Complaint Review: Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

Don’t buy anything from Rockler! They’ll screw you like they screwed me big time!  They sold me a used and incomplete Sawstop Table Saw representing it as a "new" tablesaw at a "new"  price. Read on if you want to hear of a real screw job and I was the victim.  They took me for an idiot, thinking they could pawn off a returned/used saw as a new Sawstop at a new price. 

After my friend had three fingers on his left hand cut off on his old table saw, I took his advice and spent hours researching the Sawstop table saw with hi-tech skin-detecting safety table saw brake technology. 

I decided to buy the $1723.93 (inc. tax) SawStop Jobsite Saw Pro  model. There were a few authorized dealers and the price was the same. So I decided to drive the 25 miles from Long Beach to Orange, California to Rockler expecting them to be a reputable dealer. 

The salesman at the store on Tustin Rd. demonstrated two different floor models and I told him I would take the Jobsite Saw Pro model. After paying the purchase price (no free delivery offered), the salesman wheeled out a large box and took the “new” saw to my van in the parking lot and loaded it in.  Just before lifting the box into my van, the salesman told me “If you return this saw for any reason to ROCKLER, there will be a 25% restocking charge.“   He then asked that I acknowledged this 25% restocking charge, which I did. At the time, I didn’t think that much about it since I had no intention of returning it.  I then drove the 25 miles back home and had a couple of neighbors help me unload it from my van and take it into my backyard where I could proceed to unbox what I thought was a new saw.

This is when I first started suspecting something strange. As I began  looking for instructions on the outside of the box, I noticed that there was an extraordinary amount of clear packaging tape on many sides and corners of the box.  My first impression was that there had been some minor amount of damage to the box in shipping and additional tape had been applied to secure the box. Upon closer inspection, however, it dawned on me that the box appeared to have been previously opened, and then later repackaged. Instructions on the box specifically directed cutting two sides of the box and lowering one side so as to access the foam packaging surrounding the saw. However, the box had never been cut as directed, but had clearly been opened from the top rather than the sides.  The instructions also indicated that there was a large poster with detailed instructions on how to proceed with unboxing. However, the poster was not in the box. There was also supposed to be a cardboard container with additional parts for assembly. That was not present. Further on in unpacking, I saw in the dust extracting pipe residue of sawdust. At that point, I was sure the saw had not only been returned, but also used to cut wood or who knows what else? Of course, I had no idea to what extent it had been used, or abused for that matter!  Also, in unboxing the saw, instructions are given to remove the safety pin that holds the saw elevation mechanism in place during shipment to prevent damage from shipment. That pin was missing! What assurance did I have that the saw was not damaged?

I was perturbed to say the least. I called Rockler and they told me that the packaging sometimes is damaged in transit which explained the excess tape and that I could go online and find a copy of the poster for the detailed instructions. I went online and found the poster. However, when I expanded the poster to read, the digital resolution was so poor that I could not read any of the instructions. 

After several calls, I was told by the manager that I could return the SawStop saw for a full refund. The hassle they were putting me through at this point left me in a very awkward position and I was terribly upset. Over the next two weeks, I made some 20 telephone calls and spoke to five different levels of management with no satisfaction.  In the course of those conversations, I was told different things about the used condition of the saw. The story I believe to be true is that they had originally sold the saw new to a customer from their Pasadena store and the customer had returned the saw.   The Pasadena store went out of business and the saw was shipped to the city of Orange store. I could only conclude that at that point, the saw was put in inventory to be sold to the first fool to come along to buy the used tool as a new tool at a full-new price. And I was the first fool to come along.

I finally made a demand I felt was more than reasonable. If they would come out and deliver a new saw, pick up the used saw, and refund me 25% of the purchase price, I would keep their screw-job treatment of me quiet and get back to my hobby/love of woodworking. I told them that I had been damaged much more than 25% of the purchase price but that since that was the calculation they made for their “hardship“ in restocking the saw if it was returned, certainly it would be reasonable if the shoe was on the other foot. They insisted that they were not charging a restocking fee and therefore it was not appropriate. I repeated that I was only using the 25% as a means of calculating damages. If it was good for them, I would accept it.

They finally referred me to their litigation expert at headquarters in Minnesota.  I called them, and they never returned my call. At that point I started contacting, SawStop and SawStop made some effort to resolve the dispute. However, ultimately,  both SawStop and ROCKLER told me to “take a hike“ and accept their offer of a $100 gift certificate and pick up of the used saw and delivery of a new SawStop.  In order to conclude the matter, I reluctantly and bitterly excepted what they shoved down my throat.

When I ultimately received the new saw, included was a 99 page Owners Manual which was not included in the original used saw box.

My observation to you as a potential new customer is don’t buy anything from Rockler. They spend a lots of money making the consumer think Rockler is a reputable business. But if they make a mistake or even worse, intentionally screw a customer, they’ll fight you and deny your claim every step of the way.  And when they say “free shipping on orders over $50” and “100% satisfaction guaranteed”, don’t believe a word of it!  They will ultimately give you the runaround and tell you that it was all your fault, not theirs.