KOBALT warranty PIA

[MagnumForce]

Ball head Allens break incredibly easily no matter the brand. You should very much buy them for the warranty.

As for SK, don't expect anyone to ever sell their stuff in Defiance as long as the old plant sits there rotting away. I know it's a "new" company but try telling that to those of us that look at that eyesore every day.

 

[zkling]

The problem is uninformed employees. I bet you could go to a different Lowe's or hell just a different shift at the same store and have a completely different experience. Just seems like an employee thinking they are doing the right thing but in fact they are doing more harm. They are programmed to think everyone is out to scam. Say what you will about sears. They handle warranty on tools more consistent than all the other stores.

This, I've never had a problem with kobalt warranty the very few times I've had to use it. Sears on the other hand has given me a few issues. Again due to ignorant employees.

 

[KnurledNut]

Also, Lowes will only allow so many returns without a receipt. They track your transactions through your drivers liscense number. If you exceed a certain number of times, with in a given time period, they flag you. Then you have to call Lowes corporate and try your best to get the hold lifted. The Hassle-free Kobalt warranty is proving to be quite the opposite.

 

[nicksnothereman]

So, things that tend to break a lot I get something I can warranty easily at a local store, so Lowe's, Sears and Menards it is. Tool trucks don't come to the factory and I can't afford to wait Lord knows how long to send something in.

Sears and Menards are great, absolutely no hassle at all but Lowe's, good grief.

I broke off the ball end of a 3/16 hey socket on a deep, recessed set screw on a lovejoy coupling on a hydraulic pump the other day. Yes I know ball heads aren't ideal for high torque but it was the only thing I had that would reach it. Anyway it was a pia to get that ball out after it broke, I ended up using a left hand drill bit through everything.

Anyway went to warranty the kobalt socket today and was told they only warranty hand tools, I said it was a hand tool. She proceeded to call 3 different managers to get it figured out., then I had to hand over my driver's license, OK whatever, then she wanted my debit card. At that point I was 20 mins in and ticked off, I said why in the world do you need that, she told me because of fraud.
Told her I wanted a manager now, 5 mins later he showed up, gave me the run around, blah blah blah. I said it says no hassle warranty right on the thing, I am a half an hour in and this is a giant hassle. I refused to give them my debit card, finally he relented and I walked out in a huff.

Kobalt, never again. Just needed to vent.

I regret recommending kobalt hand tools in the past. Most are good and easily available but "corporate" and store management has an attitude that needs to be buried in the grand canyon and paved over.

 

[tweedlestan]

More on the horrible Kobalt warranty can be found here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284776&showall=1

 

[donthelegend]

Have only used the Kobalt warranty once (on a torque wrench) but had no problems getting it replaced even though they had updated the torque wrench to a different design and part number. No receipt, just walked in with the old tool and out with a new one a few minutes later.

 

[Brownsfan]

I also had no problems with the warranty at my Lowes. I returned 7 yes 7 pliers. All only 3 months old. They were giant pieces of ****. I had them in my road bag for on site work. I didn't want my more expensive stuff getting lost. Lesson learned. They had rust on all of them. The diagonal cutters couldn't cut butter and the Tounge and groove bent. Just said screw it and got rid of them all. Got store credit and bought a bunch of the clearance Knipex and Channellock stuff. Got much better quality for a little more money. They actually didn't even ask for my receipts. She acknowledged the fact that only Lowe's sells Kobalt so where else would I have bot them. They just gave me store credit for the current selling price

 

[crewchief888]

Mike; this is another example as to why I don't care to purchase tools from a dime store..... I may pay a bit more, but I usually get a better product and knowledgeable counter workers at a tool store... Add the internet retailers of today, I have two good reasons not to shop for tools in a dime store. As far as service or warranty matters: sk sent me two ratchet kits for my 40 year old ratchets, free of charge after a 90 second phone call.. That is the kind of service I like..

just curious, how long did it take to get your repair kits?

 

[Spudland_Dave]

The Bottom Line is: If you buy the tool for the warranty, you made a mistake. Buy the tool for its own reputation and merits. Vote with your dollars for the tools that you want to see produced.

Wellll.... To some, like myself... Warranty Service is a part of the Reputation & Merit of the tool. I value overall service from the purchase side, service side, and overall customer relationship highly.

On the flip side, your right...a lifetime warranty on a POS tool, from a fly-by-night company is nothing at all either. I guess the heartburn for the OP and others here was you buy a tool from a large, well known retail outlet, on one of their OWN in house brands and they got the runaround.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

just curious, how long did it take to get your repair kits?

within a week. Both came via fedX in boot sized boxes.. First one came with a packing slip showing a backorder for the second kit, but the second kit showed up the next day . I was floored at the expense they went through to send me two free repair kits for my 40 year old ratchets. Had they waited a couple days and sent both via US mail in a bubble bag, I would have been more than pleased...

 

[firworks]

They are no different than Sears or Menards. No guarantee you can warranty gearwrench anywhere same day, although I have done it at Sears and Menards. I have looked at those before and I am almost positive they are identical to the Kobalt's right down to the holder.

Do you have a Harbor Freight nearby? You could give them a shot. At least at my HF I walk in the door and stand just inside holding the tool in the air, the cashier sees me and says "Go grab another one" I walk and take it off the shelf and stand by the door holding it up and she says "You're good to go" and I leave. I replaced a broken 50in Clamp Guide in like 25 seconds one time. I was barely even out of my car.

 

[K13]

A ball head is going to break no matter what, it's just the way they are I don't care the manufacturer. I would not have used one for this application had I any other choice. Only other things I have warranties in the last year is a screwdriver a couple floppy gearwrench flex head wrenches and a craftsman 9/16 reversible wrench that I way overused and knew it.

Love this admittedly overuse or use tools for applications you know is going to break them and then complain about the warranty priceless!

 

[MagnumForce]

HF is an hour away. As for admitted overuse, it's a recessed set screw in a love coupling, at an angle where you can't get in straight and even if you could a normal hex socket won't reach it anyway. Tell me how you would do it? We are talking thousands of dollars for every how the machine is down.

You do your job but the hell if you can tell me how to do mine.

 

[MagnumForce]

within a week. Both came via fedX in boot sized boxes.. First one came with a packing slip showing a backorder for the second kit, but the second kit showed up the next day . I was floored at the expense they went through to send me two free repair kits for my 40 year old ratchets. Had they waited a couple days and sent both via US mail in a bubble bag, I would have been more than pleased...

I simply cannot afford to wait that long, if machines go down we are talking 20 employees standing around till I get it fixed not to mention lost production and additional OT and expediting product to meet the just in time delivery point. We are talking thousands of dollars for even an hour of downtime. I have to have the right tools and being able to replace anything that breaks on the way home from work is an absolute necessity.

It isn't like being an auto mechanic or a shade tree guy. Industrial maintenance would boggle a lot of your minds. This is why everyone in the plant has Craftsman, Kobalt or Masterforce for anything crucial.

Tool trucks don't stop at factories.

 

[finn]

I simply cannot afford to wait that long, if machines go down we are talking 20 employees standing around till I get it fixed not to mention lost production and additional OT and expediting product to meet the just in time delivery point. We are talking thousands of dollars for even an hour of downtime. I have to have the right tools and being able to replace anything that breaks on the way home from work is an absolute necessity.

It isn't like being an auto mechanic or a shade tree guy. Industrial maintenance would boggle a lot of your minds. This is why everyone in the plant has Craftsman, Kobalt or Masterforce for anything crucial.

Tool trucks don't stop at factories.

So how is your crappy machine design Lowe's problem?

Seems like you should be bitching about the idiot that designed and manufactured the machine, not the tool vendor (Lowes).
The Snap on guy stopped at our factory for 35 years.

 

[MagnumForce]

Good for you, they don't stop here.

It's a deep ball end socket, what the hell is it made for other than getting to hex head bolts at an angle in recessed locations? Isn't that exactly what I was doing? I don't like using them when I have another choice because they do tend to break but when it is the only option, shouldn't I use it?

I have been doing this for 15 years, it ain't my first rodeo.

 

[tweedlestan]

Oh great, the tool police are here now.

 

[MagnumForce]

I wonder why I post here most of the time. I buy lesser tools and am much worse at my job than anyone else...

 

[tweedlestan]

I wonder why I post here most of the time. I buy lesser tools and am much worse at my job than anyone else...

In the last Kobalt thread I was accused of being part of the "entitlement society" for expecting Lowes to honor their own warranty.

I don't "get" some of the people here.

 

[byoungblood]

Why would you use overseas tools on something important?
aside from that, usa made or not I try and avoid kobalt. I don't like the look or feel of most of the tools, numbering of sockets, etc

Not too long ago both Kobalt and Husky were US made.

I've always been rather amused about the fascination some folks here have on the look of a tool, particularly one that is going to get scratched and dinged up rather quickly. As long as it works as intended, who cares about the cosmetics...

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'll be honest, if I had thousands of dollars an hour banking on me getting a factory back in action, I'd invest in the highest quality tools available and have a lesser brand as a backup. I don't consider Kobalt or Craftsman the best at anything, especially when that kind of money is on the line. I'm not a truck brand guy in general, but I will pony up for critical tools.

 

[MagnumForce]

I give up...

Needless to say most of you are clueless about industrial maintenance.
How this went from "this warranty business *****" to "your tools ****" I haven't a clue.

You guys act like I break tools left and right when in fact it is an extremely rare occurance and my tools take most likely more punishment than tools that cost 4 times as much.

Some guys may have a bit of SK since the factory was here, but other than that a ton of guys have good results with even Stanley and Pittsburgh stuff.

This is what bugs me about the inscesent bitching here about other people's tools, if you don't sign your life away and use one of the big dogs tools you are an inferior species but then I hear about guys warrantying Snappy, SK, Matco, etc. And here I am warrantying one socket from a 30 dollar set once a year and I am clueless.

I know what my Craftsman, Gearwrench and Kobalt stuff can do, and believe it or not it's damn good stuff that takes a real beating. Raised panel is another thing in general, that stuff has been an and always will be ****. But my low profile rats, sockets, Gearwrench reversibles and flex heads, etc etc all do a damn good job for a fraction of the cost of your stuff.

So what if I warranty something occasionally rarely? Sounds like you guys with the expensive stuff do to.

You guys are worse than Lowe's

 

[byoungblood]

I give up...

Needless to say most of you are clueless about industrial maintenance.
How this went from "this warranty business *****" to "your tools ****" I haven't a clue.

You guys act like I break tools left and right when in fact it is an extremely rare occurance and my tools take most likely more punishment than tools that cost 4 times as much.

Some guys may have a bit of SK since the factory was here, but other than that a ton of guys have good results with even Stanley and Pittsburgh stuff.

This is what bugs me about the inscesent bitching here about other people's tools, if you don't sign your life away and use one of the big dogs tools you are an inferior species but then I hear about guys warrantying Snappy, SK, Matco, etc. And here I am warrantying one socket from a 30 dollar set once a year and I am clueless.

I know what my Craftsman, Gearwrench and Kobalt stuff can do, and believe it or not it's damn good stuff that takes a real beating. Raised panel is another thing in general, that stuff has been an and always will be ****. But my low profile rats, sockets, Gearwrench reversibles and flex heads, etc etc all do a damn good job for a fraction of the cost of your stuff.

So what if I warranty something occasionally rarely? Sounds like you guys with the expensive stuff do to.

You guys are worse than Lowe's

Don't worry, that attitude has been around for quite some time.

When I was changing tires and oil at Pep Boys 20 years ago, the mechanics there were all trying to tell me how Craftsman, S-K, etc., were so inferior to truck brands. In the end, they were just trying to justify to themselves about the exorbitant amount of money they had spent amassing a collection of basic tools. Are some of the truck brands better, yes, but 5-6 times better? Hardly.

I'd go to a different store if you have the time. But like yourself, these stores policies of treating you like a crook for trying to get them to warranty/exchange/return an item is getting old.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I simply cannot afford to wait that long, if machines go down we are talking 20 employees standing around till I get it fixed not to mention lost production and additional OT and expediting product to meet the just in time delivery point. We are talking thousands of dollars for even an hour of downtime. I have to have the right tools and being able to replace anything that breaks on the way home from work is an absolute necessity.

It isn't like being an auto mechanic or a shade tree guy. Industrial maintenance would boggle a lot of your minds. This is why everyone in the plant has Craftsman, Kobalt or Masterforce for anything crucial.

Tool trucks don't stop at factories.

Those SK ratchets share space with ProTo, SnapOn, and Armstrong ratchets in multitudes..... There is no way I would ever jeopardize my ability to do my job by only having ONE of ANY frequently used tool at my immediate disposal..
I don't have time to drive around chasing tools after work.. There are times I work till 2 or 3am to put a semi truck back on the road... I STRONGLY suggest to purchase multiples of any tool that is NEEDED on a frequent basis.
It saves allot of grief in the long run.

 

[MagnumForce]

I have about 10 rats, doubles of all wrenches, doubles of all sockets, doubles of all pliers, 5 different pipe wrenches, blah blah blah and one set of rarely used ball head hex sockets... Try again...

I drive right past Menards, Lowe's and Sears on the way home.

And again, this is about an asinine warranty policy, not my tools, good grief.

 

[Jlarson]

I don't even bother with warranty on hex tools. We buy cap screws by the pallet, hex tooling is a consumable to us, broken or worn stuff goes in the dumpster.

 

[MagnumForce]

Same here with L keys they are free for the taking in our tool crib. Pretty much all our fasteners are cap screws. Sockets we have to provide ourselves. I could have use the ball end if an L and broke that off instead but kind of hard to get leverage. I have a set of two handles as well, but the 3/16 was already broke and that is a Bondhus or or I could have used my ball head hex screwdrivers but again, no torque.

My bases are covered.

 

[Docman]

I give up...

Let me get this straight.

You have a legitimate complaint about Lowe's warranty process not living up to advertised expectations, and you're rightfully raising a fuss about it. Why then do you give them your business?

Folks here naturally want to help -- almost everyone here is a problem solver in their own field -- but you seem to getting upset at those people for not understanding you only want to ***** about Lowe's. Dealing with uninformed staff is the last thing I'd want to do so I get the frustration, but getting feisty with anonymous folks on the internet who are just trying to be helpful doesn't seem to be doing much to ease your nerves. Unless I misunderstand, but that's the impression I'm getting.

Here's the problem and solution as I see it, if you'll accept the idea:

Lowe's is a large corporation with rather high employee turn-over so it is very unlikely their warranty situation will improve without upper-level management changes in your store/region. Vote with your (company's) wallet and take your business elsewhere.

This is a mission critical machine where downtime can cause significant losses in productivity. Therefore, would it not be prudent to have a box of these frequently broken tools laying around?

I say buy a couple dozen Bondhus 3/16 replacement bits (part 31410) for around $200 and use your own 3/16 sockets. Then you can send in broken bits for warranty replacement at your convenience and on your own schedule. You wouldn't have to waste time with in-store employees, you'll stop supporting a company whose policies you dislike, and you'll not be caught with your pants down having to run to the store for a replacement tool, all of which seems well worth the trouble of mailing in a handful of bits for warranty at a time and waiting for the return shipping.

Anyway, good luck figuring out a way out. Sounds like a pain in the ***.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Same here with L keys they are free for the taking in our tool crib. Pretty much all our fasteners are cap screws. Sockets we have to provide ourselves. I could have use the ball end if an L and broke that off instead but kind of hard to get leverage. I have a set of two handles as well, but the 3/16 was already broke and that is a Bondhus or or I could have used my ball head hex screwdrivers but again, no torque.

My bases are covered.

This is part of what I am getting at: you have Bondhus and now the Kobalt sets with a broken 3/16... Has either of these 3/16 been replaced in recent years? If so, I would have had multiples of both of them a long time ago..
There is no way that I would depend on Lowes to have one on the shelf when needed... The warranty on low cost tools is a minor concern compared to having the tool when needed.. I get depressed even looking at the CURRENT Kobalt line in Lowes.. And then add the warranty ceremony that you just went through?? No Thanks.. It isn't worth the time...even if the original package did say lifetime warranty...just not worth walking through their door.. There are tool stores and internet sellers who offer a better product and service. I would certainly purchase a 3/16 ball end socket that has a replaceable end.. and then buy spare bits the way I buy 1/8" hss drill bits (pack of 6) Dang it anyway, You have better things to do than going into Lowes for fullhassle warranty.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Docman

looks like we are on the same page...
And "Doc" is a nickname I "earned" sixty years ago...

 

[finn]

Docman

looks like we are on the same page...
And "Doc" is a nickname I "earned" sixty years ago...

My point, exactly.

He should be using industrial tools, sourced from an industrial supplier and quit complaining about his homeowner tools a and big box store experiences.

Talk to the manufacturing engineer about improving the equipment to simplify the setup so tools aren't the source of line downtime.

I can't imagine a professional situation where a company has to rely on sending an employee to a home store to warranty a $5.00 tool to keep a line running. It probably cost the company $100 to get the $5.00 tool from Lowes.

 

[jacked_72]

Let me get this straight.

You have a legitimate complaint about Lowe's warranty process not living up to advertised expectations, and you're rightfully raising a fuss about it. Why then do you give them your business?

I'm not the OP, but I can certainly see why. He's already given Lowes his business and I'm sure it was based partly upon their lifetime hassle free warranty. Now, when he goes in to collect on the promise, he finds it was ********. If you question is why continue to give them business, your question makes sense. Otherwise, it makes no sense.

And the point of the tread (as I read it) was not to help the OP identify and buy better tools, it was to point out a deficit in Lowe's customer service and their disregard for their written warranty.

 

[PFSard]

I said it says no hassle warranty right on the thing, I am a half an hour in and this is a giant hassle.

You have a legitimate complaint.

My take : You should send the link to this thread to Lowe's corporate HQ. And report back in this thread the response you get.

Lowe's needs to deal with this issue of inconsistency and hassle of warranty claims. Decently managed companies would solve such an issue.

 

[MagnumForce]

I'm not the OP, but I can certainly see why. He's already given Lowes his business and I'm sure it was based partly upon their lifetime hassle free warranty. Now, when he goes in to collect on the promise, he finds it was ********. If you question is why continue to give them business, your question makes sense. Otherwise, it makes no sense.

And the point of the tread (as I read it) was not to help the OP identify and buy better tools, it was to point out a deficit in Lowe's customer service and their disregard for their written warranty.

This was the first time I had ever warrantied anything at Lowe's, if I had known what a pia it would be I would never have bought anything there. The entire point of the thread in a nutshell.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

This was the first time I had ever warrantied anything at Lowe's, if I had known what a pia it would be I would never have bought anything there. The entire point of the thread in a nutshell.

In reading this thread:
I am certain there are a multitude of readers who gained some insight about the "value" of the Kobalt warranty at Lowes... Reading about your grief can save others that grief... Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[redwrench60]

This was the first time I had ever warrantied anything at Lowe's, if I had known what a pia it would be I would never have bought anything there. The entire point of the thread in a nutshell.

Looks to me like this is at least the second time you've broke the same tool in about three months or so. Your comments from another member's Lowe's/Kobalt tool warranty thread:

04-03-2015, 02:54 AM #102
MagnumForce
Senior Member


Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,047 Re: Lowes kobalt customer service

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You can get ereceipts pretty much anywhere now days. Makes keeping receipts a breeze, just search my mail on my phone for the item.

Not a big deal to warranty a tool at my lowes, only ever had to warranty one item, ball broke off a long hex socket. Go in, grab replacement, go to service desk, process it as a return apparantly at even exchange. And out the door.

 

[redwrench60]

If you break one of these every couple months or so then maybe it's time to get spares or upgrade to something else. Since thousands of dollars an hour are on the line.

 

[Parrothead]

It isn't like being an auto mechanic or a shade tree guy. Industrial maintenance would boggle a lot of your minds. This is why everyone in the plant has Craftsman, Kobalt or Masterforce for anything crucial.

Tool trucks don't stop at factories.

I made a comment similar to this awhile back, the guys in maintenance at a food production facility are using Craftsman, Kobalt, Husky or Masterforce because they're cheap, available and you can get another one...now. There's no waiting for the truck or whatever and besides that, they don't come. We're talking about a million square foot facility too.

 

[fried_daddy]

I recently returned a flex head ratchet at Lowe's for a warranty. The girl told me to go get another and bring it back to customer service. She gave me a warranty receipt and I was on about my business.

 

[Brownsfan]

I made a comment similar to this awhile back, the guys in maintenance at a food production facility are using Craftsman, Kobalt, Husky or Masterforce because they're cheap, available and you can get another one...now. There's no waiting for the truck or whatever and besides that, they don't come. We're talking about a million square foot facility too.

This is why I have gone away from tool trucks for the most part. Don't get me wrong I have a bunch of truck tools I bought when I had my shop. Now that all my work is done out of a van and on site I can't chase down a truck. But I will say I haven't broken many tools at all. Trying to remember the last time I did warranty anything. But when the need for a new tool comes up I am limited to what is open. Tool trucks are not convenient for me anymore. Although there is one place I go to regularly that is services by a Mac and Snap On truck . I do have my old Snap On guys cell number and he will meet up with me but its just not feasible sometimes