Very disappointed

[woodshopdemos]

I stand corrected and am glad you took the time to do so. I hope the new plate gets you into business.

 

[Greg_R]

Getting Festool on the west coast (parts or tools) will take longer than it had in the past... their Nevada distribution point was closed and now everything has to come from the East coast.  This means extra turn-around time if you need something unique.

If I had _any_ issue with my new Festool I would bring it to the dealer and have them swap it out for a new one.  You are paying for this level of service with the tool (ala Felder, etc.).  If your dealer is unwilling to supply this level of service then I'd talk to Festool USA.  Waiting around for repair parts is unacceptable for a _new_ tool.

 

[dustartist]

OK, we are back in action with the new base.  Seems to be working properly for the time being.  Despite the many calls to divulge the name of the dealer I purchased the tool from, I'm going to keep that info under my hat for now.  They are one of my local suppliers, and I have a long and friendly relationship with them.  They honored the warranty on the router, and that is what I will take away from this experience.  I think the jigsaw has some inherent flaws, which hopefully they will correct on the next version.  In the meantime I'll continue to use the one I have.

 

[Ron Pegram]

NO, Woodshopdemos, the term ingrate certainly doesn't come to mind.  I paid for my jigsaw.  I'm not in the tool review business like you are, so if my comments here offend Festool, it's no skin off my nose.  If you think I should pay top dollar for defective merchandise and then wait for replacement parts while I have an immediate and pressing need for a functioning jigsaw then more power to you.  I'd say Festool is lucky to have a customer like you who demands nothing from them in return for the money you spent on their tools.  I have a streak of bad luck with Festool, and I'm going to think long and hard about making another Festool purchase in the future.  Mail from Goleta to L.A. takes one day to get here.  It took them ten days to SEND it, when they had it in stock.  I know because I called them.  They could have taken a base off of a new tool and sent it to me if there was an availability problem.  Maybe Rob is right, they just wont ever get it right for me.  I'll put the new base on the jigsaw Monday and report back whether it works right or not.  Thanks to all for your constructive comments.

This is an interesting conversation because I learned the other day that Festool's goal for warranty service turnaround is currently 48 hours but they may strive for 24 hours in the future. I think I'm going to request clarification on whether this type of work is considered warranty service by them.

I bring this up because a 48 hour turnaround for warranty service is INCREDIBLY aggressive (in my opinion). I can't even imagine the infrastructure it would take to diagnose, repair and test something to their satisfaction in 24 hours.

Has anyone actually used Festool for warranty repairs and, if so, what was the turnaround like? I've often wondered if McFeely's should consider a tool replacement service to customers (no promises, don't jump me!) during warranty work by Festool but if turnaround is really as fast as they strive to be, I'm not sure the service is needed.

Does anyone else have any experience with the service they'd feel comfortable sharing? I'd like to get a feel for what the common transaction is like.

 

[Dan Clark]

I returned my TS55 for warranty repairs when I stripped a screw trying to get it aligned.  I sent it to David Saturday Morning.  I had it in my hands (repaired) the following Wednesday evening.  Maybe the was some issue that affected turnaround for TD's Festool, but my experience far exceeded my expectations!!!

Dan.

 

[woodshopdemos]

OK, we are back in action with the new base.  Seems to be working properly for the time being.  Despite the many calls to divulge the name of the dealer I purchased the tool from, I'm going to keep that info under my hat for now.  They are one of my local suppliers, and I have a long and friendly relationship with them.  They honored the warranty on the router, and that is what I will take away from this experience.  I think the jigsaw has some inherent flaws, which hopefully they will correct on the next version.  In the meantime I'll continue to use the one I have.

DA,
  I have followed this thread since the outset. I am glad you got your jigsaw back and working. But you are still disappointed. OK, that is your perogative. BUT, how can you expect Festool to do their job if you wont reveal to them the name of the dealer you purchased the took from. The dealer organization becomes a part of their entire service collective. That is information they  have a right to know...and why are you trying to conceal it. It raises questions about you and how you might have purchased it and not the dealer.

 

[iggy07]

John -

I'm sure DA can speak for himself. However, in re-reading this thread, I didn't get the impression he was unwilling to let Festool know who the local dealer was. It sounded more like he did not feel the need to publish the dealer's name on this forum, for all to see. If this were to become a chronic problem, or if it became relevant to others in his area, it would be useful to provide this information. But otherwise, publicly bashing a dealer that he has been working with for years, and presumably wants to keep working with, doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Ed Gallaher

 

[dustartist]

I purchased the router on a company account we have at the supplier/Festool dealer.  I buy a lot of things besides Festool products there, and I have always had a friendly relationship with everyone there.  I thought about bringing their name out here and decided against it.  I just don't think it helps anyone by damaging their reputation over this, since I have had years of great service there and they honored the warranty.  There is no ulterior motive here.  I'm just reporting the facts. 

 

[rick4212]

This is an interesting conversation because I learned the other day that Festool's goal for warranty service turnaround is currently 48 hours but they may strive for 24 hours in the future. I think I'm going to request clarification on whether this type of work is considered warranty service by them.

I bring this up because a 48 hour turnaround for warranty service is INCREDIBLY aggressive (in my opinion). I can't even imagine the infrastructure it would take to diagnose, repair and test something to their satisfaction in 24 hours.

Has anyone actually used Festool for warranty repairs and, if so, what was the turnaround like? I've often wondered if McFeely's should consider a tool replacement service to customers (no promises, don't jump me!) during warranty work by Festool but if turnaround is really as fast as they strive to be, I'm not sure the service is needed.

Does anyone else have any experience with the service they'd feel comfortable sharing? I'd like to get a feel for what the common transaction is like.

My fence on my Domino would not lock tight and I sent it in to Festool on a Friday and by the next Friday I had it back in my hands and the fence locks down tight. Bob Marino even called me to see if I needed him to send me a replacement overnight while mine was being worked on. They paid shipping both ways. My experience was great. Fast turn around and fixed right.

Rick

 

[Ron Pegram]

I returned my TS55 for warranty repairs when I stripped a screw trying to get it aligned.   I sent it to David Saturday Morning.  I had it in my hands (repaired) the following Wednesday evening.   Maybe the was some issue that affected turnaround for TD's Festool, but my experience far exceeded my expectations!!!

Dan.

Thanks, Dan.

Like I said, I'm considering whether we should offer some type of 'gap' coverage but competing with Festool seems like a tough job. Of course, I'm being sarcastic. The truth is they make a retailer's job easy.

 

[Ron Pegram]

My fence on my Domino would not lock tight and I sent it in to Festool on a Friday and by the next Friday I had it back in my hands and the fence locks down tight. Bob Marino even called me to see if I needed him to send me a replacement overnight while mine was being worked on. They paid shipping both ways. My experience was great. Fast turn around and fixed right.

Rick

Rick,

Thanks for the response!

 

[mastercabman]

did you try to get your jigsaw repaired ?was it still under warranty?

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I note that Festool's turnaround time is approaching AOG (aircraft on ground) expectations and contractual requirements of some operators.  Impressive in my opinion.  More impressive is that it is not needed frequently or by many, and that is probably why Festool USA can do it today.
Dave R.

 

[brandon.nickel]

Speaking of rapid warranty response, when I reported a defective Domino problem to Bob Marino, he shipped his personal tool to me overnight, SUNDAY delivery and I had a new replacement tool from Festool on Tuesday.  You just can't ask for better service than that.

 

[jmbfestool]

While initially a Festool fan, I have to say my latest additions to the system have left me wondering if I'll ever buy another Festool again.  The plunge saw, vacuum and guide rail combo were my first purchase several years ago, and I have been happy with them so far.  I bought the CDX12 screw gun after that and love it.  I have the MFT 1080 and use it frequently, no complaints.  The vacuum attachment set I got is great.

Then I bought the jigsaw.  That has turned out to be a big mistake.  The carbide blade guide assembly has needed replacement twice.  The adjusting screw strips out, and I was very careful about not overtightening it.  The metal is just too soft. The bevel is also nearly impossible to adjust without removing the foot plate entirely.  The little C-shaped piece of metal jams itself into into the softer metal of the foot when you tighten the allen screw.  If you loosen it to adjust the bevel, the C-shaped insert wont even budge, making it impossible to adjust unless you remove the foot plate, flip it over and knock it out w/ a nail set or something.  Dust extraction only works at 90 degrees, is mediocre at best, and obstructs visibility.  I don't even use it anymore.  I'm back to the old Bosch.

Two weeks ago, I bought the OF1010EQ router.  The one I got was difficult to plunge and nearly impossible to do one-handed.  It felt like there was a little detent at the top of the plunge action that took a lot of downward pressure to overcome.  I took it back and compared it to the demo model at the store, and the demo worked fine.  They took my new router and said I could use the demo model until mine came back from Festool.  Today they called and said my router was back.  I went to the store after work, and there was my router, the same one I had bought two weeks earlier, not a replacement.  It had been worked on, and now plunged easily, but with a lot of noise from the spring inside the shaft.  It felt like it was a lot more loose than the demo.  At that point I said I wasn't happy with the repair, and they offered me the demo model as a replacement.  Initially I said yes, but then reconsidered whether I really wanted a demo router for $350.  They refunded my money.

I was happy that the store did refund my money, no questions asked, and Festool has a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.  My opinion is that if you buy something that doesn't work properly right out of the box you should receive a new replacement item, not have to wait for the manufacturer to repair it.  That may not be Festool's opinion, and is definitely not their policy as followed by their distributors.  There were several other new routers in stock at the time, but I was only offered the demo or my repaired one back.  I felt my only option was to insist on a refund, even though I just really wanted a new router that worked properly out of the box, which is what I paid for initially.  That said, Festool honored their warranty, and that is all that really counts.  I still think they are a good company, but I wonder whether some of these tools are all they are cracked up to be.  These products are full of good ideas, but need to be subjected to rigorous testing before they are released to see if they are going to work as advertised.  I am a professional woodworker and rely on my tools to make a living.  Some of these tools are not reliable enough for me to keep in my tool kit.  Sorry, but those are the facts.

TD Graham

I know this was posted a while back but i completly agree with you still now festool have not changed and still will only repair a new tool and not replace and they dont even do a good job at repairing at all infact they are one of the worst companys for repairing. I have lots of trouble with the new festool drill T15+3 and making sure every one should know about it because its a disgrace. All the lads I work with at work never even hurd of festool untill they met me. They though it was brilliant the tools I had TS55, One hand planer and other tools but now I have told all of them about the experience I have had with the festool drill all of them say they will never buy festool tools.

 

[honeydoman]

jmb,

sorry to hear that, everytime I have dealt with customer service it has been 100% excellant.  things shipped over night etc.  and as most service related post on this forum they have usually been very pleased.

you have not had a good experiance, which will all things does happen, it is not right, but it happens.

as far as using the 1010 onehanded, I do it all the time and for ogee edges, round overs etc. and it works fine., sometimes have to put other hand on base to help out on smaller pieces, but it works.

 

[nickao]

Speaking of rapid warranty response, when I reported a defective Domino problem to Bob Marino, he shipped his personal tool to me overnight, SUNDAY delivery and I had a new replacement tool from Festool on Tuesday.  You just can't ask for better service than that.

That is a good retailer, not really Festool service.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Good Morning,
Because this board is international, we need to make sure viusitors understand where the poster is coming from.  That is relevant to understanding the problems he or she may be having.  People do report vastly different experiences in different parts of the world.

In the past three posts, for example, one person is from the UK (jmbfestool), and another is from the USA (brandon.nickel).

This forum has lots of USA dealer representation, and Canadian and Australian representation, but we don't hear much from UK dealers.  This might be a good time to change that so members can get better information.  (On a related note, I should add that we also have dealers who check in regularly from Eastern Europe).

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[pingvinlakrits]

The Festool rep I have in Sweden is great. NEVER a problem, even if there is a problem. They have met and exceeded all expectations despite being Swedens second largest Festool dealer. And we are talking about a very small shop selling high volumes here. They know the stuff and can come with elegant solutions.

The Festool repair center (also selling and serving other brands) are excellent, friendly and have a fast turnaround time. Sometimes you can wait in shop (!) while they fix it, or have it the next day. Just the way you want it.

Many other Festool dealers in Sweden are substandard though: you enter the shop and realize you know much more than the "specialist" and they don't really know the system or the accessories, let alone any potential drawbacks. And if they don't know the shortcomings of a product how can they recommend it for all purposes without reservations?  It is unfortunate if Festool centers have only one guy who knows about the products and that person is not in shop when you need him and the rest of the staff read everything aloud from the catalogue.  I am happy I found the three dealers I frequent, and they will keep my business.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

Oh, I forgot to add that I do check things out in shop before I leave, as much as I can.

A lemon is a lemon and a dud is a dud. So far I have been able to replace faulty items straight away without sending them to repair - which I would find very off-putting if it was a DOA (Defect/Dead On Arrival) product. You should NEVER hold the customer responsible for a product which is DOA, let alone hold them ransom to that faulty product being sent off for repair. In my eyes you replace a faulty product if it is new, not repair it causing delay for the consumer.

If I had the product for quite some time and the problem was something that was developing over time I would understand and agree to the necessity of sending it in for repair, that is what the warranty is for. If the vendor offers a working professional a substitute for the duration of the repair that is excellent service.