Hey guys, so I recently got a TIG welder to help with my upcoming twin turbo project, as well as several other things....it was a nightmare to get and deal with the company I purchased it from too, and a warning for anyone else looking for welding supplies in the northwestern US.
anyways, first the good stuff...I got a Miller Syncrowave 200 runner kit TIG/Stick/P-TIG machine. it should be able to handle everything I need it to and then some. I've been looking for a TIG for a while and the syncrowave seems to be the best all around for the money. I like the dynasty 200 from miller too, but its almost twice the price, so its not worth that for me.
here is the machine I got, its the 230V runner version:
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/syncrowave_200/
So I found a local chain that gave me a great price on it. however the catch is that it was a complete nightmare to work with them on it...here's the story behind that:
so originally they had the sync 200, but it was at a different store a couple hours away, they were going to transfer it over to the local branch and I'd pick it up there...it was going to take a few days to get it, but no problem, they tell me it'll arrive on wednesday the 30th by noon. I tell them to call me if there is any problems but I wouldn't be able to get out there until the next day, thursday, when they open to get it. they said 'no problem' well wednesday comes and goes and I don't hear anything so I assume its there and ready for me. so I drive ~30 miles one way out there to get it, and arrive right when they open, oh guess what, no one knows anything about it, they make some calls and find out that it never left their other store. they said that someone was personally driving out to get specifically that day for me, and it would be there by closing time, again I couldn't get there until the next morning again when they open. so thats wasted 60 mile round trip #1....but hey, stuff happens, I understand this...but no, keep reading...
so the next morning I still don't hear anything, I can't call to verify if it is there because my work schedule does not match up at all with theirs and since they're so far away I have to leave before they open in order to get there and back in a timely manner. so I make another trip out there....guess what, the guy that was supposed to go get it the day before never got out there, and of course no one bothered to call and tell me this, so I've wasted ANOTHER 60 mile round trip...they told me that they had the guy on his way out there and it would be at the store ready by 10am. but again I couldn't get there until the following morning.
okay the next morning comes, again no calls, but I still can't call them. this is their last chance, if they don't have it I was going to tell them nevermind I'll get it elsewhere...so I make the 60 mile round trip yet again (third time), I get there and yes they do have it...I think to myself 'oh good, just a simple error, it happens.' I pay for the machine and take it home....WELL....later that day I get a call from them saying my charge never went through and they've been charging my card over and over again without it working. I looked it up and the first charge whet through just fine, and had been removed from my account already, which is why their subsequent attempts were failing...(first off its funny that they'll call me about a charging error immediately, but never call me that the machine didn't arrive multiple times)...he seems suprised even though the charge went through when I was at the store and I signed the original charge slip...he says okay and hangs up....well about an hour later I get another call from him saying that the 'machine' simultaneously charged and refunded the transaction. so it's taken my money out of the account, and will supposedly be refunded in a few days, he wants to re-charge my card once the refund comes through. so already this is turning out to be a pain in the ass. but whatever, I have the machine we should get the charge straightened out, its only fair, I told him he needed to call me before I sent the second charge through because I needed to be sure the money had actually been refunded and hit my account...
so that was on friday. now today I come to find out that instead of calling me before he attempts to recharge my card like we had discussed earlier, he has been just charging my card every day trying to get it to go through without my permission. well it did go through today, but guess what, it wasn't because of the refund....no, it was my paycheck!...so right now I've officially paid for the machine twice, and now have no money in my account from my paycheck that I need. I called my bank and the refund is scheduled to be deposited tommorow. which I suppose is okay, in the end it will all be straightened out, but for tonight I have ZERO money, so I don't have enough money to put gas in my truck to get to work. I think I have an 1/8 tank left, and about a 40 mile one way commute to work. I hope its enough....I called them to ask why the hell he didn't call me before making the charge to verify that the money had hit my account. and all the salesman and the manager would say is 'oops, sorry'....so obviously they won't do anything, I ended up telling them if I ever see a charge from them again, even if its one penny, I'd be contacting the police because they have no authorization to charge my card, ever. they've lost any and all of my future business, and I hope if I pass the word along they can lose some more business elsewhere.
so in the end I've got the syncrowave 200, it looks like a nice machine, its unfortunate that I had to go through this nightmare to get it, but its hopefully done. I don't have any cylinder/hood/consumables or anything else yet since I have no money. but once I get everything monetarily straightened out I'll go shopping for that stuff, obvisouly not from them though.
so just a warning to others out there in the northwestern US region. anyone in Washington/Oregon/Nevada/Idaho/Utah/Wyoming/Montana area, STAY AWAY FROM NORCO INC. they're idiots and they are theives.
I'll get some pics of the TIG up soon too.
anyways, first the good stuff...I got a Miller Syncrowave 200 runner kit TIG/Stick/P-TIG machine. it should be able to handle everything I need it to and then some. I've been looking for a TIG for a while and the syncrowave seems to be the best all around for the money. I like the dynasty 200 from miller too, but its almost twice the price, so its not worth that for me.
here is the machine I got, its the 230V runner version:
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/syncrowave_200/
So I found a local chain that gave me a great price on it. however the catch is that it was a complete nightmare to work with them on it...here's the story behind that:
so originally they had the sync 200, but it was at a different store a couple hours away, they were going to transfer it over to the local branch and I'd pick it up there...it was going to take a few days to get it, but no problem, they tell me it'll arrive on wednesday the 30th by noon. I tell them to call me if there is any problems but I wouldn't be able to get out there until the next day, thursday, when they open to get it. they said 'no problem' well wednesday comes and goes and I don't hear anything so I assume its there and ready for me. so I drive ~30 miles one way out there to get it, and arrive right when they open, oh guess what, no one knows anything about it, they make some calls and find out that it never left their other store. they said that someone was personally driving out to get specifically that day for me, and it would be there by closing time, again I couldn't get there until the next morning again when they open. so thats wasted 60 mile round trip #1....but hey, stuff happens, I understand this...but no, keep reading...
so the next morning I still don't hear anything, I can't call to verify if it is there because my work schedule does not match up at all with theirs and since they're so far away I have to leave before they open in order to get there and back in a timely manner. so I make another trip out there....guess what, the guy that was supposed to go get it the day before never got out there, and of course no one bothered to call and tell me this, so I've wasted ANOTHER 60 mile round trip...they told me that they had the guy on his way out there and it would be at the store ready by 10am. but again I couldn't get there until the following morning.
okay the next morning comes, again no calls, but I still can't call them. this is their last chance, if they don't have it I was going to tell them nevermind I'll get it elsewhere...so I make the 60 mile round trip yet again (third time), I get there and yes they do have it...I think to myself 'oh good, just a simple error, it happens.' I pay for the machine and take it home....WELL....later that day I get a call from them saying my charge never went through and they've been charging my card over and over again without it working. I looked it up and the first charge whet through just fine, and had been removed from my account already, which is why their subsequent attempts were failing...(first off its funny that they'll call me about a charging error immediately, but never call me that the machine didn't arrive multiple times)...he seems suprised even though the charge went through when I was at the store and I signed the original charge slip...he says okay and hangs up....well about an hour later I get another call from him saying that the 'machine' simultaneously charged and refunded the transaction. so it's taken my money out of the account, and will supposedly be refunded in a few days, he wants to re-charge my card once the refund comes through. so already this is turning out to be a pain in the ass. but whatever, I have the machine we should get the charge straightened out, its only fair, I told him he needed to call me before I sent the second charge through because I needed to be sure the money had actually been refunded and hit my account...
so that was on friday. now today I come to find out that instead of calling me before he attempts to recharge my card like we had discussed earlier, he has been just charging my card every day trying to get it to go through without my permission. well it did go through today, but guess what, it wasn't because of the refund....no, it was my paycheck!...so right now I've officially paid for the machine twice, and now have no money in my account from my paycheck that I need. I called my bank and the refund is scheduled to be deposited tommorow. which I suppose is okay, in the end it will all be straightened out, but for tonight I have ZERO money, so I don't have enough money to put gas in my truck to get to work. I think I have an 1/8 tank left, and about a 40 mile one way commute to work. I hope its enough....I called them to ask why the hell he didn't call me before making the charge to verify that the money had hit my account. and all the salesman and the manager would say is 'oops, sorry'....so obviously they won't do anything, I ended up telling them if I ever see a charge from them again, even if its one penny, I'd be contacting the police because they have no authorization to charge my card, ever. they've lost any and all of my future business, and I hope if I pass the word along they can lose some more business elsewhere.
so in the end I've got the syncrowave 200, it looks like a nice machine, its unfortunate that I had to go through this nightmare to get it, but its hopefully done. I don't have any cylinder/hood/consumables or anything else yet since I have no money. but once I get everything monetarily straightened out I'll go shopping for that stuff, obvisouly not from them though.
so just a warning to others out there in the northwestern US region. anyone in Washington/Oregon/Nevada/Idaho/Utah/Wyoming/Montana area, STAY AWAY FROM NORCO INC. they're idiots and they are theives.
I'll get some pics of the TIG up soon too.
