Ryobi RY08510

From day 1, the blower vac failed to work properly. It has been sent back for repair on 2 occasions and still it fails to work correctly, now it will start but will not rev up to a point where it produces enough power to blow or to suck. I will never recommend Ryobi to anyone, it is utter rubbish and in all honesty, shouldn't be on the market. I should have learnt my lesson when I bought a Ryobi strimmer, that failed to work after using it twice! Don't buy Ryobi, they are not worth it. Stihl or Honda for reliability. I should have checked the reviews first.

A minimum of 1 star was mandatory - I would gave less if I could. They do not stand behind their product at all - read this email string with Customer Service (start from the bottom)...

SUBJECT: RYOBI BLOWER/VACUUM - MODEL NUMBER: RY08510 - SERIAL NUMBER: AXH2631049

MY FINAL RESPONE

04/04/11 15:41:

So, the complaints that mimicked my own are "irrelevant" and don't "reflect with any accuracy, a manufacturer's product as a whole." - despite the fact that the same model (RY08510) was called out with the same condition (impossible to start after a very limited life of service).

Well, if TTI/Ryobi wants to stick its head in the sand and ignore a systemic failure of their product, I guess they do so at their peril. The fact is, people do read these sites to help them make informed decisions on which products they'll buy. The callous, disingenuous comments I have received make it abundantly clear that TTI/Ryobi has little regard for the customer after the sale. I guess I can post this string on "review center" and let the reading populace judge its "relevancy". As mentioned previously, my Ryobi string trimmer finally gave out after years of reliable service. When I purchase another trimmer this weekend, I guess it would be a mistake for me to consider Ryobi - or anything in the TTI family - relevant. Congratulations and have a good day.

RYOBI DISSING MY SECOND RESPONSE

04/04/11 14:04: Brian:

On-line comments or reviews in various places on-line are not considered relevant, since they can be hosted, posted, and placed on-line by anyone, including a competitor. They also do not reflect with any accuracy, a manufacturer's specific product as a whole.

As indicated previously, Ryobi does not offer any type of vouchers or any other coverage arrangements for a product, once that products warranty period has expired.

Best regards,

One World Technologies, Inc.

MY SECOND RESPONSE

04/04/11 11:16: Dear ,

Having worked in industries with consumer related products similar to those of Ryobi, I thoroughly understand how warranties work.

In the case of the Ryobi RY08510 blower/vacuum, there is a documented problem with this unit that goes beyond an isolated incidence of failure (per the link I shared with you). I find it quite disappointing that this detail was not acknowledged by Ryobi.

In view of the facts, Ryobi's choosing to stand behind a "canned" warranty technicality is a poor reflection of the parent company Tetra Technologies Inc. and its family of companies that include Homelite, Milwaukee, AEG, Hoover, Dirt Devil and VAX.

I would hope that Ryobi would see this as an opportunity to provide exceptional customer support, rather than provide another string of disappointing communication that makes its way to an industry/product blog site. I would encourage you to share this communication with a Supervisor or other individual who may be in a better position to provide satisfactory customer resolution of this issue.

I look forward to Ryobi's prompt, favorable response.

Best Regards,

Brian

RYOBI INITIAL RESPONSE

04/04/11 09:34: Brian:

Ryobi does not offer any type of vouchers or any other coverage arrangements for a product, once that poroducts warranty period has expired.

The warranty coverage period for your Ryobi lawn and garden product was for a period of time not an amount of use, and is based on the purchase receipt date and the warranty statement (Please read) provided in the manual for the specific product.

For service and repairs, your closest authorized service center can be determined from the service center locator URL below by using your 3-digit telephone area code in the search field.

http://www.ryobitools.com/support/service_center_locators

Best regards,

One World Technologies, Inc.

ORIGINAL NOTE TO RYOBI...

04/02/11 15:13: I purchased this unit 3 years ago from Home Depot (Delivery # 0081379315, Store# 2715, PO# 15938526)

From the moment I took the unit out of the box it was very hard to start - as indicated by the blisters I received in the first start up attempt. Unfortunately, I only obtained maybe 2 warm weather seasons out of it before it would no longer start. In fact, I was not able to use it at all last season. I have the original box with the vacuum bag/tubes that have never seen the light of day.

Clearly, there are some unusual fundamental problems with this product http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews105908.html

I bought this unit after owning a factory refurbished Ryobi string trimmer that performed reliably for 16 years! At this time I am requesting a voucher or other arrangement to cover the proper servicing of this unit. This will enable me to realize some reasonable value for the money I paid for your Ryobi product.

I run a commercial gardening company in Spain and we use leaf blowers every day, but convert them to hoovers with the extra bag attachments. I have used nearly every brand on the market, I can safely say in my experience that the Ryobi leaf blowers performed the very worst of all brands I have used. Stihl are ok, easy to get parts,(Except the latest model BG86 which is very badly designed) Echo are brilliant, but more difficult to get parts, Honda only make a blower, and you cannot get a hoover bag for it, Anova(a cheaper brand) have performed brilliantly, considering they are half the price of a stihl. Just remember this information is based on my own personal experience, please make up your own mind.

Bought the Ryobi gas blower/vaccum with great expectations - bad move!!!! Hard to start, zipper on bag tore, mulching blade broke, tubes keep falling off, etc. etc. etc. This is all from using to two times. Biggest piece of junk I have ever owned. Liked absolutely nothing about it.

The Ryobi RY08510 is junk!! Hard to start, tubes fall off, zipper on cover bag broke, and the cover over the air filter continues to shake off consistently.

About 26 months old and Ryobi RY08510 just stopped working. No spark to engine. Travel, time and repair costs make replacement a better option. Last Ryobi I will ever purchase.

I am very disappointed with this Ryobi RY08510 leaf blower. I try to limit its use to 15 minutes at a time as it is a nightmare to operate. I believe Ryobi could have solved all these niggles quite easily before putting this product on the market.

Don't waste your money on this equipment. Our local authorized repair service is not qualified to repair Ryobi. We replaced short block, under warranty. Have a choke problem, service tech rebuilt carb., it wil start but after it warms up, it dies out, he said it may need new carb.

The warrranty on the machine is for two years. I have had it at two different repair shops, under warranty, because it was difficult to start. One of the shops took the air filter out or left it out by accident. It still is difficult to start. As other people have noted, the tubes fall off of the machine, if you can get it running. I use it as a vacuum only. I have the vacuum tube taped on with duct tape, so that it will not fall off. I have had two of the vacuum bags. On one, the zipper broke. On the other one, the strap pulled off of the bag. I have reattached it, so that it will never come off. Right now, I can't locate a parts supplier. I certainly have wasted enough time with this machine. Although the manual does not indicate it, the choke can be set at some positions in between full choke and no choke. I hope to find a magic setting, where it will start easily. So far, I have not been able to find it. I am very familiar was small engines and power equipment. This is probably the worst machine of any kind that I have come across. My fan has not yet broken, and I suck everything into the machine, including walnuts by accident.

Couldn't they have added or offered a vibration-proof rubber attachment for the bolt that holds the cover over the carburetor of the Ryobi RY08510 leaf blower?