How to Purchase
TS-Aligner Products
Important stuff! Read this carefully!
I personally make each and every TS-Aligner myself. They don't come in a big container load from China and they aren't available in stores or catalogs. I do all the machining, assembly, calibration, packing and shipping. I answer the phone and the email. My current production capacity is limited by my time and financial resources. I work alone and I have a day job. So, purchasing a TS-Aligner product isn't like walking into a store or calling some mail-order catalog - it's a process.
I make these products because I believe in them and want to promote more intelligent woodworking methods. I am not in this business to get rich and it certainly doesn't do anything good for my health! Most of the people who purchase my products are equally serious about their woodworking and are looking for ways to improve the quality and efficiency of their work.
The waiting list for TS-Aligner products is very long. Please don't ask me how long - answering such questions is a waste of time and makes the wait longer for everyone. I have provided a description of the process below. Each step involves elements that can cause indefinite delays beyond my ability to predict or control. People who have more resources (facilities, labor, funding, inventory, etc.) can easily produce delivery estimates. I can not so please don't ask me to. Call me to find out where I am in the process. Call me with questions about woodworking or machinery. Call me about the weather. Call me to make sure that I didn't die or flee to Canada (living the good life on TS-Aligner money in Saskatchewan!). But, don't call me asking for an estimate on delivery. If you pester me about it, I'm likely to get annoyed with you and give the most definite answer I can: "never".
If you want the best woodworking alignment tools and are willing to wait for them then your order is more than welcome. I will do everything I can to minimize the wait but I will not sacrifice quality and accuracy. People who think that they are special and deserve to receive their order ahead of everyone else should not call. People who think that their demands and threats will make me want to give them priority over others who placed their orders earlier should think again.
Placing an order
If you would like to add your order to the waiting list, and are prepared to be patient, then get your credit card and give me a call on the phone.
Toll Free: 1-800-333-4994 Direct Dial: 208-888-5685
My office hours are weekday evenings, 5:30pm to 9:00pm in the Mountain time zone (between the Central and Pacific time zones in the USA). Sometimes you can also catch me during the day on weekends. For those unfamiliar with the Mountain time zone, it is currently 7:34:13 PM where I live. If you call outside of these hours then please be prepared to leave a message. I do not have the liberty to answer the phone and take orders at my job. If you call during the office hours and get the answering machine, it's because I'm busy with someone else. Again, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you don't leave a message, then it will be as if you never called at all. Don't forget to include your name and phone number. And, if there is a particular time when you would like to be called back, please do not forget to include your time zone.
The process
I work through the orders in batches. There is no inventory - everything is built or purchased to fill orders. There is no waiting for something to be "in stock". The sooner an order is placed, the sooner the items will be shipped. You can't get it faster by waiting to place your order at some future date. Some people don't understand this and say that they will call back in a few months to see how things are going. In virtually all such cases, these people would have received their order before making that second call. "Calling back later" is the best way to ensure the longest possible wait time.
When I have enough orders to justify a batch, then I will send a notice to each and every person who has an order in the batch. This notifies those people that I am ready to charge the credit cards and deposit the checks. It explains that this is an "Advance Payment" for the items that have been ordered. It must be signed and returned before I will proceed to process the order. For credit card customers, the signature must be from the person named on the front of the card. It can take a while for everyone to respond and all of the credit card transactions to clear (AMEX being the slowest). Sometimes transactions decline and I have to chase down customers to see if they have an alternative form of payment.
When all of the credit card transactions and checks have cleared I start placing orders for parts, components, and materials. Some items have fixed prices and convenient ordering processes. Some items require good old fashioned negotiation. As you might expect, it takes longer (especially with my day job) to place orders that require quotes, adjustments, and purchase orders.
Most of my suppliers are pretty prompt about shipments and things generally arrive within a week of placing the order (the most notable exceptions being the 14" and 18" squares). However, there have been times when it has taken up to a month for some things to arrive. And sometimes items that arrive are incorrect or defective. I do everything I can to make the most of my time working on those things that have arrived while waiting for those that haven't. But, there are times when delays are unavoidable.
Orders go out as soon as they can - mostly in the same order that they were placed. Sometimes an order is blocked waiting for something that hasn't arrived or can't be finished for some reason. In such cases I won't hold up other orders even though they were placed later. I put in as much time as I can working in the shop to get Aligners built and orders shipped. However, TS-Aligner is no longer my full time occupation. I'm doing it part time in the evenings after work as time permits. Some evenings are very productive. Some evenings are filled with phone calls and email messages from people wanting an "estimate" for when their order will ship. And, some evenings are eaten up by prior commitments and responsibilities. Weekends are often consumed by domestic chores and errands that can't be done during the week. My life isn't much different from anybody else's.
Sometimes everything goes smoothly and the process takes only a few weeks. Sometimes every step of the process is hampered by problems and delays and it takes several months to get an order through. "How is it going?", "What are you working on?", or "What stage is my order at?" are all valid and welcome questions. "How long?", and "When will it ship?" are not and I hope that this detailed explanation of the process helps people to understand why.
Changes and cancelations
I cannot afford to be left holding expensive instruments, materials, parts, and custom made products for people who change their minds, so please be considerate and use good judgment when you place your order. If you want to change your mind, please do so before I spend your money and make my purchases. Almost everything I purchase is non-returnable and non-refundable. It is possible to change or cancel your order after the money is spent - just give me a call or send me an email. I am always eager to do whatever I can to make you happy. Keep in mind that I'm a human being running a one man operation and that my resources are limited. Demands and threats are just as offensive to me as they are to you and are likely to produce an undesirable response.
Fraudulent or Frivolous Chargebacks
Unfortunately, recent events have forced me to create a policy on this topic and put it in writing. I really regret the need for this but I have absolutely no choice.
When the holder of a credit card calls the credit card company and "disputes" a charge, the process is officially called a "chargeback". This process was originally intended to protect credit card customers from fraudulent and abusive merchants. As such, it includes severe penalties for the merchant. It is intended to be used as a last resort for the customer who has tried everything else to resolve a dispute. It was never intended to be used against honest and responsible merchants. It was never intended as an alternative to the "customer service" department - a convenient way to cancel orders or complain about merchandise or delivery time. It was never intended to be used as leverage to coerce a merchant into giving favorable treatment. Such uses are rightly called FRAUD and can have both civil and criminal consequences.
If you "dispute" a charge with your credit card company, you are required to sign a statement that says you have contacted the merchant to resolve the issue but have not been able to obtain any satisfaction. If you sign this statement without first contacting the merchant, you have committed FRAUD.
In recent years unscrupulous individuals have learned how to game the system and get merchandise from reputable merchants for free. They falsely claim that merchandise never arrived (non-delivery of goods) or that they never ordered it (unauthorized charge). Quite often the credit company awards their chargeback claim and they end up with both the merchandise and the money. If you do this, you will be guilty of FRAUD and subject to severe civil and criminal penalties.
I am a very friendly person with a very generous sense of fairness and value. I strive to deliver the best possible service humanly possible to my customers. There has never been and will never be a situation in which a customer of mine must call their credit card company to dispute charges (initiate a chargeback) for the purchase of one of my products. I will always do whatever is necessary to ensure that each and every customer is treated in a fair and equitable manner with their satisfaction being the measure of my success. Please call me or send me email concerning any problem or issue that you may encounter with me or one of my products.
The vast majority of TS-Aligner customers are honest, hard working people who deserve nothing but the best and would never even think of attempting to defraud me using the credit card processing system or a phony insurance claim. However, there have been a few recent instances in which unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of my kind and generous nature to perpetrate fraud. So, it is with great regret that I have been forced to institute some policies and procedures to combat this growing trend.
- All shipments will now require an adult signature as proof of delivery. Sorry, I know that this is expensive and very inconvenient but it's a requirement imposed upon me by the credit card companies.
- The signed "Advance Payment" notice will be produced as evidence against anyone who claims that a charge from me was not authorized. They will be responsible for any merchant or bank charges that result from such a claim.
- Anyone who says that a package hasn't arrived (weather or not proof of delivery exists) will be required to cooperate in filing an insurance claim - which involves signing a statement swearing to the truthfulness and accuracy of the claim. Filing a chargeback claim in this situation will be considered as an attempt to defraud me and appropriate action will be taken (see below).
- Anyone who threatens to initiate a chargeback if favorable treatment isn't received will have their order cancelled immediately. Any amount refunded from their Advance Payment will be contingent upon documented expenses to date. Any amount not refunded will be forfeit. Any attempt to recover those funds with a chargeback will be considered fraudulent and appropriate action will be taken (see below).
- If a chargeback (i.e. disputing the charges with the credit card company) is initiated before first contacting me to resolve a dispute, then fraud has already been committed and I will automatically take appropriate actions (see below).
- If a person involved in an insurance or chargeback claim is uncooperative, evasive, dismissive, unresponsive, antagonistic, belligerent, or adversarial, then I will presume that fraudulent motives are at work and utilize all of my resources to uncover evidence of such.
- If a chargeback is awarded to a person who is in possession of the merchandise that was ordered, they are guilty of fraud and I will automatically take appropriate actions (see below).
When I decide that a person has committed fraud related to the purchase of merchandise from me:
- I will cancel their status as a customer. Any warranty privileges that they might have enjoyed will be declared null and void. They will not have the right to return merchandise for refund or credit. Any memberships in web sites will be canceled. All future phone calls, email messages, orders, and membership registrations will be ignored.
- Where appropriate, their name, address, phone number, email, IP address, order date, and order amount will be entered into the fraud prevention database at chargebackprotection.org. This database is used by large online sellers to screen purchasers and refuse orders from people who have a history of filing chargeback claims.
- Fraudulent activity will be reported to local law enforcement authorities (and to the Postal Inspector's Office when appropriate).
- I will re-bill them for the cost of the goods purchased plus all related chargeback fees (as levied by the credit card processor), bank fees (as levied by the bank), and a re-billing fee ($10). They will have 30 days to pay this new bill using certified funds (a Postal money order or bank cashier's check). If not paid within 30 days, the debt will be transferred automatically to a third party collection agency of my choosing.
I really wish things didn't have to be this way. I hope that this helps people to avoid regrettable situations.
Return Policy
If you have any reason for being dissatisfied with your purchase then you should give me a call or send me email so that we can work out a good solution to your problem. If you take action without calling first, then you may not receive the satisfactory solution that you want. So, please do not do anything before first contacting me about your issue.
If you find a defect with one of my products, I will be happy to exchange it with new merchandise when it is safely returned. It isn't unusual for people who do not fully understand an item to assume that something is defective when it really isn't. So, call me first to discuss the issue. You might just save yourself the trouble and expense of needless shipping. You might also get some tips about safe packaging and save yourself the cost of repairs. It is your responsibility to get the defective item back to me without any damage. Normally I won't ship out a replacement until the original arrives safe and sound. However, you can get an advance replacement using a credit card. Essentially, I charge the full price of the new item and send it out immediately. I refund the cost of the replacement when the old one arrives without any incident.
If you want to return merchandise for a refund, then you need to be aware of some conditions which can affect the amount you receive. It doesn't matter how old the merchandise is, if it arrives in "like new" condition, without any scratches, scuffs, dirt, or other signs of use then you will get a full refund for the price that you originally paid for the item (less shipping). You are responsible for its safe return so package it carefully and purchase insurance! Fair market value will be offered for items that are returned with obvious signs of use or shipping damage. Every item will be assessed separately and it's value communicated back to you in a timely manner.
Questions
I have tried to fill this web site with information on every possible subject related to the TS-Aligner products. There is even more information on tablesawalignment.com. So, don't hesitate to help yourself. But please feel free to send me email or give me a call if you have any questions or need any help.
If you wish to pay by check or money order, you can mail your order to:
Edward J. Bennett Company
3327 N Eagle Rd Ste 110
PMB 156
Meridian, ID 83646This is a mailing address, not the shop. Sorry, I am no longer able to welcome visitors to the shop. I will hold your check until I'm ready to process the batch that your order will come from. It will be deposited at the same time that I charge the credit cards.
Purchase orders
Sorry, I am not extending credit to anyone at this time. Purchase orders that are accompanied by payment are welcome.
Shipping charges are based on actual weight, size, value (insurance), destination, and the service of your choice. There are no hidden charges or handling fees.
Last revised: July 11, 2010.