A strange UHMW(?) buying experience

[gwyneth]

I've been wanting to add some UHMW to my BT fence (not for all uses but as an option for some operations, via the multi-purpose modular fence jig I'm working on.)

But the slabs that were long and wide enough seemed pretty expensive--between $15 and 20. Combined with the cost, what stopped me was that I knew I'd be paralyzed when it came, wondering whether the precious stuff should go on a router table fence or any of several other choices.

Most Friday nights I check frozenwarrior.com just to make sure there isn't some unexpected deal at Amazon that saves so much money it wrecks my budget for the rest of the month.

Last Friday, topping the "greatest percentage drop" category were fence face replacements for some HTC model--the price had dropped from $53 to $4.57.

According to the description, they were UHMM (sic) and looked reasonably adaptable to non-authorized use, so I one-clicked one.

A strange $.33 discount appeared in the confirmation e-mail, so I decided I could afford another 4.22 and get one for router table fence, too. Went back to the product description, which was vague on size and seemed to say that fence-users needed two. Decided at that price to get two more--one for the router table and one for a spare.

Started to post a Bargain Alert, thunderstorm stopped all powered stuff here for a couple of hours. Next day, fence faces were unavailable.

Two enormous boxes were delivered today. They almost filled the front porch. In each box was one of the $4.22 products--two slabs of forest green UHMM (sic) almost four feet long. Each set was swathed in bubble wrap and clear tape, but nothing else like a label or instructions or hardware (which would have been moot for me anyway).

In one of the boxes was also a forest green trowel, with a graduated inch scale on its business side. It was in a cellophane bag with no label but a barcode saying "Treasure Digger".

I logged onto Amazon, thinking that customer service must have decided I meant to order two fence face sets instead of three (the collection of emails was unusually hard to follow about order and shipment numbers). Wondering whether I should be happy with four enormous slabs of green UHMM (sic) for a total of eight-something, or go for the third.

However, it showed one order, three shipments. Tracking indicated two of the three had been delivered. The third showed only "Harrisburg--package damaged".

Searching product listings for the "Treasure Digger" trowel eventually revealed that it's not sold separately but as part of a treasure-hunting bag-and-graduated trowel set.

So my theory now is that some calamity in Harrisburg damaged a variety of shipments. In the repackaging, somebody must have thought the dark green Treasure Digger trowel naturally went with the dark green slabs of UHMM (sic).

I'm waiting for further instructions from Amazon about the trowel.

Fortunately, it didn't occur to me until a few minutes ago that the bubble wrap on the fence face sets could mean there'd been more to them than the UHMM (sic)--I wouldn't want them to grab the "damaged" ones back.

Now I wonder if the person who ordered the Treasure Digger set got some mysterious fence face hardware and can't figure out where it fits in.

[JR]

UHMM - it sounds like it's going to be your new mantra!

[gwyneth]

My shaggy UHMM story.

Just occured to me that maybe the other reason they put the trowel in is that somebody read the paper work and thought, aha! Fence, trowel. Yard stuff!

[RodKirby]

$4.22 a shot Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield

[gwyneth]

$4.22 a shot Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield

$2.11 per enormous slab. Plus the forest green will look so festive around Christmas next to the Craftsman 21829 red paint.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I've been wanting to add some UHMW to my BT fence (not for all uses but as an option for some operations, via the multi-purpose modular fence jig I'm working on.)

But the slabs that were long and wide enough seemed pretty expensive--between $15 and 20. Combined with the cost, what stopped me was that I knew I'd be paralyzed when it came, wondering whether the precious stuff should go on a router table fence or any of several other choices.

Most Friday nights I check frozenwarrior.com just to make sure there isn't some unexpected deal at Amazon that saves so much money it wrecks my budget for the rest of the month.

Last Friday, topping the "greatest percentage drop" category were fence face replacements for some HTC model--the price had dropped from $53 to $4.57.

According to the description, they were UHMM (sic) and looked reasonably adaptable to non-authorized use, so I one-clicked one.

A strange $.33 discount appeared in the confirmation e-mail, so I decided I could afford another 4.22 and get one for router table fence, too. Went back to the product description, which was vague on size and seemed to say that fence-users needed two. Decided at that price to get two more--one for the router table and one for a spare.

Started to post a Bargain Alert, thunderstorm stopped all powered stuff here for a couple of hours. Next day, fence faces were unavailable.

Two enormous boxes were delivered today. They almost filled the front porch. In each box was one of the $4.22 products--two slabs of forest green UHMM (sic) almost four feet long. Each set was swathed in bubble wrap and clear tape, but nothing else like a label or instructions or hardware (which would have been moot for me anyway).

In one of the boxes was also a forest green trowel, with a graduated inch scale on its business side. It was in a cellophane bag with no label but a barcode saying "Treasure Digger".

I logged onto Amazon, thinking that customer service must have decided I meant to order two fence face sets instead of three (the collection of emails was unusually hard to follow about order and shipment numbers). Wondering whether I should be happy with four enormous slabs of green UHMM (sic) for a total of eight-something, or go for the third.

However, it showed one order, three shipments. Tracking indicated two of the three had been delivered. The third showed only "Harrisburg--package damaged".

Searching product listings for the "Treasure Digger" trowel eventually revealed that it's not sold separately but as part of a treasure-hunting bag-and-graduated trowel set.

So my theory now is that some calamity in Harrisburg damaged a variety of shipments. In the repackaging, somebody must have thought the dark green Treasure Digger trowel naturally went with the dark green slabs of UHMM (sic).

I'm waiting for further instructions from Amazon about the trowel.

Fortunately, it didn't occur to me until a few minutes ago that the bubble wrap on the fence face sets could mean there'd been more to them than the UHMM (sic)--I wouldn't want them to grab the "damaged" ones back.

Now I wonder if the person who ordered the Treasure Digger set got some mysterious fence face hardware and can't figure out where it fits in.

The Carlisle PA warehouse shipments go through Harrisburg UPS terminal (so do Lewisberry and Chambersburg warehouse shipments . . . that's right 3 Amazon warehouses that handle 75% of tool shipments within 30 minutes of my house and they never have sales . . . boy if they had few big tents sales . . . ). I think the Treasure Digger label was in response to you personally as in "This person bought $50 worth of UHMW for $2, must be Treasure Digger" LOL! Man I could have used a couple of those. I could use some slabs like that in my sheet good rack.

[gwyneth]

The Carlisle PA warehouse shipments go through Harrisburg UPS terminal (so do Lewisberry and Chambersburg warehouse shipments . . . that's right 3 Amazon warehouses that handle 75% of tool shipments within 30 minutes of my house and they never have sales . . . boy if they had few big tents sales . . . ). I think the Treasure Digger label was in response to you personally as in "This person bought $50 worth of UHMW for $2, must be Treasure Digger" LOL! Man I could have used a couple of those. I could use some slabs like that in my sheet good rack.

Before I read your post, I got an email from Amazon customer service that made me wonder--a lot--about that very concept (tent sales).

It informed me that my experience was unfortunate, and that normally could ship me a replacement. But with none left, that option was out...so will issue a $4.22 refund.

And...get this. They provided instructions for sending back the Treasure Digger trowel, referred to only as "extra item" and a pre-printed label. Not that they'll do anything with it except toss it in whatever skid holds the stray odds and ends, and not that they'd match it with whoever is complaining about being shorted one Treasure Digger trowel and the possible substitution of some strange hardware.

But there's no place in their procedures to tell me to keep the darned thing, or throw it out.

I'm really tempted to slap the shipping label on one of the enormous boxes--J4s which are not much smaller than the 21829 box--and toss the trowel in.

Anyway, I did start wondering where the "damaged" Harrisburg stuff would end up and think perhaps somebody should act like a reporter researching a story to find out.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Before I read your post, I got an email from Amazon customer service that made me wonder--a lot--about that very concept (tent sales).

It informed me that my experience was unfortunate, and that normally could ship me a replacement. But with none left, that option was out...so will issue a $4.22 refund.

And...get this. They provided instructions for sending back the Treasure Digger trowel, referred to only as "extra item" and a pre-printed label. Not that they'll do anything with it except toss it in whatever skid holds the stray odds and ends, and not that they'd match it with whoever is complaining about being shorted one Treasure Digger trowel and the possible substitution of some strange hardware.

But there's no place in their procedures to tell me to keep the darned thing, or throw it out.

I'm really tempted to slap the shipping label on one of the enormous boxes--J4s which are not much smaller than the 21829 box--and toss the trowel in.

Anyway, I did start wondering where the "damaged" Harrisburg stuff would end up and think perhaps somebody should act like a reporter researching a story to find out.

I don't understand what you are returning. I am missing something. I wouldnt waste their money sending the trowel back to them.

I know the answer to the wholesale question, but it is top secret. Want to part with some of that UHMW?

[gwyneth]

I don't understand what you are returning. I am missing something. I wouldnt waste their money sending the trowel back to them.

In the process of trying to get that third shipment, I informed them about the trowel and asked what to do with it. They said to send it back, using the computer-generated label.

I think there's a real possibility that I could get dunned for it if I didn't. Who knows how much Amazon could further distort this whole transaction? It's already so confused I could actually see some CSR turning the not-returned trowel label paperwork into owing Amazon the original price of the fence face set.

Better to close it out on their system than leave it open.

[dkerfoot]

I am pretty certain that if they send you something you did not order, it is yours to keep.

[gwyneth]

I am pretty certain that if they send you something you did not order, it is yours to keep.

Normally, that might be true. But having generated the paperwork for sending back the trowel--and with the entire transaction somewhat mangled at this point--my thought is that I don't want to keep it open.

Of course, I should have waited a couple of days to see if the third shipment drifted in and ignored the trowel.

[Dale In Corona]

I am pretty certain that if they send you something you did not order, it is yours to keep.

Well. Federal postal regulations dictate that if you receive goods in the mail unsolicited, they are yours to keep and the sender can not demand payment for them. Notice the use of the word unsolicited there. In fact, if someone mails you something and then later sends you a bill that does not include a statement that indicates that the items are yours to keep for free unless you choose to pay for them (choose to pay for them being the operative words there) then you can sue them. How do you like them apples?

Wife and looked that one up last year we got some unsolicited NASCAR cd's in the mail and then later received what looked like a bill. Lucky for the sender, they included a statement, in fine print on the last page, about how we could keep them if we wanted to or we could pay for them... I watched em once and tossed em in with some clothes and other donations for the local veterans.

Now I am not clear on how that might apply to stuff you ordered because technically, even though the trowel itself might be considered unsolicited, the trowel was in fact in the same box with some stuff you had ordered...
My guess is, you can probably consider it a free gift and I very seriously doubt that there is anything they could do about it.

Good luck, let us know what you decide to do.

Dale

[gwyneth]

Came via UPS. Postal regulations don't apply.

Also, the real issue at this point is not whether or not I have a right to keep the trowel.

It's that this was a confusing order anyway from Amazon's stand-point, before the calamity in Harrisburg that apparently demolished one set of fence faces but tossed a trowel into a box with another set.

In attempting to fix things from my standpoint (getting the third set), I informed Amazon about the trowel. It generated paperwork, connected to this order, that will print a pre-paid shipping label to return the trowel.

Until that process is closed out on their system, this order will remain open. Amazon has done goofy things with debits and credits in the past; the easiest way to close this order is return the trowel.

I want to avoid being charged, somehow for the full price of the fence face set, about $53--the price that probably exists in Amazons system for it--for a trowel I don't really want and costs me nothing to send back.

Anybody who's ever had to send back a defective item to Amazon knows about the way they'll send you another one and--if the original, bad item--hasn't gotten back there by a certain date--charge you for it. The trowel does not exist by itself as an SKU in Amazon's system (being a part of the bigger Treasure Digger Set). Who knows what an enthusiastic CSR could decide to charge for it?

There's a fair chance that their system has a followup trigger for prepaid labels for defective/wrong items. Now that they've generated one, it would be foolish not to send the trowel back.

[Red88chevy]

Gwyneth I agree with you, just send it back. It costs you nothing and it may save you ALOT of time with customer service in India if they end up charging you for it. Sounds like you did great with what you got!

[Larryl]

There's a fair chance that their system has a followup trigger for prepaid labels for defective/wrong items. Now that they've generated one, it would be foolish not to send the trowel back.

I agree, you got what you ordered(even got the deluxe forrest green) and they have an outstanding return lable in their system.