My longevity plasma experience...Not good...

[graphite9]

So heres the deal. I own a small fab shop, and wanted a plasma cutter. I didn't need anything too fancy, as I didn't need to use it a ton. The longevity plasma fit my budget and needs. Bought it brand new off ebay, and it worked flawless for about 9 months. I probably only used it for about an hour total. I went to turn it on the other day, and when i tried to strike an arc, I saw a bright white flash from inside the machine, along with a massive BANG!. Tripped the breaker. I opened the case to see four "mosfet" chips has cracked/burnt up. I called customer service, and they informed me that they couldn't help me with any warranty. I am very irritated at this point. The machine still looks brand new. So, i emailed them to see if I could buy the chips myself and have them put in her locally. Of course, no response.. Called them today, and the customer service rep informed me that they would cost me $20 each. I need to replace four. I know darn well that a tiny half inch by half inch computer component probably doesn't cost more than a dime to make. He said that was the best I could do, and I don't even know If it would fix the issue. I found these mosfets shipped from china for $24. And thats for ten of them. At this point I'm so fed up with them, I feel like tossing it in the trash and buying a QUALITY machine. Save your pennies and buy another brand. Im going to duplicate this thread in a different forum every week, until they get me a new machine, or buy this pile of crap back from me.

Longevity con contact me at bpoolman2003@yahoo.com when they are ready to stand behind their product.

[nicmert]

That sucks, you've convinced me, no Longevity for me! Are you paying attention Logevity reps???

[graphite9]

Originally Posted by nicmert

That sucks, you've convinced me, no Longevity for me! Are you paying attention Logevity reps???

-save your money and get a hypertherm.

My other thread on IH8mud is already at 222 views within 3 days. The faster Longevity figures it out, the better. There is no excuse for poor customer service.

[joe6]

Originally Posted by graphite9

-save your money and get a hypertherm.

My other thread on IH8mud is already at 222 views within 3 days. The faster Longevity figures it out, the better. There is no excuse for poor customer service.

That says it all right there

[longevity-inc.com]

We do apologize for the trouble you are having with your plasma cutter but your unit is out of warranty. Therefore we offered to sell the mosfets at our cost plus 10% which is standard for our out of warranty machines. We would love to extend the warranty past what we advertise however that is unrealistic so for now we can only offer you parts and labor. We do apologize for your frustration.

Best,

[graphite9]

How long is a longevity plasma warranty? Because if its a year, I'm probably still covered. Your cost plus 10%? How is it I have found replacement Fe brand mosfets for under $2 each? Sorry for my frustration? That doesn't help me. I'm going to keep spreading the word about my experience. So this is normal for this low quality product to give up in less than a year? Then get charged $80 for just the parts to fix it myself? If that fixes it.. At that point I'm into my Chinese machine for a few hundred less than a miller or hypertherm. I'll pass.

[graphite9]

Also, a customer service rep told me he could sell me the entire upper board for $129. This board has 12 mosfets. if my math serves me correctly, just the mosfets on the upper board would cost longevity $216@ $18ea. how is it that a board with a massive amount of electronics, along with $216 worth of mosfets is $129?

[longevity-inc.com]

Originally Posted by graphite9

How long is a longevity plasma warranty? Because if its a year, I'm probably still covered. Your cost plus 10%? How is it I have found replacement Fe brand mosfets for under $2 each? Sorry for my frustration? That doesn't help me. I'm going to keep spreading the word about my experience. So this is normal for this low quality product to give up in less than a year? Then get charged $80 for just the parts to fix it myself? If that fixes it.. At that point I'm into my Chinese machine for a few hundred less than a miller or hypertherm. I'll pass.

During the time you ordered when we sold units on eBay, the total warranty was 1 year parts and labor as standard. Currently, we offer an industry leading 5 year parts and labor warranty which reflects our growth as a company.

Once again, I am sorry your unit failed. The chips we offered were genuine TOSHIBA mosfet chips. If you can get them at the price of $2 each, I would jump on that deal as our price sheet shows them for much more. If you need the unit repaired, our rates for repair vary on the machine, but we are more than happy to assist with whatever decision you make.

Should you need to communicate further, please send an email to help@longevitywelding.com or call us at 877-566-4462

Thank you

Simon

[longevity-inc.com]

Originally Posted by graphite9

Also, a customer service rep told me he could sell me the entire upper board for $129. This board has 12 mosfets. if my math serves me correctly, just the mosfets on the upper board would cost longevity $216@ $18ea. how is it that a board with a massive amount of electronics, along with $216 worth of mosfets is $129?

The high frequency board is $129.99 - which is the small board where your arc strikes. If you were told otherwise, I would call in and speak to the same sales rep.

Simon

[graphite9]

Ok, what i think is funny is nobody even asked when I purchased the unit. You all just deny my warranty. I bought it brand new off ebay, and I paid $499.61 for it. i just found my transaction on paypal. I sent the first email regarding my issue on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 5:22 PM. I purchased the unit on april 1, 2010. And yes I do have proof of this. So i am within your warranty period of 1 year. Why is it that i have talked to THREE Longevity reps, and nobody has ever asked my purchase date? Are you guys that quick to deny standing behind your product?

[longevity-inc.com]

LONGEVITY has not sold products on eBay for over 3 years. Therefore, I am sure ALL THREE sales reps gave you the attention you deserved in finding your order and could not find it in our system! Are you sure you bought a LONGEVITY plasma cutter?

We can look over any proof of purchase, warranty information, emails you have. You can send this information to help@longevitywelding.com. Unfortunately, we do not discuss warranty issues in a public forum. You can seek support if you like via our email.

We are more than happy to help, but if you are not in our system, and if you purchased of eBay a year ago - you may have another manufacturer's model or purchased a model from someone that may have bought in the past from us because we DO NOT currently sell on ebay.com.

Thank you

Simon

[graphite9]

It says longevity right on the front. In any case, Im guessing what happened, is a store had this plasma sitting in stock, and I bought it from them as new. How was i to know warranty is void even if its never taken out of the package. Do you really think I would spend $500 on a machine not knowing the brand? We can go around all day long, but bottom line is, I DID purchase this machine brand new less than a year ago. it WAS brand new. And, it DID fail after a total of about 10' worth of cuts within 1 year. i have a receipt for a brand new Lp-50D longevity plasma for $4xx.xx. This wasn't used on a commercial jobsite, out in the weather. Im a hobbyist/small business owner. I only went through 2 tips! You have my email, and when you guys are ready to step up to the plate and back up your product, I'll listen.

[longevity-inc.com]

I'm not sure where you bought the unit. I do not have an invoice. under your name or proof of purchase. We do not sell on ebay. We do not have you in our system. If you bought a LONGEVITY unit from an unauthorized dealer, past customer, etc - considering this model is discontinued we are unable to offer you warranty without a valid proof of purchase and also without a valid warranty advertisement.

I am sure you would get the same response if not less attention from the bigger brands out on the market. You have our email for further contact if you have solid proof of purchase or warranty. Otherwise, feel free to take advantage of our skilled techs with the out of warranty repairs which are to be covered by the customer.

Simon

[LONGEVITYPerformance]

from what i understand, the older mosfet machines are outdated. if you had done any sort of research both on the web through google and also through longevity's web page, you would have found out that you were looking at an outdated machine. its simple physics... do a little leg work on your end, a little research and come out better, regardless of who makes the product you are trying to purchase or have purchased.

i bought a 1941 indian scout 741b model, still in the crate and still covered in cosmolene... do you honestly think that i can get warranty on any of it? even tho i just bought the dang thing? ha!

[graphite9]

Well, i did my research, to find that all the chinese made plasmas have a high failure rate. I have found a handful of threads of people with the exact same issue. I have a hypertherm plasma in the mail. I should have done my research, your correct. If I had done my research from the beginning, i would have ended up with a hypertherm. i had no way of knowing that the machine was sitting on a shelf for 2 years. I purchased it new. The chips I need are toshiba part #2SK2837..Oh, yeah and you guys say your cost is $18 on the toshiba chips???? Well Longevity is getting stroked..I just picked up 5 of them on ebay for $15 shipped. So, I paid $2.40 per chip (minus shipping). You guys CHARGE $20ea. Thats over 800% markup! And yes, these are genuine toshiba. Type in the part number on ebay, see for yourself. Longevity is a joke. You could have sent me $15 worth of parts, but your so stubborn, you'd rather have HUNDREDS of people view my threads. These are the threads that pop up when people google your products. Time to open up that dusty customer service book that's been sitting on the shelf.

[longevity-inc.com]

Originally Posted by graphite9

Well, i did my research, to find that all the chinese made plasmas have a high failure rate. I have found a handful of threads of people with the exact same issue. I have a hypertherm plasma in the mail. I should have done my research, your correct. If I had done my research from the beginning, i would have ended up with a hypertherm. i had no way of knowing that the machine was sitting on a shelf for 2 years. I purchased it new. The chips I need are toshiba part #2SK2837..Oh, yeah and you guys say your cost is $18 on the toshiba chips???? Well Longevity is getting stroked..I just picked up 5 of them on ebay for $15 shipped. So, I paid $2.40 per chip (minus shipping). You guys CHARGE $20ea. Thats over 800% markup! And yes, these are genuine toshiba. Type in the part number on ebay, see for yourself. Longevity is a joke. You could have sent me $15 worth of parts, but your so stubborn, you'd rather have HUNDREDS of people view my threads. These are the threads that pop up when people google your products. Time to open up that dusty customer service book that's been sitting on the shelf.

Congrats on the purchase of the mosfets! I am glad you were able to find a deal. You still are avoiding the fact that you attempted to bash us to take care of a warranty on a machine that we have no proof of sale for nor do we even know its our unit. I am closing this matter as proving to you an OUT OF WARRANTY unit is well NOT warrantied for FREE! Yeah, we would love to fix every unit out there including other manufacturers', but we have to pay the service people, they have to pay bills and take care of their families. Sorry, yelling on here does not justify us to break our rules and offer you warranty on an item you have no proof of purchase on nor are we susceptible to bully tactics, groans, etc. We like the story to be told truthfully and to overturn a warranty or policy that is clearly written, especially in your case where there is NOT ONE PROOF OF PURCHASE provided is just NOT going to happen.

I wish you best of luck in the future.

Simon
LONGEVITY Welding.