Northmount Report post Posted November 7, 2015 "Canadian Freightways are a bunch of idiots". I had no problems with them. And it was a residential delivery, set on the curb. It probably depends on the "nut" behind the wheel. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TinkerTailor Report post Posted November 7, 2015 "Canadian Freightways are a bunch of idiots". I had no problems with them. And it was a residential delivery, set on the curb. It probably depends on the "nut" behind the wheel. Tom I had no problems with the actual shipment this time, just the back office. If I could, I would edit my post to read "canadian freightways customer service" because you are right, shipping wise, they are ok really, and some of the drivers I see are pretty good guys. Customer service, not so much. I only got transfered to thin air and disconnected once this time though.... I have dealt with them at work alot. Also not saying any of the others are any better, as a whole I find customer service to be lacking in shipping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted November 7, 2015 A little different here in the US. The driver pretty much runs the show once the freight is on board. I try to make sure my shipments are the last on the truck. Time coast to coast is sometimes 3 days. How the hell they do that without driving it onto a C-5 is beyond me. Seldom is it more than four days or when deep in the truck, a week. They get paid to move freight, and they certainly do. I won't ship without a lift gate and the shipper doesn't get paid to miss delivery, no matter who is at fault. Keep in mind that he with the gold makes the rules, and the person shipping has the gold. The shipping company wants the gold. That is what has made the US great. Another thing that has made the US great; tip the guy if he helps you get it in the house or at least to the door. In the house $20, to the door $10-$20 depending. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted November 7, 2015 I don't know just when that happened, but somewhere along the line "customer service" -- which USEDTA be getting you what you paid for at the price you paid for -- somehow became "we'll send you something, and if it's not right I'll sure be available to 'make it right' for ya, though you may have to call us repeatedly and spend a month without what you actually should have received the first time." NOTE: I've never dealt with the people mentioned at the start of this topic... and I'm referring to half a dozen OTHER vendors. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KY23 Report post Posted November 8, 2015 It is the dealer's responsibility to get it to you the way that you want, you may pay him, but he pays for the shipping. I have found that the simple words "If you can't get it to my door, TAKE IT BACK" will usually elicit the correct action. When the driver arrives back at the terminal with it, a smaller truck with all the requisite equipment will magically appear the next day. Have you told your dealer about the delivery problems? Let HIM fix it. Art I have told the dealer. If the truck gets here and it's to much for me I will refuse delivery and buy a different sewing machine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viking Queen Report post Posted November 10, 2015 I bought a Cobra 4 and had no problems with a residential delivery. The truck was about the longest semi I could ever imagine and he fit it into a little residential cul-de-sac. There was a lift on the back of the truck and the machine and stand were bolted to a pallet along with some smaller boxes of parts. He unloaded the pallet, asked where I wanted it, rolled it with a pallet jack into the exact spot in my gaage where I needed it and did it all with a smile and cheerful attitude. How he turned the truck around is beyond me, but it was gone in a jiffy. The table just needed the wheels attached and later a friend arrived to help me place the head on the table. - the head weighs maybe 150 lbs. We rolled it out of the garage, up the sidewalk and into the house. In no time my machine was up and running. After such a painless delivery process I can not imagine a company offering you delivery with such poor "service". I am a female and would have had an impossible time geting the thing off the truck and into the garage by myself. It just wouldn't have happened. I do hope you have a better delivery experience than what you anticipate. Viking Queen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cascabel Report post Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) When I got my Cowboy 4500, I went to pick it up at my local freight terminal with my pick-up truck. I had brought my own tie-downs. They loaded it for me with a fork lift, and tied it down. When I got home, I unfastened the stand from the pallet, and had a neighbor help me get it and the boxed machine down on to the ground, and brought both pieces in my front door with a hand truck. It had to go upstairs, so my neighbor and I brought up the stand one step at a time. Once we got it upstairs, I installed the casters, and stood it up, and rolled it out of the way. I was not planning to operate the machine while standing up, so I lowered the stand all the way down before installing the machine. The machine itself was left in the box, and I laid it down, and slid it up the stairs by my self. It went up fairly easily. I opened the box after getting it upstairs, and cut the corners of the box to lay the sides down to make things easier. Then I opened the foam packaging, and lifted the machine out, and up onto the stand with my neighbor helping to steady it. With the stand all the way down, it only had to go about waist-high, so it was an easy lift. REMEMBER TO LOCK THE CASTERS WHILE DOING THIS SO THAT THE STAND DOES NOT MOVE WHILE SETTING THE MACHINE IN PLACE , AND HAVE THE BOLTS AND WASHERS READY !!! The machine is then easily slid into position, and the bolts installed at this point. I then rolled the whole thing into my sewing room, and fired 'er up !! Heavy, but not a bad job with a bit of planning, and an extra pair of hands. Edited November 10, 2015 by Cascabel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KY23 Report post Posted November 11, 2015 Took delivery of my CB4500 today. Shipping company made the delivery issue into a problem when there was none. Only one box was heavy and I was still able to get it into the truck by myself. I did need some help getting it from my truck down to the ground and into my house.Setting up was a diferent story. Still working on it but the directions for assembly are not good. Some writing on the bottom of the table that was obviously written by a Chinese person that can't spell English unless you spell machine "machene". This is my first machine and its not simple for sure. Going to watch some youtube videos and use some common sense and figure it out. There are some usage instructions but not the best. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KY23 Report post Posted November 12, 2015 So far so good. Assembled the CB4500. Instructions are better than I originally thought. I've been sewing on some scrap leather and almost ready to sew my first belt with it. Love the adjust ability of the servo motor. You can go really slow or really fast. I installed the edge guide and not sure if I like it or not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dfrensdorff Report post Posted November 13, 2015 I bought a 3200 from Neels and it was delivered regular UPS (maybe because it is a bit lighter) ... driver backed up to the driveway in front of my shop and off loaded on to the concrete......I hand trucked it into my shop .... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Equiplay Saddlery Report post Posted November 13, 2015 So far so good. Assembled the CB4500. Instructions are better than I originally thought. I've been sewing on some scrap leather and almost ready to sew my first belt with it. Love the adjust ability of the servo motor. You can go really slow or really fast. I installed the edge guide and not sure if I like it or not. Glad to hear it went together OK. I should be getting mine in a week or two. Hopefully it will go smoothly also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KY23 Report post Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) The instructions and the YouTube videos are not showing the correct way to thread the machine. Ryan walked me through each step. Great customer service from Neel's. I'm a photographer too so I'm going to write up some instructions with good pictures on how to thread. Stitched up my first belt with my new machine. Edited November 15, 2015 by KY23 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted November 15, 2015 There are different ways to thread every machine, most of the differences are to introduce more or less top tension in the thread. The bobbin tension determines how much top tension is required among other things, like the thread and needle sizes. Because we tend to sew thicker work in tough stuff like leather, we tend to set the bobbin tensions quite high which requires quite a bit of top tension; hence, you will see a lot of extra winds and often using all the holes on a guide to help get there. If you do a lot of light work, then you need a lot less bottom tension (and comparable top tension) to keep the thread from buckling the work. If you need light tension, you can't go hitting all the guide holes or double wrapping the tension disks. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Cent Report post Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) Interesting. UPS backed down to the garage, rolled the first piece up (Cobra 4) and asked where do you want it. Put it into the proper place along with the other stuff. Art, I have posted there are 197 ways to thread a Cowboy or a Cobra. I had the usual tension problems and (yeah, you guessed it) started to experiment. Worked it out pretty quick. Wonderful machine. Ky23, from the looks of your work, you don't need help or need to experiment. Very nice work. "I installed the edge guide and not sure if I like it or not." It will grow on ya. Edited November 15, 2015 by Red Cent Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Equiplay Saddlery Report post Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Well KY23 it looks like freight companies are just a pain in the %$%^ no matter where they are. Tomorrow will be the third day I've re-arranged my schedule so that my CB4500 can be delivered. When it no showed again this morning I called the local freight company in Jacksonville (Fl) and told them to have it at my house by 9 AM tomorrow. If it's not it will probably be heading back to Ohio and I'll be calling another dealer. I know it's not Cowboy Bob's fault but roadrunner transport showed it sitting on a loading dock in Miami for a week when it actually had already travelled to Orlando and then Jacksonville (going right past my house TWICE) and now all I get are excuses from Pettyco Express. My time has just as much value as theirs does. Edited November 30, 2015 by Equiplay Saddlery Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Well it's a good thing I look at this board once in a while!It would of been nice if you let me know you had a problem yesterday & I could of called the freight company & try to help.It's not my fault that your having a problem w/a shipper yet if you refuse because of their mistakes they will be billing me for the return trip.Technicially YOU should pay since YOU ordered something & refused it!! I can understand your frustrated SO WHY not call & let me know ??? Luckily for us we hardly have any problems like this with shippers BUT things happen once in a while beyond their control.It's certainally beyond my control,BUT I will call them today & see what's going on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Bob, I think everyone expects that you are checking this board daily. You are one of the premier machine suppliers, and this is the premier board. Just checking for new posts once a day will let you keep your finger on the pulse of leatherworker.net and the CowBoy crowd. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyBob Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Art, Thanks for your input,I was on here yesterday afternoon & then this morning (when I noticed it) He has contacted us NOW & said he got his machine this morning so all is well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Great! He will love it. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Equiplay Saddlery Report post Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) Well it's a good thing I look at this board once in a while!It would of been nice if you let me know you had a problem yesterday & I could of called the freight company & try to help.It's not my fault that your having a problem w/a shipper yet if you refuse because of their mistakes they will be billing me for the return trip.Technicially YOU should pay since YOU ordered something & refused it!! I can understand your frustrated SO WHY not call & let me know ??? Luckily for us we hardly have any problems like this with shippers BUT things happen once in a while beyond their control.It's certainally beyond my control,BUT I will call them today & see what's going on. Bob, I think everyone expects that you are checking this board daily. You are one of the premier machine suppliers, and this is the premier board. Just checking for new posts once a day will let you keep your finger on the pulse of leatherworker.net and the CowBoy crowd. Art Well it's a good thing I look at this board once in a while!It would of been nice if you let me know you had a problem yesterday & I could of called the freight company & try to help.It's not my fault that your having a problem w/a shipper yet if you refuse because of their mistakes they will be billing me for the return trip.Technicially YOU should pay since YOU ordered something & refused it!! I can understand your frustrated SO WHY not call & let me know ??? Luckily for us we hardly have any problems like this with shippers BUT things happen once in a while beyond their control.It's certainally beyond my control,BUT I will call them today & see what's going on. Bob I knew that you had nothing to do with Pettyco Express NOT doing their job that's why I hadn't called you yet and said in my post as much. I wanted to give the shipping company every opportunity to correct the problem BEFORE getting you involved and I certainly wouldn't have refused the shipment without giving you a chance to resolve it. I would however have been MUCH more selective as to delivery times since today was my THIRD time rearranging my schedule for them. I did receive my machine today and it was VERY well packaged (something I had been concerned about due to the length of time it had been passed around). I ALMOST didn't get my machine today though. I, once again, was promised a delivery time of 8-9 AM and I specifically told the company that I would not be home after 9.IThe shipping company is an hour and a half away in good traffic. At 8:45 I called the company and they said it should be there any minute....yeah right. At 9:45 literally minutes before I was leaving for work the truck pulled up in the driveway. Ten minutes later and I would have been gone. The driver was helpful and unloaded quickly for me. He even commented "I don't know why they didn't send this with me yesterday I was in this area all day." Go figure. Like I said everything looked fine from the outside but I certainly didn't have time to unpack any of it. I did call this morning and spoke to Bob Jr. because I wanted you to know that it had arrived. All of my contact with you and your son have been excellent and I can't wait to get my machine up and running. I'm looking forward to doing business with you in the future. Bob, I think everyone expects that you are checking this board daily. You are one of the premier machine suppliers, and this is the premier board. Just checking for new posts once a day will let you keep your finger on the pulse of leatherworker.net and the CowBoy crowd. Art Art, I also appreciate your input and the time you take to help those of us who are just learning with our problems. I certainly don't expect everyone to check the board daily since I don't have that kind of time either but I did want to let others know that dealing with freight companies is not as easy as it should be. That being said you also can't let them get away with not doing what they have been paid for. I'm sure I will love my new machine and I will probably have a few questions to post in the near future since I'm still a newbie. Edited December 1, 2015 by Equiplay Saddlery Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Equiplay Saddlery Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Ok I got my machine unboxed and put together this morning. Only had to make one phone call to Bob Jr, with a threading question and he fixed me right up. Went ahead and ordered more thread, bobbins and needles while I was at it since it is real obvious I will be using this machine for years to come. The learning curve isn't to bad at all. I definitely like it better than the 20 year old Adler 205 that I had used a few times. The servo motor is awesome. Thanks for all the help Cowboy Bob and Cowboy Bob Jr. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primosand Report post Posted December 26, 2015 KY23 did you get your new Cobra 4500 machine delivered, setup and running? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eglideride Report post Posted December 27, 2015 Interesting thread! Cowboy Bob K. is sending/shipping my CB 3200 to me next Monday. Should have it by Wed. I asked him to wait because of the holidays- I was worried about the palette sitting on a dock over Christmas. Also asked that he ship the machine to my work. Hoping the folks at work don't mind- easier to ask forgiveness type of thing! Hopefully, fork truck off the semi and onto the bed of my buddies F150...let you know how it goes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Brosowski Report post Posted December 27, 2015 When it comes down to it delivery always creates issues for both the dealer and customer. This is not a 40kg washing machine - it is a piece of industrial equipment. Machines can be delivered fully assembled on the table - not my preferred method as there is a lot of scope for damage - or repacked into boxes after testing and set up. Usually freight companies ship goods to depots that then do the local delivery in a smaller truck with a tailgate loader so the simplest thing to do is find out who is actually going to deliver the machine, contact them and see what options are available. Let them know you are a veteran with dodgy knees and that there is a slab of beer for the driver to share with the depot. Knowing freight companies through long experience a slab (Aussie term for a 24 pack) will get you assistance above and beyond what is legally required. Methinks you are panicking over an issue that has not happened yet. As a business the big freight company does not care about any individual shipment but the local depot is just a bunch of average guys and girls. The driver has plenty of experience moving goods and has a pallet jack to move goods inside the truck so unless he is a brain-dead heartless bastard he is going to help you as the faster he gets it off the truck and onto your premises the faster he gets to the next delivery. I have told the dealer. If the truck gets here and it's to much for me I will refuse delivery and buy a different sewing machine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
