Definatly ticked off with Makita..

GlossyTundra

GlossyTundra

Tractor Detailer
I have had my 9227c since 6/07 and about 8/08 the speed control in the unit went fritzo and caused the machine to fail. Now it was only 2 months or so out of warranty when this happened.



I took the machine to a local repair shop (whom I have a seperate customer service problem with) and they kept it for 3 WEEKS!!!. Since it was 2 months out of warranty I had to foot the repair bill. The bill, well it was $80!!!!!!!!!:soscared:



I think this is a little outrageous. I didnt pay but $170 for the whole damn unit. I would have much rather just got another Makita or a Hitachi.



I want to call Makita customer service and tell them about the problem, and I would really like some sort of resolution to this. I think it's a little crappy that 2 months after warranty, i'm stuck with a $80 repair bill. This happened to my Porter Cable over 1 year after warranty and they replaced my old unit with a brand new one. Now that's customer service.



I have been recomending Makita Rotary's on tundrasolutions for years, but I dont think I will any longer. I have probably convinced 20-40 people to get Makita Rotary's, and it saddens me knowing that the company wont stand behind their products no better than that.
 
that sucks, sorry to hear that. that's one thing that is a major priority with anyone i'm doing business with, and it's customer service. if i don't get it, i'll spend my $'s elsewhere...
 
They basically told me that there was nothing they could do aside from asking the engineers to check on the product.



I was honestly trying to get something done about this so nobody else has to get stuck with a $80 repair bill like i've done.



I told him that I would no longer be recomending the product and my next buffer will be a Hitachi or Flex.
 
Why did you have it repaired at local repair shop instead of contacting Makita (or the vendor you purchased the rotary from) in the first place?
 
I would be upset if it was a few days out of warranty, but you can't expect them to pay for a repair a couple of months after the warranty expires. They need to draw the line somewhere. Like you, I would not expect any parts to fail after only fourteen months, but that doesn't mean it's a bad product or that Makita has poor customer service. If you're using your 9227C for several hours each week you will have to replace some parts occasionally.
 
Joel_MD said:
I would be upset if it was a few days out of warranty, but you can't expect them to pay for a repair a couple of months after the warranty expires. They need to draw the line somewhere.
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while that's true, they could of at least made an exception (since the warranty just barely expired) and meet with Brandon half way on this or something. i would be more upset with the fact he hardly put any hours on it. it's not like he was using it everyday for 6+ hours beating the hell out of it...
 
Tough call on this one. If you have a car you never drive and it has a warranty issue two months out of warranty, does the dealer fix it? I don't know. It's always tough to say what the cut-off point is for out of warranty comps. Is 2 months ok, 6 months, a year? I think this situation is a bummer but I understand where Makita is coming from. I think the real issue is an $80 repair for a speed control issue; that seems high to me (just imo, of course). I've had two repairs on my Makita (it's got thousands and thousands of hours on it, so par for the course), and both have been under $30.



Is there more than one repair shop in your area?
 
Picus said:
Tough call on this one. If you have a car you never drive and it has a warranty issue two months out of warranty, does the dealer fix it? I don't know. It's always tough to say what the cut-off point is for out of warranty comps. Is 2 months ok, 6 months, a year? I think this situation is a bummer but I understand where Makita is coming from. I think the real issue is an $80 repair for a speed control issue; that seems high to me (just imo, of course). I've had two repairs on my Makita (it's got thousands and thousands of hours on it, so par for the course), and both have been under $30.



Is there more than one repair shop in your area?
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i can see your point (you would think makita would let a few slip by) and $30 is reasonable for a repair. but $80... :aww:
 
Did you get an estimate from the repair shop first?



My experience these days has been that it typically is NOT worth it to repair most items particularly electronic items. I always take a stab at repairing it myself, if I am not succesful, you can always put the item up on ebay (clearly indicate in your auction that the item is broken), and you will probably sell it. It is amazing the amount of $$ you can sometimes get for broken stuff on ebay.
 
I feel kinda bad about this, since I got a Makita first and then encouraged Brandon to get one. I don't use it that much and have never had a problem with mine, but I know Brandon details a lot more than I do, however, I know he takes care of his equipment. Brandon - where did you take it?
 
Took it to Raleigh Contractor Supply



NEVER go there, that was the worst experience in my life. They didnt give me a quote on the repair as asked, and they let it sit for 2 weeks until I finally had to call and ask "is it ready"?
 
mmmmm. now i am not so sure that i will get a makita to replace the dead dewalt. It seems like a really nice machine to use, but reliability is really important.



What would be a "2nd choice" to the makita?
 
i just read a post from picus, and he has put over 10,000 hours on his makita with only maintenance being new brushes. Maybe you just got a lemon. Has anyone else had major problems?
 
MBenz said:
i just read a post from picus, and he has put over 10,000 hours on his makita with only maintenance being new brushes.
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:lol



And it looks like it, too. Still runs fine, though.
 
Brandon1 said:
Hitachi has a 5yr warranty i've heard.
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Don't buy a Hitachi... They are awfull.



I have gone through switches and gears in mine. Everyone I have talked to has had the switch problem. The rpm will also go up to 3400 on it's own, even when the dial is at 600.
 
Every rotary I have owned, I have blown up or had issues with.



My Metabo finally just blew a wire out inside. I have to take it apart tomorrow and fix it. So far, this thing has been a true performer.
 
rydawg said:
Every rotary I have owned, I have blown up or had issues with.
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Heck i even managed to finish off a dewalt. but then again it had seen way more than 10,000 hours in a body shop before i got my hands on it. Still not sure exactly what it wrong with it though.



rydawg, which has had the best reliability so far?
 
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