “should know better”. The OEM boxes that my rolling cabinets came in had little support (maybe 3/4 to1 inch of cheap Styrofoam)- maybe OK if you shipped multiples bundled on a pallet – but not 1 or 2 loose in a truck.
I would think that Amazon – would also know better – as they must get a lot of returns. My only thought is that they buy these things at a cost (via Whirlpool from China) that is pennies on the dollar – so their losses on returned merchandise is acceptable to them – not worth bothering to change.
Will
Working at one of the big box home stores, I can attest to this. The warehouse pallet loaders pack heavy items such as microwaves and toilets on top of light bulbs and other brittle items, and often up to eight feet tall and top heavy. They also cram special orders onto those pallets. A lot of our freight comes in damaged and goes right back to the vendor.
Scott K
My Craftsman snowblower came in excellent condition via Sears home delivery. The driver/delivery guy was very thoughtful when rolling it up our driveway in that he kept it on the back wheels so as to not scuff up the front end or our driveway.
I recently had 2 bad experiences with a large but light box via UPS. It seems as though they have a difficult time handling large and irregular boxes. Amazon has great customer service and I’ve never had difficulty replacing a damaged item.
Hyuri
I do a lot of work in/around shopping centers & office parks, and very often I get to watch FedEx & UPS delivering, loading, & reloading. It’s a real eye-opener: just about anything light enough for the driver to do so is literally THROWN into the truck, regardless of size, sturdiness, or markings. Heavier items are often lifted & dropped into place. I’ve watched hundreds of drivers handle packages like that throughout Southern California. FedEx drivers seem to be slightly gentler than UPS, but based on delivery condition it seems they make it up at other points in their chain.
I still prefer both to OnTrac – packages mostly arrive intact anyway, and at least I can be 95+% sure they WILL arrive. Despite the inconvenience (no street delivery here) my preferred handler is USPS. DHL was very good but they haven’t been an option in ages.
Pete
I have a pretty good relationship with my UPS and FedEx drivers and know them on a first name basis. I always ship to my office/shop and always try to inspect my packages before accepting them and if they’re damaged I just tell the driver to “return to sender” he scans in, slaps a new tag on it and leaves, that way I don’t have to deal with accepting it then having to deal with shipping it back.
Brian
Sears is terrible with single small items. They just throw it in a large, cheap box with some thin paper, not proper packing paper. Often if it’s somewhat sharp and mildly heavy it will punch through the box…plenty of people have complained that they get empty boxes with holes from Sears. I’ve never received an empty box from Sears but I have received one where my tool was really close to escaping through a hole.
dave
I had an order that I had already picked up from Sears but in my order window it keep showing that it was ready for pickup. Guess the small store didn’t know how to mark items as ‘picked up’. I contacted customer service about this and they refunded my money and told me to keep the item. Strange way to handle the issue, not sure if the e-mail support person actually understood the problem or not.
firefly
I have had similar experience with Amazon shipping as well. It’s definitely a hit or miss. I think Amazon just take the package from the vendor and “pass it along” for the most part. They have shipped me several small, heavy tool items, that was pretty much thrown together into a box with a loose bubble wrap along with other more delicate item.
So even for small item, it usually help if the vendor have some experience to deal with that sort of abuse.
The good thing is the refund/return process is painless for the most part. As long as you don’t need the item immediately that is.
Albert
Do you think it was reasonably packaged and was destroyed by FedEx handling? I’ve ordered gladiator cabinets (through Sears, actually) that was pretty beat to hell.
Who delivered the Craftsman bench?
MtnRanch
I get deliveries from Amazon almost every day. Stuff they send via UPS always arrives in good condition. Stuff sent via FedEx is sometimes mishandled and sometimes is just dropped in my driveway at the street which is 400′ from the house. This has never happened with UPS.
Amazon’s packaging is generally pretty good but not always good enough to handle the efforts of the “team” at FedEx. I wish Amazon had a way to select shipping method or to at least say ship UPS or don’t ship at all.
Paul
I’ve ordered 4 large items from Amazon in the last 6 months. Three were Prime and one wasn’t.
The Prime items, Prepac Elite Collection 32-Inch Storage Cabinet and a Prepac Elite Collection 54″ Wall Cabinet with 3 doors. These three items weigh over 120 lbs each, particleboard and were delivered by UPS. Even though the second box was larger than the UPS guy they all made it to my door without a scratch.
The 4th item, a scooter was bought through Amazon but actually a third party sale. FedEx delivered it. Where UPS used a cart to move their heavy items, the FedEx guy stopped along the road and dragged the box up my 70 foot cement driveway. Yes the box was missing corners by the time I got it. The scooter manufacture seemed to know this was how they delivered stuff because the item was packed so well that it didn’t get a scratch though.
Robert Tripp
I am with Tim B on this one. I resell items online and rely on delivery companies to deliver my sales. Yes it is my responsibility that the customer receives there product in pristine condition and on time. Once the parcel is out of my hands I no longer have control over it. And I would think it is obvious that I do not own or work for a delivery company. The next customer that receives “damaged” product that starts there message off to me ” That d%$#* delivery company used my package for a football” will be the first customer to ever point the finger at the delivery company for any issue including “it says was delivered but I didn’t get it” ect. All the messages I receive in regards to damaged or even missing parcels start off exactly like this “You”.
Matt
Another data point – I just had an 8 foot Gladiator bench delivered from Amazon last week. It arrived via truck freight and in the exact window I selected at ordering. Box looked walked over and a little rough, but it was square for the most part and the bench inside was in great shape.
Old timer
I had a window shipped via UPS.The box arrived with the window broken and a clear impression of the bottom of a boot. Someone stepped on it. The replacement arrived via UPS and guess what. The window was broken. This times someone had kicked the carton.I finally had vendor deliver to local supplier and arrived in one piece.
Kent
Amazon has occasional packaging issues, but they also request feedback. Hopefully they’ll fix this problem.
Sears is a sinking ship, trying to use a 1970’s model of bad customer service by reps who “care”, but aren’t allowed to do anything for customers. Honestly, I wouldn’t;t be surprised if your order was somehow tagged to make sure it was handled correctly – or perhaps you local Sears has their stuff together. Mine certainly doesn’t, and they lost my business a long time ago.
Old timer
I agree with Kent. I think Sears is a sinking ship.I haven’t purchased tools from them in a long time because I think their craftsman tools are inferior and they feel like junk.