- May 18, 2001
- 7,845
- 321
- 126
UPDATE 20221017 - see the bottom of this post:
re: case# XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I am a very unhappy Stihl customer. Here is my story:
In either 2007 or 2008, I bought a Stihl MS250 chainsaw. I live on a wooded property, and have constant need of a good chainsaw. Accordingly, I heavily used that first MS250 with no significant problems until Spring of 2022, at which point the saw finally failed after roughly 14 years of service. I was extremely happy with that saw and felt like it had delivered the quality that I expect from Stihl.
One might assume that after all those years of heavy use, if anyone knows how to properly use a Stihl MS250, it would be me.
When my first MS250 failed, I bought another MS250, this time from Redneck Idiots Selling Saws (RISS) of Johnson City, TN. I hoped that this second saw would be as reliable as the first one had been. I owned this saw for less than two months, and used it exactly twice. The second time I used it, a friend and I spent a day cutting up a large tree - and the saw worked great, as expected. However, at the end of the day I started the saw to make a few more cuts - and the saw would no longer cut. The engine started with no problems, but it barely moved the chain... and this was with the chain brake 100% disengaged.
I took the saw back to RISS so they could service it. They had the saw in their shop for several days. I had not heard any news from them, so I stopped in to see if the saw was fixed. They informed me that the saw's clutch was damaged, that I had caused the damage by running the saw with the chain brake engaged, that the saw was unrepairable, and that this damage was not covered under warranty.
In other words, I paid around $400 for a new chainsaw that I got to use exactly twice. I know this fact: I did not damage that saw by running it with the chain brake on. Again, I'm very familiar with the MS250 and how to use it properly. I don't know what caused the clutch to fail, but it was not due to anything that I did to the saw. I asked my friend (the guy who helped me cut up the tree) if there was any chance that we had run the saw with the chain brake engaged - just because even highly experienced people like the two of us can make mistakes. My friend confirmed that there was no possible way that what RISS was claiming could be true. A Google search on the phrase "will a chainsaw cut with the brake on" claims that a chainsaw will NOT cut with the brake engaged - which is something that my friend and I would have certainly noticed considering we spent an entire day cutting up a tree the last time the saw was used.
Since I did not damage the saw by running it with the brake engaged, I must conclude that there are other reasons that a chainsaw clutch might fail. One of those reasons must surely be "manufacturing defect," which must be considered as a potential reason since the saw failed on only its second use.
Once it became clear that RISS was unwilling to help me, my next step was to open a case with Stihl. My case was opened several weeks ago. About a week after I opened the case, a Stihl representative called me to let me know that he had left messages with RISS, but they had not returned his calls. About a week after that, I called Stihl - but didn't learn any new information regarding my case. Many days have passed since then, and I have heard from neither Stihl nor RISS.
The bottom line is this: I need my chainsaw. A tree fell on my property just last week, and I need to process it. I didn't buy this saw so that I could use it twice and then have it burn up on the second use. I bought the second MS250 because I believed that Stihl makes quality products and has good customer support. I am no longer so sure...
MAJOR UPDATE 20221017 - NuclearNed wins!!!!
A few things have happened in the weeks/months since I posted this:
1. called Stihl a few times, basically got no response from them
2. disputed this with my cc company. They were good about it, but ultimately couldn't help.
3. contacted an attorney. Their consulation fee would be $250, which makes it not worth it to pursue this for a $400 saw
4. Last week, Mrs. Ned posted a formal complaint against Stihl on the BBB website. This finally got their attention!!!
Email I got earlier today from Stihl customer support:
I wanted to reach out and let you know I am working on the case and have several calls into Redneck Idiots Selling Saws. Please note that a chain saw can run with the chain brake engaged. During the engagement of the Chain Brake a brake band is pulled tightly around a clutch drum. The clutch drum interacts with the crankshaft. Although the brake band is engaged the drum can still spin the torque produced by the crank shaft. This is similar to driving your car with the emergency brake engaged down the highway.
With that being said, I am waiting to talk to <some guy> at RISS and will be let you know the outcome of that discussion later today.
To which I responded:
Thanks for the response. I understand what you are saying – a saw will run with a chain brake engaged. However, I have a few comments.
Prior to this owning this particular saw, I owned another MS-250 which I purchased around 2007-2008 from Awesome But Now Closed Hardware Store in SmallTown, TN. I feel certain that Stihl has records of that purchase and confirm that what I am claiming is true. I used that saw heavily for approx. 14 years – and never once destroyed the clutch by running the saw with the chain brake engaged. My point is that I’m very familiar with the proper operation of an MS-250 chainsaw and would never run the saw with the brake engaged.
Second, the last time that the saw was working, a buddy of mine and I used the saw to cut up a large hard, seasoned Ash tree… if you’re curious, I have pics of the tree that I took as I cut it up. I understand that the drum might actually spin with the brake engaged, but I’m very skeptical that the saw would actually produce enough torque to cut hard seasoned wood with the brake engaged.
Third, I simply didn’t run the saw with the brake engaged. I understand that the tech guy at RISS is making his best guess as to what damaged the saw, but the fact is that I did not run that saw with the brake engaged. As a sanity check, I asked my buddy who helped me cut up the tree if it was possible that I did this – and he confirmed that there was no way that I did. I have to believe that there must be other ways that a MS-250 clutch can be damaged, and one way that can’t be completely dismissed is “manufacturing defect.” This saw failed on only its second use – which makes me suspicious that something was wrong with this saw when I bought it. Another way to look at this: I guarantee that not every MS-250 clutch that fails does so because the user ran the saw with the brake engaged.
And then a few minutes ago, I got this from Stihl customer support:
<some guy> from RISS will be contacting you about picking up a replacement unit at no cost to you.
Please let me know if you do not hear from him in the next few days.
WOOT!
re: case# XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I am a very unhappy Stihl customer. Here is my story:
In either 2007 or 2008, I bought a Stihl MS250 chainsaw. I live on a wooded property, and have constant need of a good chainsaw. Accordingly, I heavily used that first MS250 with no significant problems until Spring of 2022, at which point the saw finally failed after roughly 14 years of service. I was extremely happy with that saw and felt like it had delivered the quality that I expect from Stihl.
One might assume that after all those years of heavy use, if anyone knows how to properly use a Stihl MS250, it would be me.
When my first MS250 failed, I bought another MS250, this time from Redneck Idiots Selling Saws (RISS) of Johnson City, TN. I hoped that this second saw would be as reliable as the first one had been. I owned this saw for less than two months, and used it exactly twice. The second time I used it, a friend and I spent a day cutting up a large tree - and the saw worked great, as expected. However, at the end of the day I started the saw to make a few more cuts - and the saw would no longer cut. The engine started with no problems, but it barely moved the chain... and this was with the chain brake 100% disengaged.
I took the saw back to RISS so they could service it. They had the saw in their shop for several days. I had not heard any news from them, so I stopped in to see if the saw was fixed. They informed me that the saw's clutch was damaged, that I had caused the damage by running the saw with the chain brake engaged, that the saw was unrepairable, and that this damage was not covered under warranty.
In other words, I paid around $400 for a new chainsaw that I got to use exactly twice. I know this fact: I did not damage that saw by running it with the chain brake on. Again, I'm very familiar with the MS250 and how to use it properly. I don't know what caused the clutch to fail, but it was not due to anything that I did to the saw. I asked my friend (the guy who helped me cut up the tree) if there was any chance that we had run the saw with the chain brake engaged - just because even highly experienced people like the two of us can make mistakes. My friend confirmed that there was no possible way that what RISS was claiming could be true. A Google search on the phrase "will a chainsaw cut with the brake on" claims that a chainsaw will NOT cut with the brake engaged - which is something that my friend and I would have certainly noticed considering we spent an entire day cutting up a tree the last time the saw was used.
Since I did not damage the saw by running it with the brake engaged, I must conclude that there are other reasons that a chainsaw clutch might fail. One of those reasons must surely be "manufacturing defect," which must be considered as a potential reason since the saw failed on only its second use.
Once it became clear that RISS was unwilling to help me, my next step was to open a case with Stihl. My case was opened several weeks ago. About a week after I opened the case, a Stihl representative called me to let me know that he had left messages with RISS, but they had not returned his calls. About a week after that, I called Stihl - but didn't learn any new information regarding my case. Many days have passed since then, and I have heard from neither Stihl nor RISS.
The bottom line is this: I need my chainsaw. A tree fell on my property just last week, and I need to process it. I didn't buy this saw so that I could use it twice and then have it burn up on the second use. I bought the second MS250 because I believed that Stihl makes quality products and has good customer support. I am no longer so sure...
MAJOR UPDATE 20221017 - NuclearNed wins!!!!
A few things have happened in the weeks/months since I posted this:
1. called Stihl a few times, basically got no response from them
2. disputed this with my cc company. They were good about it, but ultimately couldn't help.
3. contacted an attorney. Their consulation fee would be $250, which makes it not worth it to pursue this for a $400 saw
4. Last week, Mrs. Ned posted a formal complaint against Stihl on the BBB website. This finally got their attention!!!
Email I got earlier today from Stihl customer support:
I wanted to reach out and let you know I am working on the case and have several calls into Redneck Idiots Selling Saws. Please note that a chain saw can run with the chain brake engaged. During the engagement of the Chain Brake a brake band is pulled tightly around a clutch drum. The clutch drum interacts with the crankshaft. Although the brake band is engaged the drum can still spin the torque produced by the crank shaft. This is similar to driving your car with the emergency brake engaged down the highway.
With that being said, I am waiting to talk to <some guy> at RISS and will be let you know the outcome of that discussion later today.
To which I responded:
Thanks for the response. I understand what you are saying – a saw will run with a chain brake engaged. However, I have a few comments.
Prior to this owning this particular saw, I owned another MS-250 which I purchased around 2007-2008 from Awesome But Now Closed Hardware Store in SmallTown, TN. I feel certain that Stihl has records of that purchase and confirm that what I am claiming is true. I used that saw heavily for approx. 14 years – and never once destroyed the clutch by running the saw with the chain brake engaged. My point is that I’m very familiar with the proper operation of an MS-250 chainsaw and would never run the saw with the brake engaged.
Second, the last time that the saw was working, a buddy of mine and I used the saw to cut up a large hard, seasoned Ash tree… if you’re curious, I have pics of the tree that I took as I cut it up. I understand that the drum might actually spin with the brake engaged, but I’m very skeptical that the saw would actually produce enough torque to cut hard seasoned wood with the brake engaged.
Third, I simply didn’t run the saw with the brake engaged. I understand that the tech guy at RISS is making his best guess as to what damaged the saw, but the fact is that I did not run that saw with the brake engaged. As a sanity check, I asked my buddy who helped me cut up the tree if it was possible that I did this – and he confirmed that there was no way that I did. I have to believe that there must be other ways that a MS-250 clutch can be damaged, and one way that can’t be completely dismissed is “manufacturing defect.” This saw failed on only its second use – which makes me suspicious that something was wrong with this saw when I bought it. Another way to look at this: I guarantee that not every MS-250 clutch that fails does so because the user ran the saw with the brake engaged.
And then a few minutes ago, I got this from Stihl customer support:
<some guy> from RISS will be contacting you about picking up a replacement unit at no cost to you.
Please let me know if you do not hear from him in the next few days.
WOOT!
Last edited:
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