$99 PRO 5 Sander Promotion + $50 Voucher - New Festool REQ Sanders (US)

[MikeMa]

Wow.  Just got an email from Toolnut that my sander will ship "on or around Thursday, March 16th."  March 16th!?  SERIOUSLY?!?

This is/was going to be my first Festool purchase.  For a deal that was designed to bring in (and try to impress) first time owners, I am not impressed.

The idea with using voucher ahead of release (aka, a rebate) isn't ideal for me.  I wanted to give this sander a try for a bit before deciding on additional purchases. 

I haven't decided what I am going to do with my order yet, but it would be really nice to see Festool do something more than provide apologies to make this right.  Perhaps making the voucher expire a year after the sander is shipped, as was intended, so that us first time owners who have such a large delay have time to really evaluate the tool and to make the determination that we want to make that large investment in another Festool product.

Very Irritated.

 

[atogrf1]

I intend to use my voucher towards a Kapex and a CT, but I want to make sure I actually GET the sander first because if, in the end, I don't get the sander, I sure am not going to be giving my money to a company that shortchanges their customers.
So, we shall see.  I ordered one from Bob Marino and one from Tool Nut.  Both have e-mailed telling me that I will get mine, but that it will be after the first of the year.  First one to show up will wind up getting my order for the Kapex and the CT.

I consider myself a loyal customer, but the one thing that I would not forgive is being made a promise of receiving something and then getting screwed over in the end.  That I don't forgive.

But, having said that.....Here's hoping they come through as promised and I can add to my Festool collection.

 

[Shane Holland]

[member=62960]MikeMa[/member], welcome to the forum. I definitely understand the frustration of you and others affected by the sander backorder situation.

We were very conservative with our estimates on delivery and padded the delivery time in case product arrives late to us. So, it's possible that you will get it slightly sooner. Hopefully, Festool did the same with their estimates and we'll see sanders showing up in advance of the ETAs they provided to us.

Regardless, this is far from the norm for us. We are known for shipping product very quickly. Hopefully everyone gets their sanders sooner than expected, they find them to be a great value even though there was an unexpected wait, and they are able to get a great deal on another tool with the $50 voucher.

Shane

 

[antss]

No one was promised delivery of a pro5 sander by a certain date.

They only advertied they would be available AFTER Nov.1 and that availability was LIMITED .

[member=1999]atogrf1[/member]  - you'd better read the exhaustive postings on the Kapex before you wade into the pool any further. If a delayed sander ticks you off , you may not be a good candidate for mitersaw.

Additionally, anyone that was considering jumping on the bandwagon solely because of a $50 incentive or a low price sander may want to re evaluate their position.  These tools all come with a 30day no risk trial. None. Use it as much as you want and if you don't like it send it back. No questions asked.  Who else gives you that ?

Now, I'm not apologizing for Festool or saying they didn't nut this one up.  They did, and have said as much- and apologized. And will make good on all orders made before the LIMITED offer was withdrawn. Clearly none of you have tried or even know someone that has tried to snag a Black Friday deal and failed. 

These things are like lotteries. Lots of wanna be winners, but few actual ones. Such is life. All this has done is to show Festool they can't buy new customers (or at least the kind they want ) with a short term loss leader strategy.

Note to the brass.  You'll have to have a few permanent items in the catalog at attainable prices if you want to attract a new crop of customers. Things like a $99 sander, a $150ish drill/driver, a lower priced light, and a jigsaw at $200 or less will open up avenues to the next level of buyer you're seeking.

This group may stretch a little to see what all the fuss is about , but they won't spend twice as much as the next highest priced competitor for a sander, drill, jigsaw, or light no matter how many full page ads you run ; tv placements you negotiate , or rallying the sales guys do.  The American craftsman has a different mindset than his Euro counterpart. He also has a smaller wallet because socialism hasn't found its way to U.S. trades as a whole.  If you're not willing to do that you're going to have to settle for flat sales figures.  Tradesmen are dwindling in general; and with that your market - which is already a fraction of that because of your position.

 

[MikeMa]

-> They only advertied they would be available AFTER Nov.1 and that availability was LIMITED .

True, however it would not be an unreasonable expectation that it would be days to weeks after Nov 1, not 4-6 months!

->Additionally, anyone that was considering jumping on the bandwagon solely because of a $50 incentive or a low price sander may want to re evaluate their position.  These tools all come with a 30day no risk trial. None. Use it as much as you want and if you don't like it send it back. No questions asked.  Who else gives you that ?

Disagree.  Most of my hand power tools are Bosch, and have been happy with them.  Asking me to pay 3-5 times to do a 30day no risk trial is still a lot to ask.  And keep in mind, a $99 Sander is a (very) low price for Festool, but it is still on the expensive side of 5" ROS sanders in general, when you factor the average price on them are $30-$50.  I am not new to buying premium tools.  I have a number of Lie-Nielsen and Veritas tools in my shop.  It is worth noting that I started buying them after buying one of their more entry level tools and using it on a couple projects before I really started buying more of them.  This is why I want plenty of time to use that sander before I use the voucher.

-> Note to the brass.  You'll have to have a few permanent items in the catalog at attainable prices if you want to attract a new crop of customers. Things like a $99 sander, a $150ish drill/driver, a lower priced light, and a jigsaw at $200 or less will open up avenues to the next level of buyer you're seeking.

Interesting thing is one of the tools I am/was considering using the voucher for was the Trion Jigsaw, which with voucher would be at that $200 price point.  For the reasons I stated above, and the fact I want the voucher in hand before I make another order.  At this point, I am leaning towards getting one of the Bosch jigsaws.

 

[peter halle]

[member=727]antss[/member]

I find this unusual but I am a guy who tries to be honest.  I actually liked the majority of your post.

Peter

 

[antss]

Thanks Peter.

Mike - not an unreasonable expectation .  My point is that we should have no expectation at all.  Limited should have conveyed just that.  Kinda like Private.  Everyone is not allowed in. It also falls under that old conundrum of quality , price and timing.  You pick two, and only two.  In this case you went for high quality and low price - which means you can't get it in a hurry.

Your disagreement illustrates my point.  The $50 doesn't significantly lower the the price of a 3-5x more expensive tool.  Having a cut rate sander may tell you whether you like that sander but nothing about Kapex or Domino, a Track Saw or the goofy looking routers.  Even if you use it for three years. You've got kick the tires on those and 30days should be enough time to get a pretty good idea if they're for you or not.  Bosch doesn't give you your $$$ back after using their glide saw for thirty days if you don't like it. And 50 bucks doesn't even make a dent in the price of saw.  We agree $50 off makes a Trion pretty attractive.

Also, did Mr. Nielsen offer you a coupon, or half price chisel or whatever ?  Nope.  You decide to roll the dice and pay the full freight. And if they don't have stock you wait til they decide to make some more of that widget.  Just happened to me with a #102 recently. They do have the 30 day thing though.  Interesting,  that no coupon and no 1/2 price tool but 30 days is good enough for you to chance a LN  , but somehow it's too scary to pull the trigger with Festool ?  I don't understand that .

Plus you pay for shipping form LN.  Free shipping is another thing we've all come to expect these day , but really shouldn't.

 

[MikeMa]

Every Lie-Nielsen purchase I have made has been with free shipping.  I have also gotten Veritas tools at discount as well as with free shipping.  I also was able to try out every tool from Lie-Nielsen and Veritas before purchase, so I was able to see and feel the quality difference in them vs. lower end tools.  While the 30 day return policy is nice, it is not completely unique to festool.

What I want to see, before I consider Festool, is I have found Bosch to be very high quality.  Is the quality of the Festool THAT much better it is worth me to pay considerably more for the tool. 

You obviously own one or more Festool tools, I don't any.  Since I don't make money from my tools, I have to look at each tool purchase very carefully.  I am not yet convinced I should by Festool over Bosch. 

This sander is Festool's opportunity to convince me.  So far they have failed.

 

[NHSP759]

Every Lie-Nielsen purchase I have made has been with free shipping.  I have also gotten Veritas tools at discount as well as with free shipping.  I also was able to try out every tool from Lie-Nielsen and Veritas before purchase, so I was able to see and feel the quality difference in them vs. lower end tools.  While the 30 day return policy is nice, it is not completely unique to festool.

What I want to see, before I consider Festool, is I have found Bosch to be very high quality.  Is the quality of the Festool THAT much better it is worth me to pay considerably more for the tool. 

You obviously own one or more Festool tools, I don't any.  Since I don't make money from my tools, I have to look at each tool purchase very carefully.  I am not yet convinced I should by Festool over Bosch. 

This sander is Festool's opportunity to convince me.  So far they have failed.

I wished I never paid for shipping from Lie Nielsen but alas.... I have Every friggin time!
I agree that Bosch makes wonderful tools.
To pay the prices for a Festool is really dependent upon you and your experience. Festool clearly wants to increase NA sales and offered what is arguably a wonderful sander for a super premium price and a bonus to really sink in sales. They did this to get you, the uninitiated customer (AS IT RELATES TO FESTOOL!!!!) to buy into their ecosystem and experience a super high quality tool lineup. Until you make your first purchase you will really be in the ether of knowing the quality of the tools. But....Festool screwed up and did not plan appropriately for the sales they made. Unfortunately some of the stores that sell these high quality tools have to keep their customers happy and that is not an envious position.  Of course they will honor their sale but a mark has been made by the consumers. I lucked out, I bought mine from Bob and received it Thursday. Clearly there is a problem though. A lot of people. And unfortunately people such as yourself without practiced experience with the Festool lineup, were affected. This will effect the general attitude of consumers and I don't think it's entirely fair. Sure Festool boned up but....they make a heck of a lineup of tools and who knows? Maybe you will still be impressed even though you had to deal with this issue! Regardless...welcome to the forum! I hope they can get you to a Pro 5 soon and who knows, maybe a DC unit is in your future!

 

[Svar]

Plus you pay for shipping form LN.  Free shipping is another thing we've all come to expect these day , but really shouldn't.

It's not plus shipping. There is no "free" shipping, you pay it regardless. In some cases it's itemized, in others lumped with the price of the product. It's the latter that people come to expect.

 

[MikeMa]

I wished I never paid for shipping from Lie Nielsen but alas.... I have Every friggin time!
I agree that Bosch makes wonderful tools.
To pay the prices for a Festool is really dependent upon you and your experience. Festool clearly wants to increase NA sales and offered what is arguably a wonderful sander for a super premium price and a bonus to really sink in sales. They did this to get you, the uninitiated customer (AS IT RELATES TO FESTOOL!!!!) to buy into their ecosystem and experience a super high quality tool lineup. Until you make your first purchase you will really be in the ether of knowing the quality of the tools. But....Festool screwed up and did not plan appropriately for the sales they made. Unfortunately some of the stores that sell these high quality tools have to keep their customers happy and that is not an envious position.  Of course they will honor their sale but a mark has been made by the consumers. I lucked out, I bought mine from Bob and received it Thursday. Clearly there is a problem though. A lot of people. And unfortunately people such as yourself without practiced experience with the Festool lineup, were affected. This will effect the general attitude of consumers and I don't think it's entirely fair. Sure Festool boned up but....they make a heck of a lineup of tools and who knows? Maybe you will still be impressed even though you had to deal with this issue! Regardless...welcome to the forum! I hope they can get you to a Pro 5 soon and who knows, maybe a DC unit is in your future!

Thank you Chris,
To your point, it may not be fair for Festool, however, part of the expectation, at least mine, is when buying premium tools, you get a premium level of customer service.  So far, the customer service has been lacking.  For getting free shipping from Lie-Nielsen the best way to do that is go to their hand tool events.  Fortunately there is a couple each year that are close by.  Check out their website athttps://www.lie-nielsen.com/hand-tool-events

 

[wonderbuck]

March 23 delivery date for something that was ordered and paid for on October 5th is a bit out of line when you're trying to get new users that can go pull a yellow or orange or red tool of the shelf of the big boxes. It's also a bit much to ask of guys that are making money with these tools. I'm hesitant to recommend Festool to new users at this point because it's making me look bad as well.

 

[meeker]

Wow.  Just got an email from Toolnut that my sander will ship "on or around Thursday, March 16th."  March 16th!?  SERIOUSLY?!?

This is/was going to be my first Festool purchase.  For a deal that was designed to bring in (and try to impress) first time owners, I am not impressed
....

Same here, Mike, you're not alone.  I also got a March 16th date and it's my first order. Not being that familiar with Festool, I took a day to research the product and offer, so placed an order 8PM October 5. My guess is it's the regular Festool users / FOG posters that are getting theirs now rather than those that were using it to try Festool out. Can't fault the Toolnut for processing them in the order they received them, though. It's just unfortunate that those of us who (perhaps) this was meant to attract are starting off badly.

Anyway, I guess it'll be a nice surprise when it does finally show up.

 

[Paul G]

Shane, I got the new sander earlier in the week. Very much appreciate the quality packaging. The box had the usual battle scars but they never reached the contents.

 

[Shane Holland]

Shane, I got the new sander earlier in the week. Very much appreciate the quality packaging. The box had the usual battle scars but they never reached the contents.

Thanks for the update, Paul. Our guys that pack and ship really do a great job making sure things stand up to the sometimes rough trip to your house.

 

[spllbnd2]

I received my updated "possible" ship date and it sounds like most of us that are in the holding pattern are going to wait for about another 4 months for this great deal to finally be at our doorstep.

I do understand what previous posts had mentioned about sometimes having to wait, but 4 months is a bit excessive if you ask me. But I shall wait and see how the quality is once I receive the sander.

"Festool is in the process of manufacturing additional PRO 5 Sanders. So, you will definitely receive your $99 PRO 5 Sander with $50 voucher, as promised. Based on the schedule provided by Festool, we anticipate that your sander will ship on or around Thursday, March 23rd. Note that this is an estimated ship date and is subject to change."

Cheers,
Alex

 

[Huxleywood]

I do understand what previous posts had mentioned about sometimes having to wait, but 4 months is a bit excessive if you ask me.

Keep in mind there is probably a Germany to US transit time of 5-6 weeks then another week to get them out to dealers and 2-5 days more to the individuals, this is on top of working a ton of new sanders into their production schedule.  There is only so much a company can do and from my POV they are doing everything one could reasonably expect them to, there are a lot of companies that would simply have said "sorry it was limited" and go on about ther business. 

Not directed at anyone here but there are people that want to dislike Festool and this becomes something they can hang their hat on. 

 

[antss]

MikeMA - uh, that's not free shipping either ?  You've spent gas money and time (opportunity cost) and you've paid sales tax too.  So not really shipping and certainly added cost to the LieN price regardless - which was my whole point.  Guess I wasn't clear.

Svar - we can argue the semantics all day if you'd like off board.  Off course overhead is all rolled into the price.  But, when a plane is $115 and I'm charged $11 shipping or $10 tax that plane is costing ME $126 + or -.

When ordering a pro5 from Shane I pay $99 including all tax, tag and title, destination fee and polyglycoat too.  Shane has to figure out how to come up with the $15 or so dollars UPS billed him.

You pay LN additional $$ from the Listed Item price regardless.  Not so the overwhelming majority of the time for Festool purchases over the internet.

Bosch has some nice tools for sure.  Their jigsaw is arguably the industry benchmark; at least in the U.S.

meeker - you illustrate what FT should have already gleaned from this and arguably should have known beforehand.  But, that ship has sailed and you're gonna have to wait for it to dock like everyone else in the boat.

et al - Most dealers won't charge you until they ship the product to you.  Many will place a hold on the funds  - lowering your available credit limit. But, you don't owe the money at the end of the month.    If they actually charged you - you should re-evaluate your relationship in general.    If you paid by debit card, then consider it a fairly inexpensive lesson about why not to use those for anything that is not cash and carry !  Same with any of the online or bank pay services. 

Convenient yes, pro consumer -    [censored]  NO
 

 

[ScoFF]

Here's a question for a dealer, I bought my PRO 5 sander and received it from a Canadian Dealer.
I'm told I can buy a new tool from any dealer.
Can I just buy one from amazon?  Does that qualify?  I'm worried I'll get something online and when I try to use the voucher it'll say it had to be some special vendor.

My other question, since I bought it from a Canadian dealer, can I buy from a US dealer?  Would my voucher cheque be in US funds or Canadian funds? 

I'm close tot he border and depending on the exchange rate it's sometimes cheaper to buy from the US.  IT'd be nice if I got a US funds cheque.

 

[nickao]

Is there a way to check on the status of rebate check?