Don't buy Porter Cable in UK!!!

[mel]

hi tony
sorry to hear of the misfortune with the router
BUT
how long is it reasonable to expect a router to last ????
i suppose it depends on your usage

or are you just sick of the attitude of the after sales team ?????
it is frustrating when you cant get parts :twisted:

porter cable always seemed far too expensive to me
makita always seemed to be the better value for money with a bigger/better , more satisfied customer base
however i am biased , as i've had no problems with tools or customer service { not really needed customer service thou}

so tony , youve got to decide if you want blood or justice with a three year old router :?:

hope you get to the bottom of it anyway , and come to a resolution that satisfies you

 

[Matt1245]

Refering to Mel and Johns post, i sell a lot of makita routers to kitchen fitters and they are more than happy with the machine and would be delighted to get 3 years service without it breaking down, So like they say, it all depends on the usage.

This maybe useful to.

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0043-1011.txt

Don't get me wrong, i find dewalt and black and decker machines (i have no experience of porter cable) are far less reliable than other makes, thats why we don't stock them, and only get them to order after explaining to customers our concerns. But i don't like to see a company chastised, when they are not necessarily in the wrong.

Matt.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I would be very annoyed if a "good quality" router broke after only three years of hobby use. I don't know how old my Elu MOF96 is but I must have had it 20 years and apart from replacing the brushes it's never given a moments trouble. But then I've never had an Elu tool break down and I have the sander, circular saw and biscuit jointer and they are almost as old. A pity Black & Decker bought them up - it's usually the kiss of death

I hope you get it sorted Tony :wink:

Cheers

Paul

 

[Mike.C]

mel and john,

how long is it reasonable to expect a router to last ????
i suppose it depends on your usage

A lot longer then 3 years, especially as it is only used as a hobby.

met and john,

so tony , youve got to decide if you want blood or justice with a three year old router

IMHO for a major company like PC to say

Porter Cable,

Dear Antony,

Thank you for visiting the Porter-Cable website.
Unfortunately we have no representation in Europe and do not ship overseas.

Regards,
End User Services

and completely wash their hands with the matter is out of order. At the very, very least if I was PC i would want to know what the heck was going on with this UK company and why on their website they are in a round about way stating that they are UK agents of Porter Cable.
It would not have hurt them, even as a gesture of goodwill to supply Tony with the parts he needs.
He is not asking for a new router, he is not even asking for free parts, all he wants is the parts to put one of THEIR routers right.

If I was Tony and they treated me the way they have treated him, I would want both BLOOD AND JUSTICE.

It might be a good idea for members of this website (IF that is how they feel) to email the UK company and tell them because of the way they have treated Tony, they will not be shopping with them again, or for the first time, what ever the case may be.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Colin C]

I think Mike c has it about right on this one and I am sorry to hear what happened Tony ( just glad you where not hurt ).
What they have said is just good in any way.

The next time this happens it could be when some one is looking at it :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

hi tony
sorry to hear of the misfortune with the router
BUT
how long is it reasonable to expect a router to last ????
i suppose it depends on your usage

or are you just sick of the attitude of the after sales team ?????
it is frustrating when you cant get parts :twisted:

Neither really, I just want to warn people that when they are thinking of buying PC kit, there is more to consider than the cost - there are no spares or repairs.

the router was great and the problem unfortunate. I used it for 3 years or so, but hobbiest use and probably only 100 cuts in that time which I would say is not many, however, the parts that matter were working fine until the collet lock engaged mid-cut.

so tony , youve got to decide if you want blood or justice with a three year old router :?:

Again, neither. I have given up. I have tried phone calls and emails for 2 months and got no spares despite the fact that i was asking for PRICES for spares!!)
My post is to warn others, no other reason. I have a nice new T11 that works fine and I can get spares should there be a problem outside of warranty.

 

[Matt1245]

Tony,

If you'd like to repair your router, i have managed to get exploded diagrams and parts lists for the porter cable routers, pm me, let me know which router it is and your e-mail, and i'll send it across to you.

Seems a shame to let a router you were so happy with go to waste.

Matt.

 

[Alf]

Tony, have you tried Hamilton Power Products? That's who repaired our PC biscuit jointer back in 2001 and they were very helpful. Chap called Steve Bush was the engineer, fwiw. Sorry, only just remembered and dug out the details. #-o

Cheers, Alf

 

[mr]

If you look here http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/whois.ch?ip=http://www.portercable.co.uk and here http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/whois.ch?ip=http://www.portercable.com it would appear that the portercable.co.uk is nowt to do with the (real) porter cable. Which while not suggesting Porter Cable should wash their hands of the issue does make what they say, ie that they dont sell outside the US" appear to be basically true.
Mike

 

[JFC]

Tony , Roger at wood worker workshop is also selling the PC with the 8-[ Legacy . Maybe he could help you out ? Also Martin Brown as said before may be able to help . Hes just helped me out with an adapter to get a one way chuck to fit the Legacy so if they can do that parts for a router should be a doddle .

 

[llangatwgnedd]

I do believe that Porter Cable should recall all their routers in the European Union as the collet lock failed and not in a fail safe condition thus causing damage and possible a high risk of injury to the operator.

 

[Losos]

Mike,
I agree with you, the e-mail sent to Tony from the 'real' PC people in America is (I feel sure) basically true. The writer could possibly have added a bit to clarify the situation but at the end of the day one must acknowledge that PC don't have any control over their products once they've left the factory gate.

Middle men exist everywhere, some are good and well intioned, some are not, and as rule 'middle men', operate without authorisation of the manufacturer and when the going gets tough they often disappear into the mist never to be seen again.

And yes, I've been the victim of such operations also.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Alf, mr and JFC. I think I'll pursue the repair line as it is an outstanding router and only needs one component for repair

 

[Mitch Kelly]

One of the major parts of the tool (or most other things!) buying decision process is post-sales service / warranty / spares.
If you pay a lot of money for something, you need to be able to have some faith in the manufacturer supporting the kit. This isn't simply breakdowns but things like motor brushes or spare batteries. If I'm not going to get that kind of support (i.e. if it goes wrong I'm going to have to throw it away), then I might as well buy two cheap ones for the same money, then when one breaks, I use the other one.

M