hello FOGGERS

[11 out of 10]

First post and it's going to upset some of you. Let me start by saying i have had a festo saw since 1988. It had to be rebuilt after 1 hours use due to a "worn drive gear" but has only now started to give the same problems again in the last few years. I also have a 240mm circular saw, 230mm grinder and two 4 speed cordless drill from Protool. I am a carpenter with a workshop with three phase tools from europe, japan, taiwan, brazil.
I have spent the last 10 years working on oil and gas rigs on and offshore using and repairing machines from all corners of the world.
To say that tools are a big part of my life is a massive understatement.
I like Festool, stupid name should change it back to Festo, but i don't like the mystique that surrounds it or the way any criticism is met with anger from Fans, dealers, and festo themselves.

I recently bought a cordless festool jigsaw and i was unbelievable disappointed with its features, performance and warranty.

The 1st issue is i had to add a washer below the guide main connection bolt as it was impossible to align the guide. This is standard issue on any bolt used in an adjustable slot anywhere in the world even china.

The 2nd issue is the pinch bolt used to adjust for blade thickness variations relies on the internal spring tension of the guide to be exactly symmetrical. It wasn't so 1 side would always move more than the other requiring me to readjust the main bolt. Bad design, too time consuming and unprofessional for my liking.

The 3rd issue is the strobe light. It just does its own thing and was unstable in operation. it turn off when using the jigsaw upside down which means it does not work when cutting holes in ceiling or other inverted jobs.

The 4th issue is the blade release lever almost never works as the pendulum almost never stopped at the top of the stroke which is the only position it works in.

The 5th issue was that the blade holder did not hold the blade straight. The blade was off to the left. turning the blade 180 degrees confirmed it was not a bent blade.

I may have been able to live with 1-4 but issue 5 was a real deal breaker so back it went 2 or 3 days after i bought it for a 30 day satisfaction guarantee replacement.

Dealer knows nothing about tools even though he has the full festool display and is a " power seller or whatever they are called"  you can be a premium seller by simply stocking the full range not by actually being a festool expert. This should stop right now. Festool should be sold by good businesses not good businessmen.
After initial disbelief that i was not happy with the greatest tools on earth i was finally able to convince them that the blade should actually be square to the base and parallel to the pendulum. when home with a replacement unit. i should mention that the tried first to give me their old demonstrator and then were so clueless as to bag me up a corded model. My Son pointed out it was the wrong one.

The second unit had all the issues of the first but with out the blade misalignment issues.

It had a new problem though. The entire pendulum could be moved side to side several mm.

it went back and i wanted my money back this time.

Well its been 3 months or more and still no money. Festool has said that they will not honour the "satisfaction guarantee" because all that was wrong with the first one was something was jambed in the pendulum stopping the blade from sitting straight. What about all the other issues and the fact i was not "satisfied"

The second one will also not be honoured as it is the way they are made. Well i'm still not "satisfied" with the quality or design.

The dealer has agreed that they will personally supply a refund at their own cost even though festool will not honour there own guarantee. Not sure when they will do this as it has to be cleared by head office and despite promises to call me and organise so far i am still waiting.

Does this sound like a company that deserves the kind of following usually reserved for religion?

Will i buy Festool again?

 

[ear3]

First off, welcome to the FOG.

If you search on the FOG, you will quickly find many complaints about design issues of the sort you mention with the Carvex, not to mention problems with performance.  While there are plenty of people who are quite satisfied with their machines, I am no longer as happy with the Carvex as I was when I first got it -- partly I think because I had a crappy Dewalt prior to getting it, and so nothing to compare it to.  As I've had to do more and more precision work with it, I've really come up against its limitations, particularly when doing beveled scribing cuts.  At some point I'm going to sell it and go back to a fixed based machine.

 

[peter halle]

First, welcome to the Forum.  Second, I am not going to offer anything else other than to say that it appears that you are in Australia and that if I were in your situation I would be corresponding directly in writing with Festool Australia with a copy going to Festool Germany regarding your issues.  I suspect that might help in all regards.

All the Best.

Peter

 

[TomE]

Bummer on your situation. I was thinking sometime back about the carvex and decided not to go there.
Shame too, while I don't worship Festool I thinks it's still pretty good stuff and the stuff I have has served well.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Festool Australia has a 30 days money back guarantee, did you return it within this time period?

I myself stay away from the Carvex. So many complaints, Festool went a bit too experimental with this one.

Peter's advice to involve Festool Germany headquarters is very good. Things get often resolved with their intervention. Festool Australia tend to be hardheads sometimes.

 

[drax]

What you need 11 out of 10 is a Mr. Beckley down under. Nothing gets sorted quicker than having a good rep on your side. I am actually surprised that such bad customer service extends beyond the UK!

 

[Cheese]

If you don't need the cordless operation, consider swapping the Carvex for a Trion. It's a real solid performer and doesn't have any of the Carvex issues. I also believe there was a recent Festool price reduction on the Trion.

 

[Kev]

I don't see any real harm in naming dealers here - by your own comment they're trying!

 

[Stephen B]

[member=61151]11 out of 10[/member]
First, welcome to the FOG.

There can be  mixed dealer experiences for Festool customers in Australia, but most Premium Dealers are excellent. Can I suggest that you read the Thread, 'One for the Aussies' which reflects Festool customer experiences down under.http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-sales-dealer-area/one-for-the-aussies/msg455672/#msg455672

If your concerns do not get sorted to your satisfaction in the near future, I suggest that you contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission [ACCC]. Here is the link to the Form -https://www.accc.gov.au/contact-us/contact-the-accc/consumer-complaint-form

 

[11 out of 10]

Thanks for the replies, the dealer will not be named because i don't wish to promote them in any way. i'm not sure if not responding to my correspondence for months is considered to be trying.

I work away and on night shift for more than a month at a time. When i come home i don't feel like travelling 100 kms to see what's happening with my tool. It was not till i stood at their desk in front of the other customers last week that they offered any action. (Sarah will call you before 4pm today) Which they then failed to provide.

I have contacted Festool direct and after 2 months the dealer had not even sent the tool back to them. They contacted dealer which finally started the whole thing rolling. This was the source of some of the delay. I say this has been going on for 3 months but in fact it's more like 5 now.
I don't expect to meet anyone working in a tool shop who could teach me anything and that is not what i go there for. I do expect them to be able to adhere to basic rules of selling an item and handling warranties etc.

Way back when festo took on protool they sent me a flyer promoting the product. So i went down to Silverwater (160klm round trip) and picked up the 9 inch grinder. The first one they ever sold.  When i got home it did not have the flanges or the spanner. I rang them and was told they are in another packet and they could freight them to me at my expense. I told Bob B that if i worked there this would not happen cause i would have opened up a box and inspected the tool as soon as the first one hit the warehouse. He told me power tools were just a side line and made up only 5% of Festo's business. So they had other things to worry about.

I spoke to Festool about twelve months ago in relation to their ridiculous pricing which means it it it 30% dearer to buy here than to import from italy or UK. The complained about the small volume of sales blah blah blah. This prompted them to send out that stupid letter warning us they would not warranty item purchased over seas. It is Festool that i am most disappointed in. The Satisfaction guarantee is worthless if it is not the customer who needs to be satisfied but Festool who must be satisfied.

The service provided by festool australia is a joke and always has been in my experience.

 

[DB10]

  I think you should name the dealer, if their service is as bad as you say it is then the rest of us in Aus should have a heads up on who they are, part of this forum is all about sharing and exchanging information and experiences good and bad.

By the way, if I've ever had problems regarding Festool in Austarlia I have spoken with Tooltechnic and always asked to speak with John, He has always fixed any Problems in a very professional way.  Good luck.

 

[Jbmccombe]

is the issue with the dealer or with the Australian importer?  A while ago I had problems in South Africa and it appeared to be the dealer when it was actually the importer who was not responding. An email to customer service in the Festool head office in Germany solved the problem in 24 hours. (We now have a new rep in South Africa now who is really on the ball).

Why not take the time to let the real bosses in Germany know what is going on?  They do respond

John