Wright and Williams customer service

[GreaseMonkey45170]

Ive been thinking about buying some williams(usa), and Wright tools lately and was curious how good their warranty and customer service was. Im interested in ratchets, wrenches, sockets, and screwdrivers. Any pics, reviews, and recent experiances are appreciated. The good, the bad, the ugly, dont be affraid to chime in guys. Thanks!

 

[GrantCee]

One and only one experience with Wright: one of my 3/8" ratchets lost its socket detent ball after about 4 months of use. Called Wright, lady in C.S. offered a) send it back and they'd send me a brand new ratchet, or b) they'd send out a rebuild kit and I could fix it myself. I chose b); it came FedEx (!) and in a couple of minutes the ratchet was back up and operating.

None of my other Wright tools (and I've got a bunch now, ranging from brand new to over 70 years old) have given me any trouble.

 

[GreaseMonkey45170]

One and only one experience with Wright: one of my 3/8" ratchets lost its socket detent ball after about 4 months of use. Called Wright, lady in C.S. offered a) send it back and they'd send me a brand new ratchet, or b) they'd send out a rebuild kit and I could fix it myself. I chose b); it came FedEx (!) and in a couple of minutes the ratchet was back up and operating.

None of my other Wright tools (and I've got a bunch now, ranging from brand new to over 70 years old) have given me any trouble.

Thats great!

 

[3/4 drive]

I got a bunch of boyh some older Williams some new stuff never had a problem yet all of my Wright stuff is less than 5 years old never had a problem, but the guy I buy from I have known a long time so I realy can't see a problem replacing something should the need arise.

 

[cheechi]

I haven't directly dealt with Williams but have through the seller (industrialsupplydenver.com) and they are very willing to work with you. Had a kind of nit-picky issue and he helped me out taking items back, i had to pay to ship it back but it was fine as I kind of caused the issue.

I have also worked with toolsdelivered and he's good, though I never needed to contact him about an issue.

 

[alinc100]

I have never had to use customer service at Williams,I own a few pieces from flea markets,garage sales and such. I did contact Wright about a broken Open End wrench and they mailed a new wrench to the local distributor and I swapped it out two days after I had called.Very easy,very pleasant.I did have the option to have a prepaid label mailed to me,then drop the broken wrench in the mail and exchange that way but the local distributor is conveniently located and easier.The lady who handles the warranty calls at Wright is extremely pleasant,friendly and helpful.

 

[wafrederick]

I sent in a couple broken Williams sockets in finding the address here.I even stuck in a piece of paper with my name and address with them.I recieved 2 new replacement sockets with no problems at all.Only complaint I have is they used a box too big to send the replacements in.

 

[GreaseMonkey45170]

This is all great news guys, keep it coming and dont be scared to post pics

 

[byoungblood]

Nothing but good things to say about Wright CS here too. My 1/2" drive ratchet locked up, gave them a call, and within 5 minutes they had a rebuild kit on my way. Can't complain about that.

 

[d.mcfarland]

The Wright customer service is very good. The tools are even better. I would highly recommend. Some here have said they think Wright chrome is one of the best. I agree.

 

[GreaseMonkey45170]

The Wright customer service is very good. The tools are even better. I would highly recommend. Some here have said they think Wright chrome is one of the best. I agree.

Im almost sold!

 

[Hootbro]

Thing to keep in mind is that Wright's warranty is a limited one to material and workmanship only. If you wear it out, you are expected to purchase a new one.

That being said, our facilities tool crib at work buys nothing but Wright for the common tools and has excellent customer service with them the few times they received defective or sub-standard workmanship. On the other hand when they submitted ratchets that had been rode hard and put up wet, Wright pushed back.

On a similar note, Wright ratchet repair kits are pricey and can almost be 75% or more the cost of a whole new ratchet. So if you go through ratchets, it might be better to look for a tool truck or other big box store that has a liberal warranty return.

 

[n8n]

FWIW my one and only experience with Williams was just yesterday, they seem to be pretty much like Craftsman in the warranty department. Called up to order a S-52 rebuild kit even though everything I'd read said they were NLA, I figured it was worth a phone call. Sure enough, none available - but I can exchange the whole ratchet even though I flat out told the lady that it was given to me broken and that the mechanism was pretty much destroyed (e.g. abused.)

Unfortunately, also much like Craftsman, from what I've read online, it seems like most would rather have a S-52 rebuild kit than a new S-52A. I guess I will find out if it's really that much of a downgrade though (I do have another working S-52 that I actually just cleaned and lubed over the weekend.) At least Snap-On owns the Williams brand instead of K-Mart...

 

[chilly460]

My only experience is a rough Wright 3/8" ratchet I picked up at a flea market, chrome was worn but it felt OK. Some hard use and the ratchet mechanism would skip, checked it out and the teeth on the prawl were gone.

I took it to local distributor to see what could be done, he took it no questions asked and handed me a brand new comfort handle on the spot. I was amazed, you can't beat that!!!

I've since updated a lot of my sockets to Wright, and they're excellent. I also have a full set of Metric combo wrenches and I prefer them to my Snap Ons and Williams, thick beams and fit gret.

 

[n8n]

I've since updated a lot of my sockets to Wright, and they're excellent. I also have a full set of Metric combo wrenches and I prefer them to my Snap Ons and Williams, thick beams and fit gret.

I have SK combos and like them.

Guy I know has Snap-On combos and likes them too.

Here's the thing - they're totally different wrenches. My SK's are what I consider to be "standard length" wrenches, similar to RP Craftsman or most parts store wrenches, while the Snap-On (and Williams as well, from the specs) in their "standard length" are closer to what I would consider a "long pattern." So sometimes he has to borrow my wrenches for a special application, and sometimes I borrow his wrenches because I need to apply Excessive Force (tm).

Just curious, where do Wright fit into the wrench length continuum? "Thick beam" appeals to me as I like the feel in my hand of the S-Ks vs. the SOs. Personal preference I know. My friend loves his snappys and they are definitely top quality but they don't feel as good in the hand to me as the S-K. (now SO smooth chrome handle ratchets/breakers, that's different. I love those!)

 

[chilly460]

I'll have to pull some wrenches out to really compare, but the Wrights are more along the lines of a SnapOn or Williams as far as length, definitely longer than a Craftsman raised panel.

I have Proto, SnapOn, Williams, and Wright wrenches. The SnapOn and Proto are more of what I'd call narrow beam. Wrights and Williams are thicker, and to me they're more comfortable. Wrights are my favorite as they're comfortable and easier to read the numbers.

You can find deals on anything on Ebay, but I'd say Wrights are definitely the easiest to find at good prices too.

 

[n8n]

really? I've been looking for a single 22 combo and Williams seems to be the easiest to find affordably. Just haven't pulled the trigger yet because it's not urgent, and I have an add up looking to trade rather than have to buy new.

Edit: yes, I know that the SuperCombos are the Williams wrenches to get.

 

[chilly460]

You could be right on Williams, just have to be careful that you're getting the Made in USA models.

 

[NathanB]

See what price trident can get you. I got my set through them

 

[woody 73]

I had a Williams ratchet that broke, after a phone call (Fantastic customer service); I mailed in my ratchet and they sent me back a new replacement; I will be buying more of their products in the future.

 

[GreaseMonkey45170]

Good info here!

 

[sloppy]

I have a couple local suppliers of wright tools local, and Wright tools is also local to me.. I have had 2 things break over about a 20 year period. And had no issues at all getting the items replaced..