Wera Warranty *****!

[Holt]

Because it's always 'easy' for a manufacturer to speak highly of their product but the real truth come's to light when it's time to honor one by replacing it, when it fails! No questions asked!

But don't you agree that a no question asked policy is 1 of the reasons companies like Craftsman are outsourcing more of their products. I don't understand how you could want a company to turn a blind eye on the warranty process and replace a tool that fails without questioning why it failed. We sit on this forum and beech about how craftsman is outsourcing and questioning why they are all while the next thread down is about seeing some guy turn in a bucket of tools to the sears counter and get full replacements for dirty rusted or plain broken from improper use. Yes there response could have been a little more professional sounding. But what if a Snap on rep came on here and gave the same response. Would we all start yelling no more Snap on for me. This is no disrespect to you Mr Tool I understand we all have reasons for picking a brand and things like this could just curve us down one path or another.

 

[neophyte]

Since were already flogging a dead thread I might as well get my few kicks in. Many people have used the term garage chemicals without actually saying what chemicals they're referring to. Wera screwdrivers aren't just used in garages they're used in all sorts of industrial settings whether it's maintenance or manufacturing. The term "standard garage chemical" really shouldn't be used. it would be more important to know what chemicals might affect both the rubber and plastic part of the handle. I found out that some of my French screwdrivers shouldn't be used around acetone. I still like them and will continue using them but knowing the limitations of the handle material was important. Also speaking of kicking a dead horse, Dr. Martens specifically mentions that there boot soles are resistant to Oil, Fat, Acid, Petrol, and Alkali. They don't mention whether this is fat rendered from carcasses or from organic materials, but it leads me to believe that some rubber like materials may brake down in the presence of those materials. So if you start using your tools after eating a cheesesteak or Ruben sandwich and haven't washed your hands thoroughly, a "chemical" possibly capable of breaking down the rubbery material, could have gotten on your tools. Wood handles used to be used on many tools for a reason. It wasn't just because the wood handles were cheap and readily available. Some woods are highly resistant to some industrial chemicals and are still specifically used when dealing with them for that reason. Once you start using other materials for handles different problems can pop up like with rubber were it can rot, dry out and crack, or become a sticky mess. If this can happen it's just best to know what the weaknesses are and life expectancy of the material. Otherwise companies are going to have to shut down and reopen under different names every ten years.

 

[ishiboo]

I'm with the rest... another example of a crappy "lifetime" warranty where they'll use any excuse to get out of replacing some $1.25 a piece at cost screwdrivers. After I read this thread the first time, I bought Felo instead of the Wera's I had planned on. I wanted specifically stainless Wera for the boat - bought Felo instead. Now, my mix is a combination of Felo, Klein and Masterforce.

"Premium" brands like Wera need to replace $1.25 items with some leniency... their shady response (and then lack of additional responses) show the "slam, bam, thank you 'mam" side of their warranty policy.

Most of the time, these companies completely fail to realize that responding to legitimate claims is almost always financially better than ******* people off. They lost about $200 in screwdriver business with me. After my WeatherTech issue with my GMC, I bought both factory and Husky mats in lieu of another WeatherTech product.

I don't always assume that the first person on the company's front line I speak with will be knowledgeable and willing to help, but when you speak with a qualified representative who confirms they're douchebags, I vote with my money!

Long rant on a revived thread, sorry

 

[CWP1616L]

I noticed the little green section of rubber in the handle is all disintegrating and turning very sticky.

What kind of chemicals was that green section of rubber exposed to?

 

[wrh3]

I had the tip on a Wera 350 Phillips break and sent Wera NA an email via their website on a Sunday. On Monday I had received a prompt response telling me it would be covered under the warranty and asking for pics of damage or for me to mail the item back. I emailed pics and received a shipping notification the same day. One of the most painless warranty experiences for me EVER, Craftsman included. Props to Wera NA (specifically Rick Welsh in Customer Service), after searching around and finding many negative experiences I had low expectations but they came through with flying colors.

 

[GSMotorrad]

I wonder how Amazon will handle Wera warranty issues (after the return time-limit has lapsed). I just bought my first Wera products, that I PLAN on breaking.

I planned on using these on impact guns, and what sold me on these were, "Lifetime Warranty, German Engineered"

At least I'll remember where I got them from, but Amazon probably isn't an "authorized" dealer. Or are they?

 

[steveo3002]

made me think of this lol

 

[Bruce57]

Good customer service is something I look for in vendors or suppliers. I only own one Wera tool which I purchased recently. But whether or not they warranty the tool, their lack of responsiveness doesn't sound like someone I would want to do much more business with.

 

[MichaelP]

10 years later Wera's warranty service remains the same. Just had an opportunity to see how they keep ignoring multiple requests for service and then deny it for a 3-y.o. item.

No more Wera for me.

 

[dnschmidt]

Who cares on a $10 item? Do I rant on Titleist when I lose one of their $7 Pro V1 golfballs in a lake?

 

[Steve_P]

The warranty obsession here baffles me also, but it's a continuous thing. Buy Snap On if that's what you expect. "It's too expensive!" Yeah, because the warranty is part of that. I guess the next best thing would be HF. But like Sears did, HF uses the "get you in the store" method. So, when you're replacing that $4 item at the store, you, of course, spend another $20+ on other stuff. "Because you're there". So, they still made a profit on your visit.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Who cares on a $10 item?

I do?

At what price point should someone start to care if a warranty is honored? Who decides that number for the rest of us?

The warranty obsession here baffles me also, but it's a continuous thing. Buy Snap On if that's what you expect. "It's too expensive!" Yeah, because the warranty is part of that.

Is the warranty not "part of that" when you pay for any brand that claims to have a good warranty? Is there a list of brands where the warranty being honored is an unreasonable assumption to make? The answer can't always be the reductionist "you should have bought brand X," if you expect a warranty to mean something.

I don't own much Wera, mainly screwdrivers, but they're not nor have they ever been particularly cheap. If the warranty isn't worth a damn, there's plenty of alternatives out there. I personally find it quite useful to hear the experiences people have with warranty service. As you said, warranty is part of what you pay for, and people can and probably should adjust their purchasing decisions based on warranty service, or lack thereof.

 

[finn]

I don’t understand the bellyaching either.

If you don’t like how someone administers their warranty, go the SnapOn route, but understand that the written SnapOn warranty is much different than what the drivers of the truck allow in The real world, so don’t be surprised if the free tools for life deals come crashing down at some time.

If the Wiha policy is unsatisfactory, buy something else. They seem to have explained their position, and nobody is forcing you to Buy their products.

Quit the unproductive bellyaching over something cheaper than a Starbucks cup of latte.

 

[MichaelP]

Your Starbucks coffee must be severely overpriced. I don't remember mentioning the price of the product or type of defect. However, in general, if multiple people are complaining about a $20 screwdriver warranty, I consider it to be a fair and helpful warning and will think twice before making a $400 purchase from the company. If the company shows no integrity, is stingy enough to ignore a $20 tool replacement request and doesn't care about its image, one can easily figure out how it will behave with a $400 product.

So instead of bashing the guys, I would thank them regardless of what cost they tried to recover.

 

[willf650]

I'm going to resurrect a dead thread but let's take bets here.

Wera is one of my main brand of screwdrivers and drug out some ones I bought years ago and threw them in a duplicate bag. I noticed one was too thick, not too wide, but too thick to fit in a screw slot last week. Just for the hell of it I pulled out the next size up driver which is supposed to be thicker and it is actually about 25% thinner.

Obviously the screwdriver in question was mis-ground and more or less useless as it doesn't fit in any slotted screws as it is a "precision" screwdriver size tip.

I submitted a Warranty claim for it but what do you think the results will be.

1. They ignore the claim​

2. Tell me to return it to where I got it​

3. Tell me to pitch sand​

​

I can produce a receipt through order history but it was purchased in 2010. It was a $3.50 individual driver at the time as it's small. It's now a $10 tool. Not really concerned about the price but this is an exercise in curiosity about an obviously defective tool with a "lifetime" warranty.

 

[MichaelP]

Frankly, I don't see any difference between those three variations of their response. The goal and result will be the same.
So, I'd combine those three into one and add the second option: "They'll take care of the problem and exchange the screwdriver at no cost to me" (like paying for shipping yours back to Germany, for example).

My personal experience with their warranty can be described by those three options you presented.

 

[whateg01]

I'm going to resurrect a dead thread but let's take bets here.

Wera is one of my main brand of screwdrivers and drug out some ones I bought years ago and threw them in a duplicate bag. I noticed one was too thick, not too wide, but too thick to fit in a screw slot last week. Just for the hell of it I pulled out the next size up driver which is supposed to be thicker and it is actually about 25% thinner.

Obviously the screwdriver in question was mis-ground and more or less useless as it doesn't fit in any slotted screws as it is a "precision" screwdriver size tip.

Wasn't there a discussion not long ago about screwdrivers being metric or inch sizes and a similar size in metric might not fit a screw in the USA, or vise versa?

I submitted a Warranty claim for it but what do you think the results will be.

1. They ignore the claim​

2. Tell me to return it to where I got it​

3. Tell me to pitch sand​

​

I can produce a receipt through order history but it was purchased in 2010. It was a $3.50 individual driver at the time as it's small. It's now a $10 tool. Not really concerned about the price but this is an exercise in curiosity about an obviously defective tool with a "lifetime" warranty.

I know $10 could be a lot of money for some people, but it sure isn't worth my time to mess with a warranty claim for something that cheap.

I'll update the rant poll thread

 

[Sal Bandini]

I know $10 could be a lot of money for some people, but it sure isn't worth my time to mess with a warranty claim for something that cheap.

100% agree that I'm not wasting my time or fretting over a $5-$10 tool, but also, if $10 is a lot to someone then they definitely shouldn't be buying a German tool.

 

[MichaelP]

I think the author was pretty clear: "Not really concerned about the price but this is an exercise in curiosity about an obviously defective tool with a "lifetime" warranty".

 

[willf650]

Wasn't there a discussion not long ago about screwdrivers being metric or inch sizes and a similar size in metric might not fit a screw in the USA, or vise versa?



I know $10 could be a lot of money for some people, but it sure isn't worth my time to mess with a warranty claim for something that cheap.

I'll update the rant poll thread

Old man yells at cloud again.

If I have a screwdriver that is supposed to be 0.5 mm thick at the tip and it's thicker than the next size up that's supposed to be 0.6 mm thick I don't see where metric sized screws come into play.

If it gets replaced great. If not oh well.

 

[whateg01]

I think the author was pretty clear: "Not really concerned about the price but this is an exercise in curiosity about an obviously defective tool with a "lifetime" warranty".

I guess I don't put much faith in lifetime warranties. If the Craftsman brand hadn't been resurrected and now available at Lowe's and Ace, there would be a lot of tools with effectively no warranty at all. "Testing" company's warranties seems like something one does when one needs to get a hobby.

 

[MichaelP]

Does Craftsman of today maintains warranty on its tools sold two-three-four decades ago? If so, is it done through Lowes and Ace the same way as it was done at Sears ("come and pick up a replacement")? I'm not aware of it. Being used by a DIY/hobby guy, all my old Craftsman sockets, wrenches, extensions, etc., although not fancy and ****, still work just fine.

 

[four.cycle]

Does Craftsman of today maintains warranty on its tools sold two-three-four decades ago? If so, is it done through Lowes and Ace the same way as it was done at Sears ("come and pick up a replacement")? I'm not aware of it. Being used by a DIY/hobby guy, all my old Craftsman sockets, wrenches, extensions, etc., although not fancy and ****, still work just fine.

Craftsman "warranty" is handled through Stanley Black & Decker, the new parent company of the "Craftsman" brand.

No connection with the German company "Wera".

 

[finn]

Does Craftsman of today maintains warranty on its tools sold two-three-four decades ago? If so, is it done through Lowes and Ace the same way as it was done at Sears ("come and pick up a replacement")? I'm not aware of it. Being used by a DIY/hobby guy, all my old Craftsman sockets, wrenches, extensions, etc., although not fancy and ****, still work just fine.

Look up the warranty process online. It’s well documented and there was a thread about it last week.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

I would seriously hope they are smart enough to come up with a funny, tool rebel style, reply & ship you a new driver.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[zimman]

Whew. Warranty fatigue. LMAO
Zim

 

[willf650]

Well I guess yelling at the clouds worked.

I got an email yesterday saying to submit my claim to a different site. I assume this other site was the North American distribution versus the main site I sent it to.

Emailed them this morning and after about 3 hrs got a response stating they are shipping me a replacement.

I guess either their warranty has changed or I'm the exception to the rule. It's kinda hard to dispute a non broken tool with a manufacturing defect.

Saved me $10. I'm buying lottery tickets with the money.

 

[MichaelP]

Congrats. Just please don't forget to update us on how the new driver fits the storage.

 

[silkman]

Well I guess yelling at the clouds worked.

I got an email yesterday saying to submit my claim to a different site. I assume this other site was the North American distribution versus the main site I sent it to.

Emailed them this morning and after about 3 hrs got a response stating they are shipping me a replacement.

I guess either their warranty has changed or I'm the exception to the rule. It's kinda hard to dispute a non broken tool with a manufacturing defect.

Saved me $10. I'm buying lottery tickets with the money.

Its because companies know Americans have different warranty expectations than Europeans. A Wera screwdriver from a set broke, I sent them an email, they ignored it. I sent them another email and they sent me a replacement.

Also note, dont expect a response email from German companies, they will just ship the replacement. And at 99% of cases, postage is more expensive to them than the tool itself.

 

[Schurkey]

I'm **** up a creek because Wera won't even honor their warranty.

Anyone else experience this?

KD (Gearwrench) made me go through NAPA when a couple of the tools in their "Front End Service Set" wore-out/broke.


OTC offered "Lifetime Marathon Warranty" on a 2-ton floor jack. When the handle broke at the pivot, they now have nothing comparable to replace it with. I had to Frankenstein it back together.

 

[esben57]

Here's my episode. Picked up a used breaker bar 1/2" sq drive at a car boot sale, one of the German makes. The ball in the square , or anvil was done for and usually these are now rated as wear and tear replaceable.
I called the UK depot, blah blah broken, blah blah warranty? etc.
Take it to the tool shop you bought it and they will sort something they said.
Ooh can't remember and all the tool shops here closed years ago. The last eight words are true.
Send it to us they said, and I did. A later phone call and it was repaired but then would work out a price.
Ooh I said, lifetime warranty, quality tools, that's why I buy them. Lying underhand scoundrel ! Was never going to heaven anyway.
It was returned repaired for nothing and I moved it on later.
Stupid. Very good breaker. Could have bought the square swapped it in minutes and kept it. Far stronger than my E79 Britool.

 

[IndyGarage]

I read my contributions to this thread from 2011 - if anything, I feel stronger today than I did then.

If you have time to warranty a tool worth less than $50 then in my opinion you don't value your time very much.

Throw broken tools out and buy a better one.

BTW - I still have the Wera Screwdrivers I had back in 2010. They are still some of my favorites and I've not had a single problem with them. The green handles are still ugly and still work fine, although they are pretty well used by now.

 

[willf650]

I guess I have too much time on my hands so I filled out an online form and submitted a pic all from my phone.

Here's the old defective screwdriver versus the new one.


Old one is about 2.5 times thicker and physically won't fit in a screw head.

 

[IndyGarage]

I guess I have too much time on my hands so I filled out an online form and submitted a pic all from my phone.

Here's the old defective screwdriver versus the new one.


Old one is about 2.5 times thicker and physically won't fit in a screw head.

Looks to me like the thicker one is twisted.

It takes about 30 seconds to order a $10 screwdriver on Amazon. And it arrives in 48 hours. I would never warranty something like that, not worth the time it takes to look up the warranty process.

 

[Schurkey]

Warranty claims represent valuable feedback on the quality of their product(s).

Who wants to replace a so-called "quality" product with a $10 cheap-junk Amazon item?

 

[whateg01]

Warranty claims represent valuable feedback on the quality of their product(s).

Who wants to replace a so-called "quality" product with a $10 cheap-junk Amazon item?

yeah, and who wants to file a warranty claim for a product that is even less expensive on Amazon?

 

[Schurkey]

yeah, and who wants to file a warranty claim for a product that is even less expensive on Amazon?

1. I don't receive the "Business Price". I'm paying the full $10.65 plus tax.
2. I'm not in the habit of setting fire to money by essentially rewarding the company when products fail me. I believe in holding companies responsible for their defects.

 

[willf650]

yeah, and who wants to file a warranty claim for a product that is even less expensive on Amazon?

Close, it’s a 335 series driver.

You should see the price for it if you don’t consider shipping. It would make you more upset.

I don't see the point of arguing about getting a warranty replacement for a defective tool due to the inexpensive aspect of it. If you really want to boil it down to facts I probably could have touched it up on a grinder myself.

 

[cannuck]

If the the soft part of Wera Screwdrivers always turns sticky over time, I'd probably not buy any more. However their stuff has proven so good I'd probably consider buying more knowing it might go bad over time - screwdrivers need replacing periodically for me anyway. I will say I've subjected mine to every kind of shop grease and grime and I've had no problem so far, but I've only had them for a few years.

Several of my Wera screwdrivers have gone sticky and I would just like to know WHAT chemistry obviously common to workplaces is causing and what is my remedial treatment short of replacing? My tools are a long way from working in an electronics clean room and AFAIK not intentionally exposed to solvents but they definitely get exposed to a lot of Group IV/V blend based synthetic lubricants. I do deal with napthenic base stock (wickedly high solvency) but not in my home shop. Yeah, I read through this whole ancient thread (thus a response from a post years back).

 

[IndyGarage]

Several of my Wera screwdrivers have gone sticky and I would just like to know WHAT chemistry obviously common to workplaces is causing and what is my remedial treatment short of replacing? My tools are a long way from working in an electronics clean room and AFAIK not intentionally exposed to solvents but they definitely get exposed to a lot of Group IV/V blend based synthetic lubricants.

No idea. Some of mine are at least 15 years old now and not sticky at all - but the handles are pretty beat up. They get really dirty - almost black when you work on cars with them. Maybe if you leave grease and oil on them they go bad.

If they look really dirty, I clean mine up with Spray 9 and a rag before I put them away - which is a pretty strong cleaner.