Craftsman Lifetime Tool Warranty Invalid
 

I sorted through my lifetime collection of Craftsman tools the other day and came up with 3 ratchets, 4 wrenches, and 4 sockets that the chrome finish was chipping off of and there was some rust showing. I have several hundred Craftsman tools that are nice and shiny - only a problem with these 11 Craftsman tools. I took the tools to Sears in Morristown, TN and asked to have them replaced. The clerk said there was rust on the tools and they could not replace them. The department manager said the same.
The store manager said the same. I asked about the Craftsman Lifetime Warranty and the store manager said that did not apply if the tool was abused and the rust showed the tool was abused. I told them the tools were supposed to be chrome coated to eliminate rust and the fact that they were rusted means in my opinion the tools were defective. Also they have a "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back" warranty. The manager said this did not qualify.
I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in IL and the answer was the same word for word - plus the Illonois person said that since I was attempting to exchange numerous tools I had probably bought them damaged and was trying to exchange them for new and that the "onus was on me to provide proof of purchase for each item I request to exchange". Was I just insulted by the Sears Corp.? On the satisfaction guarantee Illinois states that "it does not state that a consumer will be granted any request just because they are not satisfied.The satsfaction Guarantee only indicates that we are always willing to weigh a customers satisfaction versus our policies to insure we are being fair and equitable." Will Never Shop Sears Again - 11 tools are not worth all this time - wish I had tried to exchange tools many years ago. Main reason I purchased so many Craftsman tools was the advertising about the Satisfaction Guarantee and the Lifetime warranty.

Make a Note about proving each of your tools was purchased by you from Sears - no where does it mention this in the store or tool cataloges - they can always throw this one at you.

I have wondered if the lifetime warranty will be honored for much longer since K-Mart now owns Sears and Craftsman Tools are being sold at K-Mart.:(

All this is merely my opinion on Sears, sprinkled with some personal experience...

Welcome to the new Sears. I worked there since I was old enough to legally work and quit 3 years ago. I had literally worked my way up from sweeping the warehouse floor to a management position in the headquarters.

My theory is that this is all caused by the decreasing profitability of the company. If your warranty return costs the company $1, they would probably rather send you away and hope you never come back. That's right, you are not a "profitable" customer, so they want you to go to Lowe's or HD. The company would rather have less sales that are more profitable; your return is contradictory to that

That's not the way to run a retail company, but that's what you get when you put a hedge fund manager in charge of a retail company.

How bad is it? In Q3 2007, Sears had Net Income of $2 million. The year before it was $196 million. That's huge. Here's what the interim CEO said after the Q4 results were released: "Given the challenging retail environment, we will work to improve and tighten management of costs and inventory levels in 2008,"

You are a cost that is being managed.

Now that you understand the position you are in, let's see what we can do to help. Are the ratchet wrenches just rusty? Clean up the rust with some WD-40 and steel wool. Then disassemble the ratchet - there is usually a circlip that holds the internals, and make sure the ratchet no longer ratchets. The sockets are going to be a tougher nut to crack. They have to be broken. Clean the rust, and then make sure they are broken. "How" is an exercise left best to the reader. The wrenches I am hoping are already broken. Clean the rust and you should be good to go. Don't take them all at once, just take one or two at a time.

Guess the days are gone when you could bring in a 22 year old tool and they'll replace on the spot.

keep them aside, when ever you have a spare moment bring one or two into the sears, and see if they will replace them in fewer quantities so the appearance does not make it look as if you bought them that way. . .

Customer service and good will seem to be a thing of the past most places now. With all the pressure there is on pricing, companies just can't afford that anymore. That or sales people who know much about the products, etc.

The way I read the description on their website, "Satisfaction Guaranteed" is different than the lifetime warranty. With the Satisfaction Guaranteed deal they will refund the purchase price if you return the item with its original packaging, etc., within 90 days. It doesn't matter whether the tool failed. You return it within the time limit, you get your money back. Under the lifetime warranty, they will replace a tool that has failed and that has not been abused. Based on your description, it's not entirely clear that you have met either requirement.

I managed to break one of my 15 mm sockets and was in line to get a replacement. The guy in front of me had a 2 foot pipe wrench bent in a U. He put it on the counter, the guy said, "Ok, buddy, I'll give you another, but you and I both know you didn't bend that. How'd ya do it?" The guy responded that he'd put a 10 foot cheater bar on it and pushed it with a bulldozer. He walked out with a new pipe wrench, as I did a new socket.

I couldn't have said it better.

MBUSA has been doing the same thing for the last few years, and quite effectively (depending on your point of view). Not long ago, warranty considerations were made almost entirely at the dealers' discretion. Now, MBUSA is involved in the decision making process, especialy when high-dollar parts are the issue. The documentation requirements are enormous. For certain repairs to be made, Pre-Authorization forms must be submitted and approved, prior to performing any work. For many other repairs, specific information must be recorded from the vehicle in question. If the information is incomplete, or, if it doesn't support the diagnosis, the warranty claim will be rejected, and the dealer loses. It's almost like working for an insurance company!

I think this trend will continue, as businesses strive to become more profitable and efficient. For the consumer, the writing is on the wall. Keep accurate records and save receipts. When it comes down to the customer vs. the manufacturer/retailer, whoever has the best paperwork wins.

rednecks at their finest. . .I wonder what in the heck that guy was trying to loosen. . . .

I've had good luck with Craftsman hand tools. I wouldn't touch anything with a motor or engine, but hand tools are good. The few times I've broken one, they take it back no questions asked.

I thought Sears bought K-Mart... K-Mart's headquarters is empty and all our K's turned into Sears or closed up.

Rust is not a defect... if the tool works as designed. Does it still fit on a rachet and turn a bolt? Then it's not "broken". If it's cracked, then it's broken. If the corners are rounded, then it will not function as designed. You sound like a whiner/complainer to me.

Good point, errr.....ahhhh.....ummmmmm, points. :D

Wrong...
 

My mother in law just bought and returned a new Vacuum cleaner from Sears in Rego Park, NY. Tried to use it once and the hose connection was so difficult she gave up and had me repack it in same box with EVERT SINGLE bag, spacer, styrofoam part.

Sears charged her 15% restock fee.

This is an 86 year old lady who has been a Sears customer for LIFE.

She stood in front of the manager and cut her Sears card into pieces and walked out.

I bought $1800 worth of appliances (Whirlpool Over/Under washer dryer, GE range, GE fridge) in the last 36 months at the same store. I pointed that out to the jerk and all he said was "What have you done for Sears lately?" My response was "Well I didn't kick your ass, so consider that you have had a good day!".

I have NEVER had a Sears card, their interest rate is higher than athe Mafia. I have AAA Credit rating (Credit Score of 720) and Do Not Owe a Single Loan/Bill/Lease. everyting is paid at the end of the month.

90% of what Sears sells is available elsewhere at same or lower price, and that is where I and the Mom in Law will be shopping from now on.

I stopped buying Craftsman 10 years ago and have been buying SK ever since. Broke a 1/4 in baby ratchet and admitted to them that I did "force it" a wee bit. SK replaced it with a new one and then sent the repaired unit back 3 weeks later (they said I shatterered the internal gear)and didn't charge me squat!

The Sears in Rego Park does not want White American customers, they want new immigrant 1st home buyers who are already in debt up to their asses so they can hope they miss a few payments and jack their rate into lunar orbit for life. I pointed out, in perfect Spanish, to the folks buying a fridge and range that the same items were available with FREE delivery for 20% less at Lowes and they did not have to use a Lowes card to get the price. (Sears had a "special price" of 15% off MSRP! but only if you have or open a Sears card account)...

Wooo Hooo Tie me down and screw me please!

First you sell at MAX profit, give me a Bullcrap discount only if I pay or sign up with a card that has a 29% rate!!! And all this is sold to you/me by a "Fellow Countryman"!

Well I just returned a ratchet to the local Sears Hardware, hardly a blink and I was on my way with a brand new one.

The ratched slipped, I don't think I even told the clerk what the problem was. Handed it to her and said something, bing she has somebody getting me a new one.

Wow- I agree with MIL, but the rest is chip in the shoulder whining. Geez what else does the world owe you?

Please come to Lowe's and buy your tools :D, alot of the stuff we sell is the same of better than Sears at a lower price. Some of the newer Kobalt stuff I am a little scared of, but it should be fine. I had a gift card to Sears, so I bought some tools from there, and were a lot less, but I needed the tools and needed to use the gift card on something. A lot of tools can also be special ordered, so if it is not on the shelf, we can might be able to get it for you. Home Depots tools are even better than Sears junk, I actually wish that Lowe's would carry some of the stuff that Home Depot has...

Chipped plating is a safety issue; plating that is chipped can give a nasty cut. If chipped plating will not be a reason for a refund it should state so in the warranty.

Don't return a tool while you are in your work uniform (If you are a mechanic). They can refuse warranty because they are "professional quality tools" but not for "professional use". They consider it abuse.

Craftsman tools have been about as good as the crap from Harbor Freight in my experience.

Good point- and if you got a cut tell the sales person nicely- I'd bet you have much better chance at getting a new one. Me? I'd chip the offending part away so it does not give me a cut. Oughta take about a second. Life has better things for me to do than find problems.

Interesting thread. A few weeks ago, I read an article in the WSJ basically saying that the powers that be at Sears/Kmart are planning to break Sears into 4 separate entities. Sounded like Sears will soon sing its' Swan Song.

I think it would take considerably longer than a second to remove all the chrome plating, since unless you do so there will be an edge to possibly cut you.

My $10 HF torque wrench replaced my $80 Craftsman torque wrench, which crapped out of me. The HF one has taken more abuse...

Uhhh, you might wanna reword that.... :D

I spend some time on the garagejournal forum...lots of discussion over there on different tool brands. I'm not a fan of Sears/K-Mart and their corporate crapola, but their professional line of hand tools are very nice, mostly made by Danaher, maker of Matco, K-D, Allen, NAPA's good line, Armstrong, etc.

My gut feeling is that Sears is a dinosaur and is not viable as it sits. How on earth they got wrapped up with K-Mart is a mystery to me, kind of like Studebaker and Packard dragging each other down after they merged in the mid 50's. Merge 2 pieces of crap, all you get is a bigger, smellier turd.

I also don't worry too much about tool warranties...my tools don't rust, the finish doesn't peel and I figure if I kill a particular tool, unless it's a glaring manufacturing defect, it's my own damn fault and I'll just act like a big boy and buy a replacement.

lol! ouch!

tools
 

I think the problem you ran into was the volume of tools.
In 1990 I used to take lots of tools from garage sales etc in to sears no questions asked.
Recently I had a talk with a manager and he said it was ok if there was no more than 2.
The "Ratchet" has been tightening for years now and I forsee it getting worse before better.

So what can you do?
Take like 2 to each sears on the map while you go on your mercedes road trip!

Shark

Probably a good point.

I've never had a problem getting a truly broken tool replaced, which has been maybe 4 times in 20 something years. (Maybe I'm not trying hard enough?:D) Most of my tools have cosmetic issues because I don't take care of them as well as I should. I hadn't thought of trying to get them replaced.

I've never had to replace anything except hex bits.

I did have a Craftsman rotary tool repaired under warranty (no charge) within the first year and it still works 6 years later.

No one owes you squat except "courtesy"
 

Treat me ina courtious and professional manner and I will do the same.

treat me like my money and loyalty do not mean anything and deny to apply the policy of your firm to a customer, I have the rifght to *****.

As to my "whining" Sears ceased treating customers like "valued assets" a long time ago. What they are doing is driving people who do not know better into debt that will take years to get out from under.

This is the same mentality that has caused many people to lose their life savings, being given "EZ Credit" and "Starter" loans that are nothing more than a way to lione the pockets of the Brokers and Credit firms.

Chip on my shoulder? Nope! I don;t need to shop there, Mom shopped there because it was close to home, I just hate seeing ANYONE get ripped off by a good firm that went bad.

Lowes doesn't do this
HP does not do this

Home Despot does
Dell does
Oreck does

I still like to walk through sears and look at all of the tools once in a while. I own tons of Craftsman tools as well as others. BUT, the day I picked-up a C-clamp that had the craftsman name on it as well as the word "China", I knew the writing was on the wall. One day I will take a tool for exchange and they will offer me a tool with that other "c" word on it and it will seal the deal.

Really? I have not seen the dreaded "C" word on any of my Craftsman tools and I just bought some over the Summer.

I cannot believe that they are not honoring the warranty. I once brough in a Craftsman 3/8 drive that I had been trying to remove exhaust manifolds on my GTO with. Needless to say, when you stick a four foot length of pipe on it and have two guys go "one, two, three..." you will break the ratchet. This one also had the sides beaten from using a hammer to "persuade " other stubborn bolts over the years.
I took it to Sears and they said that they could not replace this drive. Instead they had a new improved model that they gave me in exchange.

For them to not do this makes my sad. I guess I will have to start hitting the Snap-on truck when I see it at my indy...

Take it too the top of the Sears Tower I tell ya. Your local Sears is not properly representing themselves. My dad has returned Craftsman tools without so much as a harumph from the clerk. Take photos and send-em-to Sears in Chicago.

Kind of got to agree with you there.

All the tools we kept on the boats always rotted away, so we just bought cheap stuff.

Be it Craftsman, Snap On, or anything else, on the water they all rust like crazy.

I think Sears is a goner anyway. It's been replaced by niche stores that do it better and cheaper. It's like The Bay in Canada...the Bay only survives due to its wedding registry sales...:rolleyes:

No surprise that they are skimping on warranties.

The only wrenches or tools I've owned that have rusted . . . were the ones in the Mercedes tool roll. :D

I worked at lowes using those "ToolForce" and "Kobalt" tools (I was an assembler....I broke drill bits and drills and ratchets all the time! And it wasn't even that tough of stuff I was working on...junky tools.) Cordless drills are pieces of junk too....all made in china. A good corded drill can kill a cordless.

I have almost all craftsman tools for the most part. I was be-gifted a set of "around the house" tools from lowes at christmas....they are "ok" but would probably fall apart in heavy use. They're all made in China of course....the part I hate most.

Menards sells "ToolShop" brand tools, they seem to hold up pretty good, also made in china, so I've bought VERY few tools from them. I always try to buy the USA stuff, even if it costs 3x more. Chinese hammer: $6 USA Hammer: $23....I bought the USA hammer.

Autozone sells "Great Neck" tools which are made in Taiwan....they're of pretty good quality...(close to or the same as Craftsman)....I have some sockets I use a lot from them, drain plug allen sockets...and some other stuff, and they've held up to a lot of work/abuse.... Their price is in-between china junk and the usa stuff.

I usually just stick to the craftsman or great neck stuff, and try to avoid asian products as much as possible (in all categories of what I buy)

A rusty tool means the owner isn't properly caring for his tool.
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I'll leave it at that.

B

LOL no kidding, he shoulda put some WD40 on it first.

Exactly. The only time I've ever had decent tools rust is when I left the tool box in an uncovered boat. The box filled with water and they sat in there for several months. A little wd40 and some elbow grease made them usable again, albeit cosmetically challenged. I'd be ashamed of myself for putting the blame on the tools or retailer.

Pigs get fed. Hogs get slaughtered.

Years ago, I gave titanium crow bars to 2 boating friends for Christmas. As light as aluminum and never rust.

:eek::eek::eek:
:D:D:D

ROFLMAO! I can't believe that he owned up to that, or that the Sears location gave him another one. Wow.

rusty tools
 

If you want to get rid of rust on tools here are a few ways.

1 Get a bucket of diesel and drop them in and walk away for a week.

2 Get a bucket and fill with used motor oil/coconut oil/wd40 or any oil and dump them in and walk away for a week.

3 Naval jelly works good.

4. Coca cola in a bucket throw them in and walk away for a week. lol

5 With time and patience You can remove any corrosion or rust.

Shark

where im from, tools are hideously expensive.

so, if i break a 3 year old ratchet that cost me $29.99, i remember that would have cost 4 times that "back home" and just buy a new one. i reckon im still coming out ahead.

there are things worth raising your blood pressure for. your neighbour threatening your kids is. a few rusty tools is not it.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/rust.htm

Links to a site on rust removal by electrolysis. It is pretty cool if you have never seen this. I haven't looked at this particular website so if it is hokey, find another.


That promotional box of C-clamps are the only Craftsman handtools I have seen that were made in China. Maybe it was just a market test or something.

Rust remover
 

The government uses a product called evapo-rust.
It looks like a good rust remover but i have never used it.

I thought they used evapo-cash... Oh wait, that's to suck the money out of our wallets. Nevermind, wrong contraption.

Sticking to topic, I've never had a problem returning "well used" tools to Sears. Maybe yours just sucks.