Husky lifetime warrany.

[6PTsocket]

I had an old Husky headlamp. The plastic locking tab on the battery compartment broke off. I tried to fix it but there was so much tension on clip, nothing worked. Then I read somebody's comment that the Husky Warranty is forever. In fact, it is by category and can be one or two years or forever. Flashlights are forever. I took it to the HD sevice desk and the girl didn't have a clue. She did not know Husky was an HD house brand. Since that model is long discontinued she said the warranty was no longer valid. I was not about to buy that story. There is another HD just down the road. I figured I had better see what was available as a replacement. HD has mostly switched over to a big selection of Coast headlamps and flashlights so the warranty is no longer their problem. There was one lone Husky headlamp on rhe shelf in a blister pack that said "Forever Warranty". I took mine and the new one to the service desk. This girl was better informed but she tried to tell me I had to deal through Husky, which has it's own phone number. When I wasn't buying that, she tried to call her manager but could not find him. Then she threw in the towel, scanned the new one and told me to have a nice day. Clearly, they are not set up to handle the lifetime warranty. I think Husky was supposed to be their Craftsman. Frankly, I think they were counting on people not bothering to return it. The new one is a fragile item with parts that will fail. The new one has a coil cord from the battery compartment to the lamps. Elastic headbands loose tension and the pushbutton is good for just so many cycles. If this one goes it will be interesting to see how they handle it. The new one sure is bright.


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[exmaxima1]

I had a similar situation when Radio Shack was still in business. I bought a pair of automatic wire strippers and the package reads "Lifetime Warranty". After a few thousand strips, a spring broke so I returned to RS for replacement (along with the receipt). When the cashier looked it up in the computer it said "90 day warranty"---at which time I explained that was ridiculous and that nobody would buy handtools with a 90 day warranty. I grabbed a new pair of the rack, showed him the warranty, and he replaced them----ONE TIME ONLY, DO NOT COME BACK. Apparently Radio Shacks were independently owned and the managers had some say in what they were willing to warrant.

Of course, that pair (as well as numerous more) all eventually broke so I learned to go to different stores for their replacements.

 

[nh_yota]

Just because something has a "lifetime warranty" doesn't mean that it's high quality.

A lot of the stuff made overseas has such a high markup that the bean counters figure they can offer a lifetime warranty, because the actual cost of the item is cheap enough that they can replace it for you a few times over and still make a profit.

However, as many of you know, don't assume it will be easy to get a replacement.

Warranties are in the same marketing bucket as mail-in rebates. Companies figure that a certain percentage of customers will never actually mail in the rebate or warranty the item, so a greater percentage of profit is retained vs. discounting the price right from the start.

 

[6PTsocket]

Just because something has a "lifetime warranty" doesn't mean that it's high quality.

A lot of the stuff made overseas has such a high markup that the bean counters figure they can offer a lifetime warranty, because the actual cost of the item is cheap enough that they can replace it for you a few times over and still make a profit.

However, as many of you know, don't assume it will be easy to get a replacement.

Warranties are in the same marketing bucket as mail-in rebates. Companies figure that a certain percentage of customers will never actually mail in the rebate or warranty the item, so a greater percentage of profit is retained vs. discounting the price right from the start.

You are absolutely correct. Just go to Alibaba to see how cheap that stuff is, in quantity. What got me was the total ignorance of the help in the first instance. In the second store, she knew the score but saw that I was not going to be brushed off. The warranty says to see an associate, call the Husky phone number or go to their web site. They do more harm by balking on making good on an item they bought for next to nothing than just replacing or refunding for 90 days, like HF. It is the false promises that create bad will. Sears made their business around that bullet proof lifetime warranty. Even when the tool was not the best, they made sales on the fact that if it broke they would replace it, forever.

 

[edcantu9]

You are absolutely correct. Just go to Alibaba to see how cheap that stuff is, in quantity. What got me was the total ignorance of the help in the first instance. In the second store, she knew the score but saw that I was not going to be brushed off. The warranty says to see an associate, call the Husky phone number or go to their web site. They do more harm by balking on making good on an item they bought for next to nothing than just replacing or refunding for 90 days, like HF. It is the false promises that create bad will. Sears made their business around that bullet proof lifetime warranty. Even when the tool was not the best, they made sales on the fact that if it broke they would replace it, forever.

Is it easy to purchase stuff on alibaba? I read that you can get ripped of there?

 

[3baygarage]

I had an old Husky headlamp. The plastic locking tab on the battery compartment broke off. I tried to fix it but there was so much tension on clip, nothing worked. Then I read somebody's comment that the Husky Warranty is forever. In fact, it is by category and can be one or two years or forever. Flashlights are forever. I took it to the HD sevice desk and the girl didn't have a clue. She did not know Husky was an HD house brand. Since that model is long discontinued she said the warranty was no longer valid. I was not about to buy that story. There is another HD just down the road. I figured I had better see what was available as a replacement. HD has mostly switched over to a big selection of Coast headlamps and flashlights so the warranty is no longer their problem. There was one lone Husky headlamp on rhe shelf in a blister pack that said "Forever Warranty". I took mine and the new one to the service desk. This girl was better informed but she tried to tell me I had to deal through Husky, which has it's own phone number. When I wasn't buying that, she tried to call her manager but could not find him. Then she threw in the towel, scanned the new one and told me to have a nice day. Clearly, they are not set up to handle the lifetime warranty. I think Husky was supposed to be their Craftsman. Frankly, I think they were counting on people not bothering to return it. The new one is a fragile item with parts that will fail. The new one has a coil cord from the battery compartment to the lamps. Elastic headbands loose tension and the pushbutton is good for just so many cycles. If this one goes it will be interesting to see how they handle it. The new one sure is bright.


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In general I always found HD worse than Sears in regard to tools and warranty.

The employees don't know about everything of course. Sometimes you just have to play it smart like you did to get things done.

Some years back I had a Husky flex head (import) ratchet, the bent handle spark plug type. Well,went down there with the broken one and just my luck, no longer made the bent handle (maybe nowadays they have one again idk). Well it was a run around to get that lifetime tool replaced. The manager handed me some B.S. Husky warranty flier and told me call and try them. Made some calls and wound up with some newfangled import ratchet far from the original.

Another time, broken socket adapter. Run around some more. They want to treat Husky warranty as if it's a returned item sometimes.

 

[6PTsocket]

In general I always found HD worse than Sears in regard to tools and warranty.

The employees don't know about everything of course. Sometimes you just have to play it smart like you did to get things done.

Some years back I had a Husky flex head (import) ratchet, the bent handle spark plug type. Well,went down there with the broken one and just my luck, no longer made the bent handle (maybe nowadays they have one again idk). Well it was a run around to get that lifetime tool replaced. The manager handed me some B.S. Husky warranty flier and told me call and try them. Made some calls and wound up with some newfangled import ratchet far from the original.

Another time, broken socket adapter. Run around some more. They want to treat Husky warranty as if it's a returned item sometimes.

Actually they are pretty good on returns. My wife saw the best one yet. An old guy comes into HD with a BBQ grill and says he only got 10 years out of it and his previous one lasted 20. They give him a new grill and he wants them to assemble it.... and they did. Evrybody was laughing their heads off. Lowes has never hasseled me on returns either. That headlamp was the only Husky I ever bought. That is not a brand I think of for ratchets and wrenches. I have one of those bent swivel head ratchets, an SK 3/8. I picked it up years ago at a car show.

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[Jaysreal]

Is it easy to purchase stuff on alibaba? I read that you can get ripped of there?

It's actually much easier to buy from AliExpress than Alibaba. Alibaba is more for high quantities. AliExpress is more like eBay but not quite as safe. You should definitely do "due diligence" when ordering from both but I have ordered multiple items from AliExpress no Problem.

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[6PTsocket]

It's actually much easier to buy from AliExpress than Alibaba. Alibaba is more for high quantities. AliExpress is more like eBay but not quite as safe. You should definitely do "due diligence" when ordering from both but I have ordered multiple items from AliExpress no Problem.

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I realize that but, I was pointing out how low the landed price was on Chinese goods if you buy in commercial quantities. You see what dealers can get it for on Alibaba. I suspect that is where a lot of the ebay stuff comes from. Can you imagine what HF gets that stuff for? On more expensive items I see they sell some single pieces on Alibaba. I have never bought from either one, only browsed. The shipping can be a deal breaker.

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[Jimithing616]

I often worry about these lifetime warranties at Home Depot. Ive been wanting to buy some husky hard tools like wrenches, i will do some reading on their warranty with those soon here, I'm sure there's some good info on this forum. It's good to hear though that you were eventually able to get your preferred outcome, I find employees at HD to be much more helpful and have much more available options as far as pricing and changing or returning things then the employees at lowes do, which is unfortunate!

 

[Fialaja]

Can you imagine what it’s go to be like when you go to Lees with a broken Craftsman Tool?

 

[Fialaja]

Lowes