Ridgid tools and Lifetime Service Agreement???

[1Garageman]

I need to replace my battery powered tool set at home. I have been reading up on this Rigid tool Lifetime service agreement, and it sounds pretty good. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with the Ridgid tools and how well you like them? Has anyone here ever used their "Lifetime Service Agreement" before??

Thanks!

 

[green.bubbly]

Never used their battery tools. I have an older radial arm saw that has been great. I currently have Dewalt 20v drivers and my only complaint is that the battery charger does not have a way of being secured to a bench.

This requires one hand to hold the charger and another hand to remove or insert the battery. Yeah, sounds silly but aggravated the hell out of me since one hand had the tool.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Great tools, but they do everything possible to make it hard to register for the warranty and hard to actually exercise it.

 

[Honest Bob]

I've had my Drill and Impact driver for probably close to 5 years now. Added a set similar to what you have pictured a year ago, along with the 1/2 impact and another flashlight/battery combo. I havent had to use the warranty yet. Just be aware that you do have to register on their web site (using codes from a HD receipt) to get the lifetime warranty.

Also some of the promotional items like for example during christmas HD usually has Rigid batteries for near half the price. Those items may not qualify for the lifetime warranty (it says so on the packaging). I've also had 50/50 success with getting the LSA on clearance Rigid items.

Sometimes I wonder if I shouldnt have gone with the ryobi just because of the sheer quantity of different tools. I hate having a totally different set of batterys/charger for the weed wacker and leaf blower.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my Rigid stuff as a home owner/tinkerer.

 

[SMKS]

Do some googling, as there are multiple threads here on the topic.

Long story short, there are hoops you have to jump through and some people complain the registration system doesn't work, and they have to do it manually by mailing stuff in. It appears they don't make it easy to register. That's probably on purpose, so a larger number of people will be swayed to buy the tool, but they won't complete the registration or it will be rejected and they won't notice until it's too late.

 

[Missionman60]

I have 2 sets of them, tried to register them for the warranty on separate occasions but on both they came back and said "we cant confirm your purchase please send in the original receipt" I sent them in on both of them but still have not heard back. I love the tools themselves but I think the whole lifetime warranty and battery replacement is a marketing ploy.

 

[Caddis295]

I too looked into their battery replacement policies and it is disappointing.

After an extensive review of customer related warranty claims being denied due to a poorly designed claim process and that the coverage doesn't extend to extra batteries being purchased, I steered away from Rigid and went back to Dewalt.

I have the older 18v Dewalt tools, a complete array of hardware that gets used regularly, and the "choke" cost of replacing them with another brand or even the newer 20v LI sets made me look into finding replacement batteries offered by various vendors on Amazon.

I don't know if you are in the same boat as me, but just do your homework and find the best set for your needs.

I wish you the best of luck in the coming expenditure of replacing your tools.

 

[Jon_E]

It's pretty much a scam. I went with Ryobi instead as they are a lot cheaper. If I were to do it again I'd probably be leaning toward Milwaukee. Plus Ridgid (and Ryobi) are proprietary to Home Depot - the Milwaukee stuff I can get anywhere.

 

[1Garageman]

I looked up some Youtube videos on this issue and found a lot of people have had trouble registering their items. I am really tempted to go with Milwaukee, but my wife found this deal on Rigid tools. I told her that a lifetime guarantee on batteries and parts just seems to good to be true. But a lot of people on youtube like them and have had their batteries replaced.

 

[1Garageman]

This is the other kit I am thinking about getting. I have a lot more respect for Milwaukee tools.

$399 at HomeDepot and Northern Tools.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200460560_200460560

 

[Thumper68]

I have a ton of Ridgid cordless from gen 1 to gen 5, I have never had an issue setting up the LSA on the web and have used it a few times to get tools and batteries repaired/replaced.

A few things of note,
Stand alone batteries are not covered, I get around this by watching the HD website for deals on flashlights and last year I got the usb adapter with battery for less than a stand alone battery.

Ridgid tools are made by TTI (parent company of Milwaukee) under license from Emerson Elec. The battery packs use the exact same cells as Milwaukee, most of the electronic components are the same as well.

I have used mine for years in commercial use and abuse, they hold up as well as any of the others.

One real nice thing is that gen 5 LION batteries fit gen 1 tools so if you keep your eye out you can pick up used older stuff for pennies and use them with the new batteries.

 

[Kaizen]

I wouldn't. I got their battery multitool. Worked well for 6 mo then the reverse switch broke so the drill attachment is useless. Just bought dewalt again and love them


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[tonyciambrone]

Last time this thread happened I got flamed for doubting the strength of the "Ridgid LSA"

Tides have turned I guess

 

[tcianci]

Don't waste your time. I drank the koolaid. the tools are mid grade at best and the service policy is a PITA. If you want to be treated like a homeowner go for it, if you want to be treated like a professional, buy Milwaukee

 

[crewchief888]

i agree the LSA is a royal PITA, i have 2 or 3 ridgid cordless tools, seems so me the 18v battery packs **** ***, low over all life span, ( i had to replace 2 18v batteries within a year) the 2 replacements seem to have a short use lifespan before they are dead.
i couldnt depend on them for home use, let alone having what i needed, at the time, for daily abuse.

i changed from orange to red, and thats all i'll buy for cordless use from now on.

ive had zero issues with the ridgid corded tools i have....

 

[rcktsled]

I bought a Ridgid compact drill with two batteries and a charger. The batteries failed in less than 9 months. The warranty required me to take everything to a local tool repair center for evaluation. It took 4 months to get new batteries. Not sure who dropped the ball, Ridgid or the dealer, but I was very disappointed. I won't be buying any more Ridgid cordless tools.

 

[SweetD]

Ridgid, Ryobi and Milwaukee are all designed/made by the same company, Techtronics Industries (TTI). Home Depot owns about 80% of TTI if I recall.

Ridgid and Ryobi are Home Depot exclusive, but the Milwaukee stuff is basically the same stuff as Ridgid.

I like the Ryobi stuff for DIY/weekend warrior type jobs.

 

[dfiler2]

Some info on who owns what.

http://toolguyd.com/tool-brands-corporate-affiliations/

 

[BonzoHansen]

I have 2 sets of them, tried to register them for the warranty on separate occasions but on both they came back and said "we cant confirm your purchase please send in the original receipt" I sent them in on both of them but still have not heard back. I love the tools themselves but I think the whole lifetime warranty and battery replacement is a marketing ploy.

I went through that and they still said go pound sand. screw them, i sold it all off. no more rigid for me.

 

[1Garageman]

I just came back form HD and think I found what I am going to get.

M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Brushless Hammer Drill/Impact Driver Combo Kit.
On sale for $369, and it includes a 3rd M18 5amp battery!
So 3 of those batteries and Hammer drill and impact drill all for that price is a pretty good sale.

 

[ford33]

I have also had problems registering Rigid tools on their website. Same message as others have stated. I think it is a way for them to deny warranty of their tools.

I have since stopped buying Rigid tools. If a company has strict registration policy and a difficult registration process then it tells me they are not honest. There are lots of other tool manufacturers out there that make fine tools.

 

[rmanrman]

Ridgid did everything possible to Not repair/replace bad batteries that came in a kit
Was registered and Home Depot was useless to resolve the issue
No more ridgid will only buy Milwaukee

 

[coljar]

I have 3 Ridgid drill and 3 Ridgid impacts. I called their number, give them the information about 2 of my batteries that were bad and they sent me 2 new ones in less than a week. I'm not saying anything about other's experiences, just my own.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Milwaukee, Ridgid and Ryobi cordless tools are all made be TTI, listed in order of quality and reliability.

I have had nothing but good experiences with Milwaukee. The Ridgid stuff seems pretty good for slightly more than homeowner use, but as with the other posters here I'm told trying to use the warranty is ridiculous. Most Ryobi stuff I've seen is almost disposable. Different people I know bought the Ryobi all-in-one kits for entry level cordless tools when they bought their first house or for projects like building a deck or a home bar and basically everything was just about shot at completion of the project. I must admit, my experiences with Ryobi were all a few years ago, so their cordless stuff may be better now.

Tommy

 

[MikeF2316]

I have a powerful 18V Ridgid autoshift cordless drill from 5-6 years ago. The drill itself is good, but the batteries that came with it had a very short life. One was a 5 cell, the other 10, and of course they weren't registered. The failure of the 10 cell pack occurred while I was doing a project for work, so I had them buy me a new pack. This new pack has proven to be much more durable. I was recently given a hex drive impact that can use my battery (batteries with the impact were dead, the whole mess was headed to the garbage). It seems OK, I've used it a couple of times now, but it's only as powerful as my M12, and the M12 weighs way less.

Because of the battery issue, I switched to Milwaukee. My oldest Milwaukee stuff is about 4 years old, and I've never had a problem with any of it. All the original batteries are still good.

 

[wakemeup]

Some info on who owns what.

http://toolguyd.com/tool-brands-corporate-affiliations/

That list is an eye opener!


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[SnJGlass]

Well, IF you can get Home Depot and its supplier to ACTUALLY provide the LSA that they offer, it is a good deal. The problem is that Home Depot (either by design or by very poor oversight of its supplier) allows the RIDGID (yes, that's how they spell it) company to set a unusually complex process filled with hoops and time limits and misleading communications (the bad news is tucked away in the middle of lots of feel good fluff).

We have been investigating this for some time now. Our results are not re-assuring. It seems that the web portal via which you have to start the process somehow mis-transmits key data! Then, the Ridgid people complain that they "cannot confirm" the purchase details! Well, of course not, they or their system altered the CORRECT data that customers submited!

THEN, you have a limited period of time to resubmit, this time by postal mail, the ORIGINAL purchase receipt -- a copy is not good enough. Then the 90 days roll around, and they profess to be so very sorry that YOU failed to submit the required information on time and you are denied.

We have tried this multiple times with the same result. Each time documenting with screen grabs and such the data that was submitted and the changed data that this nefarious bunch of bandits claims they received.

And, yes, we have complained each time to Home Depot when we return the items, still unapproved for the promised LSA, on the 89th day of Home Depot's 90-day no-questions-asked satisfaction guarantee. You'd think that Home Depot would be sick of these returns piling up, but so far HD apparently has taken no steps to put a stop to this process.

It sure makes Lowes a more desirable place to shop.