Need help fixing my Bader III, Bader co wont help me

I'm really sad to hear this. Bader has always been good to me about making parts for custom grinders I've made for specialty purposes.

When I got my BIII just after they came out. The first one was lost in UPS. I tracked it's progress anxiously and saw it get almost here and then it ended up in Washington, then Oregon, then Nevada, then Maine, then Georgia. It was crazy. Eventually it just disappeared from the system.
Bader sent a replacement to me UPS overnight (which couldn't have been cheap).

Obviously your machine was dropped. If the casting is bent, it should be reground or replaced. (It'll be very difficult to bend it back or any of that, so if it is bent, I'd see if they would at least send a new casting). I would take that motor off and straighten that mount (bend it back). Between that and the new casting, you should be good to go.

I agree, though. It seems they should be more responsive and should work with you until you're satisfied. It just doesn't seem like the Bader Co. I've dealt with in the past.
 
Charlie,

I feel sure this will all come out in the wash.

IF you don't get it resolved in the next week or so, you might contact Bader and explain to them that you will be at Batson's and will be bringing your grinder and $150.00 toward a trade in on a new one. They can bring you a new one and everyone saves on shipping.

If they don't like that idea, you can still bring your grinder and set it up on a table near Bader's table. Get yourself a cane and straw hat and become a temporary "Circus Barker".

I can see it now...... "Come one, Come all, see the deformed Bader and hear how they treat their customers".

I doubt it will come to something like that because Bader has a great reputation, and I feel like they would find it easier to resolve the problem than face bad publicity.

Hope it works out for you.

Robert
 
Oh they've already told him to come to Batson's with $500 and the messed up one if he wants the problem resolved.

Robert, you forgot the Alabama final option..... me and Charlie doing some Alabama style rhinoplasty and dentistry.

Look... There's a looooottttt more to this than the shell outline Charlie gave y'all. He's been begging and dealing with Bader for a while over this. Touting their legendary customer service sounds pretty hollow in light of the promised phone calls that never materialize, repeated phone calls that are unanswered, people hanging up on him.... I could go on and on and on. Main thing is the damn lying about the grinder. THEY KNEW THE GRINDER WAS MESSED UP WHEN THEY SHIPPED IT!!!! They told him it was a scratched paint job. They know what was done to it and now they want $500 more to fix something they shipped out KNOWING the defects. :mad:

Charlie you'd better put some weight on if you plan on putting me in something!!!! It's too damn cold at Batsons for dunking and stuff. :p
 
Charlie, and other guys,
I am really surprised to hear something like this about Dan or Carrie Johnson.
I haven't had anything but extremely good response from them whether for parts, or a newly designed horizontal BM III....at not necessarily a fantastic turnaround but an extremely well done grinder at not a premium price,......and it was shipped wired 240 rather that the 120 I had hoped for....but am glad was sent 240 since I had the wiring and it is better than 120 would have been.
I can't hardly believe that Dan or Carrie wouldn't bend over backwards to meet your needs....
Please keep trying to make this fair and right.
I doubt that I am exception to the experience they typically provide....I think maybe you are, and they wouldn't want to make anything reasonably requested ,right.
 
Charlie,

I hate to hear about the problems you've been having. It would drive me straight up the wall. There are few things more pleasurable to use than a well constructed, PROPERLY FUNCTIONING grinder, and the fact that you've been robbed of that experience is angering to say the least. The day I stepped up from my Grizzly to a KMG is a day I will never forget. Unfortunately, you won't forget this either. I sincerely hope things work out for the better and you can get that machine repaired. I've heard many a good testimony about the grinder itself, and it should be a tool to last a couple of generations if you can get it properly repaired or replaced. Please keep us informed as to the outcomes of this situation. I know a great many people are keeping an eye on this thread, both experienced and well respected makers such as those who have posted previously, and newer makers who are itching to take the leap into a quality grinder. I hope Bader realizes the audience that is here and squares up with you.

Keep your great attitude, and things will work out for your best. My compliments on how you've handled the matter. Hopefully the good folks at Bader will step up on their end.

--nathan
 
Hi Will - the reason Bader has such a good reputation is because they generally take very good care of their customers. That's the reason you're seeing so many surprised responses here. I know you're sticking up for a friend, but most of us have actually experienced their "good" customer service, or know people who have, so it's a bit surprising for the people around here.

There are hundreds if not thousands of makers who have bought baders and had goo experiences with them, this is the first I've heard of someone buying a bader and getting bad service. Now you see several people saying they'll never own one and you can see why the people who have had good service are taken by surprise.

I'm sure in the end that it will all work out.
 
Will Leavitt said:
Oh they've already told him to come to Batson's with $500 and the messed up one if he wants the problem resolved.
:p
Click to expand...

I understand being ticked. You shouldn't have to work that hard for them to do what they should have in the first place.

As I read above, you have your solution...what more were you hoping for?
 
Hi Charley, I hate to tell anyone to do this, but it looks as though Bader dealt with you in an underhanded way. It appears they tried to cover up and work around the damage. They probably got paid full price on that machine from the insurance carrier of a shipping company that damaged it. Go to the bank with your cancelled check and stop payment on it. If it has been less than 180 days they can take your money back from the account it was deposited to. When the money is pulled from their account that should bring them back into the conversation. This is harsh, but what they did was wrong. They have an obligation to make it right, and it appears you need to push them.
Good Luck
Alden
 
Rusty McDonald said:
Have you ever heard of any one saying anything bad about a KMG?
Click to expand...

The honest answer to that question is yes. They are now even with Bader on complaints that I've heard from owners. Considering the disparity of time in business, I would have thought I'd heard a Bader complaint sooner.
 
Rusty McDonald said:
Probably that it didnt get delivered soon enough, lol:)
Click to expand...

Not my place to say the details, so I'll leave it.

I was thinking about my post and I wanted to clear it up before anyone got the wrong idea. I'm not knocking Rob or his product, I've talked with him online many times, I've seen him help people wire grinders that they bought elsewhere, I've worked on many KMGs, they've all been nice machines.

What I'm getting at in the post above is that every company has complaints now and again. I've seen complaints about Square Wheels, Cootes, Grizzlys, Burr-kings, KMGs and now Baders. Down here in North Carolina we have a whole bunch of knifemakers who have been doing this stuff for a long time. At MCC we have all Bader grinders and old Blademasters (anyone remember those?), I can think of exactly two makers in NC that have KMGs and I can think of at least a dozen who have Baders.

Anyone who has been making knives for more than 10 years has experience with some grinder other than a KMG and most have experience with a Bader. They are quality machines just like KMGs, that old "extremely cantankerous Bader 2" that Mike bought before many of our forum members were born just finish ground a kitchen knife in my shop today. Many of the guys that I know have never even heard of a KMG, so they tell their students to buy Baders. There are just more Baders out there, thanks to their time in the industry, their well-known name in other industries, their quality and their customer service.

The point here is that there's 30 years or so of Baders out there and this is the first complaint I've heard. It might mean they are going down hill, but I'd first believe that this is a one-time affair. Afterall, I heard complaints about all of the other ones first. If we based our judgments on one person's experience then I'd have to hire someone to build me a grinder.
 
The honest answer to that question is yes. They are now even with Bader on complaints that I've heard from owners. Considering the disparity of time in business, I would have thought I'd heard a Bader complaint sooner.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised to hear this. I have neither read nor heard a single complaint about the KMG. On the other hand, I've been hearing complaints about Bader for years - primarily tracking problems on new machines, for which the solution provided by Bader (according to the complaintants) was "Wrap duct tape around the tracking wheel" - a solution that would not please me if I'd just paid $2000+ for a new grinder.

For the record, I've never owned either a Bader or a KMG, and I've only used a fellow maker's Bader briefly.
 
I agree that every company, no matter how prestigious or historied is going to have complaints lodged against it at some time. Whether these complaints are justified is up to discretion.

I'm one to always give the benefit of the doubt on things, so I'm hoping there is some miscommunication or misunderstanding happening down in Bader-land. This situation is surprising to many (me included) because of Bader's history.

However, history bears no rein on the present when it comes to these situations. And just because one has a history, doesn't mean that they can pull what seems to be a questionable deal. I'm really hoping this all gets squared away for everyone involved.

--nathan
 
Folks, let's not turn this into a Bader verses KMG thread. I have both and they're both good grinders.

With all due respect, we're only hearing one side of the story. Something very odd going on here! There's seems to be some missing parts to this puzzle.
 
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