Tools for maintenance or repair of Festool products

[alienfap]

I agree that Festool won't accede to my wishes.  I get that.  But it would be nice if they would at least respond to my request.  How about it Festool representatives?  You answer my question.  This is the "Ask Festool" forum.  Is it not?  I really wish somebody from Festool would comment on this.

I responded to you via PM (private message) on 5/31 at 9:56am, only a short while after you posted.  You should receive a notification on the forum when you log in and have new, unread private messages.  I think forum members know that I make every reasonable effort to assist customers as quickly and efficiently as possible here on the forum.  You should receive a copy of private messages at your personal email address unless you have turned that feature off in your personal settings on the forum.  My apologies if you did not receive my message but I was under the impression that you had.  I was traveling on personal vacation over the holiday weekend through Tuesday and was very busy at the office today.  Only now did I see your follow-up comments.

I would recommend that customers always use our toll free number as a primary means of contacting us for customer service or tech support issues or, as an alternative, our website contact form.  I do not work in the service department or have expertise on servicing the tools, so I will have to defer to our service department for assistance.

If it's more convenient, please feel free to contact me directly via private message or email at sho@festoolusa.com and include your contact information.  I will have someone get in touch with you.

Again, my apologies if you felt that you were being ignored.

Private message from 5/31 @ 9:56a

Hi, I wanted to address your question about maintenance of the Kapex.  As others have already recommended, I would direct you to contact our service department.  They are extremely helpful and can help diagnose any problem that you may be experiencing and give advice on routine maintenance of the tools.  They are open tomorrow between 8a and 5p EST.  The phone number is in my signature below and also on the sticker on the side of your tools.

Shane

You are right.  You did email me immediately and I appreciated that.  I should have mentioned that somewhere in this thread.  I received that email and read it right away.

No apologies from anybody at Festool are in order here.  I am sorry if I left that impression.

 

[alienfap]

Name me any other powertool manufacturer with a better customer service/ public forum/repair center/trained sales reps/superb performing powertools...

Back up tools:
You are talking about the turn around time festool needs to get the tool back to you. You mentioned that you would need back up tools for that case. Even though you make a valid point here, I honestly have to ask you if you have "back up tools" for any of your existings tools already? How long would it take to get them back from repair? How much would it cost and how long are they covered by warranty.

I am a tool fanatic.  I do have back up tools for many of my tools.  Also I like to compare the tools.

If I don't have a back up tool, it would take weeks  to get a tool back from repair.  (I am NOT talking about Festool here.)

How much would it cost?  A lot.    Warranty?  I haven't really compared warranties, but I wouldn't be surprised if Festool had the best warranty.

Is your point that Festool is the best?  If so, I concur.  You are right.  Festool is the best.

Festool has the best customer service that I have ever encountered for ANY product.

Public forum?  I don't know.  I'm new.  So far, so good.  It is certainly comprehensive. (Huge!)

Repair Center?  Haven't tried them yet.  I hope I don't have to. I imagine they are great too. 

Trained sales reps?  I've only met two or three of them.  They seemed knowledgeable.  They were not pushy at all.  That's good.

Superb performing power tools?  You bet.  The very best!  I love Festools.

 

[woodguy7]

There is some tools in the 09 centrotec set, small socket set, Screwdriver handle, bits ect.  This may be of some interest to you but i am not sure if you can get them in the States or not ?

Woodguy

 

[tbellemare]

One of the things that any Festool owner can do to help mitigate downtime is get to know a local dealer that will loan them tools.

Some of us not only loan tools but will bring them over and help if the situation allows...

Tom

 

[jonny round boy]

Alienfap,

You can't expect to use any tool 5 days a week 52 weeks a year without ever having to send it off. If you do use a particular tool and rely on it that much, then you should have a second, or at least some kind of backup. That's just good business sense.

I bet if you think about it & plan your work accordingly, I'm sure you could find a window of a week where you didn't need it, and could send it off for servicing. If you're in a production environment then you should be building in service windows for all your machines anyway...

From Festool's point of view (or indeed, any tool manufacturer) selling toolkits with the express intention of letting users service their own machines would be commercial suicide. They'd be rolling the red carpet out for idiots to sue them. Whether you like it or not, that's the situation.

As Tom said, if you have a good local Festool dealer, then get to know them. Build a relationship. Festool dealers compete on customer service, and providing machines to cover servicing windows is part of that service.

 

[alienfap]

There is some tools in the 09 centrotec set, small socket set, Screwdriver handle, bits ect.  This may be of some interest to you but i am not sure if you can get them in the States or not ?

Woodguy

Interesting.  You are the first person to mention a Centrotec set.  Yeah, you're right.  Some of the tools in those sets are applicable.

I noticed a set.  Festool Centrotec Set No. 495129.  I forget where I saw it.  In amongst the 153 tools and bits and such, there were some that could be used for my cause.  How much does that set cost?  About 500 bucks?  I'm really not sure.

What I was thinking, what was really in the back of my mind, was that Festool could put some of the pertinent tools in a Centrotec set.  Kind of like they did with the "toolie."  Then they could slap warning stickers all over the thing saying "DO NOT ATTEMPT SERVICE OF ANY KIND!"  Next they could add a huge variety of drill bits, countersinks, handles, and whatever else they could possibly conjure.  Finally put all that into an appropriate Systainer. 

Now, if they did that, they could charge a high price for the set and I would probably buy it.  I would eventually use all the extraneous crap anyway.  I am giving them my permission to be underhanded in this way.  Maybe they can surreptitiously market a service tool kit.  Just put warning stickers on saying don't do it.  What do you think?  Would that leave them off the hook legally? 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

If the screwdriver does not fit, smack it with a hammer.

I am sometimes a square peg round hole sort of guy.

I used the back side of my rotex to tune up a door jamb today. [big grin]

I will work on tools that are out of warranty but, that is the only time.