In Jason’s most recent YouTube video, he went undercover and ordered frame weldments from 3 different shops. When he got them back, they were not up to his design specifications as indicated in his plans. What should he do with these frames now that he knows they didn’t pass his quality inspection?
Take them back and ask for a refund
Take them back and ask them to fix it
Do not take them back and never return to that shop
0voters
Does anybody have any other ideas what he could do with them? Let us know below!
I’d say do nothing and toss them on the scrap pile. Why? Although a bunch of money was spent, his purpose of seeing how close other shops could come to his requirements and provide examples for his video was met. The video was educational and a good advertisement for the Fireball fixture table. Attempts to get refunds, rework, or educate the shops probably just waste time and irritate folks. Returning the frames with the URL of the video? If you’re lucky, you sell a table, maybe…
I’m with @LarryFahnoe on this. Any efforts to bring it to the shops attention will likely be fruitless.
However, if I were to take them back, I wouldn’t start off with asking for anything. I’d show them the problem, then let them decide how they want to deal with it.
It’s then up to me to make a decision on what to do with them.
As a welder, I would say their frames aren’t acceptable. They need to be brought back and a solution negociated. A refund would be nice, but making them again would work too.
those shops probably have never build anything with such tight tolerances, and probably there’s no demand for such tolerances locally. I like your table and your pursuit for precision, but you’ll probably need to sell to someone else.
OK I watched it and my input would be WHO IN THE WORLD CAN AFFORD A $12K table? I know several fabricators that would like to purchase something like this, but it is not even close to practical. I actually plasma cut a 4x4 last week and don’t have $700 in it. Please don’t get me wrong as those tables are super nice and top of the line but I cannot see you sell these to the average shop. The first shop you went to I doubt could afford it. The 2nd shop is probably not big enough to make that type of investment and the 3rd shop??? they might have the funds but still a super hard sale. Just a thought though I could be completely wrong.
I own a small business and I do business with other small businesses. If I take whatever they do wrong, half right or perfect and never give them feedback I am making them worse off. If I can prevent them headaches by just letting them know what they’re doing wrong or something they could change both of our businesses will do better. However, any business owner who is unwilling to change I’m unwilling to do business with. I think constructive criticism is a useful tool to be better.
Have you ever dealt with fab shops? I work at a metal sales place and we do fab work(roofing,gutters,etc.), if people bring back work that’s wrong (even tolerances that are off) heads roll, everything stops and we fix it.
I would take 'em back, you have clear instruction, and tolerances on what was needed, and the product is out of spec, it’s not what you paid for.
There are many variables that could have led to this, the shops needing better quality control, the personel needing better training on the use of the equipment, maybe the equipment is not up to scratch and is in need of replacement or repair.
The known/unknown matrix comes to mind.
I’d show them the video and/or invite them to a demo. Then it’s up to them as to what they do. If they see how your can help them make a better product, they won’t lose business with clients going elsewhere, or money on repairing/remanufacturing something that wasn’t up to the client’s needs.
Take them back and at least have a discussion. Most of the places that I go to and give legitimate feedback, even if it’s a sandwich shop, will appreciate that feedback. No one’s happy if you go in demanding refunds obviously, but if no one ever comes back and tells them that their work isn’t up to expectations, they’re just going to keep doing the same work.
None of the above. They need to remake and send you new frames.
Nothing teaches humility than doing re-work that you’re not getting paid to do.
Rework hurts you three times - and this lack of workmanship needs to be addressed. Internally and personally.
I used to work at a company inspecting parts that we hired machinists to make. We were in the Aerospace industry and tolerances were critical, which I understand this isn’t however with a perfectly drawn out set of plans, they should have been able to replicate it. It was
a square, it shouldn’t have been that hard.
They can’t fix the problem if they don’t know about it!
Feedback (good and bad) is essential to a successful business. Take the frames back, explain the issue. A refund/adjustment (or not) would be another indication of good character.
Also, could you send a set of plans to the vaulted “offshore” and see how that goes?
