SMOOTH-ON

I reject the business' response.My full name is [redacted] I go by [redacted] for obvious reasons. Try telling a rep over the phone how to spell [redacted] !I bought the [redacted] at a local craft store. they did not have the vytaflex. the guy at the store said it would work with concrete. I am an inventor, I have dual college diplomas in biology and psychology and have a minor in biochemical pharmacology. I dont say this to brag in any way, just stating I have quite a bit of training in reading comprehension and I know how to read and follow directions. they say several times in their response about "beginner" failure. I had no such failure the inital mold came out perfect. The only issue I was having was with some discoloration in my concrete copy and I deduced it must be due to the mold release I was using. At the time of buying the [redacted] I also purchased their "universal mold release". I read the directions carefully, it did say I needed the [redacted] for concrete but when I contacted smooth-ons customer service they said [redacted] would work it just wouldnt be as durable. In any event here is the section in the [redacted] data sheet pertaining to prepping the mold:"Use a release agent made specifically for mold making (Universal® Mold Release available from Smooth-On)."When I spoke to the customer service rep they said the discoloration I was getting was due to my use of that release agent. I did buy the [redacted] as well figuring w the amount of tiles I needed to make the more molds the better. I also bought the water based release agent the customer service rep told me I needed to use. I used that to make the next mold and it would not release, ruinging the entire mold.Smooth on is partially correct about my use of the directions for the vytaflex. I had scanned the document and found it to be more or less identical to the last. You can judge for yourself, here is the section in the [redacted] data sheet pertaining to prepping the mold:" Use a release agent made specifically for mold making (Universal® Mold Release available from Smooth-On)."Now I had the universal mold release agent and the customer service rep told me that is the wrong product to use. he didnt say I needed that to make the mold and needed the other when casting the concrete. as a matter of fact he said using the universal release agent would DAMAGE my concrete tile. If the universal damaged the concrete tile why would I assume that would be the correct agent to use at any step?!?! so no matter what the directions say I would listen the manufacturers rep over a piece of paper. Now they will say they didnt say that and it comes down to my word against theirs. It is illogical to believe that somehow I listened to every piece of the reps recommendations EXCEPT the crucial step of applying the correct mold release when making the mold. He was very clear that I was not to use the universal mold release. Now listen, these people arent gods and mistakes happen to all of us, but what disturbed me was this trying to blame me, the customer, when I followed exactly what the reps advice was. The crux of the matter is I followed the exact advice of the company rep and when my mold was 100% destroyed from doing this they refused to help in any way shape or form. I was not asking for cash, I just needed to build the mold that I had already paid for. I was asking for a replacement of the product. At this point my deadline has been passed, so there is no need to replace the product so this is not any kind of attempt to get a "freebie". This is simply about letting the company know what they did wrong so they could improve their service. there are companies that stand behind their staff and products and then there are companies that do not. I know this much, next project that comes up for myself or anyone else that contacts me, I know where not to go [redacted] [redacted]

Dear *** ***, As discussed on the phone, we have no record in our system of a *** *** from Brooklyn ever purchasing material from Smooth-On, Inc. Our technicians do recall speaking with a *** *** *** from Brooklyn Could this be the
gentleman? Regards,

We take all...

customer complaints very seriously and investigate each one.  In the case of [redacted], (known to us throughout this process as ‘[redacted]’), two technicians in the Smooth-On technical help department recall speaking with him on more than one occasion in September 2015.  In an effort to further assist, we also responded to technical e-mails that [redacted] sent to our technical e-mail box.  In the rare event of a customer repeatedly calling our toll free technical help line for assistance who is not following directions and complaining about the material, we take careful notes for our records. [redacted]’ initial complaint was that he was getting inconsistent color in his concrete castings using [redacted] mold rubber and Universal Mold Release.  It was easy to determine that, even though [redacted] had our detailed written technical bulletin that was included with the product, he either did not read it or did not understand the directions because he was using the  wrong release agent.  In our experience, trying to use any Smooth-On product without first reading the technical bulletin will result in a success rate nearing zero.  There are two release agents mentioned on the technical bulletin and it would appear that [redacted] had them crossed. To further address his complaint about color inconsistency, we also recommended a different mold rubber to improve color consistency.  As stated clearly on the [redacted] technical bulletin (which [redacted] had in his possession), “Casting Concrete? Look into the [redacted]® series of urethane mold rubbers. [redacted]® urethanes were formulated specifically for casting concrete / pigmented concrete and feature Smooth-On’s exclusive ‘V-Polymer®’ technology”. [redacted] then purchased [redacted] mold rubber and again had issues due to not using the correct release agent at the right stage during the process.  The product could not work, because directions were either not read or not followed.  [redacted] admitted to not reading the technical bulletin prior to using the product on two occasions to the technicians.  It seems that he was relying on verbal direction from the technicians, but not understanding. [redacted] insisted that Smooth-On replace the product at no charge.  He stated that replacing the product “is nothing for a big company like Smooth-On” and, for that reason, we should replace it.  As the issue was one of user error (failing to read and understand directions prior to use) and not product failure, we declined the request.  We offer technical service free of charge to hundreds of customers daily and, as our technical assistance policy (available on our website) clearly states, “We can never guarantee or warranty that any Smooth-On product will work for your specific application for the simple reason that, in using these materials, there is a lot that can go wrong that is not material related. We have no control over the many processing variables associated with working with these materials such complexity of the project, aptitude of the user (experience and ability) and processing conditions such as environment.Beginners especially have a high rate of "first time" failure due to inexperience with these materials and mold making/casting in general. Smooth-On is responsible for the quality of the material that you buy, not the experience level of the end-user. Because no two applications are quite the same, a small test application to determine suitability is recommended if material performance is in question. User shall determine suitability of the product for the intended application and assume all associated risks and liability.  We want you to be successful every time! If you are new to mold making and casting, your best defense against product failure is to read the technical bulletin for the product you are using and follow directions carefully.”We stand by the quality of our products and are proud to say that we have hundreds of thousands satisfied customers around the world that use our material every day.  In the rare event that one of our materials has a quality issue, we will replace that material with no questions asked. We regret that [redacted] was not successful using our material, but in this case, it was clearly a case of not reading and following written directions.  The problem was not the material.Please let me know if you have any questions.

Dear [redacted], As discussed on the phone, we have no record in our system of a [redacted] from Brooklyn ever purchasing material from Smooth-On, Inc. Our technicians do recall speaking with a [redacted] from Brooklyn.  Could this be the gentleman? Regards,

I reject the business' response.My full name is [redacted]  I go by [redacted] for obvious reasons.  Try telling a rep over the phone how to spell [redacted]!I bought the [redacted] at a local craft store.  they did not have the vytaflex.  the guy at the store said it would work with concrete.  i am an inventor, I have dual college diplomas in biology and psychology and have a minor in biochemical pharmacology. I dont say this to brag in any way, just stating I have quite a bit of training in reading comprehension and I know how to read and follow directions. they say several times in their response about "beginner" failure.  I had no such failure the inital mold came out perfect.  The only issue I was having was with some discoloration in my concrete copy and I deduced it must be due to the mold release I was using.  At the time of buying the [redacted] I also purchased their "universal mold release".  I read the directions carefully, it did say I needed the [redacted] for concrete but when I contacted smooth-ons customer service they said [redacted] would work it just wouldnt be as durable.  In any event here is the section in the [redacted] data sheet pertaining to prepping the mold:"Use a release agent made specifically for mold making (Universal® Mold Release available from Smooth-On)."When I spoke to the customer service rep they said the discoloration I was getting was due to my use of that release agent.  I did buy the [redacted] as well figuring w the amount of tiles I needed to make the more molds the better.  I also bought the water based release agent the customer service rep told me I needed to use.  I used that to make the next mold and it would not release, ruinging the entire mold.Smooth on is partially correct about my use of the directions for the vytaflex.  I had scanned the document and found it to be more or less identical to the last.  You can judge for yourself, here is the section in the [redacted] data sheet pertaining to prepping the mold:" Use a release agent made specifically for mold making (Universal® Mold Release available from Smooth-On)."Now I had the universal mold release agent and the customer service rep told me that is the wrong product to use.  he didnt say I needed that to make the mold and needed the other when casting the concrete. as a matter of fact he said using the universal release agent would DAMAGE my concrete tile.  If the universal damaged the concrete tile why would I assume that would be the correct agent to use at any step?!?!  so no matter what the directions say I would listen the manufacturers rep over a piece of paper.  Now they will say they didnt say that and it comes down to my word against theirs.  It is illogical to believe that somehow I listened to every piece of the reps recommendations EXCEPT the crucial step of applying the correct mold release when making the mold.   He was very clear that I was not to use the universal mold release.  Now listen, these people arent gods and mistakes happen to all of us, but what disturbed me was this trying to blame me, the customer, when I followed exactly what the reps advice was.  The crux of the matter is I followed the exact advice of the company rep and when my mold was 100% destroyed from doing this they refused to help in any way shape or form.  I was not asking for cash, I just needed to build the mold that I had already paid for. I was asking for a replacement of the product. At this point my deadline has been passed, so there is no need to replace the product so this is not any kind of attempt to get a "freebie". This is simply about letting the company know what they did wrong so they could improve their service. there are companies that stand behind their staff and products and then there are companies that do not. I know this much, next project that comes up for myself or anyone else that contacts me, I know where not to go[redacted] [redacted]