ToolNut selling OF 1010 used as new?

[some_donkus]

I hate to call out a vendor like this, but I'm having difficult getting resolution directly.

So I ordered an OF 1010 EQ set from ToolNut last month (my first order with them), although I had a suspicion that the order might be cancelled given everything I'd read about it being discontinued. However, low and behold the order shipped and arrived on 2/23.

The first thing I noticed when opening the systainer was that there was no warranty card included. The router itself also looked less than brand new. No sawdust or chips at least, but a few scuff marks on the bottom plate and elsewhere. The kicker comes when I take the T-Nr and S-Nr from the tool and try to register it with FestoolUSA it says that the item is already registered.

So my guess this is maybe a recon or returned unit. I'm not against buying a used unit, but not paying full retail for it, since at the very least it comes without a warranty.

My last comms from ToolNut was 2/25 just saying they are looking in to it.

Anybody else had a similar experience? What's a reasonable resolution in your eyes (assuming I'm OK to keep the unit)?

 

[papester]

I have never had a problem with ToolNut with any of my Festool purchases. Hopefully they rectify the issue.

 

[jdm5]

I would call them - I have purchased a fair amount from them and never had a problem.

It sucks, but I’d be pretty confident they will make it right.

 

[Shane Holland]

Hello, [member=77573]some_donkus[/member], very sorry to read about this situation.

I just checked with my colleagues and learned that the last return we had for an OF 1010 was in June 2021. Returned tools are sent back to Festool per their 30-day guarantee policy, not resold. Festool may opt to recondition the tools at their discretion and sell as a recon. We received this tool was received from Festool as new stock. Mistakes happen and it's possible that Festool inadvertently shipped us this tool as new stock.

We will be in touch today to resolve the issue with you to your satisfaction. Our apologies for the 3-business-days since our last correspondence but we wanted to thoroughly investigate what happened.

If you have any concerns or issues, please feel free to reach out to me directly.

Shane Holland
shane@toolnut.com

 

[some_donkus]

Thanks [member=48572]Shane Holland[/member] I've received a note from you customer service team with some options for resolution. I'm sure we can work things out. Thanks for the prompt response!

 

[Shane Holland]

Thanks [member=48572]Shane Holland[/member] I've received a note from you customer service team with some options for resolution. I'm sure we can work things out. Thanks for the prompt response!

Very happy to help. Again, apologies for the issue and not meeting your expectations on communication time. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to get it resolved. Enjoy the new router  [smile]

 

[mdavis]

I received a CXS18 kit that had obvious signs of wear (90 degree angle was scratched, the drill has scuff marks all over it) from toolnut as well; I am surprised by this.

When I told them I wanted to exchange this, they recommended I just return it...which means they must not have much confidence that the next unit will not be scuffed/dirty/used...[talked to Caleb - he was accommodating with the RMA].

Does anyone have a another retailer recommendation?

 

[Holzhacker]

Weird, I've ordered some stuff from toolnut with no issues. Maybe the shop guys taking tools for a test drive.
try Chip at toolnirvana.com

 

[peter halle]

I wonder if some of the witnessed damage / blemishes / etc are caused by the shifting of the items inside the sustainers during shipping.  We used to read about that often in the past.

Also, in the past when dealers had to register the tool for the customer they would have to open the sustainer to access the warranty card thus giving them a reason to open and possibly see any damage prior to shipping out to the customer.  I wonder if now that the dealers don't register anymore how many systainers are actually opened prior to shipping - especially in this face paced environment of today.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

I wonder if some of the witnessed damage / blemishes / etc are caused by the shifting of the items inside the Systainers during shipping.  We used to read about that often in the past.

That's one of the reasons I purchased from Uncle Bob... [smile]...he always opened up the Systainer and added extra bubble wrap to the inside to prevent anything from shifting or moving.  Everything arrived in pristine condition.   

 

[rst]

Uncle Bob was Mr Festool as far as I was concerned.  I bought all my first new fixs from Bob.  When I had rail that came with my 55 was not straight he gave me the Festool # and they immediately sent out a new one. That # was handy over the years when I wanted parts and advice

 

[Michael Kellough]

I bought all my new tools from Bob too, starting around 2002 or earlier.

 

[BarneyD]

+1 on Uncle Bob. Many years ago my wife asked me if I was going to order anything from Bob. When I asked her why she wanted to know, she said that she needed some bubble wrap and Bob always sent a lot of it. Yep, she's a keeper.

 

[mdavis]

Yeah, I bought from Bob Marino back in the day as well and never had an issue...In fact, I've purchased several times from Toolnut with no issues...but I'm pretty sure the box could not have marked up the stuff like this.

Anyone use Beavertools?  Other recommendations?

 

[Packard]

I bought my table saw from Toolnut before they became an online vendor.

Their store would be open by 7:00 a.m. so I could shop on the way to my office.

Their store would be open still by 6:00 p.m. sou I could shop on my way home. 

Their current hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except on Fridays when they leave at 3:00.

They used to try very hard to get my business, but after they moved to their new (current) address, they lost interest in their walk in business.

I stopped shopping from them several years ago. 

On line, their “sales” seem to be all manufacturer’s promotions.  When they have a discount promotion, other vendors seem to have the identical promotion.  Northern Tool carries most of what Toolnut sells.

At one time they did not charge sales tax.  If you join their “club” shipping is free. 

My call on this:  Toolnut was a terrific vendor; not so much anymore.

 

[peter halle]

Yeah, I bought from Bob Marino back in the day as well and never had an issue...In fact, I've purchased several times from Toolnut with no issues...but I'm pretty sure the box could not have marked up the stuff like this.

Anyone use Beavertools?  Other recommendations?

Be careful if ordering from Beavertools.  Nothing bad about Beavertools at all, just make sure that you are actually getting to their real website.  Numerous times in the last couple of years there have been copycat sites that are scams targeting them.

Peter

 

[Shane Holland]

I received a CXS18 kit that had obvious signs of wear (90 degree angle was scratched, the drill has scuff marks all over it) from toolnut as well; I am surprised by this.

When I told them I wanted to exchange this, they recommended I just return it...which means they must not have much confidence that the next unit will not be scuffed/dirty/used...[talked to Caleb - he was accommodating with the RMA].

Does anyone have a another retailer recommendation?

[member=11624]mdavis[/member] First, let me say that I'm sorry to read about your experience ordering from us. I'm pretty bummed that we might lose your loyalty as a customer because of an issue that was probably caused by the tool rubbing in the Systainer.

I want to confirm with our warehouse team, but I'm pretty sure we use extra bubble wrap in Systainers.

Like Caleb said in his correspondence to you, we only sell brand new unused tools. We do not have display models. We do not resell returned tools. The condition that you received the tool in is the same condition we received it from Festool. I can guarantee that.

In fairness, I don't see in the correspondence that you asked for an exchange. Caleb offered an easy return process for you with prepaid shipping. I think most customers would appreciate that. If you asked for an exchange, I'm sure he would have accommodated that request.

Having worked at Festool USA for 8 years, as memory serves, drills were the most common tools to have abrasions on them from rubbing inside the Systainer. For what it's worth.

The warranty card is usually in the manual, but there are some instances where Festool doesn't include it from the factory. I think it's just a human error in the packing process.

ETA - sorry for the late response, I was traveling yesterday and early today.

Shane Holland
Tool Nut
Director of eCommerce
shane@toolnut.com

 

[Shane Holland]

They used to try very hard to get my business, but after they moved to their new (current) address, they lost interest in their walk in business.

[member=74278]Packard[/member] sorry that we don't have store front currently. But we do offer pick up for local customers still. It's not that we aren't interested in walk-in business, we simply outgrew out building. All of the space that was once retail space is now consumed by warehouse. Plus we have an additional building for more warehouse space.

On line, their “sales” seem to be all manufacturer’s promotions.  When they have a discount promotion, other vendors seem to have the identical promotion.  Northern Tool carries most of what Toolnut sells.

Full transparency here... nothing to hide. Many of our promotions are promotions that other online retailers run. However, we constantly have our own discounts and deals that no one else is running.

At one time they did not charge sales tax.  If you join their “club” shipping is free. 

By law, we legally have to collect sales tax in many states. This isn't something we just get to choose whether or not we do. With Wayfair vs South Dakota, the rules of sales tax changed, opening the door for states to become more aggressive in their enforcement of collecting sales tax from online retailers. Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, etc etc all charge sales tax too. Any "small" online retailer not doing this will eventually have to pay the piper when the states catch them and will be liable for back taxes and interest.

Also, not trying to open a can of worms here, but if you buy something online and don't pay sales tax, you're supposed to report it on your income taxes. Whether you do that or not is your personal decision, but again, hope you don't get audited.

Regarding free shipping, we offer free shipping on ALL Festool orders. We also offer free shipping on almost all orders over $99, but that is subject to change, with the exception of oversized or some very heavy items. There is no "club" that must be joined, no login required, or anything else. Our shipping policies are the same for every single customer.

Benefits of ordering from Tool Nut are that offer a free Festool shirt or hat on most orders, which is one of the very few ways that Festool allows us to reward our customers. We also offer 5 reward points for every dollar you spend when you are logged into our website. Those points can be redeemed on future Festool orders. Again, one of the very few ways you can "save" on Festool, and something only a couple of Festool retailers do.

We hope you'll choose us as your retailer of choice.

Shane

 

[Shane Holland]

Be careful if ordering from Beavertools.  Nothing bad about Beavertools at all, just make sure that you are actually getting to their real website.  Numerous times in the last couple of years there have been copycat sites that are scams targeting them.

I'm glad Peter mentioned this topic for everyone's benefit. I am a huge advocate for consumers and unfortunately Google, yes I'm calling you out Google, have allowed massive fraud to occur on their advertising platforms. Unfortunately, Beaver is not the only retailer who has suffered from having nefarious players make a fake website purporting to be an official retailer. Even the likes of Home Depot have been victims to this type of thing. And the retailer is a victim, they have done nothing wrong to cause this to happen and are not complicit in any way.

If you see a Festool product that's below the price you can find anywhere else, raise your eyebrow. Festool retailers are not allowed to discount unless the product is officially discontinued by Festool USA. That's the only way it can be discounted. A retailer will usually discount up to 10-15% off in those cases.

This issue plagues other brands and other types of products too, not just tools. So please be careful.

Scam sites usually have "discounts" of 50% or more. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.

Ready for something that will really blow your minds? Watch this video. It is impossible to tell the difference between a counterfeit battery and a real one. Please only buy tool batteries from AUTHORIZED RETAILERS. Buying from Amazon, eBay, and other marketplaces is very risky. Hope this educates someone to protect them from getting scammed. And, I have no affiliation with Project Farm's Youtube channel, but he does amazing product comparisons that are completely independent. I have learned a lot from watching him over the years. High recommend.


Shane

 

[mdavis]

I received a CXS18 kit that had obvious signs of wear (90 degree angle was scratched, the drill has scuff marks all over it) from toolnut as well; I am surprised by this.

When I told them I wanted to exchange this, they recommended I just return it...which means they must not have much confidence that the next unit will not be scuffed/dirty/used...[talked to Caleb - he was accommodating with the RMA].

Does anyone have a another retailer recommendation?

[member=11624]mdavis[/member] First, let me say that I'm sorry to read about your experience ordering from us. I'm pretty bummed that we might lose your loyalty as a customer because of an issue that was probably caused by the tool rubbing in the Systainer.

I want to confirm with our warehouse team, but I'm pretty sure we use extra bubble wrap in Systainers.

Like Caleb said in his correspondence to you, we only sell brand new unused tools. We do not have display models. We do not resell returned tools. The condition that you received the tool in is the same condition we received it from Festool. I can guarantee that.

In fairness, I don't see in the correspondence that you asked for an exchange. Caleb offered an easy return process for you with prepaid shipping. I think most customers would appreciate that. If you asked for an exchange, I'm sure he would have accommodated that request.

Having worked at Festool USA for 8 years, as memory serves, drills were the most common tools to have abrasions on them from rubbing inside the Systainer. For what it's worth.

The warranty card is usually in the manual, but there are some instances where Festool doesn't include it from the factory. I think it's just a human error in the packing process.

ETA - sorry for the late response, I was traveling yesterday and early today.

Shane Holland
Tool Nut
Director of eCommerce
shane@toolnut.com

Shane, thanks for the response.  You do not seem to be aware that I talked to Caleb on the phone.  I did ask for an exchange when I talked to Caleb on the phone and he recommended a return instead of the exchanges - saying that he could not guarantee that the next unit would not be marked up in similar ways - after I sent him the photos you posted.  It should be noted that I actually wiped off some of the smudges before I took those photos, but they still look used.  Thanks for posting my photos.  Thanks, -mark

[member=48572]Shane Holland[/member]