Is an Echo chainsaw warranty any good ? have you ever had a successful claim ?

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They didn't even want to see my paper work. The guy looked at the saw and said, they won't cover that on the Warranty. He did offer to order the new part and let ME BUY it. Kinda makes me think twice about buying Echo. I have bought 4 saws from that company since 2015. This is my first and only problem. If Josh was still working there he would have taken care of it. I wrote a good 5 star on this business in the past when I get time I'm going to change that. You can Google that company. It's a Hardware Store in Bossier City Louisiana. Not sure if I can give the name but you can figure it out. I saw negative reviews from others about negative reviews and since Josh always treated me well I ignored them. Now, I'm realizing that door swings both ways. Hit me in the back. I may contact the owner and see what he has to say. The guys that work there may change their minds. Sadly its quite a drive so I can't just face to face chat. I've always liked Mr. Tubbs and maybe I'll check with him before I make up my mind. However his employees told me it's Echo that won't give me a new part. They also sell Sthil and I buy parts there. It may be the new employee that doesn't know who I am and how much business I've done there. Josh always cut me some super deals. Danged sure miss that guy. If he still worked there we'd not be having this chat. Good day.
What it comes down to: Either the saw is covered under warranty or it isn't. Your documentation should show that. What a salesperson or technician "says" is not the controlling factor. So look through your paperwork, if it says that your saw is covered by warranty, then it is. If they refuse to work on it and resolve the issue still, then you need to go up the ladder. If it isn't covered by warranty, well, then...
 
The chain catcher might be difficult to get replaced on a warranty claim. It is not a part that will break or come off by itself generally but, being a safety feature, needs to be subjected to quite some force to be damaged. I have seen saws where the user had put on the clutch cover with the chain so slack it ran below the chain catcher before tightening the chain. This can have a catastrophic effect on the saw if the catcher is mounted on the oil tank/crankcase and some of those saws did have a cracked case. Damage of this nature and also a chain breaking or jumping off the bar resulting in chain catcher damage would be the result of an operator error to me.
And no, I am no dealer - I just help out people in the area with small engine problems.
 
The chain catcher might be difficult to get replaced on a warranty claim. It is not a part that will break or come off by itself generally but, being a safety feature, needs to be subjected to quite some force to be damaged. I have seen saws where the user had put on the clutch cover with the chain so slack it ran below the chain catcher before tightening the chain. This can have a catastrophic effect on the saw if the catcher is mounted on the oil tank/crankcase and some of those saws did have a cracked case. Damage of this nature and also a chain breaking or jumping off the bar resulting in chain catcher damage would be the result of an operator error to me.
And no, I am no dealer - I just help out people in the area with small engine problems.
 
The chain catcher might be difficult to get replaced on a warranty claim. It is not a part that will break or come off by itself generally but, being a safety feature, needs to be subjected to quite some force to be damaged. I have seen saws where the user had put on the clutch cover with the chain so slack it ran below the chain catcher before tightening the chain. This can have a catastrophic effect on the saw if the catcher is mounted on the oil tank/crankcase and some of those saws did have a cracked case. Damage of this nature and also a chain breaking or jumping off the bar resulting in chain catcher damage would be the result of an operator error to me.
And no, I am no dealer - I just help out people in the area with small engine problems.

What you described is what I call a Dumb arse.
I've ran saws for many years and have NEVER did what you described. That's done by non professional people. I'm retired and cutting my own trees. I did tree work professionally for years. No sir, I'm no dummy.
It takes a real idiot to do what you described AND I was cutting limbs when a small limb which was already cut off and laying under a big limb out of sight became caught in the chain. IF the chain had been done as you describe then I could not have been sawing when it broke. It would have broke either when the nuts were tightened or upon start up. Fact is I was running the saw. Chain installed and tensioned properly. The reeved up saw hit and drew the small limb at a 45 degree angle drawing it quickly into the saw and flipped the chain off. It's a VERY common thing when limbing but normally the saw just cuts the small stuff in half and that's the end of it. My complaint IS: HOW thin and weak the PLASTIC chain catcher is at the point of attachment to the clutch cover.
I'm told this is a common flaw with this saw. The guy at the saw shop said, well it's just a cheap saw meant to be used occasionally. He added, I can see you KNOW how to run saws, he was looking at the white guide line mark on the saw used to measure length of wood and aim for felling. I own 2 Sthils, 3 Poulans, 1 Jonserd, 4 Echos, and 3 electric saws. I've worked on saws and ran saws for over 30 years and I know saws. So nope I'm no dumbass. The shop guy insuated that I was using the saw professionally or over working it. He has no idea that I use the saw for limming and small stuff. It was a small limb that threw the chain. He can look at the bar. Hardly any use. Original chain. No, he's ALREADY seen this many times and right off the bat said, Echo WILL NOT WARRANTY THAT. He indicated that lots of these saws loose the chain catchers. Seems like a common problem that Echo knows about. Google Echo 352 clutch cover. Amazon is selling them. You can bet this IS a factory defect and they love making money by selling a clutch cover every time a chain comes off.
 
I didn't buy any of my Echo equipment based on warranty.
But I like it and think it was all a good value just the same.

I've had lots of Echo equipment over the years. And really the only thing that's had a glitch is the 4ah 58v string trimmer that sometimes has a momentary disconnect between the throttle and the motor. Not a big deal really. Just let off the throttle for a second and then back at it.
 
What you described is what I call a Dumb arse.
I've ran saws for many years and have NEVER did what you described. That's done by non professional people. I'm retired and cutting my own trees. I did tree work professionally for years. No sir, I'm no dummy.
It takes a real idiot to do what you described AND I was cutting limbs when a small limb which was already cut off and laying under a big limb out of sight became caught in the chain. IF the chain had been done as you describe then I could not have been sawing when it broke. It would have broke either when the nuts were tightened or upon start up. Fact is I was running the saw. Chain installed and tensioned properly. The reeved up saw hit and drew the small limb at a 45 degree angle drawing it quickly into the saw and flipped the chain off. It's a VERY common thing when limbing but normally the saw just cuts the small stuff in half and that's the end of it. My complaint IS: HOW thin and weak the PLASTIC chain catcher is at the point of attachment to the clutch cover.
I'm told this is a common flaw with this saw. The guy at the saw shop said, well it's just a cheap saw meant to be used occasionally. He added, I can see you KNOW how to run saws, he was looking at the white guide line mark on the saw used to measure length of wood and aim for felling. I own 2 Sthils, 3 Poulans, 1 Jonserd, 4 Echos, and 3 electric saws. I've worked on saws and ran saws for over 30 years and I know saws. So nope I'm no dumbass. The shop guy insuated that I was using the saw professionally or over working it. He has no idea that I use the saw for limming and small stuff. It was a small limb that threw the chain. He can look at the bar. Hardly any use. Original chain. No, he's ALREADY seen this many times and right off the bat said, Echo WILL NOT WARRANTY THAT. He indicated that lots of these saws loose the chain catchers. Seems like a common problem that Echo knows about. Google Echo 352 clutch cover. Amazon is selling them. You can bet this IS a factory defect and they love making money by selling a clutch cover every time a chain comes off.
Ok an update.
I called Mr. Tubbs. He said for me to come bring the Saw and talk to him.
I've done a lot of business there and have always felt like they were fair. I'm hoping the situation will be resolved. I WILL BE FAIR AND HONEST.
I'll update IF they fix my problem. After a cool down and some thought I felt maybe the owner should know about it BEFORE I write a scathing review on his website. So far I've given them 5 stars and sent a lot of people there to buy Echo saws. So we will know in a week or two. I'm waiting to make the long drive until I have a business trip in that area.
Yes, so far I've loved Echo products. Still do. I think this is a flaw in the design. If I get a new cover my plan is to beef it up with epoxy before using it. Have a great day.
 
It's starting to clear up a little now. Apparently, the dealer told you that the "damage" wouldn't be covered under warranty. I can understand that. From your earlier posts, it appeared they said the "saw" wasn't covered under warranty because of what model it was.

The chain catcher breaking is probably considered by them to be physical damage and thus excluded from a warranty claim. (even if the part is weaker than it could/should be)
 
It's starting to clear up a little now. Apparently, the dealer told you that the "damage" wouldn't be covered under warranty. I can understand that. From your earlier posts, it appeared they said the "saw" wasn't covered under warranty because of what model it was.

The chain catcher breaking is probably considered by them to be physical damage and thus excluded from a warranty claim. (even if the part is weaker than it could/should be)
My thinking is since Josh is gone the new guy may not be up to date. I told the owner my feelings and he had no idea what transpired. Josh would have fixed this in a heart beat. I got upset because the long drive makes trips a Hassel and I was expecting a different outcome. Of course Disappointment is always based upon expectations. Maybe this will end well. It's going to be a while before I go back. I'll definitely update. I do wish more After Market parts, especially plastic, were more available and cheaper but don't we all. Some cheap Sthil parts are. Have a great day
 
It's because of the lack of aftermarket parts support that I never keep any broken Echo saws I acquire. I always sell them as parts saws. The runners I've had in the past I've been happy with but didn't keep any of those either for the same reason. If someone is in the OEM parts only camp, then Echo is a better choice for them than someone like me that is always looking for the least expensive way to put a saw back into reliable service.
 
What you described is what I call a Dumb arse.
I've ran saws for many years and have NEVER did what you described. That's done by non professional people. I'm retired and cutting my own trees. I did tree work professionally for years. No sir, I'm no dummy.
It takes a real idiot to do what you described AND I was cutting limbs when a small limb which was already cut off and laying under a big limb out of sight became caught in the chain. IF the chain had been done as you describe then I could not have been sawing when it broke. It would have broke either when the nuts were tightened or upon start up. Fact is I was running the saw. Chain installed and tensioned properly. The reeved up saw hit and drew the small limb at a 45 degree angle drawing it quickly into the saw and flipped the chain off. It's a VERY common thing when limbing but normally the saw just cuts the small stuff in half and that's the end of it. My complaint IS: HOW thin and weak the PLASTIC chain catcher is at the point of attachment to the clutch cover.
I'm told this is a common flaw with this saw. The guy at the saw shop said, well it's just a cheap saw meant to be used occasionally. He added, I can see you KNOW how to run saws, he was looking at the white guide line mark on the saw used to measure length of wood and aim for felling. I own 2 Sthils, 3 Poulans, 1 Jonserd, 4 Echos, and 3 electric saws. I've worked on saws and ran saws for over 30 years and I know saws. So nope I'm no dumbass. The shop guy insuated that I was using the saw professionally or over working it. He has no idea that I use the saw for limming and small stuff. It was a small limb that threw the chain. He can look at the bar. Hardly any use. Original chain. No, he's ALREADY seen this many times and right off the bat said, Echo WILL NOT WARRANTY THAT. He indicated that lots of these saws loose the chain catchers. Seems like a common problem that Echo knows about. Google Echo 352 clutch cover. Amazon is selling them. You can bet this IS a factory defect and they love making money by selling a clutch cover every time a chain comes off.

I did not imply you were a dummy (or made a mistake), just cited some of my experience with other saws that might explain the warranty problem you have...
 
I did not imply you were a dummy (or made a mistake), just cited some of my experience with other saws that might explain the warranty problem you have...
You are so correct. I just thought I'd put that out because no one here actually knows me. I am over 70 and have years of experience. I stopped climbing in my late 60's and now I own acerage and cut my own firewood. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself. The photo is a big oak that had to go (sadly) because it was about to blow over on my cabin. That is a Echo cs 590 in my hand. I was trimming limbs starting with 6 inches and smaller on this very tree when I lost the chain and damaged the cs352. It seems to me the attachment point is to thin where the catch broke off the clutch cover. Echo should recognize and beef that area up a bit. IMHO of course. Have a great day.
 

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I don’t see it being warrantied because its from normal usage. Thats like buying a new car and hitting a pothole and wanting the manufacturer to replace the rim and tire....it happens and is no fault of the automaker. I don’t see a reason to get all up in arms over a less than $10 part.
 
I have an Echo leaf blower that quit running. Turned out the ignition coil was shot. At this point it was 3 years old. I called Echo and they sent me to the nearest service center which was about 45 minutes from my home. The service guy had it for about 2-3 weeks and did replace the coil under warranty. He commented how Echo only pays a fraction of his normal labor rate.

He was a nice mechanic who seemed pretty knowledgeable. Sadly, he is no longer in business. My closest Echo service center is over an hour away now.

Thankfully, the leaf blower is still running at 7 years old. It gets plenty of use year-round. I think Echo builds a good product...just don't buy one for the warranty.
 
The chain catcher might be difficult to get replaced on a warranty claim. It is not a part that will break or come off by itself generally but, being a safety feature, needs to be subjected to quite some force to be damaged. I have seen saws where the user had put on the clutch cover with the chain so slack it ran below the chain catcher before tightening the chain. This can have a catastrophic effect on the saw if the catcher is mounted on the oil tank/crankcase and some of those saws did have a cracked case. Damage of this nature and also a chain breaking or jumping off the bar resulting in chain catcher damage would be the result of an operator error to me.
And no, I am no dealer - I just help out people in the area with small engine problems.
You sound a lot like the guy who answered the phone at the dealer where I bought my new Echo saw, except that it took about 10 minutes before he could even figure out what a chain catcher was.

I had the chain catcher break on my Echo CS-361P the very first time that I threw the chain. And yes my chain was properly installed and tensioned.

Are you familiar with the chain catcher in question on either the CS-352 or the CS-361P?

Here's a picture of the part for the 361P in case you are not.
download.jpeg
I have a similar chain catcher on a couple of other saws that have never broken. But I suspect that the broken chain catcher may have had a weakness/brittleness/flaw in the plastic that made it less durable than it should have been.

After I finally got through to the guy who answered the phone that the issue was a "chain catcher", and he searched it out on the internet to learn what I was talking about, he suggested that most guys just forego the warranty claim and buy a new one.
In the end, I was told that to warranty the item in question, I would have to leave the saw there so they could determine the cause of failure, and pay a $40 service fee that would only be refunded if they found that the cause was a defect in materials or workmanship.

I realize that this is small potatoes, as the part in question cost only a couple of bucks to buy and probably a couple of cents to manufacture.
But I was a bit surprised at the time wasted on explaining the situation. And, like you, the assumption that the customer is always wrong, and the eagerness to place blame on the end consumer, rather than trying to rectify the situation with the defective part.
 
I don’t see it being warrantied because its from normal usage. Thats like buying a new car and hitting a pothole and wanting the manufacturer to replace the rim and tire....it happens and is no fault of the automaker. I don’t see a reason to get all up in arms over a less than $10 part.
Or hitting a pothole and all the lug bolts snapping off?

Or turning the knob on your radio on your new car and the knob falling off in your hand?
Sure your radio still works, but no knob.

An inconvenience that the customer should handle themselves and not inconvenience the manufacturer or dealer with, right?
Sure, I'll just run up to 7-11 and grab a new one. Wouldn't want to bother anybody with such a minor defect of their product since they can be found and paid for at every corner store.
 
Here's my 2¢ if anyone cares. Both stihl and husky have had some serious growing pains with new releases. Crank bearings, Mtronic crap. Sure the dealer deals with it usually but I'm not a huge fan of either company using the customer to R&D their new ****. I'm a busy person and I don't perticularly like my dealer options for either in my area. Echo has had none of this in their pro saws. I like that, perticularly because I tend to do my own work. I do believe echo tends to be more reliable then the rest. I know at least some of their electronics like the coils are lifetime free replacement. That's awesome IMO. As far as relying on the warranty? You are relying on the dealer to do what's right. I personally don't like to put another person in control of anything that pertains to me. My 620 came from a dealer who is also a Stihl dealer. I won't bring it back to them for service. Ever.
 
I had the chain catcher break on my Echo CS-361P the very first time that I threw the chain. And yes my chain was properly installed and tensioned.
Throwing a properly tensioned chain under ordinary use does not happen often (and should actually be avoided as this can damage the chain which is more expensive to fix/replace than a piece of plastic).
The chain catcher did its job on your saw - you probably did not lose a leg in the process. The same goes for other safety features as automatic seat belts and air bags in cars - they will be useful once and require replacement after that.
 
Throwing a properly tensioned chain under ordinary use does not happen often (and should actually be avoided as this can damage the chain which is more expensive to fix/replace than a piece of plastic).
The chain catcher did its job on your saw - you probably did not lose a leg in the process. The same goes for other safety features as automatic seat belts and air bags in cars - they will be useful once and require replacement after that.
Of course throwing a properly tensioned chain should be avoided!

The chain catcher's job is to catch the chain, and not break in the process.
How could you be sure that it did it's job if it didn't actually catch the chain, but instead snapped off like a small dry twig?

What is ordinary use? And where in the manual does it give you exactly how and what you are allowed to cut with the saw that I purchased with my own money?

The guy at the dealer sounded shocked and appalled when I explained that the chain was thrown while cutting brush (a pile of thin limber sticks that are flexible and not always square to the bar).
And went so far as to invent in his mind that I had ruined my chain (which I had not) by cutting into dirt and rocks (again something that had not occurred).
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the chain.
But the chain catcher was broke.

Are you sure you are not the guy at the dealer?

I completely agree with Wow, that you seem to believe that you are all knowing and anyone who uses a chainsaw and ever throws a chain must be a dumbass.
I'm not a dumbass either and have been using chainsaws for a darn long long time. I've thrown a chain or two and have used and owned many chainsaws. And never had a chain catcher snap like a twig. Much less the very first time that a chain was thrown on a brand new saw.

I'm not some idiot that needs your assuming advice that I am incompetent with the use of said tool, and how lucky I am that I didn't cut my leg off with the saw.

I'll state again that there is no way to tell if it worked as it should, because I don't believe that it was designed(as a safety feature) to break every time a chain hit it.

And seatbelts don't need replacement every time you have to slam on the breaks because some moron wasn't paying attention and ran a light or stop sign.
 
Or hitting a pothole and all the lug bolts snapping off?

Or turning the knob on your radio on your new car and the knob falling off in your hand?
Sure your radio still works, but no knob.

An inconvenience that the customer should handle themselves and not inconvenience the manufacturer or dealer with, right?
Sure, I'll just run up to 7-11 and grab a new one. Wouldn't want to bother anybody with such a minor defect of their product since they can be found and paid for at every corner store.

Not exactly what i’m saying. My point is he broke it. If it is indeed a defect then yes it should be warrantied, but it just sounds like he broke it. Maybe I should see if Stihl will warranty the brand new chain i broke last week when i hit a eye bolt buried in the trunk on the first cut.

The warranty covers a “manufacturer defect”. He said in his opinion they should beef that area up a bit. Yeah, they probably should and it might be a weak point but that doesn’t mean its a defect.
 
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