Bad switch, Ryobi comes through with flying colors!

[John Hunter]

Had the switch on my BT3100 go bad last week. It was the dreaded would not turn the saw off problem. So I went to the Ryobi tool registration site and sent an email. I got a very nice reply from Tim Beasley telling me to call technical services so that they could take my information and send me a new switch. 800-525-2579

Made the call and talked to a very nice lady Debby Hayes, she took my information. I told her of the this website and she ask for the url so we might just see her here. She said that a service tech would call me back.

After that we had a major storm go through and the power was down for some 22 hours. We went to my son's house since he still had electricity and I never thought much about the switch until today when UPS delivered a new switch with a very nice letter from Debby telling me they were unable to get in touch with me but had sent the new switch and if I had any questions to please call the tech, she even gave me his cell phone number!

Now that is the kind of customer service that keeps me coming back!

[Uncle Cracker]

Bully for them! Bully!

[woodyork]

My Results - not so good!!

My switch failed - Stuck On just likie they all do. I called the number John gave and was told that the BT3100 was not covered under the free replacemrnt and I would have to go to Home Depot and order a new switch. I argued a loooog time and quoted from Johns letter but I was unsuccessful. I tried to speak to the person John mentioned
(I have CRS and can't recall the name) and was told no such person worked there.

Now obviously I didn't get connected to the right department or something. John is your saw a 3100 or a 3000?

I'll never go to HD and pay good money for this crummy switch. I just came in from taking it apart for the third time. It's not sealed and you can get right down to the contacts to clean ---scrape them off. It is a double pole switch and they only used one pole so the first time I did it I switched to the new pole. This time I cleaned up both sets of contacts but I still only connected one pole of the switch. I don't think putting them in parallel will make them work any better. The contact arc welds them stuck ON.

I'd like to find a good switch from somewhere else that I could substitute. I wish it was mounted to the left anyway. Has anyone done this. If so can you provide details -- source, part number, mounting configuration etc. I'd be most appreciative.

[dbhost]

I think there are actually 2 different switch versions used in the BT3100. I am not sure how to describe them. But I know the owners manual for mine actually says BT3100-1, and it has a newer style, roundish paddle type switch...

If you get no help from Ryobi, call the Consumer Product Safety Commission and see if they can poke Ryobi with a hot stick or something... I like Ryobi, but sometimes they do bone headed things...

[John Hunter]

My saw is a BT3100 They even called me a few days after I got the switch to make sure I got it and that it fixed the problem! One thing I did say when I first called them was that this was a safety matter since the saw would not shut off. My saw was also one of the very last oned HD sold so that also may have made a difference even though the warranty was expired.