You know, I've been meaning to post here about my own experience with Snap-on but I guess this thread will finally get me to do it. I have to say that my experience was the complete opposite of that poster's. I didn't attempt to go locally, because it's hard for me to chase down the SO truck, but *shrug* I just called SO's 800 number and explained the situation. No muss, no fuss. Sent in 4 ratchets that needed rebuild kits, got brand-new ones back. Sent in a socket that cracked, got a brand-new one back. Sent in screwdrivers whose handles were melting (you know, the ones from the bad era where they had some kind of chemical reaction in the plastic handles), got new ones back.
SO paid shipping both ways and didn't hassle me about the warranty. I was honest and upfront with them that I had bought the tools used and didn't know how they'd been used beforehand, and even offered to pay for rebuild kits for the ratchets, but they went the extra mile and replaced the ratchets instead (with Dual 80's, no less!)
Honestly, I would have been happy just to know you could still get rebuild kits for these ratchets, which were all 20+ years old. For SO to volunteer to replace them, and with their latest-and-greatest at that, seemed really beyond the call to me.