Festool Fail

[john lawson]

I have lusted after a Festool vac since I used a CT-22 vacuum when I attended a woodworking school several years ago. Well, I found one on sale for a good price and bought it, a CT Midi.

I used it for 10 minutes, with only the upholstery tool on it and it stopped working (virtually no load on the machine). I waited 30 minutes, turned it back on and it ran for 5 minutes and stopped again. I read the manual. The manual states that it has a temperature overload sensor that shuts the motor down if it overheats. I felt the housing of the motor and it did feel rather warm/hot. I returned it. Thought about sending it back for warranty but didn't want to go through the hassle and then have them tell me it was normal.

Kinda disappointed but I still have my Fein mini turbo, 6 years old and has never failed me.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Was it a used unit? Sounds like it has a plugged hose, plugged inlet port, plugged bag or plugged HEPA filter. Even then it would not overheat the motor as the motor has a bypass air system to provide cooling so it is not using the dust laden air for motor cooling. If it was a new unit then Festool would have exchanged it no problem. I have a CT-22 and a Midi and they work fantastic.

[John Schweikert]

Anything on this planet can fail regardless of price or maker. Why not just try another?

[Julie Moriarty]

You said you found one on sale. Festool does not discount their tool prices and they do not let any of their authorized sellers discount their tools either. If you bought a new vacuum for less than the price you can find on the Festool website, whoever sold it to you is violating Festool's pricing policy and may be selling tools they did not get directly from Festool. And if they didn't get it from Festool, where did they get it?

[john lawson]

It was not a used unit, it was brand new. The first time it stopped I checked the bag and connection where it sits down into the bag, everything was clear. The suction was good, nothing appeared to be wrong. Just overheated. I would never have thought that would happen, but it did. That's why I checked the manual. Funny they mentioned that very thing in the manual.

The reason I did not mess with it is I tend not to have a lot of faith in products that fail that way, they seem to be problematic over time. It may not have been but I was not willing to spend that much money and worry about it down the road.

I have a Festool sander that has served me well.

[john lawson]

I bought from a retailer, that does not worry about Festool's policy. It came with the manual and warranty card. I have no idea where they got it from.

[Frank Trinkle]

Repost this on festoolownersgroup.com and I guarantee you'll get a response from Shane of Festool. There are NO authorized retailers who don't worry about Festool's policy. They run the extreme risk of having their dealership authorizations cancelled. Festool doesn't play games. They have a no-question 30-day return policy which is available from EVERY Festool authorized dealer.

You got a warranty card to fill out which means it probably did NOT come from an authorized dealer. The only dealer in the country that doesn't automatically register your product and you with Festool, is Amazon.... and even they DO follow Festools policies to the letter. There are NO discounts in the USA or Canada on Festool products. The only way you can get a 10% discount on the CT's or MFT/3's is if it is purchased with another qualifying product.

Festool is unbelievably on top of customer service and support. You allude that since your CT failed, they would all seem to be problematic. Nothing could be further from the reality regarding Festool products. Something ain't kosher here.... You mention "the" upholstery tool. There is NO upholstery tool that comes WITH the unit. For that matter, the only thing that comes with a new CT is the hose, the CT itself, instructions, and a bag. If you were using a tool not designed for the CT, that may have been part of the issue. Just saying....

[Sam Murdoch]

I had a problem with my Midi after a month or so similar to your experience. When I asked about it on the FOG I was told that they had a problem with the some of the outlets on the Midis (probably others too). I was sent a new outlet - FREE - with directions for a few minutes of changing it out. Problem solved. Lots and lots of use since with no issues.

[Steve Baumgartner]

As you can probably surmise from this thread, those who drink the green koolaid tend to become a bit fanatical :D!

The only time Festools are discounted is in package deals or when dealers are allowed to sell off demo units of discontinued models. If you got a discount under other circumstances, it seems very likely that this is one that "fell off the truck" during shipment to a legitimate dealer.

[Jeff Duncan]

I recently bought a Festool ROS and was greatly disappointed! I went online and found a few threads here and there and it seemed like while most were happy with theirs, there were a couple complaints similar to mine. I brought it back to the store planning on upgrading to a Mirka Ceros. Well they didn't have the Ciros in stock, but they looked at my sander and determined it was defective. Set me up with another new one and it was like night and day! I've only got a couple weeks into it but it's a huge improvement over the crappy DeWalts and Bosch sanders I've been using for the last 20 years! Also bought a PC trim router a couple years back and after moderate use the cord went:mad: Now I've got about a dozen routers that get much heavier use with the oldest being bought over 20 years ago! So I was less than happy having to replace the cord on what's the newest router in my shop. But I bit the bullet and spent time to rewire it and now it's running fine again.

Point being is sometimes you just get a bad one. It's a bummer when it happens, but it does happen.

good luck,
JeffD

[Frank Trinkle]

As you can probably surmise from this thread, those who drink the green koolaid tend to become a bit fanatical :D!



Errr.... more like Obsessive Compulsive! We Festoolians have to be really careful not to catch the disease called "GIDS".....(Green Induced Divorce Syndrome):D

[Harvey Miller]

You said you found one on sale. Festool does not discount their tool prices and they do not let any of their authorized sellers discount their tools either. If you bought a new vacuum for less than the price you can find on the Festool website, whoever sold it to you is violating Festool's pricing policy and may be selling tools they did not get directly from Festool. And if they didn't get it from Festool, where did they get it?

The Midi was recently on close-out sale. Sorry to hear of the OP's problems, I haven't had problem with my Festools (track saw & sander), but reading (mainly the FOG forum) they do occasionally let a bad one out. To their credit their after-sales service is super, especially if you comment/complain on the FOG forum.

[Mike Heidrick]

no question 30 day return policy. Take it back. Get CT26.

[john lawson]

Frank:

I had an upholstery tool because I bought the Festool accessory kit that comes with the systainer from another retailer. I am returning that as well because I have no use for it without the vacuum. As for me "alluding" anything about other Festools, I did not. I did say that if they fail they seem to be problematic over time, meaning that tool. I did not say or imply anything about other tools. In fact I did say that my Festool sander had given me good service.

One other thing, and I say this only because some of you seem skeptical, I paid less than half the retail price for it. I was only willing to buy the systainer and kit because I got such a good deal on the vacuum. It was returned with no problem. I would do it again, not worth the premium price IMHO.

Even if I were using an non-Festool upholstery tool and that caused a problem for the vacuum that would say more about Festool quality than anything else - just saying.............

[glenn bradley]

Just because they're imported and expensive doesn't make them immune to human error. The same daydream that effects some guy at Boeing in Long Beach, CA can effect someone at a factory in Neidlingen, DE.

[Jim German]

You bought something for less than half the retail price from a manufacture that never has discounts anywhere close to that and then were surprised when it failed? Certainly sounds like a case of "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." Defiantly sounds like something shady going on.

[Tom Ewell]

Perhaps it was returned originally by another owner with the problem, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the retailer resealed the package and put it back on the shelf.
I've seen defects that I've returned go right back on the shelf all sealed and strapped, looking like new, I know because I marked the packaging in a non obvious area when I returned it.
I now mark the packaging on defective returns for all to see, the retailer has to go through the warrantee process or whatever to mitigate the return or sell it 'as is'

[Rick Christopherson]

One other thing, and I say this only because some of you seem skeptical, I paid less than half the retail price for it. I was only willing to buy the systainer and kit because I got such a good deal on the vacuum. It was returned with no problem. I would do it again, not worth the premium price IMHO.

Even if I were using an non-Festool upholstery tool and that caused a problem for the vacuum that would say more about Festool quality than anything else - just saying.............I am glad you were able to get that returned without a problem. Unfortunately, if you got them new at half price, they were probably stolen. That's even below dealer cost. Make sure you actually get your money back, and it is not just a promise to get you a refund later.

I wouldn't name names here publicly, but if you want to PM me with the name of who sold these I can look into it discretely. The next person might not be as lucky as you were.

[Jerome Stanek]

How long is the warranty the dealer should be able to send it back or you should be able to return it.

[Jery Madigan]

I have both a Festool Ct26e and Fein turbo II. Both work very well, but I prefer the Fein and it can be had for a good price (less than $300) occasionally at CPO.

They both run about the same db, but the noise from the Fein is at a much lower pitch, so not at all annoying. Adding a Mr Nozzle hose to the Fein gives me better throughput and a more flexible end for connections compared to the Festool. Also, HEPA filters for the Fein can be had for a reasonable cost (not Fine brand I forget the brand, but available at the orange store).

[peter gagliardi]

Well, it's obvious there was an issue with legitimacy of seller, so quality of "new" unit is suspect as well. I have many brands of tools in the shop, Festool being just one. While everything they make is good quality, some are far,far from home runs! The vac is among my favorites though. I have had a CT33 for about 10 years now I think? Anyway it has performed flawlessly in a production environment, except for the piece of cr*p outlet they have used on these! for all of that time.
So good, I have 3 more now!
I simply replaced the outlet with a quality US made one, after 2 or 3 from the manufacturer, no more issue!

[Jim Neeley]

Perhaps more than just the motor housing was hot? <g> :eek:

[john lawson]

You bought something for less than half the retail price from a manufacture that never has discounts anywhere close to that and then were surprised when it failed? Certainly sounds like a case of "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." Defiantly sounds like something shady going on.

Perhaps you can explain a little further about what you mean about "defiantly (definitely) sounds like something shady going on".

[Jim German]

Perhaps you can explain a little further about what you mean about "defiantly (definitely) sounds like something shady going on".

Stolen, known to be defective, counterfeit... Used CT-Midi's go for about $400 on ebay, no retailer would sell a legit new one for <$240.

[john lawson]

I'm not sure what to say!!

I have learned something about people on this thread. There is the old saying about people to avoid:

A reformed drunk

A reformed smoker

A new one to be avoided is a Festool owner who thinks someone else got a discount on a Festool

Below is the receipt for the returned Festool Midi. I folded the receipt so you can't see the name of the retailer. I did this because I believe one you zealots would inform Festool rather than allow someone to get a good deal.

By the way, I don't really care what you think of my opinion, but I do get upset when someone accuses me of being involved with dishonest transactions.

[Dave Zellers]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you got it at Bargain Hunt.

Heck of a deal.

[John Lanciani]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you got it at Bargain Hunt.

Heck of a deal.

And why do I think any place called "Bargain Hunt" is not likely an authorized Festool dealer??
:p

[Charles Brown]

Does anyone else think that if this thread had been about a Grizzly tool it would have been shut down by now?

I thought this would be a case of "contact the manufacturer to give them a chance to resolve the problem" before posting about it in the forum?

[Greg R Bradley]

Reading this makes me think of "Who's on first".

Anyone think a new, non-counterfeit, Festool Midi that has the stated problem isn't still worth $205?

[Rodger Kanis]

[

By the way, I don't really care what you think of my opinion, but I do get upset when someone accuses me of being involved with dishonest transactions.

John,
I don't think people think YOU were the dishonest one, but rather the dealer was. You didn't know any better, no fault of yours and no shame there, you just thought it was your lucky day. Your knee-jerk reaction to the feedback here was based on misunderstanding what people were hinting at or saying outright.

Those that know how Festool works through the dealers immediately suspected this "dealer" of not telling the truth. The retail price is set, no sales except small discounts on discontinued items (I think) and their reconditioned tool sale, no exceptions in the USA. Regardless, no legitamite dealer would sell one at half-price anyway, as even used ones go for more that that.

I hope you get your money back, and be wary of this dealer, as this particular "deal" doesn't pass the "straight face test".

Regards,
Rodger

[Rodger Kanis]

Does anyone else think that if this thread had been about a Grizzly tool it would have been shut down by now?

I thought this would be a case of "contact the manufacturer to give them a chance to resolve the problem" before posting about it in the forum?

Hehehe... Yeah, I admit that crossed my mind, too. Must not have hit the threshold. ;)

I think it may be good to let it stay, though, as it's educational to those buying items that are only available through official dealers. If the deal is too good to be true...

[Rick Christopherson]

I don't think people think YOU were the dishonest one, but rather the dealer was.Bargain Hunt is not a Festool dealer for the same reason you won't find them at Home Depot. Bargain Hunt specifically sells scratch-and-dent, refurbs, and demos. However, Festool no longer permits these to be sold by any dealer except during a national authorized sale.

If you go to this link and enter the zip code for Birmingham, AL (35210), you will find all of the authorized Festool distributors (http://www.festoolusa.com/where-to-buy/).

[Rodger Kanis]

Rick... Yep! I forgot to put quotes around that one ("dealer") like I did in the rest of the post, indicating skepticism. :)

[Shane Holland]

John,

My apologies for the issues with the CT MIDI you purchased. Obviously, for reasons already mentioned in this thread, I cannot speculate on the condition or legitimacy of the unit you purchased. However, Festool offers a 30-day money back guarantee for refund or exchange, less shipping charges if applicable. Also, we have a 3-year warranty on all of our tools. As someone else stated, regardless of what brand or price you pay, there is a potential for defects in products of all sorts. But, Festool stands by their commitment to remedy such issues quickly and to the full satisfaction of the customer. I would argue that our customer service is among the best in the industry. Since the unit was returned, we will never know what may have been causing the issue with your dust extractor.

For the record, Bargain Hunt is not a Festool dealer. Purchasing from other than an authorized dealer can void the warranty. So, you assume risk in doing so. As they say, buyer beware. For that reason and since you didn't contact us for assistance, I believe your thread title may be unfair.

If you or any other forum member have questions or need assistance, please always feel free to contact me night or day. Even when I'm on vacation, like I am today.

Shane Holland
Festool USA
sho@festoolusa.com
765-894-2172 (c)

[Matt Meiser]

Bargain Hunt....277454

So knowing that any legitimate return to a dealer goes back to Festool, this probably literally fell of the back of a truck or in some other way is "distressed" merchandise.

[john lawson]

Shane and others:

So, let's see if I have this straight; let's say an "authorized" Festool dealer goes chapter 7 bankruptcy. They have an auction and sell all their inventory. Is Festool going to buy back 10 unsold vacuums? Just out of the goodness of their hearts? I doubt it.

So, if they don't, and Bargain Hunt buys those 10 vacuums and puts them for sale in their stores, and a customer buys one of these new vacuums in good faith, your saying Festool wont honor the warranty? How would the customer know that? The customer would find out when you refuse to honor the warranty? Sounds a little mercenary to me.

To recap: I went into a retail store, bought a product that did not work and returned it per the retailers stated policy, what's the beef with that? If I had wanted to keep it I would have returned it to Festool for warranty. I just didn't want the hassle associated with messing with tools that don't work. I buy tools that have a good reputation and depend on the integrity of the quality of the tool to make it a good purchase. I have occasionally used warranties but I don't like to and I don't make purchases based on a warranty.

Having said that I am disappointed to hear that Festool would not honor a warranty on a tool that was bought in a straight up retail purchase.

[Matt Meiser]

He's not saying that, they print it right in the warranty, and its not an uncommon condition. Its right in the warranty you said you received.


All customers receive a free extended limited warranty (1 year + 2 years = 3 Years) on new Festool power tools purchased from an authorized retailer.
http://festoolusa.com/service/warranty/

https://www.google.com/#q=warranty+authorized+dealer


Alpine's warranty policy covers only products purchased through our authorized dealer network

All purchase of Clarion products, including those made over the internet, from non-authorized Clarion dealers will NOT come with full-factory warranties.

This warranty is void if the timepiece was not purchased from an Authorized Movado Dealer
Westone'swarranty is valid only on products sold by authorized dealers.

he Hoover Warranty Program will not honor products that are purchased through an unauthorized dealer.

[john lawson]

Yes, but you only get to read a warranty after you buy something.

And yes, that is what he is saying, as are you.

[Matt Meiser]

True...I've often wondered about that with respect to return conditions that are printed on the back of a receipt. Obviously it stands the legal test, and I can completely understand why manufacturers void warranties for grey market stuff.

[Chris Parks]

A lot of defenders of the faith in this thread. I too own Festool but it is only a good quality tool not a blind faith religious experience as some seem to think. Where someone purchases any item is up to them and yes there are ways around Festool's Retail system, buy direct from Europe as a lot of users in Australia now do. I have never done it but a lot are and the savings are huge apparently. If the tools are so good the return for warranty issues do not arise so I am told. There is no way I would do it but no one has to my knowledge had issues so far.

[Greg R Bradley]

Shane and others:

So, let's see if I have this straight; let's say an "authorized" Festool dealer goes chapter 7 bankruptcy. They have an auction and sell all their inventory. Is Festool going to buy back 10 unsold vacuums? Just out of the goodness of their hearts? I doubt it.

You could doubt it but you would be wrong, which seems to be the pattern here. They WOULD take them back. Any opened items would be refurbished and sold as refurb items. I don't know what they would do with items that were still sealed. They might open them and re-certify them for sale.

I can tell you that I bought 5 Bosch remanufactured Rotary Hammers once and could not find any evidence any one drilled holes in concrete. I guessed they might have just been in a dealer inventory that went OOB.

I would never be one to say that anything Festool is always perfect but they do have first class customer service. You can see some of that in Shane's post.

For the record I do own a Festool Midi, bought because it fit one need well, which is storing in a very small space with sanders and supplies attached in the engine room of a yacht. I would think the CT22 and other full size vacs fit most buyers' needs better than the Midi/Mini. I would assume that is why they are discontinuing the Midi/Mini and redoing them. I assume they are making them fit the TLoc Systainers better. I also own 3 Fein vacuums, one of them 20 years old. I also have 1 Bosch, 1 Milwaukee, 2 Jamco, 2 Rigid, 1 Shopvac, 2 Makita, and a Dewalt. Different units for different needs in a variety of businesses.

[John Keeton]

This thread is closed. As has been stated numerous times this does not seem to be a Festool issue. But, more importantly, the OP has failed to follow the guidelines for a rant thread.

John, you have been given good advice on buying from an authorized dealer. In the future, you may want to consider that on future purchases.