FestoolRecon.com coming VERY soon (US)

[ben_r_]

And the warranty on recon tools? Is it still 3 years?

It never was 3 years...that’s the rub.

To sum things up, in the past, it was 20, 30 or 40% off, depending upon the amount of use the tool has seen, with a 1 year warranty. It’s now 25% off, irrespective of the amount of use/condition of the tool, and still with only a 1 year warranty.

That’s what has the bees   so stirred up. To add insult to injury, Festool has now also added state sales tax, county sales tax and local sales tax to the sale price, even if they have no portal in the state.
So, I can literally purchase a new tool from Uncle Bob or Tool Nut with a 3 year warranty for almost the same amount of $$$ that this recon sale offers the tool at and it will have a 3 year warranty and a 30 day return option. The recon tools have a 1 year warranty and a ZERO day return policy.  [mad] [crying] [crying]

Unless conditions change, count me out for next year...

Agreed. I have yet to see anything come up on the Recon Site sales that I thought was really a good deal. Especially after sales tax and least of all the Kapex with a 1 year warranty! They really do need to redo that saw and hopefully fix the issues plaguing so many owners out there. And/or reduce the cost drastically.

 

[harry_]

And the warranty on recon tools? Is it still 3 years?

It never was 3 years...that’s the rub.

To sum things up, in the past, it was 20, 30 or 40% off, depending upon the amount of use the tool has seen, with a 1 year warranty. It’s now 25% off, irrespective of the amount of use/condition of the tool, and still with only a 1 year warranty.

That’s what has the bees   so stirred up. To add insult to injury, Festool has now also added state sales tax, county sales tax and local sales tax to the sale price, even if they have no portal in the state.
So, I can literally purchase a new tool from Uncle Bob or Tool Nut with a 3 year warranty for almost the same amount of $$$ that this recon sale offers the tool at and it will have a 3 year warranty and a 30 day return option. The recon tools have a 1 year warranty and a ZERO day return policy.  [mad] [crying] [crying]

Unless conditions change, count me out for next year...

Agreed. I have yet to see anything come up on the Recon Site sales that I thought was really a good deal. Especially after sales tax and least of all the Kapex with a 1 year warranty! They really do need to redo that saw and hopefully fix the issues plaguing so many owners out there. And/or reduce the cost drastically.

I do not see the relevance of sales tax. if you pay a sales tax, you pay a sales tax regardless of price point or warranty.

 

[MrToolJunkie]

And the warranty on recon tools? Is it still 3 years?

It never was 3 years...that’s the rub.

To sum things up, in the past, it was 20, 30 or 40% off, depending upon the amount of use the tool has seen, with a 1 year warranty. It’s now 25% off, irrespective of the amount of use/condition of the tool, and still with only a 1 year warranty.

That’s what has the bees   so stirred up. To add insult to injury, Festool has now also added state sales tax, county sales tax and local sales tax to the sale price, even if they have no portal in the state.
So, I can literally purchase a new tool from Uncle Bob or Tool Nut with a 3 year warranty for almost the same amount of $$$ that this recon sale offers the tool at and it will have a 3 year warranty and a 30 day return option. The recon tools have a 1 year warranty and a ZERO day return policy.  [mad] [crying] [crying]

Unless conditions change, count me out for next year...

And in a T-Loc Systainer [poke]

 

[peter halle]

Sales tax paid as part of the transaction versus user tax paid on state tax returns in accordance with state and local laws usually equal out. 

Peter

 

[Cheese]

I do not see the relevance of sales tax. if you pay a sales tax, you pay a sales tax regardless of price point or warranty.

If I purchase an item from Uncle Bob or Toolnut, I DO NOT pay any sales tax.

When I purchased an item from previous Festool recon sales, I DID NOT pay any sales tax.

When I purchase an item from the current Festool recon sale, I DO pay sales tax.

Consequently, I’m rethinking the wisdom in purchasing a used tool that I cannot return and that only carries a 1 year warranty. So a 25% discount with sales tax added on actually yields only a 16% discount. Is that small amount of discount worth the risks involved?... [popcorn]

 

[Cheese]

And in a T-Loc Systainer [poke]

Hey Scot...you know how to hurt a guy...  [embarassed]

 

[McNally Family]

Sales tax paid as part of the transaction versus user tax paid on state tax returns in accordance with state and local laws usually equal out. 

Peter

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member]
[member=44099]Cheese[/member]

All things are not equal when the recon sale excludes the 3 year warranty and 30 day return option.......

Besides, I suspect the reason Festool is charging sales tax has much more to do with the arrangement Festool has with local dealers, to offset their feeling they are losing sales to the recon program (translation:  how Festool is compensating local dealers).

But, I could be wrong (not being a qualified tax adviser myself).  One thing I do understand however, is what actually drives sales to out of state dealers; sales that may not have happened otherwise.

 

[McNally Family]

For those of us who are being charged state sales tax, there are only 2 reasons, either we're in the state that Festool USA resides (Indiana), or there is a warehouse/employee in our state that establishes nexus and therefore requires the collection of sales tax. TN is one of those states because of a single Festool paid person in east TN. Other retailers/dealers are not part of the equation.

So residing in TN, I am far less inclined to ever buy Recon tools because 15.75% savings is lame.

Sales tax paid as part of the transaction versus user tax paid on state tax returns in accordance with state and local laws usually equal out. 

Peter

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member]
[member=44099]Cheese[/member]

All things are not equal when the recon sale excludes the 3 year warranty and 30 day return option.......

Besides, I suspect the reason Festool is charging sales tax has much more to do with the arrangement Festool has with local dealers, to offset their feeling they are losing sales to the recon program (translation:  how Festool is compensating local dealers).

But, I could be wrong (not being a qualified tax adviser myself).  One thing I do understand however, is what actually drives sales to out of state dealers; sales that may not have happened otherwise.

If you review the very first post on this thread, it indicates the following:

"If you're worried about your friendly neighborhood Festool dealer, don't be. We've involved them in this in a way that most should be very pleased with".

The fact every recon sale includes sales tax, even to those who do not live in Tennessee, is because of this compensation.

I do agree with your discount analysis, particularly if you live in Tennessee where the sales tax is just short of 10%.  This is why, to date, I have concluded I would rather purchase new, and receive the full 3 year warranty with the standard 30 day return option.

**which by the way is, I am sure, music to Festool's ears

 

[Cheese]

I do agree with your discount analysis, particularly if you live in Tennessee where the sales tax is just short of 10%.  This is why, to date, I have concluded I would rather purchase new, and receive the full 3 year warranty with the standard 30 day return option.

**which by the way is, I am sure, music to Festool's ears

Well it may be short term music to their ears, however it will not be long term music to Festool’s ears. If more and more people refuse to participate in the recon sales event, it may ultimately jeopardize Festool’s return policy or force them to offer deeper recon tool discounts.

This recon sale has already entered the record books as the longest, continuous running recon sale in Festool history. Previous recon sales lasted only 7-10 days, at which time the used product backlog was depleted. This sale has now gone on for over 2 months already and does not appear to be slowing down. This is inspite of it being the first real “national” sale in over 2 years. After a 2 year sale hiatus, one would assume that any and all Festool items would be snatched up in an instant. However, this has not been the case and I predict that we’ll continue to see Kapex’s and Planex’s for sale in the next week or so. There are even some items that haven’t come up for sale yet the first time.

This current sales model just doesn’t appear to be working very well. I can only hope Festool learns from it and radically revamps their next iteration.

 

[DynaGlide]

Side stepping all the recent posts to share my experience with the sale.

I ordered the RO 125 FEQ a week or so back. It arrived fast, shipped the following day from Indiana and was here in 4 or 5 days from ordering. It was clean enough for a used tool. The problem was it had a manufacturing date of 04/05. I wasn't good with this so I messaged Tyler to see what could be done. After a little prodding, the woman in charge of the Recon program called yesterday and offered to replace it with a newer used tool. I don't have that one yet so I can't comment. I asked about just returning it so I could buy a new one and got the all sales are final bit. Assuming the replacement is in similar condition but more recent (I'm thinking past few years, not the 12 year old one I was originally sent) I'll be satisfied with how they handled it.

And FWIW the total after tax was $386 or a 21.3% savings over new. Good enough for me.

 

[JLMS2010]

I was fortunate enough to get the CT Mini.  It arrived yesterday and was basically brand new.  It came with a new filter and was a little dusty, but I wiped it down and looks brand new.  The manufacturing date on mine was 02/2015.  I'm pleased with the condition and price I paid for it. 

 

[McNally Family]

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member]

$367.50  Tennessee with tax = $403.33 difference between new and recon = $86.67 (new with 3yr warranty and 30 day return option)
$367.50  Virginia with tax    = $386.97 difference between new and recon = $103.03(new with 3yr warranty and 30 day return option)

Each person will make a decision that best suites their needs. This particular scenario, because I am not in the market for this sander, does not impact me at all.  However, I have laid out the current example above to demonstrate how I would analyze this purchase.

For a difference of $86.67, I would tend to purchase new, get the full three year warranty and 30 day return option.  Having said that, for a difference of $103.03 (as in the case of Virginia sales tax), I might not.  Each offer requires the same comparison of recon vs. new, and how the particular tool in question impacts your work flow, how important is the three year warranty, and your level of certainty with wanting the tool in question.

I'd like to add how impressed I am with Festool switching out your 2005 machine with a newer one.  I am equally impressed with how Tyler takes care of everyone on FOG, when problems arise.  I love my Festool tools, and enjoy using them every chance I get.  They are certainly making my retirement much more enjoyable!     

Virginia Sales Tax; 5.3% possible sales tax rates of Virginia cities.

Tax rate in Tennessee; 9.75% is the highest possible tax rate

Rotex 125 new is $490.00

 

[DynaGlide]

[member=60452]McNally Family[/member]

I agree with everything you've said. I will comment however that a 2005 machine should not have been sent out in the first place.

 

[egmiii]

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member]

I'd like to add how impressed I am with Festool switching out your 2005 machine with a newer one.  I am equally impressed with how Tyler takes care of everyone on FOG, when problems arise. 

Most of my Festool collection was purchased "used" on Craigslist at 30-50% off list. It took some time, but every single tool I bought looks brand new. There are a handful of items that rarely come up, and when they do, seem to be abused (DF700, EC150/3). Rather than wait for a Craigslist deal, I decided to go recon because of Tyler [member=101]Festool USA[/member]. The comment above and similar others gave me the confidence that I wouldn't be left holding the bag on an old/scuffed/abused item. Now, back to searching for a mint condition Midi!

 

[GoingMyWay]

All this talk about the manufacture date on their reconditioned tools got me worried.  I just checked the reconditioned RO150 that I bought back in October - it shows 06/17 - I guess that was made in June of 2017.  If that's the case it's very new.  The sander did have some minor signs of use, but it looked fine to me.

I also feel a little dumb - I was complaining earlier that I didn't think the discount on the ETS EC 150/3 was very good.  The discount was $101.97 off the new price.  I got my reconditioned RO150 for a discount of $107.51 and I was ecstatic about the savings.  Both discounts included VA sales tax.  I guess I'm a little inconsistent in what I think is a good deal.  [embarassed]

Speaking of the sales tax - I emailed sales@festoolrecon.com to get that extra local city county tax refunded since I don't live anywhere near that city.  Is there some other email address that I should use to inquire about this refund?

 

[Runhard]

[member=60452]McNally Family[/member]

I agree with everything you've said. I will comment however that a 2005 machine should not have been sent out in the first place.

I agree with your statement. How much was a new RO125 back in 2005?

Sorry in advance, this statement will be a little off topic. My main complaint about the annual price increase is that a lot of these tools haven’t been updated in over a decade but the price keeps going up. If that 2005 tool was used and returned a decade ago, I can’t agree with them discounting it from today’s prices. From Festool’s prospective however, this brilliant. They can create a new tool once every decade or two, increase the price every year (above the inflation rate), and make more and more money. That’s a good business model actually. Especially since we keep buying the tools. I just wished they were more inivative and kept up with some of the other advancements such as LED’s and more brushless motors instead of slapping a new (inferior) dust port on old model tools.

I did not participate in this recon sale. I prefer to buy new tools and I really don’t need or want anything right now. I did buy a few tools from a recon sale a few years ago and was very pleased with the condition and price. I can’t remember exactly, but I believe that I bought my first CT48 through Bob at 40% off and it looked almost new.

 

[TylerC]

[member=65062]DynaGlide[/member] [member=11423]egmiii[/member] Guys, those comments made my day. Thank you so much. It's always a pleasure to help.  [thanks]

 

[ManipulatingWood]

I'd like to add how impressed I am with Festool switching out your 2005 machine with a newer one.  I am equally impressed with how Tyler takes care of everyone on FOG, when problems arise.  I love my Festool tools, and enjoy using them every chance I get.  They are certainly making my retirement much more enjoyable!     

Not to turn this into a [member=57769]TylerC[/member] lovefest, but I made a recon purchase early Tuesday afternoon and immediately after receiving the confirmation, emailed sales@festoolrecon.com regarding shipping ETA (I'm heading out of town this weekend for the holidays).  I hadn't received a response by close to noon on Wednesday, so I PM'd Tyler.  Within 15 minutes, he returned my PM, indicating that he would try to get me some answers.  Shortly after, I received a phone call  from a Festool employee involved with the Recon sale.

I only joined the FOG a month ago, but have visited the site for several years.  To echo [member=60452]McNally Family[/member], I've always been beyond impressed with Tyler's ability to handle questions/comments/concerns/essentially any and all issues in a timely and appropriate manner.  Kudos to him  [thumbs up]

 

[live4ever]

Me too me too!  [big grin]

In all seriousness, while I have my issues with some of corporate Festool's policies, decisions, directions, etc., every FUSA employee I've interacted with, from Tyler (and Shane previously) to others on the admin staff and in the repair department, has been courteous and responsive.   

 

[serge0n]

I'm going to echo what others are saying -- fast responses from [member=57769]TylerC[/member] gave me confidence that even if something would be wrong with a recon sale item, Festool is willing to make it right. So I just recently purchased a DWC 18 set at a great price ($262! less than Milwaukee!), regardless of the sales tax.

I'm refinishing my basement shop with soundproofing in mind, so hanging lots of drywall, DWC will certainly come in handy. I do have a DeWalt cordless drywall gun, but it's extremely loud and inconsistent with screw driving depth. About 20-30% of screws have to be hand-tightened or re-screwed altogether. On a separate note, I'm surprised so few people praise Festool on their sound signature. Their tools are either way more quiet or sound much more pleasant than competitor's tools.

I am also somewhat new to Festool (purchase my first tool in 2016), so I haven't had any experience with the previous recon sales, so the older format might've been better, but I'm loving this new format so far. I'm eagerly waiting for what is next as it's always a surprise. BTW, had zero issues with email delivery, I usually get an email 2-3 minutes after a new posting goes live.