Online Shopper
Post-Delivery FeedbackSep 8, 2026
I have been a customer of Penn State Industries for approximately 20 years, and until this experience, I had never had a significant issue with either an order or customer service. Unfortunately, this experience has made me reconsider future purchases.
I was sent a different product than the one advertised in the catalog and online. More importantly, the substituted product was from a lower-quality product line than what I believed I was purchasing. When I contacted customer service, I was told that Penn State reserves the right to substitute products and that, because the material comes from overseas, they have limited control over what is received.
My concern was not that a substitution occurred; it was that the substitution was a lower-quality product than what was advertised, with no clear disclosure in the catalog or online listing indicating that a lower-grade product might be substituted.
Unfortunately, the customer service experience made the situation worse. The representative I initially spoke with, who did not identify herself, became defensive and quickly referred me to a manager. The manager, who also did not identify herself, was similarly confrontational. I was not asking for anything unreasonable—I simply wanted the incorrect items replaced with the product that had been advertised and ordered.
Ultimately, the manager provided a $10 gift card, which approximately covered the difference in value between the advertised product and what I received. I appreciate that gesture, but it did not address the larger concern.
Penn State Industries should review its catalog and online listings to make sure the products pictured and described are actually what customers can expect to receive. If substitutions are possible, particularly substitutions involving a different brand or quality level, that should be clearly disclosed before purchase.
Management should also ensure that customer service representatives have both the training and authority necessary to resolve straightforward issues without conversations becoming unnecessarily adversarial. My impression was that the employees were either undertrained, under pressure to end calls quickly, or simply not given the tools necessary to resolve customer concerns effectively.
After approximately 20 years as a customer, this is the first experience that has left me apprehensive about ordering from Penn State Industries. I will be looking more closely at other suppliers serving the woodturning community before placing future orders.
A long-standing customer relationship should not be taken for granted. Management needs to do better.