I am looking at buying a SC4e to replace my Hammer slider. I want a 8.5 foot slider(that's all that will fit in the shop). What have other peoples dealings with SCM's service been like in Ontario? I have had a Minimax edgebander for 6 years and it has been a good machine. I ask because it seems you hear bad things about SCM service.

I haven't had a service tech in but have had good results when ordering parts from SCM. The people on the phone know a lot about the machines and can be a big help. When I have ordered parts, they were in stock and were delivered next day from Atlanta

I am the owner of a Minimax ST3c, and have been for about 1 1/2 years now. I have nothing but good things to say about the actual techs that come out to service your machine. Or the machine itself. I had an electrical issue covered under warranty, and had a great experience with the tech.

Getting the tech here, on the other hand, was a nightmare. Communication with SCM seems to take place entirely by coincidence, at their leisure. It started with the purchase.

After I signed the (large for me) deposit cheque for my machine, I had to pester the sales department everytime I wanted an update as to the status of my machine. My salesman promised to be in touch constantly, updating me as to the manufacture, shipping and delivery of my machine. I am not normally one to pester or bother companies I deal with, and am normally patient and polite. But when you order a machine in April, are promised a delivery time of 3-4 months and it's early October, you started to get worried. It was a fight to even get confirmation of deposit. The communication was overwhelmingly great until I sent the cheque, then the line went dead.

It has been the same with service. A part was missing from my machine (just a minor bracket to sturdy the overhead dust collector arm), and I had to argue with the tech that it belonged on my machine (he told me it was an obsolete part, even though there were holes in the correct location, the manual and exploded parts drawing referred to it, and I had precisely 3 bolts left over with which to install it when I was finished assembling the arm). When he finally agreed to order it, there was attitude. The whole process to get this small bracket was at least 20 emails long (with the communication re-initiated by me, multiple times after having gone dead). I seriously had to scan and email him the manual with the part circled, and find the part on the SCM Parts website and send that link too. The machine came in late October, and the snow was melting and it was warm the day I got the bracket in the mail.

It was the same with my small electrical problem. I first experienced the problem in June of last year, immediately sent an email about it (it was an intermittent failure to power on), it gradually became worse until the machine would no longer turn on at all, when I was running up against a deadline for a customer. I saw a tech in... late August/early September, I want to say. And only because I sent a very frustrated and infuriated email. Again, that was at least 20 emails exchanged ("hey, it's getting worse, just wondering if I should be worried about this or if you can advise where the loose connection might be so I can check it...").

The tech that came was punctual, friendly, well prepared and repaired the problem in no time. But the people sitting in that office in Mississauga... tits on a bull, pardon the expression.

The machine is probably one of the nicest I've ever owned for the business of woodworking.

That's my SCM experience, in a nutshell.

Hope that helps,

Will

Post note: I'm sure people will wonder why I didn't call. I also called over each of these issues, but calling is troublesome for me. Woodworking is my side hustle, and my main job is 10-12 hour shifts in a secured facility where I have no outside line save for emergency use, no cellphones are allowed, but I do have easy email access (we use computers to put our timesheets in, or access job requests)... and it's the 21st century. I am a big believer that if you are not prepared to communicate by email, you should not *have* email. And if you have it, you *should* be prepared to use it.

I suspect it will depend on what part of the country you are in. When Cooper Horton was around it was great if you lived in SW Ontario. I found a local guy that is excellent and has been doing it a long time. He works out of London but will travel.

Here is my take on machine service in 2021, I could be totally out to lunch, if so I apologize in advance.

As for your SCM question I would say their main service department in Ontario. Is terrible, I have had techs tell me that the service department won’t even get back to them in the field when they have questions.

That being said I believe from talking to other shop owners that good machine service is headed the way of the dinosaur, or may already be there? These companies want to send someone to your shop, and charge you $100 plus per hour , charge you for travel, charge you a flat rate for diagnosing the problem, and basically nickel and dime you to death. I bet what they charge you is more than your hourly shop rate and you have a shop with thousands to millions of dollars worth of equipment, depending on your size.

I get the impression that the big companies would rather not be in the service game?

I will say that a lot of the techs that show up to your shop are amazing techs and amazing people. I would try get on a good relationship basis with one or more of them and deal with them directly.
I am basing my opinion on dealing directly with the manufacturer. I don’t have some of these dealers like Stiles and others in my area. Most of the dealers were shut down years ago for SCM in Canada and now you deal directly with the SCM Canada service department.

Anyways that is the way I see it and like I said, that is my opinion. I look forward to other opinions and recommendations to getting great service.