My Duetto SCREAMS

[dlc95]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve got 7 Rupes tools and never had a problem. I did have problems with some green pads, but after contacting Rupes they sent me new ones right away. I love their customer service. Forums are not the best place to try to contact any manufacturer, it’s easier to contact the companies service department, imho.

My machines are 100% tip top.

A slight issue with a consumable product was handled immediately by internal customer service.

 

[MarkD51]

Sorry to hear about these tool woes Dave. Tough to say without further inspection what the cause could be?

I'd assume Rupes uses bearings versus bushings in critical areas, but not sure. Electrical issues, armature, brushes might also be a culprit.

In any case if one could discover what the problem was, can an end user then acquire the needed parts to fix?

As others have touched on, if the machine is still under warrantee, or if Rupes is willing to handle this without any incurrence of cost to you other than shipping costs, the solution seems clear.

 

[swanicyouth]

Glad you got resolution, all I got was silence from Todd, even after writing to Mike Phillips asking him to help. My Duetto got extremely loud then began overheating to the point you couldn't hold it. My 15le Mark II melted pads to the backing plate after doing a few small sections. The Duetto finally just died, it lasted 6 cars in total.

I'll never recommend another Rupes product again.

To play devils advocate - I do not believe Todd or Mike’s job is to handle warranty repairs for Rupes. I’m sure they are busy with their actual jobs. As suggested above - maybe CALL Rupes at the number listed above or on their website. I’m sure there is a blurb on their website regarding warranty issues and it doesn’t include contacting Todd or Mike.

And, I dunno - something is not right here. You bought a Duetto that got so hot you couldn’t hold it & it died after 6 cars AND a 15 MkII that melts pads.

The common denominator here seems to be heat. It seems you are claiming either:

A. You received 2 defective machines.

-or-

B. Rupes tools overheat and are poorly manufactured or engineered.

I suppose A. is possible - although VERY unlikely in modern manufacturing. I’m sure defective products ship out - but the chances of getting 2 in a row are quite slim to impossible.

As for B. numerous pros are using Rupes machines with great success. So either there is an Illuminati type conspiracy to take our money for machines that are garbage, or something else is going on here.

 

[dlc95]

To play devils advocate - I do not believe Todd or Mike’s job is to handle warranty repairs for Rupes. I’m sure they are busy with their actual jobs. As suggested above - maybe CALL Rupes at the number listed above or on their website. I’m sure there is a blurb on their website regarding warranty issues and it doesn’t include contacting Todd or Mike.

And, I dunno - something is not right here. You bought a Duetto that got so hot you couldn’t hold it & it died after 6 cars AND a 15 MkII that melts pads.

The common denominator here seems to be heat. It seems you are claiming either:

A. You received 2 defective machines.

-or-

B. Rupes tools overheat and are poorly manufactured or engineered.

I suppose A. is possible - although VERY unlikely in modern manufacturing. I’m sure defective products ship out - but the chances of getting 2 in a row are quite slim to impossible.

As for B. numerous pros are using Rupes machines with great success. So either there is an Illuminati type conspiracy to take our money for machines that are garbage, or something else is going on here.

C. There may be an issue with the power supply.

I agree with the idea that Rupes staff doesn't regularly browse the forums.

If I'm not mistaken, Todd does a lot of training, and Dylan a lot of the marketing..(?)

When they say to call the facility, That's probably the best course of action.

 

[Calendyr]

I'm about done too. I just bought a 21 Mark II. Used it for the first time today. Worked great for about 30 minutes. Put it down while I used my Flex mini, picked it back up and pulled the trigger and it just hums. Let it sit for another hour. Picked it up pulled the trigger and it ran. Set it down for a second, got a pad for it and got it ready to go. Pull the trigger and just a hum. If I sent this thing in and there is something wrong with it and they tell me they are going to fix it I' going to snap. lol

oh...there is another post on the duetto. Ran it for about 15 minutes and it was right back at it. Had to send it in again. I figured sure they would just replace it at this point. Nope...another repair job. I got it back, made sure it ran right, put it on eBay. The two repair tickets ended up totaling 300.00.

Wow... that is some serious bad luck!

 

[Calendyr]

To play devils advocate - I do not believe Todd or Mike’s job is to handle warranty repairs for Rupes. I’m sure they are busy with their actual jobs. As suggested above - maybe CALL Rupes at the number listed above or on their website. I’m sure there is a blurb on their website regarding warranty issues and it doesn’t include contacting Todd or Mike.

And, I dunno - something is not right here. You bought a Duetto that got so hot you couldn’t hold it & it died after 6 cars AND a 15 MkII that melts pads.

The common denominator here seems to be heat. It seems you are claiming either:

A. You received 2 defective machines.

-or-

B. Rupes tools overheat and are poorly manufactured or engineered.

I suppose A. is possible - although VERY unlikely in modern manufacturing. I’m sure defective products ship out - but the chances of getting 2 in a row are quite slim to impossible.

As for B. numerous pros are using Rupes machines with great success. So either there is an Illuminati type conspiracy to take our money for machines that are garbage, or something else is going on here.

Rupes machines are supposed to be used with little pressure. If you put 15 pounds of pressure on the pad like for a regular DA, they will heat the pad, interface and motor a lot. Maybe that is the issue here. But even so, the machine should not be failling after just a few hours of work.

 

[coolcobramatt]

To play devils advocate - I do not believe Todd or Mike’s job is to handle warranty repairs for Rupes. I’m sure they are busy with their actual jobs. As suggested above - maybe CALL Rupes at the number listed above or on their website. I’m sure there is a blurb on their website regarding warranty issues and it doesn’t include contacting Todd or Mike.

And, I dunno - something is not right here. You bought a Duetto that got so hot you couldn’t hold it & it died after 6 cars AND a 15 MkII that melts pads.

The common denominator here seems to be heat. It seems you are claiming either:

A. You received 2 defective machines.

-or-

B. Rupes tools overheat and are poorly manufactured or engineered.

I suppose A. is possible - although VERY unlikely in modern manufacturing. I’m sure defective products ship out - but the chances of getting 2 in a row are quite slim to impossible.

As for B. numerous pros are using Rupes machines with great success. So either there is an Illuminati type conspiracy to take our money for machines that are garbage, or something else is going on here.

I called Rupes several times, always got forwarded to someone else’s voice mail “who could help” and then no further communication. I emailed customer service from their website, no reply. Believe it when I say I exhausted my options. I even messaged Mike Phillips and he forwarded my contact info (and long email) to this Todd guy. Todd immediately went on my complaint post and defended Rupes but did he get in touch with me as a long time, multi purchase customer? Not a peep.

That tells me their job is to publicly be the face of rupes for the US market and cover up/dismiss serious complaints. Whether or not it’s their job, it’s just good customer service especially when you know your company is dropping the ball. Maybe it’s me but I didn’t think that was alot to ask.

 

[dlc95]

I called Rupes several times, always got forwarded to someone else’s voice mail “who could help” and then no further communication. I emailed customer service from their website, no reply. Believe it when I say I exhausted my options. I even messaged Mike Phillips and he forwarded my contact info (and long email) to this Todd guy. Todd immediately went on my complaint post and defensed Rupes but did he get in touch with me as a long time, multi purchase customer? Not a peep.

That tells me their job is to publicly be the face of rupes for the US market and cover up/dismiss serious complaints. Whether or not it’s their job, it’s just good customer service especially when you know your company is dropping the ball. Maybe it’s me but I didn’t think that was alot to ask.

I'd be pretty frustrated for sure.

 

[coolcobramatt]

I'd be pretty frustrated for sure.

After two years I am over the frustration but I will always post up my thoughts when I see something new (or that I missed) on their non-existant customer service. I sold my mkII for a loss and threw the Duetto a few times to vent that frustration. It’s still on my workbench in case of flareups lol.

I quit trying after getting attacked by Rupes fan bois, who couldn’t fathom the thought that someone may just have a different opinion. Funny thing is I have gotten several pms from others who have the same complaints and got assaulted on the forum as well.

Rupes, you guys really suck for putting more than a few customers through this.

 

[WaxMaster1]

C. There may be an issue with the power supply.

I agree with the idea that Rupes staff doesn't regularly browse the forums.

If I'm not mistaken, Todd does a lot of training, and Dylan a lot of the marketing..(?)

When they say to call the facility, That's probably the best course of action.

Dan, before I even got to this reply from you, I was thinking...................cheapo extension cord!!!

 

[swanicyouth]

I quit trying after getting attacked by Rupes fan bois, who couldn’t fathom the thought that someone may just have a different opinion. Funny thing is I have gotten several pms from others who have the same complaints and got assaulted on the forum as well.

.

First, you have to explain - what exactly is a “boi”?

I called Rupes several times, always got forwarded to someone else’s voice mail “who could help” and then no further communication. I emailed customer service from their website, no reply. Believe it when I say I exhausted my options. I even messaged Mike Phillips and he forwarded my contact info (and long email) to this Todd guy. Todd immediately went on my complaint post and defended Rupes but did he get in touch with me as a long time, multi purchase customer? Not a peep.

That tells me their job is to publicly be the face of rupes for the US market and cover up/dismiss serious complaints. Whether or not it’s their job, it’s just good customer service especially when you know your company is dropping the ball. Maybe it’s me but I didn’t think that was alot to ask.

My friend - you have to be the unluckiest detailer in the history of detailing. To recap:

1. Bought a Duetto that screamed out of the box & died after 6 cars.

2. Bought a 15 that was somehow defective in that it “cooked pads”.

3. Called Rupes several times and was ignored.

4. Emailed Rupes several times and was ignored.

5. Emailed Mike Phillips and received no help other than him forwarding your info to this Todd guy.

6. Was ignored by this Todd guy - other than for him to call you out on a forum.

7. Received several PMs from others - also stuck with expensive defective Rupes machines, whom are also unable to get any support or a resolution via Rupes or the vendor.

Although not stated or implied - I’m assuming both subsequently purchased Rupes machines were purchased through PBMG and PBMG (or whatever vendor they were purchased through)
would not refund your dollars, offer store credit, or aid in a resolution for these defective machines.

Could just be I’m a fan boi, so I’m biased - but something about this sounds less than 100% accurate to me.

 

[dlc95]

After two years I am over the frustration but I will always post up my thoughts when I see something new (or that I missed) on their non-existant customer service. I sold my mkII for a loss and threw the Duetto a few times to vent that frustration. It’s still on my workbench in case of flareups lol.

I quit trying after getting attacked by Rupes fan bois, who couldn’t fathom the thought that someone may just have a different opinion. Funny thing is I have gotten several pms from others who have the same complaints and got assaulted on the forum as well.

Rupes, you guys really suck for putting more than a few customers through this.

I hear ya man. I hope I wasn't one of the guys coming after ya!

I've invested a lot of money in their system. It's a good system that works well. It seems to be geared towards situations that need some sort of standardization, where there are not too many variances. If I had to rely solely on the system I would probably feel a little confined. In the last few years of really putting it to use I see some limitations, wether it be inherent in the system, or my inability to make it work for me.

What I've concluded is that - for me - the cost of the overall doesn't necessarily show in my final results than say when I use a PC, or a 3401. I believe the term is "economy of scale", or something related to that.

If I was to just do this as my sole business, I'd have a Makita 9237c Rotary, a Flex 3401, and a Porter Cable 7424xp. I probably wouldn't subscribe to the Rupes system alone if at all.

Knowing this, if I had the issues some of you had, I'd probably just sell the remaining items and move on to greener pastures.

Luckily, I've had great experiences with their customer service, but I completely understand how frustrating it can be on the receiving end thanks to CG!

 

[PaulMys]

When reading all of these posts about Rupes, I think of my old Ram forum.

Not many threads about "This truck is Great!" But when something was wrong, there were a flood of posts.

That is the nature of the beast with the internet/forum world.

However, I have noticed over the years that many of the posters would follow up with some kind of end result. (The dealer did this/that, Chrysler offered this, I'm happy/unhappy)

Customer service (Good, bad, or indifferent) should at least be in quick contact with the customer.

I have read (and heard from privately) more than a few Rupes owners that receive almost no or zero support.

Are they they the minority? I would hope so.

But to me, there are too many of these kinds of complaints for me to risk dropping that much cash on one of their machines.

Am I misinformed? Paranoid? Possibly.

But I'm all about a warranty, and I want it taken care of immediately if something fails. (This goes for anything I buy. Not just detailing related machines.)

 

[Submariner]

Boy we are lucky in the UK. Electrical goods have to have a 2 year warranty.
Simples buy it from Amazon ... it breaks you tell them ( send pics and a video) and get an immediate refund ... go buy somethig else.

Interesting I see Rupes flaunt European Law and offer a 1 year warranty.
Actually under EU Law, they have recognized that extremely expensive ( in relationship to the market) items can be expected to work for up to 6 years! ( note for consumers not trade. Rupes pricing structure definitely puts them in the “overpriced” zone.

What I find unacceptable is when it breaks they dont replace it and then when it breaks again dont offer a new replacement.
Thats enough to put me off Rupes as a tool mfg. for ever!

That said I have never been a fan of Italian engineering based on my Sister’s woefully built Alfa Romeo ... shocking piece of crap!
And my friends Ferrari ... camshaft blew at 5,000 miles (note he is a fastidious owner, ran it in like a totally p@ssy over 3,000 miles not their recommended 1,000 etc.). They said he pushed it too hard! Er excuse me he is still alive and has a current license. Hideous Bill to repair. Then the oil seals started leaking ... they said he wasnt using it enough!
He moved at my reccomendation to AMG ... drives it like it was Stolen .. no issues.
My take Italian engineering verses German ... no contest!

My take on Customer Service ... if they dont look after customers then as the Loto says “it could be you”!

Very glad I bought my Makita for £232 not an equivalent Rupes for £460!
Plus the glorious service backup of Makita (hundreds of trade orientated Service agents in the UK ... who do a great job, and I guess where taking the p@ss out of burly builders would earn them a smack in the mouth)

Not to mention Makitas quality I have 2 Variable speed grinders, one big hammer drill, 2 18V drill drivers, 1 right angle drill, one Plaster paddle mixer and all have worked flawlessly over the last 4 years!