Sydney Tools

A massive shout out to Jacob and Juliano for their assistance this afternoon. The Car battery was flat. They sold us a set of jumper cables and Jacob used his own vehicle to jumpstart the car. Amazing service Thank you so much Samuel Show details ·  1

A Masterclass in How NOT to Deliver Customer Service! If you're looking for a demonstration of how a relatively simple purchase can turn into a three-week exercise in frustration, look no further than Sydney Tools Bundaberg. My recent experience was quite an achievement in administrative inefficiency, poor communication and an apparent lack of… Read more

attention to detail. Here's how it unfolded. 28 September – The beginning of a beautiful relationship I ordered a ladder and a set of Step-Thru Handles online using Click & Collect, paid by credit card and received the obligatory order confirmation (ST2201991), followed by a tax invoice. I was then advised that the items needed to be ordered in and that I would be notified when they were ready for collection. Fair enough. 5 October – Good news! Or so I thought. An email arrived announcing: "Your Sydney Tools order number ST2201991 is ready for collection." Excellent! Everything seemed to be going according to plan. 8 October – The 260 km round trip that wasn't quite worth the effort Having driven 130 km from Agnes Water to Bundaberg, I arrived at the store, expecting to collect my purchase. The staff went looking for the order and returned with the rather surprising news that only half of it was available. The ladder was nowhere to be found. I pointed out that I had received an email explicitly confirming that the entire order was ready for collection. Rather than investigating the discrepancy, the initial response was to argue with me, to the point where I began questioning whether I had actually read the email correctly! I eventually insisted on speaking to the manager. [Name Removed], the Assistant Store Manager, took over and managed to solve the mystery. Apparently, a staff member had ticked the wrong checkbox when putting the Step-Thru Handles into the collection area. Instead of ticking the appropriate box, they had selected "Order Complete". So, according to Sydney Tools' internal systems, my order was complete. Unfortunately, nobody had thought to tell the ladder! I then asked what Sydney Tools intended to do about the 260 km round trip and the considerable time wasted as a result of their mistake. [Name Removed] offered me a "discount on my next purchase". When I asked what that actually meant in dollar terms, he declined to commit to a figure. Eventually, I suggested, somewhat sarcastically, "What is it, only $20 or something?" [Name Removed] explained that it wouldn't be $20, because that would mean I could come into the store and buy something for $20 and effectively get it for free! Well, quite. Heaven forbid that a customer inconvenienced by a store's mistake might actually receive something of value in compensation! Feeling thoroughly insulted, I collected the Step-Thru Handles and headed home, with another two hours in the car to contemplate the experience. By the time I arrived home, I had made up my mind: I wanted a refund for the missing ladder and Sydney Tools had lost a customer. There are plenty of alternatives out there. 9 October – The refund saga begins I emailed Peter, the staff member who had originally contacted me, requesting a refund for the missing ladder and supplying my bank account details. [Name Removed] subsequently called and agreed to refund the ladder, but apparently the wasted 260 km journey was now ancient history. No further compensation was offered. 13–23 October – Surely a refund can't be that difficult? Unfortunately, the refund proved to be almost as elusive as the missing ladder. After hearing nothing further, I followed up with Peter and then telephoned the store. Ayden, the Store Manager, returned my call, asked me to forward my original email and assured me that the refund would be processed and should be in my account by Wednesday, 14 October. It didn't arrive. On 16 October, I contacted Ayden again. Another assurance followed: the money would be in my account by Wednesday, 21 October. It didn't arrive. On 20 October, after several more emails, I was told that bank processing could take three days. By 22 October, having exhausted my patience, I sent Ayden a screenshot of my bank account showing that no refund had arrived. I requested proof of the transfer and asked them to check that the correct bank details had been used. 23 October – The grand finale! [Name Removed] finally emailed me a screenshot showing that the refund had indeed been deposited. There was just one small problem. It had been deposited into my DEBIT CARD account, NOT the nominated bank account I had supplied! So, after all those emails, phone calls, promises and assurances, the refund had been sent to the wrong place. At this point, I was beginning to wonder whether the original missing ladder had been the easiest part of the entire transaction. The verdict What should have been a straightforward Click & Collect purchase turned into a three-week exercise involving incorrect order completion, an unnecessary 260 km round trip, an insulting compensation offer, repeated follow-ups and, finally, a refund sent to the wrong account. The recurring theme throughout this experience was a remarkable lack of attention to detail, compounded by a lack of customer focus and accountability. Mistakes happen. I understand that. But what distinguishes a good business from a poor one is how it deals with those mistakes. In this case, Sydney Tools Bundaberg managed to turn one relatively simple mistake into an extended customer service saga. My advice? If you shop at Sydney Tools Bundaberg, perhaps take a little extra time to check that your order is actually complete before making the journey, don't expect much in the way of compensation if it isn't, and keep a close eye on where any subsequent refund ends up! For me, it's goodbye Sydney Tools. There are plenty of other places happy to have my business – and hopefully capable of ticking the right boxes.

I had a Lincoln Auguer purchased in June and only lasted 4 months. Then I took it to the purchased store for replacement and it was refused and even they refused to send it for repair. I was asked to take it to Sunshine on a work day (Which practically I cannot as I am working all 5 days). Once, I took it to Sunshine, They mentioned that at least… Read more

it takes 4 weeks for them to have a look. What pathetic customer service is that? who is going to pay for my loss of income? If I had one bought online and once its broken, they sent a brand new one within 2 weeks. Never ever buy products from them. Bunnings staff are much friendlier that Sydney tool staff and always not hesitate to honor the warranty with replacements.

We purchased a petrol guerney plus the circular concrete scrubber . We used it once then 6 months later went to use it again . The wand wouldn’t work so we took it back to the store and was told that it is a common problem but as we had it for 6… Read more

months they could replace it . We took it in store to be fixed and they returned it two weeks later . We organised people to come and help us on a weekend to do the job and it didn’t work at all. We took it back and were told 10 days to repair . It’s been a month without communication. We then had to pay $900 for a contractor to do the job. Still no response from the company.

Very poor Costomer Service – I bought a Lincoln Lawn Mover From Sydney Tools.Never been told one can not get any spare parts for it.Need new Blades and Can not get any anywhere.Been told by another lawn mover shop its a cheap chinse and wont be able to get any parts here in… Read more

Australia.Another time I could not get a product I ordered (online)so Iwent to the shop and got a product .I Had to pay for the producut I chose in exchange .It took them a month to refund me for the online order .So Sydney Tools is just after everyones Money but no support at all

Pathetic staff at Minchinbury NSW branch. Extremely unwelcoming team and very poor online customer service. I WILL NEVER EVER DO BUSINESS with them again

Very happy with the service from the guys at the Archerfield store. I was looking for a pressure cleaner and the salesperson really took the time to go through the options they had available and the differences between the electric and petrol versions. The product knowledge was impressive as well as the range and he even filled it with oil and… Read more ·  1

made sure all the components were included. He worked out a great deal for me with a surface cleaner as part of the package. Very happy with the service and very happy with my cleaner. Highly recommended!

Today I had to go to the Burleigh Heads store to discuss a problem with a surface cleaner that was long out of warranty but the piece of equipment had done very little work. I spoke with the assistant manager Adam who looked at the condition of the equipment, the actual fault, and believed it was potentially a manufacturing defect. Despite the… Read more ·  1

equipment being well past the warranty expiry, Adam went out of his way to assist and resolve the problem I had.

I left the store thinking when you deal with a business who looks after you like that and don’t just throw the sorry it’s out of warranty line at you then they should get a mention.

This is twice now that I have reached out to Sydney Tools Burleigh for assistance and on both occasions customer satisfaction has always been front of mind.

Thanks Adam and thanks Sydney Tools.

Bought miniscaff with outrigger. Wasn’t in stock but offered to ring other stores but we didn’t want display. Told us 3-4 week delivery. Spot on . Kept us informed. Tristan and Mark were fantastic on the phone. Also the guys in the regency park store 10/10 for customer service. Polite helpful knowledgeable. Show 2 replies

On 21 October 2026, I purchased a Karcher K5 Premium Pressure Washer. Cost $849.00 On 22 October 2026, I assembled the Karcher and found it to be leaking inside to the extent there was insufficient pressure for it to operate. I returned the Karcher to the store. They refused to exchange and expected me to wait about 2 weeks for a response despite… Read more

there being a Karcher K5 Premium Pressure Washer packaged and ready for sale. They left me with no option other than to cancel the card transaction and shop elsewhere. Closer inspection of the product ID shows that it's date of manufacture was 09/2025, over a year ago. Very odd!

Still waiting on a response to my email this morning:

"Dear Sydney Tools,

I'm following up on the Karcher K5 I returned due to water leaking from the motor area on first use. As the machine failed immediately after purchase, I'd appreciate an update on when a replacement or refund will be available."

I think that it's fair to say that Sydney Tools are showing that they don't give a damn about their customers.

I asked if an item will have a promotion, they said no, I bought the item but wasn’t picked up, the day I wanted to pick up from store I saw there was a promotion, they refused to add the promotion to the order that I hadn’t even picked up. They didn’t even let me cancel and reorder. They just shrugged their shoulders. They least they could have… Read more

was add the points to my order but they didn’t care at all

Go with Total Tools. They’ve lose me as a customer

I ordered what was advertised as a Kärcher K7 pressure washer. However, upon further review, I discovered that the product differed from the K7 models sold by other suppliers, such as Bunnings. Because the Sydney Tools website did not provide a… Read more

complete and accurate description of the item, I could not make an informed purchasing decision and found the advertisement misleading. Furthermore, the website indicated that the item was available at the Castle Hill store. However, Alex, the salesperson at the Castle Hill store, advised that the item was not actually in stock and would need to be ordered from the supplier, with an estimated delivery time of approximately one week. Given these discrepancies, I requested that the order be cancelled. Alex assured me that the cancellation request had been submitted and would be processed within five working days. Relying on that assurance, I proceeded to use the funds for other purchases.

I was therefore surprised to later discover that the order had not been cancelled as promised. Had I been informed that the cancellation request had not been processed, I would not have committed those funds elsewhere. As a result, I have been inconvenienced and placed in a difficult financial position due to my reasonable reliance on the information and assurances provided. I requested to purchase the Kärcher K7 Smart Control pressure washer, paying the difference. The manager at Castle Hill refused my request. So my advice to any future buyers who are not sure whether what they are buying is right for them is to buy at Bunnings, where returns are accepted.

The staff at the Blackburn store are terrific but a special shout out to Steve. Not for the first time I was served by Steve. He is very personable, polite and plies his profession with excellence. He is extremely knowledgeable and patient, and his "over and above" service is exceptional. He is my "go to person" and has never let me down. In fact,… Read more ·  1

he mostly exceeds my expectations of customer service. He is a great problem solver and I trust his advice implicitly. I always walk out pleased that I have across a professional like Steve. Well done Steve! Hope you hang around the Blackburn store for a long time to come!

All staff were friendly and helpful. One staff member assisted me to find all that was on my list, he was great. The store owner should be very proud of the culture and staff work ethic. Show reply

We ordered 4 Bosch items on Sept 4th. They finally arrived today, the 24th. We received items that had been removed from their packaging and one of them appeared to have been used. Had to call several times to ascertain as to when we should receive the products; were told that some would not be shipped as they were unavailable; then later advised… Read more

that they had found them. Total incompetence from start to finish. Forgot to add that initially we tried to purchase from one of your stores. Drove across town to purchase. Website said 'in stock' but staff advised that you had not stocked this product for a long, long time.

I originally left Sydney Tools Joondalup a 5-star review several years ago because I had good experiences with them at the time. Unfortunately, my recent warranty experience has completely changed my opinion. I returned a Makita DHR242Z rotary hammer for assessment and was initially told it would take around 2 to 4 weeks. After nearly 6 weeks… Read more

without an outcome, I had to contact Makita myself to find out what was happening. Sydney Tools later acknowledged that the matter had “slipped through the cracks” and also admitted that the original warranty form had been completed incorrectly. Makita’s assessment found a burnt-out controller, movement in the housing and grease leaks, with the controller, rotor, stator, housing set, O-rings and chuck cover requiring replacement. Despite the extent of the failure and the tool being away for around 7 weeks, Sydney Tools has refused my request for a replacement and will only offer a repair. The matter has now been escalated through the branch manager, customer service and State Manager, and I have lodged a complaint with Consumer Protection WA. It is disappointing because I previously had a very good opinion of this store, but the communication and handling of this warranty claim has been extremely frustrating.

Hello everyone, ON BEHALF OF A FRIEND RIPPED OFF I just want to share my very bad experience with the staff and management at Sydney Tools and ask for some advice on what I should do next. On 10 August at approximately 11:30am, I purchased a Bosch tool from the store for $279. I was sold the last one they had in stock. When I got home, I put… Read more

the battery on the tool to test it and immediately noticed that it was not working correctly. It did not have the power it was supposed to have, so I decided to return it to the store.

I arrived back at approximately 3:30pm and explained the problem to the staff member at the desk. He told me that it should be fine and that they would refund my money. However, because they didn’t have another Bosch battery or another tool available to test it with, he said they needed to speak to the manager first.

When the senior manager came over, his attitude towards me was rude from the beginning. He raised his voice and spoke to me in a way that made me feel like I was being treated as though I was doing something wrong. He then contacted another manager, and the solution they came up with was to offer me store credit.

I explained that I did not want store credit because, after the way I had been treated, I did not want to return to the store. I politely asked if I could please receive a refund instead.

At this point, the manager became extremely angry and started yelling at me, telling me to leave the store or they would call the police.

I told them that I did not want the item and that I wanted my money back. I left the tool, packaging and invoice on the desk in front of the staff member who had originally told me they would refund me, and I walked outside while waiting for the police to arrive.

Before the police arrived, one of the employees brought the tool outside and placed it on the ground near the entrance for me to collect. I told them I was not going to touch the item until the police arrived so that there could be no dispute about what had happened.

Another employee then picked up the tool, came towards me and began yelling at me, telling me to leave the property. I felt extremely intimidated by the way I was being spoken to and was concerned about the situation escalating further. The employee eventually threw the tool next to my car.

I got into my car without touching the tool and moved to the side of the store to wait for the police.

When the police arrived, I explained the entire situation to them. They then asked me to leave the property and go home, which I did.

The following Monday, I contacted head office to report what had happened and asked what was going to happen with my refund and the $279 I had paid. I was told that they needed to investigate the incident and would get back to me.

I contacted them again the following week and received the same response.

Today, I contacted them again and was told that there was nothing they could do. I asked to speak to a manager, but I was told that nobody was willing to speak with me because there was “nothing they could do.” I was also told that I am now banned from the store and that there is nothing I can do about it.

So at this point, I am $279 out of pocket, I don’t have the product, I don’t have my invoice, and I am banned from the store.

To make matters worse, because I no longer have the invoice, I also cannot apply for the Bosch battery and charger redemption offer that was available with the purchase.

I am extremely frustrated by the whole situation. I understand that stores have policies regarding refunds and faulty products, but I don’t believe a customer should be left $279 out of pocket without the product or a refund, particularly when I returned the item only a few hours after purchasing it and initially had a staff member tell me they would process the refund.

What would you recommend I do from here?

Should I be contacting Consumer Affairs/Fair Trading, my bank regarding the payment, Bosch directly, or taking another approach?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Purchased a Hikoki Reo bar bender, and had Two batteries fail. Took them back to Sydney Tools Virginia, and they agreed they were under waranty. Waited 4 weeks and heard nothing, so i called them and they said the claim had not been entered correctly, It has been another 4 weeks and again not heard a word from them. Poor comunication, and poor… Read more

after sales service. Unfortunely I needed to use a store credit, hence the reason i purchased the bar bender from them.

Once this is sorted i will never enter the shop again, and suggest others be aware of this poor service, and think twice when buying from Virginia branch

I recently purchased a $189 SpeedGas Argon bottle from Sydney Tools Chirnside Park. Approximately 30 minutes after purchasing it, I returned to the store with the bottle completely unused. I had decided that I felt the price was too high and I no longer wanted the item. I was then informed that gas bottles could not be returned. Although I was… Read more

disappointed, I understand that Sydney Tools may have its own policy regarding change of mind returns on gas cylinders.

My complaint was never simply that they refused to give me my money back.

My complaint was that nobody told me before I purchased the bottle that it was non returnable.

To me, this is basic customer service.

If an item becomes non returnable the moment the customer walks out the door, particularly an item costing $189, I believe that should be clearly explained before payment is taken.

Had the salesperson simply said, “Before you buy this, just be aware that gas bottles cannot be returned for a change of mind,” I would have had the opportunity to make an informed decision.

I could have purchased it knowing the conditions, or I could have decided not to buy it.

Instead, nothing was said.

I therefore submitted a complaint through Sydney Tools’ Consumer Disputes Resolution Team because I thought this was something the company should be made aware of.

Unfortunately, the phone call I received from their representative was far more disappointing than the original refusal.

I tried to explain repeatedly that I was not arguing that Sydney Tools was not allowed to have a policy. I was simply questioning why such an important restriction was not brought to the customer’s attention before the sale.

During the conversation I used an example of purchasing a $20,000 tool and asked whether that could be returned. The representative responded by asking me whether I had actually done that before.

Of course I had not. It was simply an example to explain the principle.

I then tried another example using a less expensive tool.

Rather than acknowledging the point I was making, the discussion became increasingly argumentative.

Eventually I was told that it was my responsibility to perform my own due diligence, do my homework and research Sydney Tools’ refund policies before making a purchase.

I found that response extremely disappointing.

Who realistically walks into a tool shop, stands at the counter and researches the company’s complete refund policy before purchasing an item?

Customers should be able to reasonably expect that if an unusual or important restriction applies specifically to the product they are purchasing, the business will tell them.

The representative also explained how dangerous it would be for Sydney Tools to take the gas cylinder back.

I fully understand that gas cylinders require careful handling and that there may be safety reasons behind Sydney Tools’ policy.

But that does not change my point.

In fact, if there are serious safety considerations that make a gas cylinder non returnable, then surely that is even more reason to clearly advise the customer before they purchase it.

I was not asking for anything complicated.

I was trying to explain that the entire problem could have been prevented with one simple sentence:

“Just so you know, once you purchase this gas bottle it cannot be returned for a change of mind.”

That would have been completely reasonable.

Instead, I felt as though I was being spoken down to and told that the problem was my own fault because I had not researched Sydney Tools’ policies before making the purchase.

By the end of the conversation I was extremely frustrated and ended the call.

For a department specifically called the Consumer Disputes Resolution Team, I expected the person speaking with me to at least listen to the concern and understand the point I was trying to make, even if Sydney Tools ultimately decided not to provide a refund.

I run a business myself, and if a customer raised an issue like this with me, I would listen to the feedback and consider whether the sales process could be improved.

The $189 refund is almost secondary now.

What disappointed me most was the attitude that the customer should have done their own homework rather than Sydney Tools simply making an important condition of sale clear before taking the customer’s money.

Based on my experience, I will be taking my future tool and equipment purchases elsewhere.