Lifetime Warranties??

[kythri]

My .02¢ worth.

A life time warranty, should be for a life time.

My SO dealer will warranty anything I bring him, because I do business with him. Sometimes if he only has one of the items on his truck he orders it for me. I have broken a couple items on the road and he set me up with the local dealer for replacement.

Now if someone brings him several broken tools and he has never done any business with them and there only purpose for tracking him down was to get the tool warranted, he will give them a card with info how to mail it in to SO for replacement. I agree with his policy, I know a lot of people won’t.

Dealers that sell broken tools they have been compensated for and did not have to turn in should be shot!

It's his business, he can run it how he pleases, but he's not going to earn my business with that.

I'll use that card he gives me, and purchase any future tools from the same source - i.e. direct.

If a dealer is OK with giving his business to Snap-On Direct, bully for him.

My stance on this issue is, the dealer is a representative of Snap-On. I don't care if he's an independent franchise or not - he IS Snap-On. As such, he needs to handle all transactions.

 

[autoace]

It's his business, he can run it how he pleases, but he's not going to earn my business with that.

I'll use that card he gives me, and purchase any future tools from the same source - i.e. direct.

If a dealer is OK with giving his business to Snap-On Direct, bully for him.

My stance on this issue is, the dealer is a representative of Snap-On. I don't care if he's an independent franchise or not - he IS Snap-On. As such, he needs to handle all transactions.

I agree with you too, but that is not the way the dealers operate! Corporate sends you to a dealer, and dealers don't always deal!

 

[kythri]

Which is why I don't buy Snap-On, unless nobody else makes what I need (fortunately, there's very little that Snap-On makes that nobody else does).

 

[rhandwor]

Like or not every time you buy a new tool your really paying for 3 tools. In the present economy I imagine we will loose some more U S tool manufacturers.
For a large discount I would buy good quality tools without a warranty or a 1 years warranty like the English tools.

 

[wrenchr]

I have been burned from ebay due to flakey sellers not being honest!! I bought a 1/4 snap on flexhead and there was no mention of chrome flake but sure enough it had it so I sent it to snap on for warranty!!

 

[Vulturej]

It's his business, he can run it how he pleases, but he's not going to earn my business with that.

I'll use that card he gives me, and purchase any future tools from the same source - i.e. direct.

If a dealer is OK with giving his business to Snap-On Direct, bully for him.

My stance on this issue is, the dealer is a representative of Snap-On. I don't care if he's an independent franchise or not - he IS Snap-On. As such, he needs to handle all transactions.

Like I said a lot of people won’t agree.

As for buying direct, I haven't paid list price for a tool on his truck in 15 years so I'll stick with the dealer.

 

[Danglerb]

If a Snapon dealer gets a tool and Snapon won't warranty it, they can always put it on ebay.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I agree with you, but what happens if you lose your dealer, and don't have one for awhile, and some new dealer doesn't warranty well for you because, you gave the old dealer most of the money, etc... Then you become the guy with many expensive Snap-on tools with virtually no warranty! Snap-on warranty is mostly a "temporary warranty" if you have a good dealer, you spend money with. You get warranty service if you are spending money on a regular basis, otherwise cross your fingers.

I am so glad you are pitching my schpeel here and saving me the effort! I mean it, I am truly grateful! I used to jump into these threads and fight the fight you are fighting now. Thank you!

 

[Skyline]

My Snap-on guy bitched when I kept bringing him broken tools. We buy collections of tools every couple of months so it is inevitable to come across some broken S-O stuff. I was up-front about it. I told him I bought all my S-O tools on eBay, and pretty much everything he warranteed would be sold on eBay. He was not happy, and suggested I contact S-O directly. So that's exactly what I did. Spoke to the regional manager. He sent me right back to the dealer, saying it is an obligation of his franchise to warantee tools.

I felt a little bad about this, and asked the regional rep if there was ANY way I could send the tools in directly...he said no way. I had to go through the dealer. I know we have subsequently heard otherwise here on GJ, but I did go back to the dealer. I went back to him with the explanation from the regional rep, a few broken tools, and a nice bottle of Italian red wine. Returns have been pretty smooth ever since. I've also spent a good amount of money on the truck, buying missing items from sets I want to sell on eBay. I also have bought items I personally needed that can not really be found on eBay or seem to sell at close to truck price....like hammers. (Can someone explain why good condition S-O hammers frequently sell for more than truck price when you factor in shipping????) I think he now realizes that having an eBay seller as a customer is not really such a bad thing. But I do not take it too far....I do not expect him to warantee a tool that he's not going to be able to return to S-O (due to obvious abuse)....that wouldn't be fair given my situation. Perhaps he would take that item back from a good regular customer, and "eat" the return, but I don't expect that.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Like I said a lot of people won’t agree.

As for buying direct, I haven't paid list price for a tool on his truck in 15 years so I'll stick with the dealer.

I tried to stay out, but this post has to be properly responded to. The reasons he will do everything including donning the knee pads for you are as follows.

1) You have a balance of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of tools you have bought from him and you keep buying tools from him at least on a semi regular, if not regular basis.

2) You are on his regular route, and you and your fellow techs buy from him weekly.

3) The only reason you get such a cut is your shop spends **** loads of money with him annually.

4) If you started getting ****** warranty service from him I bet you would stop buying his tools and talk trash on him and the brand at every opportunity! Especially since you have thousands ******* in this brand!

5)Quit working in that shop, move out of state, don't go back to tech work for a few years and wait till you have a half dozen sockets or other small tools to warranty then report back how great your warranty is when Mr snappy (not your old dealer) tells you to stick your broken **** where the sun don't shine!

6) After you have experienced 5) you will then be fully qualified to understand how truck warranty service blows for many here. Sorry, Snap-on has earned their ****** reputation for service with many guys like me!

 

[Uncle Buck]

My Snap-on guy bitched when I kept bringing him broken tools. We buy collections of tools every couple of months so it is inevitable to come across some broken S-O stuff. I was up-front about it. I told him I bought all my S-O tools on eBay, and pretty much everything he warranteed would be sold on eBay. He was not happy, and suggested I contact S-O directly. So that's exactly what I did. Spoke to the regional manager. He sent me right back to the dealer, saying it is an obligation of his franchise to warantee tools.

I felt a little bad about this, and asked the regional rep if there was ANY way I could send the tools in directly...he said no way. I had to go through the dealer. I know we have subsequently heard otherwise here on GJ, but I did go back to the dealer. I went back to him with the explanation from the regional rep, a few broken tools, and a nice bottle of Italian red wine. Returns have been pretty smooth ever since. I've also spent a good amount of money on the truck, buying missing items from sets I want to sell on eBay. I also have bought items I personally needed that can not really be found on eBay or seem to sell at close to truck price....like hammers. (Can someone explain why good condition S-O hammers frequently sell for more than truck price when you factor in shipping????) I think he now realizes that having an eBay seller as a customer is not really such a bad thing. But I do not take it too far....I do not expect him to warantee a tool that he's not going to be able to return to S-O (due to obvious abuse)....that wouldn't be fair given my situation. Perhaps he would take that item back from a good regular customer, and "eat" the return, but I don't expect that.

But see, the result is always the same here. The warranty cannot stand up on it's own, you must keep greasing the skids by always spending more money, the sad fact is that is the common thread of Snap-on warranty stories!

(I am out of here, I hate discussing Snap-on warranty service, it always ticks me off!)

 

[The Muffin Man]

Ive done a straw poll of a few friends and colleagues, who are not communists or atheists (or anything suitably immoral) , but engineers, architects, electricians etc...

What category would an Atheists engineering student fall in?

Call me crazy but does anyone else on here feel that the notion of buying cheap second hand 'branded' tools on ebay (trademe in NZ) or in pawn stores then trying to get free replacements from their dealers is somehow wrong?

Yes, I do feel the same way as well.

I kind of agree - why should the manufacturer pay for me to have an old worn-out ratchet rebuilt? I mean i`ve used it for almost 15 years on an almost daily basis so I think i`ve got my moneys worth out of it. I don`t expect Koken to give me a new one because its gotten sloppy.

If I got 15 years worth of life out of a tool, I'd be compelled to buy the rebuild kit or a new one.

 

[-B-]

SO does not like it when their street representatives (dealers) do not warranty tools at the local level. I know this well moving around shops lot and I have learned to play hard ball . If a dealer gives me a hard time, I ask for his card so that I can call SO direct and get the problem solved. I have been given many a sorry gifts , the real gift is the dealer apologizing and doing as told to.

Do not let these guys fool you they are lazy and sit on their names far to much. They make damn good money off of you usually keystone ( 50% mark up) most specialty retail makes money off of 30%.

 

[Uncle Buck]

What catorgorey would an Atheists engineering student fall in .

If you do not get what he was saying I doubt anyone could explain it either! BTW: I did understand it.

 

[autoace]

One day some of you guys may be having a moment in the garage. The moment where you see mega bucks in truck brand tools, you paid for. You may also notice the box of broken tools, that are not easy to warranty because of the corporate/dealer "shuffle".

Then you might look out at one of your project cars and say to yourself "If I didn't spend soo much damn money on these, next to no warranty, over priced tools, maybe I would have a nice old car, instead of a parking lot ornament"

In most cases you are paying for a bill of goods, and an eggshell strong warranty. I will guarantee to anyone, stop spending money on the truck for a month, and you will be off the route, with no warrranty. The "appearance" of greatness is just that. Snap-on and the rest, break just as easy, as any fairly good tool.

 

[autoace]

^^^
The P.S. is, it took me 15 years to figure this out, I didn't want to believe it, but have found it to be true. I am not criticizing those, who lose their wallet,at the sight of Snap-on truck grandeur! I'm just saying it's not worth it! This also means, I was wrong, always saying Pro techs need Pro tools only. Specialty tools and diagnostic/shop equipment yes. basic hand tools, nope! Good tools are needed, but they don't have to be of the designer variety. My top tool choices today are Proto from Grainger(no Proto/dealer buck passing...there are no Proto trucks to my knowledge, and Craftsman...All other equipment can be had online, or through a general industrial/automotive dealer.

 

[goodfellow]

^^^
The P.S. is, it took me 15 years to figure this out, I didn't want to believe it, but have found it to be true. I am not criticizing those, who lose their wallet,at the sight of Snap-on truck grandeur! I'm just saying it's not worth it! This also means, I was wrong, always saying Pro techs need Pro tools only. Specialty tools and diagnostic/shop equipment yes. basic hand tools, nope! Good tools are needed, but they don't have to be of the designer variety. My top tool choices today are Proto from Grainger(no Proto/dealer buck passing...there are no Proto trucks to my knowledge, and Craftsman...All other equipment can be had online, or through a general industrial/automotive dealer.

Well said!! I started out with MAC in the late 60's and was a true "die hard" advocate for the brand. Over the years I've come to the same conclusion as you -- for basic hand tools I choose Craftsman now. After everything is "said and done" the basics are just as viable from Craftsman Danaher vs. from Snap-on.

I'm at the point now that when a good tool breaks, and if it's provided good service for decades, I don't worry too much about the warranty anymore. I'll try to replace it under warranty, but if not, then I just buy a new one.

That said, I've never had a problem getting a legitimate warranty replacement on any Craftsman hand tool. It's the best tool warranty I've ever seen.

 

[-B-]

I pick and choose the tools I use for their quality and ease of use I will never ever be brand specific. I use to go through 14mm sockets like they were water with S&K, CM, and Mac, switched to SO and it slowed down a bit. ( removing over torqued 14mm bolts with collapsed threads is a killer) Just about two years ago I had to retire my CM original long pattern pro series wrenches as they were suffering from failure. ( again due to removing over torqued bolts) I picked up a set of SO as I knew they would be the next step up.

tool quality is what I look at first no matter the country or manufacturer of origin
function of the tool comes next
then I look at warranty ability to fix the tool

I have tools from all over the world and over a wide spectrum of sizing 2mm -40mm I have a truing stand that originally cost 1k from Belgium it has a warranty but I will never use it as it is easier to repair then warranty.