timtim2008
Well-known member
do they ask for your ID on an exchange?
they asked me for my ID. i said no, and walked out
they asked me for my ID. i said no, and walked out
Sears Warranty
- Thread starter brassspike
- Start date
wafrederick
Well-known member
I took back a 15mm chrome deepwell socket back to Sears,I broke it with a 1/2 impact with a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter on it.Never asked me how I broke it called no questions asked.Did get it replaced.I have taken back a 10mm deepwell impact socket,was worn out.Would not grip a bolt at all.Had a replacement mailed to me.
you a wanted man or something? Whats the big deal.
FWIW i've never had that happen at Sears but its a common practice at other stores like walmart and bestbuy for returns/exchanges. Its how they track your history.
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Radio Flyer
Well-known member
I wanted to exchange a 13mm crows foot. It ws new and considerably smaller that 13mm. A manufacturing defect for sure. I was told that since they were sold as a set, I needed to bring the whole set in to exchange it. I asked if they couldn't exchange mine and put the defect in the set and send the set back as defective. No dice, left empty handed and this has set the tone for future purchases. I got a HF feeling when I left.
Alchymist
Well-known member
Took a couple 1/4" sockets in a while ago for exchange. CSR looked at the sizes, fetched two new ones, then said, wait, yours are 6 point - these are 12. Went back to find the 6 point ones, out of stock. Told me - here, take these to use and I'll have the others mailed to you. Two for 1! Can't complain about that at all.
billymade
Well-known member
Radio Flyer, they should be able to order them through the catalog and have them sent to your house... in the stores, there aren't any "open stock" on those.
greasemonkey44
Well-known member
my friend trades out all of his used and abused cman stuff out without any problems, its gotta be easier than waiting out the HF people. I bought a new box from them, the top chest was dented to hell, had to bring it back, trade it out. Took 1/2 an hour to pull the damned thing. Have had good success on other stuff tho, had a shite 3/4 ratchet outta the metric kit, looked like whoever milled it hasnt even heard of carbide, traded me out for the pittsburg pro. Other times it hit and miss, had strap wrenches from them, what a joke. Returning there without a receipt is doom. Having to show ID isnt a biggie man you gotta do it for smokes, beers, checks, spraypaint, some power tools, car rentals, all sorts of things, dont know why you got bent outta shape about it pal
ibedayank
Well-known member
I have never had to show an ID at sears to warrany a tool and was just there last week.
willysrule
Well-known member
Anyone know if screwdriver bits are covered?
I went in with a few out of the 83-pc set that had broken. The guy who came over was very pissy and rude. Told me quite rudely that he could help me out with one item but I was “out of luck” for the other ones. I asked why and got another rude response of “no warranty, read your warranty info, you’d know there is no warranty then” I asked “isn’t it on all hand tools??” and got no response…he just tossed my one exchange on the counter and walked away…left much to be desired and felt pretty appalled about the experience…even if he was right and they are not covered he sure went about it the wrong way..I have tons of craftsman stuff…wouldn’t say I’m brand loyal, but regardless I have a bunch of money wrapped up with their items…
Biggest thing that pissed me off was I had my young son with me, who loves to go to the tool stores…Always try to teach him the value of having tools, how to use and appreciate them. The guy at sears didn’t help much in showing him that sears cares about there customers…
I went in with a few out of the 83-pc set that had broken. The guy who came over was very pissy and rude. Told me quite rudely that he could help me out with one item but I was “out of luck” for the other ones. I asked why and got another rude response of “no warranty, read your warranty info, you’d know there is no warranty then” I asked “isn’t it on all hand tools??” and got no response…he just tossed my one exchange on the counter and walked away…left much to be desired and felt pretty appalled about the experience…even if he was right and they are not covered he sure went about it the wrong way..I have tons of craftsman stuff…wouldn’t say I’m brand loyal, but regardless I have a bunch of money wrapped up with their items…
Biggest thing that pissed me off was I had my young son with me, who loves to go to the tool stores…Always try to teach him the value of having tools, how to use and appreciate them. The guy at sears didn’t help much in showing him that sears cares about there customers…
ibedayank
Well-known member
Willsrule Find one company that does put the customer ahead of the bottom line these days. As far as driver bits go i see them as i wear them out i just toss them and order some more. Cripes seems to be the cheapest or amazon.
willysrule
Well-known member
Totally agree with you, there is actually two stores near me that treat customers right...but they are privately owned small places...one is a hardware store and the other is auto parts...
I figured they were "consumables" but hat not reason not to try...it wasn’t that he didn’t warrantee them, it was the way he went about telling me “no”…If I find out they are covered I want to go back and throw them in his face…
ibedayank
Well-known member
I dont blame ya there. The local sears here is now just a catalog store but the guys running it are 50s plus and know tools and are always great to deal with.
Radio Flyer
Well-known member
Thanks for the tip. They never even offered that as an option. I guess I need to learn their proticol, and ask the right questions.
I still don't understand why, if they were willing to exchange your whole set because of one bad piece, they couldn't take a new set off the shelf, swap out the one bad piece, and then send back the new-but-for-one-bad-piece set. What's the substantive difference here?
Or, I wonder if you could have purchased the new set, swapped out the bad piece from the new set, then returned the set for refund (having never stepped away from the sales counter....)
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i've never had any trouble returning craftsman tools. that's why i have them. i've brought in 1/2" drive ratchets with bent handles, Philips screw drivers that look like punches, worn out flat heads. they make me go find it on the shelf if there isn't one in the refurbished drawer. as with any profession there are some people doing them that don't know what they are doing. just find the next guy up the chain and make it his problem.
I wish I had the experiences you guys have had at sears. Within the last month I've warrantied two things.
I took a 1/4" ratchet back that I had broke, the sales clerk tried to give me a "refurb" that was a different model than mine. I wouldn't accept it. He then dug through drawers under the shelves and managed to find parts from a few different ratchets. The drive was quarter inch but, the ball was too big and the spring too long. He ended up dropping the parts all over the floor then and couldn't find the ball. He gave up and went over to the shelf and got a new one for me. He wasted over a half hour of my time trying to repair my ratchet.
The second time, I had an adjustable wrench that cracked the support right above the wheel. I took it to the manager and I asked if I could get a warranty exchange for my wrench because it was unusable. He looked at it for a couple of minutes and then kinda rudely said "I guess" and then we walked back to the wall and he could not even find the wrench.
Neither of the tools were that old and I broke them with only gentle use, using them the proper way. Both tools looked brand new.
I've found this to be a great site so far, I only registered to be a member so that I could see the attached pictures in the toolbox thread but I thought I'd chime in about my experiences with warranty.
I took a 1/4" ratchet back that I had broke, the sales clerk tried to give me a "refurb" that was a different model than mine. I wouldn't accept it. He then dug through drawers under the shelves and managed to find parts from a few different ratchets. The drive was quarter inch but, the ball was too big and the spring too long. He ended up dropping the parts all over the floor then and couldn't find the ball. He gave up and went over to the shelf and got a new one for me. He wasted over a half hour of my time trying to repair my ratchet.
The second time, I had an adjustable wrench that cracked the support right above the wheel. I took it to the manager and I asked if I could get a warranty exchange for my wrench because it was unusable. He looked at it for a couple of minutes and then kinda rudely said "I guess" and then we walked back to the wall and he could not even find the wrench.
Neither of the tools were that old and I broke them with only gentle use, using them the proper way. Both tools looked brand new.
I've found this to be a great site so far, I only registered to be a member so that I could see the attached pictures in the toolbox thread but I thought I'd chime in about my experiences with warranty.
justanengineer
Well-known member
I cant count the number of things Ive returned to Sears and never had any problems. Most of my returns tend to be "special tools" that were made for various projects out of common tools. Ive had problems with the various trucks before doing so, but never at Sears. Minimum wage has its advantage to what clerks are willing to give away.
I received a notice from Sears that an air compressor I bought some time ago was on a recall list. I finally remembered what job I used the compressor on. I went to the job site, got the date code, serial number, model number and called Sears. the compressor was on the recall and I needed to take it to the closest Sears store and they would do hte repair and then I could go get the compressor. I asked if there was a closer option, could I do the repairs myself? No, driving 300 miles round trip, twice was the only option. I explained the compressor was on a fire sprinkler system and I could not leave the building unprotected. The woman did not know or care about my problem. I called the Walla Walla store and I think I got hte same person the OP talked to. But that person did tell me they would do some research and call me back. He did not give me a time for the call back, so I cannot say he lied. But, after 2 weeks, I am beginning to think he lied to me. I called sears again and asked if my local Sears store could help me. The did not know of a store closer than the Walla Walla store. I then called my local store. They asked for a copy of the paper work, which I took to them. The owner then told me he would get back to me. I am still waiting.
The reason for the recall? The compressor may catch fire.
At one time, a Sears compressor was a quality tool. But about 12 or 15 years ago, they started to be built to a price point, and were not the quality I wanted for my customers. This compressor was the last Sear's product I bought.
The reason for the recall? The compressor may catch fire.
At one time, a Sears compressor was a quality tool. But about 12 or 15 years ago, they started to be built to a price point, and were not the quality I wanted for my customers. This compressor was the last Sear's product I bought.
billymade
Well-known member
The drill bits, screwdriver bits, taps, dies, rethreading dies, cutting blades, etc.; have all become "consumables" and do not have a lifetime warranty. This has been this way for a long time; there was a time, when these type of things were lifetime but no more... many things changed, once kmart bought out sears. If you look on the package of the tools you buy; the warranty status of the tool should be marked on there... it pays to look; especially, now a days.... because some stuff is "limited lifetime" or not lifetime at all.
Fordman7795
Well-known member
Went in yesterday with a old pair of craftsman "channellocks". Got it at a rummage sale for $1. The teeth were wore out and the bolt was sloppy causing the jaws to misalign. Swapped it out no questions asked in about 20 seconds. He never looked at it, just tossed it in the defective tool return box.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Yep, and they won't honor the warranty on the old tools that still have the lifetime warranty.
Lifetime warranty tap and die set? Not anymore, one bad U.S. made lifetime warranty tap, and their only offer is to swap your entire U.S. set for a no-warranty chinese set.
Lifetime warranty torque wrench, in the original case, with the original manual that says lifetime warranty right on it? Doesn't mean ****.
Theres constructive critism then theres that. Nobody does lifetime warranty on adjustable torque wrenches yet sears is evil for changing? Their Beam style are still lifetime by the way. I personally dont ever remember clickers coming with a full lifetime warranty on parts AND calibration. If they did at one point, its a complete wonder why they would ever change. Its not like people dont abuse them right?
Taps and dies? You wore them out, you replace them. The fact that they would even offer to replace a decades old sets is actually pretty generous on their part, regardless of COO. They are effectively eating it, they have no form of reimbursement. About that COO, pretty sure the old sets were made by Vermont American, go yell at bosch because their the ones who ran that company into the ground.
Like i said, there is constructive critism, then theres having a bloated sense of entitlement. Some consumables no longer have a lifetime warranty and torque wrenches follow the industry standard for warranty? Shocking. Lets get our torches out and burn down the store.
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nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Umm, I wasn't the one that offered the lifetime warranty on them, Sears did! If you sell a tool with a lifetime warranty, you should offer the lifetime warranty.
Replacing a high quality, lifetime warranty, US made tap and die set, with a ************* chinese one with no warranty at all, is generous? No, that's fraud.
I'm not debating the manufacturer of the set, it may very well be vermont-american, however it was NOT purchased as a Vermont-American set. It was purchased as a LIFETIME WARRANTY SEARS TAP & DIE SET, as it proclaims right on the case. As such, that puts it on sears to honor that lifetime warranty.
As for the torque wrench, it wasn't being warrantied for calibration, it was being (well, NOT) warrantied for a stripped head. Again, I don't give a rat's *** if nobody currently offers a lifetime warranty clicker torque wrench, that means nothing. THIS ONE WAS LIFETIME WARRANTY. That is the only thing that matters.
Yes, if I buy something that is lifetime warranty, I damn well expect that as long as that company is around, it will indeed, be a lifetime warranty, regardless of what the current warranty on a newly manufactured tool may be.
So if you buy a new car, and a year later, the industry decides that the new standard is offering absolutely no warranty on anything, and your car had a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty when you bought it, are you going to be ok with them saying "sorry, your warranty is no longer valid, as the industry standard is now to offer no warranty."?
********.
Bailey
New member
i have had problems with sears warrenty, but i win every time.I dont care what is wrong with the tool i state "I am not satisfied". If they dont understand pull any tool off the shelf in front of them and read them there warrenty. Mangers have looked out the back room and have said do whatever he wants. Also had one send me a $25 gift cert.
I asked one guy how he bent the handle on his breaker bar. 4ft cheater at the register the clerk was giving the story of abused tools. I spoke up and said you told me you like the bend but you were not satisfied. the clerk look at the guy and ask who i was lol. He said i was his new best friend.The breaker was returned. Use the right term and read them their warrenty. It is a lifetime satisfaction warrenty. Have them get the manager. Make it a fun time for all.
I asked one guy how he bent the handle on his breaker bar. 4ft cheater at the register the clerk was giving the story of abused tools. I spoke up and said you told me you like the bend but you were not satisfied. the clerk look at the guy and ask who i was lol. He said i was his new best friend.The breaker was returned. Use the right term and read them their warrenty. It is a lifetime satisfaction warrenty. Have them get the manager. Make it a fun time for all.
Your analogy...well...*****, so lets fix it. It would be like a car manufacturer offering a 10 yr warranty with no stipulations then someone rolls in to a dealership and says they need new tires and brakes. Now do you explain to them its a wear item and not reasonable to expect they get new ones or eat it?
As far as torque wrenches, dont like it? Go buy one that has a complete lifetime warranty like the beam style. As far as dial types, you're SOL.
To me it all comes down to common sense. I'd no more take advantage of anyones warranty on a consumable than i would try to warranty something i clearly broke in an abusive mannor [huge cheater or cutting/grinding a tool to fit an application]. I dont care if its bargain priced Cman or luxury priced Snap-On. I dont care if its a "satisfaction" based warranty or not, to me thats abuse of the system. I guess the difference between people is some can man up to their mistakes [or employ some common sense] and some whine and cry and....have a bloated sense of self entitlement. Apparently the world owes them something but then again i've found those same people always feel that way.
Keep buying SO, i'm sure your dealer will love to listen to you when you start whining after he declines to replace the screw drivers you used as chisels. Just proving a point that Sears isnt the only one to use some logic in their warranty system. I think their incredibly lenient as is.
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Kirbot
Well-known member
No, actually your analogy *****.
This guy bought a torque wrench with a lifetime warranty.
That may very well be the reason he chose Craftsman.
It had a Lifetime warranty when he bought it, it should still have a lifetime warranty when it comes time to use it.
******** is right
This guy bought a torque wrench with a lifetime warranty.
That may very well be the reason he chose Craftsman.
It had a Lifetime warranty when he bought it, it should still have a lifetime warranty when it comes time to use it.
******** is right
Comprehension fail, my reply using his car analogy was clearly aimed towards his argument about consumables [taps/dies]. Read then think then reply, goes a long way.
And heres where that common sense kicks in. If one were to show that it was indeed covered by a lifetime warranty, then the store would probably replace it. That tool has fulfilled its job and the store honors the policy, issues a replacement but the replacement now has a 1 yr warranty. This apparently is unreasonable though as the customer is seemingly entitled to a lifetime of free replacements? Sorry that is the only BS i'm reading.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Hence, the LIFETIME warranty. Yes, that means LIFETIME replacements. What part of that is so hard to understand?
Obviously, Sears didn't look at it as a consumable, because if they had, they wouldn't have given a LIFETIME warranty.
Warranting a lifetime warranty tap by taking a 180 piece US made lifetime warranty set, and exchanging it for a chinese set with no warranty, is far from honoring the lifetime warranty on the original set. By the way, I don't know where you got a year warranty from. There is no warranty on the new stuff.
Kirbot
Well-known member
Your point?
The analogy still *****
I was replying to this
I suggest you try the same thing.
have a good day
-Mike
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Yes, if a car manufacturer offered a 10 year warranty with zero stipulations, I most certainly would expect them to replace the tires and brakes, per the warranty agreement that I purchased. When the warranty clearly shows they're covered, they should be.
This is my dad's torque wrench, not mine. However, saying he should go buy one with a lifetime warranty is idiotic. HE DID!!! They won't honor the warranty!
As for Snap-On, they've replaced everything I've asked. I don't ask them to replace tools I broke while abusing.
Likewise, this tap and die set, and the torque wrench were not abused. They also weren't being replaced because they were worn out.
Sears is run by idiots who dont read. Look at the recent $10 coupon. Hell you can go buy a rethreader set today and it says Craftsman lifetime warranty on the outside and then you open it and there is a little slip of paper from the actual manufacturer [obviously its not sears] saying that the taps and dies are wear items. Its like they have a stamp and are just putting it on anything so one must apply some logic.
And i'm sorry but i again must disagree on the TQ wrench. The warranty is on that tool. It is not warranty for the user of the tool. If that TOOL ever fails its covered for its lifetime. Well it failed, its lifetime is over, therefore they are completely in the right to give you a replacement with a reduced warranty and are in no way obligated to give you a lifetime worth of replacements. Companies do this all time be it reduced warranty or a complete product change. Look at the garbage MAC has been giving people as equivalents on warranty.
I dont understand the logic in even fighting this. Even if they still had US made sets they're undoubtly worse than they were years ago. They made some really nice sets a long time ago so why you'd even want the option to dump the whole set, as opposed to just buying a single replacement tap for a few bucks from a manufacturer who doesnt make ****, is beyond me.
I dont think we're going to convince eachother, at least on these points, so lets just agree to disagree.
My analogy ***** but you didnt address it? Okay. Thank you for your contribution.
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nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Wrong. Break a ratchet, get a replacement. Break that replacement, get another replacement. Break a wrench, same thing.
I've had the same pick break 5 times now...still gets warrantied every time, by the same person.
Lifetime warranty does not mean "break it once, but then you're screwed".
I'm not talking new sets, not sure why you bring them up. Both of these have lifetime warranty stamped in the case, and on the paperwork.
Hell, even going off of your horrible understanding of it, they still should have offered to replace the torque wrench once. They didn't.
Kirbot
Well-known member
Sigh, alright...
I'm going to quote what nissan_crawler said
Is that so hard to understand?
But seeing as you wouldn't even acknowledge it when he posted it, I don't really expect you to now.
But aside from that, lets wade through all these long posts of rambling on about analogies and opinion and insults and ****, and get to one point.
A torque wrench was purchased, and it was advertised as coming with a lifetime warranty. The torque wrench broke, and they refused to honor the warranty. How exactly do you justify that?
I have used Sears tools for many years and have had to return a few over the years and never had a problem. The last time I retruned a tool I was told that Sears no longer replace broken tools in the store . I was told that I would have to mail it in to get a replacement. I guess I will be buying another brand of tools from now own.
Kirbot
Well-known member
Send an email to sears and let them know about that.
It may not change anything, but at least let them know what kind of **** their stores are pulling.
m_fumich
Well-known member
I was in my local Sears recently (Memphis, TN) and a guy came in with a small box of tools. They had been in a fire. The sales clerk never hesitated and replaced every last piece.
billymade
Well-known member
The tools that will not get replaced in the store are POWER TOOLS (not hand tools); if they are in the warranty or extended warranty (I'm assuming outside the initial return policy time frame), the process is you call Sears, they give you credit (they give you a sears gift card for the $$ of the tool) and you ship the broken tool to them. I was told this by former co-workers the last time I was @ Sears the other day. I'm assuming this was some sort of bean counter idea to save money or something; unfortunately, it really eliminates the service aspect of dealing with the warranty at the store. Which, removes the benefit of buying power tools from sears, SERVICE was what made sears stand apart from other store, no more. I never recommended Sears power tools anyway but that is a another reason not to buy them there. Hand tools are still the same; aside from elimination of certain tools (tape measures, framing hammers, etc.) from the Craftsman line that were replaced allot and the COO change on many item that used to be made in USA. Sears, is what it is; there are many other brands out there that are better quality and offer good service as well...
Here is a list of Warranty info that should be useful:
http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/nb_10155_12602_NB_CSwarranty
Another thread on Sears message boards for more stories and frustrated customers.... there is some good info from Sears employees on there, however some of the info is dated! Also, listed is the VP of the tools division's phone number... issues seem to be dealt with asap when called, from what people are saying, another option for the frustrated Craftsman tool owners here.
http://www.mysears.com/Tools--7018/topics/Craftsman-Hand-Tool-Warranty-Clarified/posts
Here is a list of Warranty info that should be useful:
http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/nb_10155_12602_NB_CSwarranty
Another thread on Sears message boards for more stories and frustrated customers.... there is some good info from Sears employees on there, however some of the info is dated! Also, listed is the VP of the tools division's phone number... issues seem to be dealt with asap when called, from what people are saying, another option for the frustrated Craftsman tool owners here.
http://www.mysears.com/Tools--7018/topics/Craftsman-Hand-Tool-Warranty-Clarified/posts
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