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...
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