>> after a few days of use I noticed the speed slowing down, very annoying

The AT-LP3 does not have adjustable speeds (other than the presets for 33 1/3, 45 and 78), but it does have two modes for playing vinyl – manual or automatic cueing from the start of the lp, and a nice rubber platter mat.

By the way in comparison, my expensive turntable does not run at a consistent speed of 33.3 either.

The speed on the table has also never been an issue, I throw the records on press play and walk away

The 33.3 speed was a little fast out of the box (both Denons also suffered this problem), but luckily the Audio Technica has the same adjustment pots on the bottom of the plinth, and therefore I was able to dial in the speed using a small flat head screwdriver.

So even if the motor didn't slow down randomly the speed is still off

I ended up sending it back and getting a better TT (the Project Debut Carbon) which maintains the speed great and sounds much better.

You get a nice smooth metal tone arm with a removable headshell and cartridge for future upgrades (but be a aware that you will need to still use a angled headshell since this is has a straight arm), along with auto start/stop, a belt drive that is quiet and stays at the correct speed, and a anti-skate control that actually works

but the speed seems fine now.