Not exactly a tool discussion, but I wanted to share an experience I had with Makita the other day. If this thread needs to be moved, I'll ask the admins for some help.
I bought a Makita RW01Z ratchet from Makita USA, bare tool, no batteries, since lithium batteries cannot be shipped through APO. I bought a charger with the tool though.
I have an 18V charger and 2 5.0Ah batteries for all my Makita 18V LXT tools, but this was the first time I bought something from their 12V CXT line. I buy the batteries from the local Makita dealer, and in case you're wondering why I didn't buy the tool from them, it wasn't available.
The dealer's stores are all closed, and the last time I went to one, there was a guy in there, who completely ignored me knocking on the glass door, even though he saw me. I wasn't being aggressive or anything, just a gentle knock to ask if they were opening soon. He gestured at me to leave. I was annoyed, but hey, whatever.
Next, I tried calling the dealer, but you couldn't get past the machine, and ended up contacting Makita through their website. The other day, I got a call from a sales manager at the local dealer, apologizing, and said they were closed to the public, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He asked what exactly I needed, and I provided him with the part number for the 12V 4.0Ah battery. He said he'd call me back in half an hour.
A little over an hour went by, and I got a call back to say they are happy to deliver my battery. Then he went on to say they were giving me a Makita CL106FDWM cordless cleaner to make up for the hassle. Now I ended up with 2 12V 4.0Ah batteries and 2 12V chargers, plus a cordless cleaner.
Although a cordless vacuum wasn't exactly on my list of "tools", it certainly was a kind gesture and I ended up asking myself why I hadn't bought one before. This little thing's great and saves a lot of time! Couple of weeks ago, I had a bag of kitty litter spill in the trunk of the Grand Marquis, and I spent quite a bit of time trying to clean it up with my Kärcher industrial vacuum cleaner, but it doesn't really do well over 100°F. The Makita cleaned up everything that was left, and I was able to clean up 3 other vehicles on a single charge, which lasts about 40 minutes.
All being said and done, I was happy with them delivering just the battery. But their token of appreciation did go a long way and I'm glad brand loyalty means something to them, when they could've just said "Sorry, we're closed to the public due to COVID-19".
I bought a Makita RW01Z ratchet from Makita USA, bare tool, no batteries, since lithium batteries cannot be shipped through APO. I bought a charger with the tool though.
I have an 18V charger and 2 5.0Ah batteries for all my Makita 18V LXT tools, but this was the first time I bought something from their 12V CXT line. I buy the batteries from the local Makita dealer, and in case you're wondering why I didn't buy the tool from them, it wasn't available.
The dealer's stores are all closed, and the last time I went to one, there was a guy in there, who completely ignored me knocking on the glass door, even though he saw me. I wasn't being aggressive or anything, just a gentle knock to ask if they were opening soon. He gestured at me to leave. I was annoyed, but hey, whatever.
Next, I tried calling the dealer, but you couldn't get past the machine, and ended up contacting Makita through their website. The other day, I got a call from a sales manager at the local dealer, apologizing, and said they were closed to the public, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He asked what exactly I needed, and I provided him with the part number for the 12V 4.0Ah battery. He said he'd call me back in half an hour.
A little over an hour went by, and I got a call back to say they are happy to deliver my battery. Then he went on to say they were giving me a Makita CL106FDWM cordless cleaner to make up for the hassle. Now I ended up with 2 12V 4.0Ah batteries and 2 12V chargers, plus a cordless cleaner.
Although a cordless vacuum wasn't exactly on my list of "tools", it certainly was a kind gesture and I ended up asking myself why I hadn't bought one before. This little thing's great and saves a lot of time! Couple of weeks ago, I had a bag of kitty litter spill in the trunk of the Grand Marquis, and I spent quite a bit of time trying to clean it up with my Kärcher industrial vacuum cleaner, but it doesn't really do well over 100°F. The Makita cleaned up everything that was left, and I was able to clean up 3 other vehicles on a single charge, which lasts about 40 minutes.
All being said and done, I was happy with them delivering just the battery. But their token of appreciation did go a long way and I'm glad brand loyalty means something to them, when they could've just said "Sorry, we're closed to the public due to COVID-19".