It may not be a concern to you but I can assure you it's a concern of thousands of second hand snap on tool buyers.
Snap-On's warranty...
- Thread starter Zwiser
- Start date
It may not be a concern to you but I can assure you it's a concern of thousands of second hand snap on tool buyers.
GeorgiaHybrid
Well-known member
If I found a new car with a lifetime warranty to the original owner, I would never sell it. How many of those have you found?
If you would prefer that Snap-on wind up like Craftsman where you now get a Chinese tool to replace your USA tool when it breaks, then keep letting everyone buy up rusted up garage at yard sales and turn them in for new tools.
Well sorta. People upgrade their cars just like they do tools. People want the latest and greatest for whatever reason and if their tools go from selling at 50% of new prices to 10% as a result of no warranty how much business will SO lose as a result of new buyers not wanting to invest knowing they will lose a large majority of the tools value if they sell. I don't abuse the system like many others at swaps do and I don't think that's right, however they should implement a better system to prevent people from doing that as opposed to hurting the guy that buys a nice used socket set on GJ..
Sign me up for some snap on tools at 10% of retail.... I just don't break that many tools.
me too. I suppose I should be gunning for it. Maybe the market of used snap on will drop and I can buy more...
People are exaggerating things a lot here. "oh snap-on tools now have no warranty at all and no one will buy them"
I buy almost all my snap-on from online and occasionally the truck. Either way I'm covered; go directly to SO for warranty because they have an online recept or go to any good dealer and they will take care of you.
People are blowing this way out of proportion.
I buy almost all my snap-on from online and occasionally the truck. Either way I'm covered; go directly to SO for warranty because they have an online recept or go to any good dealer and they will take care of you.
People are blowing this way out of proportion.
lennoxlennox
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2008
- Messages
- 1,026
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I had no problem with snap on warranty. They warrantied a 12 year old 3bay box I bought due to a defect and upgrade me to the next model which had an extra long drawer up when mine was discontinued. This was of a dealer I never bought from before too due to a relocation and I didn't have a receipt. Like anything else in life, the percentage of people buying tools off eBay and craiglist then calling in warranty are messing it up for other people.
Snap on is a business like any other business, the losses that substained from fraudulent warranty claims are either passed on to buyer through price increase or measures are taken to lower that percentage of lost
It's no different in other companies, government bodies, etc. for the few that take advantage an get away, someone, somewhere is paying for it.
Snap on is a business like any other business, the losses that substained from fraudulent warranty claims are either passed on to buyer through price increase or measures are taken to lower that percentage of lost
It's no different in other companies, government bodies, etc. for the few that take advantage an get away, someone, somewhere is paying for it.
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mmack66
Well-known member
What the heck is a fraudulent warranty claim?
If you have a company that allows people to call up on the phone and submit a warranty claim often without requiring of purchase or proof of a broken tool, whose fault is that? Even Sears isn't that stupid.
And if a company is allowing people to trade in buckets full of rusty tools for new ones, whose fault is it if people take advantage of it?
I suspect that part of the issue is/was that people are/were turning in old tools and turning around and selling the new tools and making boatloads of money. No company can survive that.
Furthermore, judging from the letters posted, Snap-On isn't categorically denying receipt-less warranty claims, they are just being a little more discerning about them. I would say that if you try to warranty a legitimately broken tool, and aren't some habitual warranty abuser, chances are that you may get it warrantied, regardless of whether you are the original owner or not.
If you have a company that allows people to call up on the phone and submit a warranty claim often without requiring of purchase or proof of a broken tool, whose fault is that? Even Sears isn't that stupid.
And if a company is allowing people to trade in buckets full of rusty tools for new ones, whose fault is it if people take advantage of it?
I suspect that part of the issue is/was that people are/were turning in old tools and turning around and selling the new tools and making boatloads of money. No company can survive that.
Furthermore, judging from the letters posted, Snap-On isn't categorically denying receipt-less warranty claims, they are just being a little more discerning about them. I would say that if you try to warranty a legitimately broken tool, and aren't some habitual warranty abuser, chances are that you may get it warrantied, regardless of whether you are the original owner or not.
crewchief888
Well-known member
i've been wrenching for over 26 years, and have never had a warranty denied.
i've had dealers warranty stuff that was obviously abused, how else do you break a 5/8" comb wrench in half and make 2 stubby wrenches out of it?
how do you break a 3/4" dr breaker bar head without 8ft of pipe on it ?
dealers have replaced drawer slides on 20 year old boxes( back in the day they were considered wear items, and not under lifetime warranty)
i bought a bunch of SO hardhandle screwdrivers at a swap meet, and had them laying on my box after cleaning off the rust. i turn around and i have all new blades.
personally i dont "play the system" with SO or anyone else. i'm the 1st to admit i abuse tools, if they cant or wont be warrantied i'll repair or replace them myself.
i've had dealers warranty stuff that was obviously abused, how else do you break a 5/8" comb wrench in half and make 2 stubby wrenches out of it?
how do you break a 3/4" dr breaker bar head without 8ft of pipe on it ?
dealers have replaced drawer slides on 20 year old boxes( back in the day they were considered wear items, and not under lifetime warranty)
i bought a bunch of SO hardhandle screwdrivers at a swap meet, and had them laying on my box after cleaning off the rust. i turn around and i have all new blades.
personally i dont "play the system" with SO or anyone else. i'm the 1st to admit i abuse tools, if they cant or wont be warrantied i'll repair or replace them myself.
Maybe Snap on should reduce their warranty to 5 or 10 years, and warranty their tools based on date code. That way, people would stop warrantying their 30 year old rusty tools.
Requiring receipts is too much. Who could save receipts for all their tools? For those who do, how easy it is to locate a receipt from a pile of documents?
Requiring receipts is too much. Who could save receipts for all their tools? For those who do, how easy it is to locate a receipt from a pile of documents?
That's brilliant. Are all their tools date coded?
Thanks.
They started date coding from 1927:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14884
I do not have any Snap on tools that are not date coded.
They started date coding from 1927:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14884
I do not have any Snap on tools that are not date coded.
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
I agree and none of this affects me either.
Besides the few legitimate warranty problems I have seen here it is mostly the secondary market buyers complaining.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
I just dropped another 5oo on the truck today I'm really not worried about it.
Lotek
Well-known member
Wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah v wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah . Does that summarize it? 
I would think that WF has or will stop making screwdrivers for Craftsman. WF is owned by Idea. Idea owns WF and SK. WF now makes screwdrivers for SK. Apex/Danaher is prob making Craftsman screwdrivers now. Or Apex/Danaher will soon be making all Craftsman screwdrivers soon. I would think also that Apex/Danaher will soon be making screwdrivers for Armstrong and Matco.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SK-86330-6-...673?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a758e3341
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Armstrong-S...767?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b295a67f
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Western Forge makes more than just screwdrivers. They make their pliers, large hook/pick set, all their punches and chisels etc.. Craftsman is guaranteed revenue for them, I dont think they'd kill that contract so easily.
I was referring to the post about Craftsman screwdrivers. I believe that one day soon the screwdrivers and pliers will be made in China too. Apex/Danaher. I've already seen the new Matco screwdrivers made in Taiwan, 135.00 last time I checked.
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DFW-LSX
Well-known member
Easy, I have a "Snap On" folder in my filing cabinet and put every receipt in there. Doesnt take much to be organized.
Sent from somewhere in Tx using Tapatalk
DFW-LSX
Well-known member
Wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah v wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah wah wah wahwah wah wahwah wah wah wahwah wah . Does that summarize it?
Sent from somewhere in Tx using Tapatalk
Matco had Asian screwdrivers before then switched away from that in favor of the current line of Witte. The only imported screwdrivers i've seen branded Matco now are the ratcheting ones which are the same as Gearwrench (not sure if they still have Witte ratcheting as well but they were never very good to begin with). There was never really an inhouse screwdriver manufacture under the Danaher umbrella. I cant see them switching back to Asian manufacture for their premium truck tools when they already cought insults from competitors over it in the past, nor can i see Armstrong getting Asian screwdrivers when they're after government contracts and tout American made as being their key goal.
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Here's my guide to warrantying Snap-on tools without a receipt:
1. If you don't have a dealer and want to warranty through Snap-on Corporate, send in ONE tool at a time.
2. If you bought the tool from your local dealer and you don't have the receipt, tell the guy where both of you were at when the transaction took place. If you remember the location on his route where you bought the tool, chances are he'll believe you.
3. If you didn't buy the tool from your local dealer, and he tells you to take the tool to the dealer you bought it from, offer to pay the guy 50% of the new price to get your tool warrantied. Chances are, he'll go ahead and warranty it for you as long as he can get the tool replaced from Corporate.
1. If you don't have a dealer and want to warranty through Snap-on Corporate, send in ONE tool at a time.
2. If you bought the tool from your local dealer and you don't have the receipt, tell the guy where both of you were at when the transaction took place. If you remember the location on his route where you bought the tool, chances are he'll believe you.
3. If you didn't buy the tool from your local dealer, and he tells you to take the tool to the dealer you bought it from, offer to pay the guy 50% of the new price to get your tool warrantied. Chances are, he'll go ahead and warranty it for you as long as he can get the tool replaced from Corporate.
I have yet to ever produce a single receipt for warranty. I presume if you're a pawn shop rat turning in piles of tools with different engraving, never spent a nickle, and chased me like an ambulance, if I were the tool guy I'd tell you to pound salt too. I spend money with my SO dealer, and get more than fair service.
RCStocker
Well-known member
I will be damned if I am going to pay for a warranty. 50% is what the dealer pays. If you need to pay thier price the warranty means nothing. I am not going to blackmale myself. One tool at a time. If I have more than that you can bet they will be shipped together to save on shiping.
I am not above telling a company I will take them to court if they don't honor thier warranty. I have done it. If they don't show up in small claims you automaticly win. I know a few few professional mechanic and several auto dealers. They all say Snap-on is hard to deal with.
Some collage nuckle head must think that making it hard to get a replacement will make them money. I have seen many a collage know it all that had no clue about running a business. My father was one. He has hi Ph,D in business administration. He was a cluless dumb ***. the man did not have a lick of street sense. He would be 101 if he was still kicking.
I have quit doing business with many companys becasue of the way they do business. No skin off my nose. There are 101 other brands and ways to get a job done. The only think I buy new are beds, bedding, clothing, food and medication. Even my wife is second hand. LOL Then again so am I LOL
Our spouces both Died. The wife said the only way she would go to his funeral was to make sure he was ded. LOL If a business screws me they are like my wifes X. Dead to me. LOL
I am not above telling a company I will take them to court if they don't honor thier warranty. I have done it. If they don't show up in small claims you automaticly win. I know a few few professional mechanic and several auto dealers. They all say Snap-on is hard to deal with.
Some collage nuckle head must think that making it hard to get a replacement will make them money. I have seen many a collage know it all that had no clue about running a business. My father was one. He has hi Ph,D in business administration. He was a cluless dumb ***. the man did not have a lick of street sense. He would be 101 if he was still kicking.
I have quit doing business with many companys becasue of the way they do business. No skin off my nose. There are 101 other brands and ways to get a job done. The only think I buy new are beds, bedding, clothing, food and medication. Even my wife is second hand. LOL Then again so am I LOL
Our spouces both Died. The wife said the only way she would go to his funeral was to make sure he was ded. LOL If a business screws me they are like my wifes X. Dead to me. LOL
I did that with a local dealer on a brand new defective wrench I got off eBay. He exchanged the wrench and told me to keep the $10.
GeorgiaHybrid
Well-known member
I don't know where you got your information but the dealers pay more than 50% of the price for that tool. If you know a few, I know HUNDREDS of pros and they are buying Snap-on tools for a reason. A good dealer and a good customer will never have a problem with a warranty.
If I were a dealer and you stepped on my truck with an attitude like yours, you would not be on my truck very long and you would be handing your broken tools to another guy on my route to get them replaced. Attitude means a lot dealing with people.
Brownsfan
Well-known member
It really seems to me that the only people upset about this are second hand buyers. It states in the warranty that it is for the original owner. I have warrantied items with my current dealer that I did not buy from him. He swapped out my 12 year old ratcheting screwdriver. Was happy to do it. He said if I didnt how likely would you buy anything off of my truck if I didnt? I really do not see this affecting anyone other than the truck chasers with buckets of old rusty tools trying to make a profit. I have NEVER bought any tools because of a resale value. I bought them to use and to give me years of worry free service. Never once did resale value cross my mind.
redwrench60
Well-known member
I asked my dealer about the whole "need a receipt" thing and he looked at me like I was stupid. He said receipt, they're lifetime warranty what the hell do you need a receipt for?
^This^ is where the potential problem lies. The fine print of the warranty says stuff like, original owner, receipt required. Then, the actual practice has dealers saying stuff like, guaranteed forever, no matter what. Does that strike you as a little dishonest, or is that just a salesman making a sale?
I haven't made a point of keeping my snap on receipts. I'm sure I have most of them, somewhere. I made no greater effort to keep them because I did not know the fine print of the warranty. I asked the dealer about warranty, and I did not get the fine print answer. He just said things like, "Just bring it to me, I'll fix/replace it." Didn't bother to tell me things like, if there's another dealer servicing you 10 years from now, you might need a receipt for that.
That's enough griping, though. I think the next time the truck comes around, I'm going to have him print my account history. Hopefully, he can do that, and hopefully that passes as a receipt for warranty purposes some day down the road if I work somewhere else on another dealer's route.
As been previously stated older iterations of the warranty terms never specified a proof of purchase as being required. Not to mention all the time that Snap-On has basically had a no questions asked warranty policy. This enforcement really is pretty recent, i'd just say the dealer is simply nieve to the new changes instead of trying to be dishonest.
Or more likely he simply told my how the warranty works as he does it. When I walk on the truck with a broken tool, I walk off with a good one. That's great. I'm ok with that. My concern is if I ever need a tool warranted (what is proper past tense of warranty, as used as a verb? warranteed? warranted? warrantyed?) by another dealer, say for instance if I move jobs, or my dealer moves, or for whatever reason I end up getting serviced by another dealer. I know now to keep my receipts.
It is not worth being as concerned as I have been. Most of my purchases so far have been power tools for which warranty will expire anyway...
It is not worth being as concerned as I have been. Most of my purchases so far have been power tools for which warranty will expire anyway...
...and the buyers who aren't **** about saving every paper receipt from the beginning of time.
...and buyers with a bad dealer.
...and buyers that no longer have a dealer.
I've been watching this thread, wasn't going to post, but figured I'd offer my perspective.
I am a home mechanic/DIYer. I don't have a SO dealer. Pretty much the only way I buy SO tools is secondhand, either on here, at the flea market, or a pawn shop. Not with the intent of buying a broken tool and sending it in for a new one, but because my budget simply doesn't allow for me to buy new. The SO tools I've bought in the past were purchased because I know they are of exceptional quality. I've never broken a Snap On tool.
Having said all of that, this policy (or rather, the enforcement of this policy) makes it significantly less attractive for me to buy Snap On tools. Knowing that I may not get warranty service if I break a tool is a concern.
Now, I realize that me and people like me represent a tiny, tiny portion of Snap On's overall market. And we represent exactly zero revenue to the company and it's network of dealers. So I am not surprised, or upset, with SO for doing this. It just makes it less likely that I will buy Snap On in the future.
If I was turning wrenches for a living, at a shop, and had a dealer, it would be a different story.
I am a home mechanic/DIYer. I don't have a SO dealer. Pretty much the only way I buy SO tools is secondhand, either on here, at the flea market, or a pawn shop. Not with the intent of buying a broken tool and sending it in for a new one, but because my budget simply doesn't allow for me to buy new. The SO tools I've bought in the past were purchased because I know they are of exceptional quality. I've never broken a Snap On tool.
Having said all of that, this policy (or rather, the enforcement of this policy) makes it significantly less attractive for me to buy Snap On tools. Knowing that I may not get warranty service if I break a tool is a concern.
Now, I realize that me and people like me represent a tiny, tiny portion of Snap On's overall market. And we represent exactly zero revenue to the company and it's network of dealers. So I am not surprised, or upset, with SO for doing this. It just makes it less likely that I will buy Snap On in the future.
If I was turning wrenches for a living, at a shop, and had a dealer, it would be a different story.
netcaretaker
Well-known member
I do not understand this used tool problem, and am calling BS on it. As someone already said, SO got the big money up front for the tool when it was sold, they should warranty it. My 30 plus year old snap on tools were not bought under that warranty, they should not be able to force me to find a receipt so they will warranty my old tools, that is ****. And as also said, they get a premium over any other tool company, and they sell something like 2 billion dollars a year world wide.
I agree about the receipt, but a problem with a 30 year old tool is not likely caused by a "defect in materials or workmanship".
I wish the tool companies would enforce this warranty clause more rigorously.
Wear, rust, abuse, etc is not a defect. Nor is an old sloppy ratchet mechanism. Metal fatigue is also not a defect - it's a metallurgical characteristic of the materials used.
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Brownsfan
Well-known member
netcaretaker
Well-known member
Dude, every 2 years they rebuild my ratchet, I would say that there is a defect in the internals of that device.
Lifetime now = as long as you keep the receipt? I am still calling BS, if I wanted to buy another ratchet to replace my broken one, why would I pay more for SO?
Lifetime now = as long as you keep the receipt? I am still calling BS, if I wanted to buy another ratchet to replace my broken one, why would I pay more for SO?
Wrong.
I sent them 3 mini screwdrivers a couple of weeks ago. Their tips were broken when I tried to open a new Snap on TF72 ratchet to lube it. All of the screwdrivers were purchased brand new a couple of years ago. All of them looked like brand new except for the broken tips.
I paid Priority plus insurance, which is enough to buy at least one of the screwdrivers. They sent them all back. Do I have receipts for them? Yes, I do. I purchased them via Snapon.com. Unfortunately, I do not bother to browse through the long order history in order to warranty something that is relatively cheap.
Trying to kill a bird using a canon is unnecessary to me. You can surely kill the bird, but you are also going to bring about lots of unnecessary damages while doing that. Snap on does not need to change their warranty policy so radically to deter people from bringing in rusty worn tools. They should know the consequences of doing that.
I sent them 3 mini screwdrivers a couple of weeks ago. Their tips were broken when I tried to open a new Snap on TF72 ratchet to lube it. All of the screwdrivers were purchased brand new a couple of years ago. All of them looked like brand new except for the broken tips.
I paid Priority plus insurance, which is enough to buy at least one of the screwdrivers. They sent them all back. Do I have receipts for them? Yes, I do. I purchased them via Snapon.com. Unfortunately, I do not bother to browse through the long order history in order to warranty something that is relatively cheap.
Trying to kill a bird using a canon is unnecessary to me. You can surely kill the bird, but you are also going to bring about lots of unnecessary damages while doing that. Snap on does not need to change their warranty policy so radically to deter people from bringing in rusty worn tools. They should know the consequences of doing that.
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babewatcher
Well-known member
Typical Snap-On tool snob statement. The extra money you give to SO gives you bragging rights and a sense of superiority. The warranty is incidental.