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3.3
Updated by user Feb 28, 2015

After waiting for over a week for the UPS trace to happen, I called Northern Tool. Turns out they did not initiate a trace.

However this representative was very helpful. He refunded my money. Ten days later UPS dropped the unit on my porch when I was out. I called Northern Tool; they initiated a return.

Realizing the item was too heavy and bulky for me to transport to UPS, I called Northern again and they arranged for a pickup.

Bottom line is that it depends on the person you talk to a Northern. The representative who was obnoxious did not record her conversation with me. Guess she knows her way around this stuff.

UPS remains arrogant beyond belief in the way they handled this whole thing. See my separate review of them.

Original review posted by user Jan 14, 2015

On December 28th I ordered a Klutch Bench Sander from Northern Tool. It cost $235 plus $68 shipping. It shipped two days later via UPS. After a UPS "mechanical failure" in the midwest (I am in California.), the item supposedly continued en route. A few days later UPS tracking said it would be delivered on January 9th. It wasn't. Then UPS said it would be delivered on January 12th; that day they said it had not yet been unloaded from the truck. On the morning of the 13th, UPS said it was "left in the warehouse." I called Northern Tool and they seemed very helpful, talking about possibly sending me another unit while they sorted out the problem with UPS. Today, January 14th, UPS again said it was "left in the warehouse." So I called Northern Tool back only to get the real story about their customer service and UPS.

The day before they instituted a trace with UPS, which actually had no idea where the package was. Until that trace was finished, they could do nothing for me. The trace would take three to five business days! So Northern Tool won't take any action until as late as January 20th. Based on experience I am confident that UPS has lost the package, and another one will need to be shipped. While I do not know the nature of their contract with UPS, I have never encountered this attitude toward a company's packages being lost by UPS. In the past the company has just shipped another, saying I should refuse the first one if it finally arrived. When Northern Tool says they are "sorry" about this, their tone says, "If you don't like it, tough."

So my bench sander, which shipped on December 30th, will probably arrive sometime after January 30th. Meanwhile I paid an additional $68 shipping for this premier service.

If a packageโ€™s delivery is several days late, in this case five days, and the shipping company has no idea where the package is, the supplying company should ship a replacement and demand that UPS return the item (if they actually find it) and refund their original shipping fees. If this happened with Amazon, the replacement shipping service would also be upgraded at no charge.

Reading other reviews of Northern Tool, it is apparent that huge delays are always the customerโ€™s problem, not theirs.

Reason of review: Poor customer service.

Preferred solution: Deliver product or service ordered.

Northern Tool And Equipment Cons: Shipping process, Customer service.

Location: Pinole, California

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Why is this Northerns problem? They shipped it, you have the tracking number, file a claim with UPS, but don't say it is northerns problem. They did everything they said they would do, they had it and they shipped it, the rest falls on UPS, which doesn't give a *** about one person.

Jameel Fia
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-980917

You don't seem to understand contract law. I contracted with Northern for the delivery of the unit.

They contracted with UPS to perform the delivery. Only the shipper can file a claim with the shipping company.

Meanwhile it is the responsibility of the shipper to fulfill their contract with me. Bottom line: problems with UPS, which I agree doesn't care the least about the problems they create for people, are the responsibility of Northern Tool.

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