Matt Hodgson of Gabardi & Sons makes some nice planes. No doubt about it. But after hearing from several of his customers (and one of his creditors) this year, I have to rescind my recommendation of his business.
I have e-mailed Hodgson about this and asked him to remove my recommendation from his web site, but I haven’t heard back from him.
So what’s the complaint? Since my first review of his tools appeared in the Fine Tool Journal, three of his customers and one of his creditors approached me for help in contacting Hodgson. He wasn’t returning their e-mails or phone calls. They had given him money (or goods), and they hadn’t heard from him in many months.
At this point, I can no longer recommend his business. I sincerely hope that his customers report back to me with good news on their business dealings with Hodgson.
And I apologize if my review was a factor in your purchase.
— Christopher Schwarz
thanks Chris! as you know Mr. Hodgson took my $1100 and did not deliver a plane for over 13 months….while i eventually got a useable one(after a rusted, poorly made one was delivered and sent back),…. the process was painful, slow and not at all enjoyable…….thanks for your help in getting me my plane and thanks for letting the woodworking community know what’s going on……i have not decided if he’s a scammer or just a very poor businessman………just back from kelly’s and saw one of the benches you made…..awesome!
dale
ann arbor, mi
I’m made quite uncomfortable by this post. Chris, you provided a review, the buyers read said review and decided to spend a large amount of cash, sight unseen, for a future product. You wrote a review on the quality of the tool, not on the business acumen or whatever of the tool maker.
Trial by internet is never a fair or good thing. We do not know what the circumstances are. Note that the Gabardi web page has not been updated since 2009. Site traffic has been nearly nill for months. Was there illness, a crisis or? Lacking any information, your review and recommendation is just that, a review and recommendation.
A simple post saying that, due to unknown circumstances, Gabardi & Sons has not fulfilled orders and that you have requested they remove your approval from their website would be sufficient. That there has been no contact, no change to the website, etc. tells me there is much we don’t know.
Gary,
I have been involved in this issue for more than 14 months and have a lot of information. And after the dissolution of Shepherd Tool and its wake of unhappy people I resolved to speak up in cases such as this.
I stand by my post.
Chris
Chris,
There is no doubt that your word is considered that of an authority by those of us who follow this blog. I have always, with one exception, followed your advice. The reasons are your honesty and that you don’t make decisions until you have all relevant facts. I’m sure you gave this matter a lot of thought and acted not in anger, but in sorrow, just as we are sorry to see this situation.
Your were right to do what you did. By the way, the one time I went against your advice was after you suggested I might consider a different plane than the LN 51, I bought one. You were wrong that one time, and that one time only..
This time you are absolutely right.
Richard
Seems to me like Mr. Schwartz isn’t accountable to anybody else for his recommendation. He’s reporting the facts as he knows them, and, surely, exercising some discretion as well.
It’s not a “trial”. The vendor is not entitled to Mr. Schwartz’ endorsement. If he feels that he wishes to rescind it, for any reason, there’s no reason he shouldn’t.
If he were to do this willy nilly, it’s surely detract from his reputation. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. He’s being up-front about his reasoning.
I’m not going to be dropping $1100 on a hand-plane any time soon, but I definitely appreciate the integrity of the review. Well done, sir! Hopefully Gabardi & Sons sort out whatever issues they are facing and return to the good graces of their customers and reviewers.
There will always be a constant turn-over of independent tool makers. Some will be bought out by larger firms and some will cease to exist for any number of reasons. It’s the economics of small business.
The choice is to be an impartial reviewer or to take on the role of arbitrator. It’s difficult to be both.
I would agree with you except for the penchant of Western society to shoot the messenger. And the smaller the community, the louder the bang.
There is no impartiality whatsoever to printing recommendations, but not printing credible issues of delivery and failure to deliver services. By what possible realm of logic is a journalist reporting on woodworking and tool manufacturers expected to NOT report something like this if the charges have met the burden of credibility? Just because you don’t have access to all the information doesn’t mean that it’s inadequate.
Am I the only one to see the irony in your admonishments regarding:
Calling out someone whose livelihood is involved with inadequate information to back it up?
Playing arbiter/arbitrator when one should just mind their own business?
I’d side with Chris on this one. Yes, “trial by internet” may seem harsh, but it seems to me that such is the forum upon which we (at least in part) communicate and make (at least some) purchasing decisions; on that basis, it seems to me a valid forum to air such grievances. Yes, the internet reaches a far larger audience than a casual conversation between two woodworkers, but if someone is failing to provide an already-paid for product, they should be called out, at least so no one spends good after bad. And yes, I understand that people are trying to compare some of Mike Wenzloff’s recent delivery problems to this issue. That doesn’t fly for me. I had an order in with Mike, emailed them to ask about delivery, and got an email back in a day or so explaining what the issue was. If someone is trying, that’s fine. But when you’ve already got someone’s money and then go to ground, that not so fine.
My for what its worth.
Brian Williams
I feel for you Chris. I know you’ve never been a fan of reviewing products. It seems like a damned-if-do/damned-if-you-don’t business.
I appreciate you being honest and forthcoming about this and I’m sure you don’t take it lightly. And without the qualifications as to why you removed your endorsement I would have been left wondering.
Given how prominent your endorsement is being employed (large and bold on their homepage) I would think everyone would understand you being clear and definitive. I’m sure ample opportunity was given to communicate and resolve the issues and concerns.
Hopefully they get back on track. Their mini-smoother was at the top of my dream tool list.
Gary
Your comment regarding his web update is incorrect. Several of the pages were updated this year.
Caveat emptor
As for the loss of money, some responsibility must lie with the buyer. If there wasn’t a money issue, perhaps we wouldn’t be discussing it. I can’t imagine paying full price up front. Fate is not always our friend. Any number of things can go wrong that we have little or no control over. I would think that a reasonable deposit would have been sufficient with the balance paid upon delivery of an acceptable product.
Marv
Chris,
Thanks for looking out for customers. It is unfortunate that this happens and I hope they get things worked out. They are sharp looking planes.
Richard,
I believe your comment about Chris not recommending the LN51 might not be correct, he seemed pretty fond of it in the latest issue of PW. He might of suggested a different plane due the significant cost of the LN51 and it being a “one trick pony” tool. In regards to the initial post I think Chris is doing the right thing. I think he has a social responsibility to the wood working community because he is considered an authority on hand tools. I respect the man for having the courage to say he gave a bad recommendation and is doing as much as he can to right the wrong. You are a man of tremendous integrity Mr. Schwarz.
James,
Chris and I exchanged a couple of emails regarding this right after the LN-51 was announced last year. The point he made was there were other options that might be considered before getting a “one trick pony.” I was thinking about the No 9 mitre plane vs the 51. In that regard, you are correct. I could have stated that point more clearly.
While at WIA, Ron Herman made a few remarks about the 51, remarks which sealed the deal for me. I ordered the plane, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. It was worth the wait.
I was a little surprised when Chris announced his subsequent “love affair” and purchase. I was also pleased to see that his enthusiasm mirrored mine.
The LN-51 is a tool with tremendous potential, which I am just beginning to explore. Some would say it is too expensive. My response would be to suggest a reading of page 218 in Chris’s “Handplane Essentials.”
Your assessment of Chris and his original intent with this post is spot on. He has strong opinions
and isn’t afraid to express them. I find that admirable and keep coming back for more.
Richard
I hope this company gets its affairs in order. And, contrary to what others may believe consumers have a right to this kind of information about a company. I work with a lot more companies then I do tools (sadly).
A recommendation binds two reputations together. I respect what Mr Schwarz is doing here.
Chris,
I don’t know if you are aware but one of the first things on the Gabardi web site you see is a quote from you praising the planes. After taking back your endorsment, I would think that they would remove your quote. I own a small woodworking buisness and I know that standing by your work and doing what you promise is essential to success. I agree with what you did and I think that they sould remove your quote.
I wonder how Chris Gochnour feels about his review there. I’m not really sure what the debate is here in this thread. It’s takes time and effort to make one’s name an indication of quality. I would think that Chris should have the right and responsibility (to himself) to manage that as effectively as he is able. It must be rather frustrating for him to see that quote still there. As for Wenzloff, I should think that it shouldn’t even be mentioned in connection with this lest rumours get started. There’s no similarity.
It’s a shame whatever the case may be. Small busines owners know that word of mouth travels fast and in my opinion there is no excuse for what is apparently going on here. Weather he is sick or having money problems there is always more than one person running/watching the store that could step up to the plate and make things right. I wish this guy luck but it seems as if the door is already closed and considering chris has recinded his recomendation the party is surely over!