I purchased a Gensafe GF2000 inverter generator from Sydney Tools Fyshwick during the 2020 Black Summer bushfires as a preparedness measure for a property in the NSW high country.
When operational, the generator itself performed adequately. My concern is not the product, but the after-sales service provided by Sydney Tools.
When the generator failed during a routine pre-season test in 2024, I returned it to Sydney Tools and was advised it would be assessed and repaired through their service pathway. I was told the process would take approximately six weeks.
Instead, the repair process extended to close to four months, with constant enquiries from me after the initial six-week period. Communication throughout was largely reactive or incorrect, and I repeatedly had to follow up to obtain updates. Expected return dates came and went, and at one point I was even advised that paying several hundred dollars in freight might return the generator sooner — despite Sydney Tools being unable to confirm where the unit actually was.
When the matter was later raised through a review mediation process, Sydney Tools explained that the delay occurred because the unit was “NLA” and parts were not readily available.
However, the service documentation records that the repair undertaken was simply the replacement of a standard NGK BPR6ES spark plug — a common and widely available component used in many small engines.
During the mediation exchange the explanation then shifted to the information having come from “another department”, accompanied by a series of apologies and assurances that the issue “will not happen again”.
Unfortunately the correspondence did little to clarify the situation. If anything, it illustrated the same concerns raised in the original review: reactive communication, shifting explanations, and a lack of ownership once inconsistencies were identified.
The irony is that mediation is normally intended to stabilise situations like this. In this case it managed to achieve the opposite.
For the sake of future customers, I sincerely hope they never have cause to rely on Sydney Tools’ after-sales customer service
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