How Much Should I Complain About This Recon RTS?

[onocoffee]

Some of you know that I've been waiting on a Recon deal for the RTS for awhile now. I was able to nab one this week on Recon and it just arrived this morning. This is my second purchase on Recon with my first being a TID 18 Set in July. That kit arrived pristine as though it had come straight out of the shipping container from Germany.

Today, the RTS? Not so much. Looking it over, it has been used. Probably purchased and returned under the 30 Day Guarantee, which I'm not terribly bothered by, but I would think the return inspection would be a bit more thorough as you can see in the pics below. Sanding dust, while not heavy, still remains throughout. Whoever purchased it put on the protector and used it. There's minor coloration on the sanding pad, light dust buildup and some cosmetic scratches on the top handle. The dust bag mount is mounted to the sander but no bag.

I would have thought that upon receiving a customer return, that FTUSA would at least inspect the tool - which to me would mean that you would take off the protector and the dust bag, and then replace missing components, like the dust bag. At least they put a fresh piece of Granat and unlike a brand new tool, they put it on the sanding pad (or perhaps this is the Granat that the original buyer used?).

On Monday (or whenever Snowmageddon subsides in Indiana), I'll ring up FTUSA and complain about the missing dust bag, but what should and how much should I complain about the rest? I'm interested in your perspective on this.

Thanks!

 

[jonnyrocket]

I’m curious if you see a little yellow circle sticker on the outside of the systainer? This has never been officially confirmed by anyone, that I’m aware of, but those yellow stickers usually indicate that a systainer and its contents are ready to be sold on recon. I did receive a recon purchase a few years back and it was missing a few of the internal accessories. I noticed that unlike my other purchases, this unit lacked the yellow sticker.

Most importantly, a single call to FestoolUSA resolved the issue and they sent me the missing parts straightaway.

 

[Cheese]

It's not in bad shape ...unfortunately, the use of the Reconditioned moniker creates different expectation levels in people. In Festool speak it means something quickly wiped down, looked at to verify all the accessories are there and then hopefully a functional test.
The few issues I've had with Recon tools were simply handled with a phone call and a couple of photos sent by email. When items were missing I received the missing items within 4-5 days, no questions asked. Call them on Monday.

 

[onocoffee]

I’m curious if you see a little yellow circle sticker on the outside of the systainer? This has never been officially confirmed by anyone, that I’m aware of, but those yellow stickers usually indicate that a systainer and its contents are ready to be sold on recon. I did receive a recon purchase a few years back and it was missing a few of the internal accessories. I noticed that unlike my other purchases, this unit lacked the yellow sticker.

Most importantly, a single call to FestoolUSA resolved the issue and they sent me the missing parts straightaway.

Yes it did have the yellow sticker on the left label. I figured it must mean “recon” but if it means it’s ready to go - I do a far better job cleaning up tools when I buy them new!

 

[Coen]

The only minor issue I see is a slighty worn out corner on the pad.

If you buy a reconditioned tool that is gonna be dusty... what is the issue with the dust already being on there? If you to peel foil and get the new machine smell, buy new.

That is what I think

 

[onocoffee]

It's not in bad shape ...unfortunately, the use of the Reconditioned moniker creates different expectation levels in people. In Festool speak it means something quickly wiped down, looked at to verify all the accessories are there and then hopefully a functional test.
The few issues I've had with Recon tools were simply handled with a phone call and a couple of photos sent by email. When items were missing I received the missing items within 4-5 days, no questions asked. Call them on Monday.

Don't get me wrong, as I said, I'm not terribly bothered. However, I would expect that "reconditioned" would mean that some level of inspection to ensure the tool is up to factory specs was done. That the protector was still on the tool, the dust underneath and the missing bag - which seems like a pretty glaring thing to be missing during an inspection, indicates that not much to no inspection/reconditioning was performed on the tool.

Of course, it could be that they were trying to get it out the door and based on my previous experiences with FTCS, I'm not concerned that they wouldn't make things right - just how detailed should I be in my discussion?

With preparations for the impending Snowmageddon, I have not had the moment to plug it in and see how it runs.

The only minor issue I see is a slighty worn out corner on the pad.

If you buy a reconditioned tool that is gonna be dusty... what is the issue with the dust already being on there? If you to peel foil and get the new machine smell, buy new.

That is what I think

As I said previously, my surprise with this - and the expectation that had been set - was when I bought my first Recon tool in July. That TID 18 Set came in as new condition. No blemishes. No dust. No visible signs of any use. As though it had been unpacked from Germany.

I don't necessarily expect new and untarnished, but I am surprised to see a lack of attention to detail in the "reconditioning" of the tool.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I may be wrong but I thought Recon prices vary, 10, 20, 30%. I also thought they replaced the pads on sanders with new ones buy that might also vary with discount. Do you recall the discount rate on this tool?

 

[onocoffee]

I may be wrong but I thought Recon prices vary, 10, 20, 30%. I also thought they replaced the pads on sanders with new ones buy that might also vary with discount. Do you recall the discount rate on this tool?

I do believe there is some variance in the discount percentage on Recon. In this case, the discount was 20% at $279.20 - from the current MSRP of $349.

 

[onocoffee]

I may be wrong but I thought Recon prices vary, 10, 20, 30%. I also thought they replaced the pads on sanders with new ones buy that might also vary with discount. Do you recall the discount rate on this tool?

As a comparison, the TID 18 HPC 4,0 I-Plus set that I bought from Recon July 4th weekend was $231. I thought that was a great deal. I don't recall what the MSRP was at that time but Google AI says that it is the same as the current price: $399 for the 577614 kit. However, this Recon kit is the previous SKU with the plain old M187 Systainer and not the Lidded M187. That would equal a 42% discount from $399. And the TID kit was in pristine condition.

 

[MacBoy]

I will say it plainly, “The inspection done by the Recon team is terrible”.

Missing items are not acceptable.

Perhaps they have been ordered to not inspect the items. If true, why would management give such an edict? That erodes Customer Satisfaction, and will eventually reduce the sales for the Company.

 

[Cheese]

Guys/gals...this is really much ado about something that is just impossible to accurately quantify the value of without some sort of visual indicator. Way back when...the original Festool Recon offered tools at the 20%...30%...& 40% discount levels but again without any visual indication of the tool condition. So it was a crap shoot and you had to decide to purchase the reconditioned tool at the level that you felt you could afford but without any visual indicator of its condition. At some point, this multi-tiered pricing structure probably became impossible to deal with given the number of tools up for sale, and thus we have the current structure...which is much more transparent than the original situation. However, it still lacks photos of the actual tool that you're purchasing. Adding to that complication, the current Recon sometimes offers multiple examples of the same part number of tool which I'm sure are at various levels of condition.
I realize it's not a perfect situation but if you're risk adverse...then just purchase new and sleep soundly.

 

[rvieceli]

As @Cheese has mentioned the current process is light years ahead of the old recon sales process. Generally, there was not a particularly advance notice of what was available or quantity or quality of same. You had to go through a dealer. Everything was dropped at a certain time and it was a literal free for all the pieces. sometimes you got lucky and sometimes you didn't get what you wanted.

I think that a lot of people were spoiled by receiving what was essentially new old stock. Looked new, smelled new, was new. but there are also apparently a bunch of stuff used a little or a lot and returned under the 30 day window. For me I just care if it works properly. if you want new condition always then you need to buy new. If you aren't satisfied with the condition of a tool sight unseen then new or one of the online marketplaces where a few pics are usually posted.

Ron

 

[Cheese]

I think that a lot of people were spoiled by receiving what was essentially new old stock. Looked new, smelled new, was new. but there are also apparently a bunch of stuff used a little or a lot and returned under the 30 day window. For me I just care if it works properly. if you want new condition always then you need to buy new. If you aren't satisfied with the condition of a tool sight unseen then new or one of the online marketplaces where a few pics are usually posted.

Ron

I know I have been... ...I've purchased a lot of Recon Tools and almost everyone looked brand new. So at some point, that's become my expectation level and that just isn't fair to the Recon program.

 

[onocoffee]

Well, finally had a moment from attending to the weather to attend to the RTS. The dust annoys me so I cleaned it up like I do all the used Festool I buy on Facebook Marketplace.

Went to register the tool at FestoolUSA and it popped up as "Already Registered". So, it seems that it was a returned tool that was originally registered at the end of September. At least the original buyer was conscientious enough to register the sander.

BTW, having a clean RTS makes me feel much better. Whew!