What Festool Did You buy Today?

[Cheese]

Just consider that a blessing in disguise.  [big grin]

 

[squall_line]

I love the way it looks like a Centrotec chuck was placed in any opening that was left in the case (also, I know that at least one of those Centrotec chucks had to have been just flopping around in the case).  It almost looks like you got someone's personal kit from the office accidentally shipped to you!

 

[Cypren]

Honestly, I kind of wonder if maybe they over-sold the number of reconditioned models they had, grabbed one that had been used for training or product demo purposes, and then packed in some other old odds and ends hoping that whoever received it would be more inclined not to complain about the clearly-worn condition of the tool itself if they got some extras. It's not like there's that much else they can do with old batteries, and my guess is they have so many Centrotec chucks floating around Festool HQ that they use them as doorstops.

 

[Mythic]

Honestly, I kind of wonder if maybe they over-sold the number of reconditioned models they had, grabbed one that had been used for training or product demo purposes, and then packed in some other old odds and ends hoping that whoever received it would be more inclined not to complain about the clearly-worn condition of the tool itself if they got some extras. It's not like there's that much else they can do with old batteries, and my guess is they have so many Centrotec chucks floating around Festool HQ that they use them as doorstops.

In my experience across about 12 recon purchase tools it’s about 75/25% brand new mint condition looking tools versus obviously previously owned or demo tools. One of them I got still had a bunch of business cards in the Systainer for a Festool sales rep as it was his demo unit which was replaced.

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[Cypren]

Received the HKC55 EB-Plus-F-SCA set I ordered from last week’s Recon. This one’s not in bad shape, though it’s clearly seen some use: scuffs and scratches on a number of surfaces.

More problematic is that the kit was shipped with only one battery, rather than two, and without the swivel port to connect a dust extractor. The battery I’m inclined to write off as a wash, given that they sent me two batteries I didn’t pay for with the T18 kit last week, but the inability to attach a dust extractor is quite a bit more problematic.

I don’t see anything on the FestoolRecon website that suggests that tools may be sold missing components or accessories. Does anyone happen to know if I can call them up and complain about this? Or are they just going to tell me, “as-is, tough luck”?

 

[Alanbach]

[member=71910]Cypren[/member] You should absolutely call them on Monday. I have read about countless situations where they have corrected problems like this. No muss, no fuss generally. Anything that was supposed to be there, the dust port and the battery for sure.

 

[Cheese]

Ya, just give them a call or an email noting what parts are missing. They’ll send you what you’re missing no questions asked. Done that a couple of times and Festool immediately sent me the missing items. Their customer service is truly second to none.  [big grin]

 

[squall_line]

Ya, just give them a call or an email noting what parts are missing. They’ll send you what you’re missing no questions asked. Done that a couple of times and Festool immediately sent me the missing items. Their customer service is truly second to none.  [big grin]

As others have said...

I turned into a short-term "frequent flyer", as I had 2 or 3 tools in a row with various small concerns.  Actually, I had a TS-55 that was filthy and had a broken piece of styrofoam in the lid and the lid was jammed shut; they offered to take it back but had none in stock to guarantee a replacement.  Three days later a TS-55 was in the day's Recon offerings, so I ordered another one and sent the first one back; Festool sent me the label to return it.  I got a refund on the original as soon as it arrived at their doorstep.

I got a DF500 from Recon a week or two later, and it was missing the Trim Stop.  They told me they'd get me one as soon as they could.  Two days later, the styrofoam piece for the TS55 lid showed up from UPS.  I wrote them back and they told me the trip stop was back-ordered, to keep the styrofoam, and the trim stop would ship once it was back in stock.

I've used the "contact us" form on the Recon website for all of these communications, and I've always received a response within one business day.

 

[Cypren]

Stories like this make me really question the whole notion of “reconditioned”, which normally means the manufacturer has thoroughly checked over the tool and repaired any wear and tear on its functional components before reselling it.

This sounds a great deal more like they’re just turning some of these tools around blindly and at most maybe opening the box lid to make sure there’s an actual tool inside.

 

[squall_line]

Stories like this make me really question the whole notion of “reconditioned”, which normally means the manufacturer has thoroughly checked over the tool and repaired any wear and tear on its functional components before reselling it.

This sounds a great deal more like they’re just turning some of these tools around blindly and at most maybe opening the box lid to make sure there’s an actual tool inside.

I believe the idea at the time was that it "fell through the cracks".  The systainer looked like it had been abused by UPS, rather than the previous owner, but its possible that the previous owner jammed the lid and it was never opened before shipping it out. 

Some people, when asking why they received a tool covered in sawdust, have gotten a response along the lines of "even if there's a problem on day 364, we'll cover it, if you're willing to keep it.  Otherwise, we can refund you."  The skeptical side of me doesn't have a good reaction to that, because it sounds more like a CYA thing and it's been said to enough different people that it sounds like an excuse not to check tools over thoroughly.  At a minimum, I would hope that there was a sharpness test done on any blades that come with a tool, and/or just swap them out for a fresh blade.  A warranty on the motor and internals doesn't make me feel much better if the first owner of the saw I just bought ran it through 500-600 feet of hard, tough cutting and I'm now stuck sharpening or replacing the blade within the first month.

Almost all of the Recon items I've gotten recently have had a yellow dot tag on the latch and on one side of the systainer.  I take that to be some sort of internal signal that things have been looked over and looked through.

 

[RSU]

Got the call today my Kepex KS 120 REB came in.I wasnt expecting it till October if at all. Well Happy Birthday to Me.

 

[Cypren]

Ya, just give them a call or an email noting what parts are missing. They’ll send you what you’re missing no questions asked. Done that a couple of times and Festool immediately sent me the missing items. Their customer service is truly second to none.  [big grin]

Just to follow up on this, I used the contact form on the Recon website over the weekend to complain about the missing battery and dust port, as well as the blade (which pretty clearly showed signs of heavy use). When I woke up this morning, I had an email response back offering to send replacements for all three or do a full refund of the tool, whichever I preferred.

Like you said, excellent customer service.

 

[Cypren]

Received TXS Li 2.6 Set from Recon today, completing my drill collection. This one was clearly dragged across concrete at some point: there's a clear line along one edge where the polymers are just shredded. Like the HKC I got this weekend, this one also came missing a battery, so I reached out to Festool again to complain.

Three out of four of my purchases from Recon in the past couple of weeks have pretty clearly not been given even a cursory inspection before turning around and reselling them. (Though one of those worked out in my favor since it included a bunch of stuff I didn't pay for.) This concerns me: while this is a small sample size, it's still suggestive that this isn't just a matter of "once in a while something slips through the cracks".

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[hoe]

I guess i never was one for that old saying "that one mans junk is another mans treasure". I always bought new and saved my money until i had enough for the price. Obviously Festool is a new tool retailer and that is where they put their focus. Its commendable on their part how they expedited your issues.

 

[syam]

First Festool purchase - from Recon. Needed a jigsaw and decided to take the gamble with the loved/hated Carvex since I couldn't find a Bosch JS572EBL for a reasonable price.

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Cuts like a charm. Ordered a set of Festool blades and inserts to complete the kit.

Will surely be purchasing more in the future.

 

[rubber_ducky]

Curious how recon purchases ship? I too bought a carvex but have heard nothing since. Do you receive a shipment notification or do the tools simply show up at your door?

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[GoingMyWay]

Curious how recon purchases ship? I too bought a carvex but have heard nothing since. Do you receive a shipment notification or do the tools simply show up at your door?

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[member=63757]rubber_ducky[/member] I've always received an order confirmation and a shipment notification email from 'Festool USA via shopify.com' for recon purchases.

 

[squall_line]

Curious how recon purchases ship? I too bought a carvex but have heard nothing since. Do you receive a shipment notification or do the tools simply show up at your door?

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[member=63757]rubber_ducky[/member] I've always received an order confirmation and a shipment notification email from 'Festool USA via shopify.com' for recon purchases.

Same here.  I get an order confirmation that the order was placed and 1 to 2 business days later I get a shipping confirmation e-mail.

I'm also subscribed to UPS, FedEx, and USPS delivery alerts so even if I miss a shipping notice from a website, I'll still get something from the shipper themselves saying that a package is coming.

If you didn't get the order confirmation, either the order didn't go through (check your statement from your method of payment), or it ended up in your junk/spam folder.

I noticed that my MFK 700 took a day or two longer than normal to ship.  Ordered Friday, shipped the following Wednesday (arrived today), so they may just be running behind on fulfillment.  My Trion from yesterday still hasn't shipped, so I anticipate getting that e-mail on Monday or Tuesday at this point.  The shipment notices that I checked just now have all come between 7 AM and 12 PM Central Time.

 

[rubber_ducky]

I do have an order confirmation from 5/18 (4 biz days ago). I can “view” the order through that confirmation. Seems that it hasn’t shipped yet.

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[escapegoat]

First Festool purchase - from Recon. Needed a jigsaw and decided to take the gamble with the loved/hated Carvex since I couldn't find a Bosch JS572EBL for a reasonable price.

Cuts like a charm. Ordered a set of Festool blades and inserts to complete the kit.

Which set of blades did you order? I bought a Carvex on recon two months ago, and so far I've picked up the Festool HS 75/3 BI (plastic) blades and Bosch T118G (metal) blades. I need to bite the bullet and get a well rounded set of wood blades soon.