The Everlast Plasma Cutter That Didn’t Last
Posted February 05, 2009 11:20 AM by frankd20
Pathfinder Tags: china plasma cutter
ebay plasma cutter everlast neverlast plasma cutter
I know that others have had good experiences with plasma cutters from Everlast, but I did not. What follows is my own account.
The Shot Heard 'Round eBay
I made the mistake of buying a CUT 60D Everlast plasma cutting machine on eBay. The transaction via PayPal was smooth, and the plasma cutter arrived in a reasonable amount of time.
I pulled the unit out of the box, set it up, and started cutting. The plasma cutter worked well enough for the price, and I made a couple of cuts to test it. This is where my enthusiasm for this Everlast product ends.
On the third cut, the plasma cutter emitted a loud bang that sounded like a fire cracker. Then the circuit breaker switch tripped off. I flipped the switch back on and the machine started again. But when I tried to cut, another loud bang was heard.
Mad About MOSFETs
Upon opening the cutter's case, I discovered that the problem was obvious. One of the MOSFETs had blown. A metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) is an electronic switching device with a conducting channel as the output. They don't sell 'em at Wal-Mart.If you look at the ads from Everlast, the company claims that its plasma cutters use Toshiba or Fuji MOSFETs. This was one of the selling points for me. When I looked at the MOSFETs in my machine, however, I found an unwelcome surprise. Covered by a metal plate as a heat sink, my MOSFETs were made by Wisdom semiconductor with part number WFW20N50.
Blame the Supplier
I contacted Everlast and told them what had happened to me. I also asked the company to replace my machine with one that had the correct MOSFETs, or - if that wasn't possible - to give me my money back.
I was told that the manufacturer in China had switched MOSFETs without telling Everlast. I was also told to wait two weeks since they didn't have a machine with the right MOSFETs in stock. Two weeks came and went. All the while, I saw the same product being sold on Ebay. I contacted Everlast again and was told to wait longer. Two weeks turned into two months.
Memory Loss and Shipping Cost
When I contacted Everlast after waiting way too long, the company didn't remember anything. So, I had to copy all the emails to remind them.
I had told them the first time that I would not pay for shipping since they sent me a product with the wrong MOSFETs. So now after waiting all this time, I was told to send the unit back – but that Everlast would not pay for shipping.
I complained by contacting eBay and PayPal. I also submitted a letter of complaint to the Better Business Bureau. Eventually, Everlast contacted me and said it would pay for shipping.
Show Me the Money
During this time, I still told Everlast that I would like a unit with the correct MOSFETs since the product I had would cut well-enough if the MOSFETs help up. I was told that Everlast would only refund my money, and did not want to replace my unit with the correct item. "Fine", I said. "Then return my money."
A week went by. I contacted Everlast again. WHERE IS MY MONEY? The company told me that PayPal had blocked them from sending money, so I'd have to wait. But when I called PayPal and told them about the situation, PayPal stated that it does not block anyone from sending money or giving a refund. The only reason would be if the company did not have money in its account.
At this point, I knew that Everlast was lying to me. So I contacted my credit card company and submitted a complaint. To its credit (no pun intened), my credit card company issued me a credit. Finally, I got my money back. As for Everlast, it's reputation (at least with me) cannot be replaced.
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