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stupid Snap On customer service...

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davestlouis

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Dec 9, 2007
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Lake St. Louis MO
I have an early 1980s era FL720a ratchet that needs a new gear, the detent ball is not spring-loaded and the socket just falls off. I ordered a new gear from SO's online website, since I no longer have a dealer. I ordered other stuff too, all of which arrived 3 weeks ago. Tonight I got an email from SO customer service:

https://goo.io/KKQVMl

Thank you for the recent order with Snap-on tools. Item number F720A30 has been discontinued and is no longer available. We are not expecting any additional stock and are unable to fill this portion of the order. The item has been cancelled and you will not be charged for the product.

Now what the hell do I do?
 
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davestlouis

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I emailed them a rather abrupt message, inquiring as to what I should do with not just this particular ratchet, but ALL of my 7-series ratchets...I think I have 5 or 6 of them.
 
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krusty the clown

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it may not be snap on at all. i'm reasonably sure that they outscoursced the ratchet "guts". or even if they did make them they haven't made them in years and finally used up remaining stock.
 
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rockvr4

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Illinois
krusty the clown said:
it may not be snap on at all. i'm reasonably sure that they outscoursced the ratchet "guts". or even if they did make them they haven't made them in years and finally used up remaining stock.
Click to expand...

They would still have to be responsible for their outsource. Just cause it got out sourced should not effect the warranty. That is what lifetime warranty is all about.
 
K

krusty the clown

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rockvr4 said:
They would still have to be responsible for their outsource. Just cause it got out sourced should not effect the warranty. That is what lifetime warranty is all about.
Click to expand...

right.......but they don't have to supply repair parts forever. they should replace it.

every manufacturer has a right to discontinue and upgrade clause in their warranty.
 
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davestlouis

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Ya know, if I still had a dealer, none of this would have happened, and I'm bitter toward S-O for that, because we all liked him, he had been with them for 25+ years, and they pulled the rug out from under him.
 
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Fedwrench

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This is another example of the lifetime warranty myth. Snap on is not alone in not being able to warranty obsolete or discontinued tools. All of the tool trucks are unable to warranty certain tools that production ceased on many years ago or were discontinued. If you're lucky, you may get a more current replacement model free or a trade in credit towards the current version.
Whose lifetime is warrantied, the tool, the dealer, or the company? How long should a tool company be liable for manufacturing defects in one of their products? What is the lifetime of a ratchet anyway?:wtf:
 
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davestlouis

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I didn't even try to get it fixed free, I TRIED to just buy the part. My thought is, anything with moving parts will wear, and I don't expect a tool to last forever, but given SO's reputation, I was disappointed to find that they don't have a stash of parts on hand.
 
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davestlouis

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The notion that the warranty is forever, and presumably so are parts, is part of what drives the used values on SO tools. I can buy an Armstrong with identical guts for $5, while the SO unit will cost $20 or better around here. I guess I should just buy other brands from now on, save the difference, and toss them in the trash if they break.
 
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Junkman

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Dec 18, 2006
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Northeastern CT
Fedwrench said:
This is another example of the lifetime warranty myth. Snap on is not alone in not being able to warranty obsolete or discontinued tools. All of the tool trucks are unable to warranty certain tools that production ceased on many years ago or were discontinued. If you're lucky, you may get a more current replacement model free or a trade in credit towards the current version.
Whose lifetime is warrantied, the tool, the dealer, or the company? How long should a tool company be liable for manufacturing defects in one of their products? What is the lifetime of a ratchet anyway?:wtf:
Click to expand...

Craftsman tools come/came with a lifetime warranty, but there are lots of items that they no longer carry, or the replacement doesn't come with the lifetime warranty any longer. I have a Craftsman click torque wrench and all the original papers showing that it is a lifetime tool. When I took it back they would only replace it with a beam type wrench. This was unsatisfactory to me, and I was told that I could pay the difference between the beam wrench and the click type if I wanted. The new click wrench is junk compared to the old one, and it is only warranted for one year. I kept the old one. Same with the chalk string line that was a metal case tool. Now, they don't even stock the cheap plastic one any longer. I would rather gamble on Snap-On treating me better that my experiences at Sears.
 
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billymade

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Apr 2, 2008
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New Mexico
When we run into that issue at my store; we will research the item and give the customer a option of a newer version of the tool (if available) a third party tool or credit towards something else they would like to buy. Many times, I will tell the customer to keep the tool (especially, old, vintage or obsolete tools) for posterity or possibly find another tool like it used and make a good one out of the parts; as the currently shipping tool isn't as good or as nice as the old one. There are allot of nice tools that have been discontinued and are not longer made; this isn't unique to Craftsman as seen with Snap-On as well... seems to be a industry wide issue; there are certain discontinued tools that I love and cherish! It is disappointing when a loved tool or brand is gone or discontinued; another bummer is when the "newer" item is off-shored, made inferior or the quality goes down... Oh, well... I guess if you live long enough we will all see this at some point..
 
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bushhawg73

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Jun 22, 2008
Messages
722
Location
Columbia, Missouri
Snap on emailed me two weeks ago and told me that the 50 cent ball for a ratchet that I ordered was no longer available by itself. I was shipped the 75 cent spring I also ordered but was informed that if I wanted the ball I would have to order the whole ratchet repair kit. Keep in mind that the parts were available for order online when I ordered them and even after I was told it was not available. When I called and questioned them on this I was told that there was nothing that could be done other than order the whole kit.

Since that time I have began to compiled a list of what repair kits I will need to fix the ratchets that I have. I have a lot of Snap on ratchets but most are the same family so it should only take 4 to 6 different kits to repair all the ratchets. I hate to spend the money but I do not want to have to give up my old hard handle ratchets 20 years from now just because repair kits are no longer made.

Just a thought that I am sure some of you (Merkava) have already planned for.
Don't forget to add the red lube. I have added it to a couple of ratchets (30 tooth) and it does smooth them out a lot. I plan on adding it to more ratchets.
 
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rsanter

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Dec 22, 2007
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Location
visalia ca
I have an older 1/4 dr ratchet that started to skip. my SO guy did not have the right gear and indicated that it was likly not available. he offered to install a gear that will work and was finer teeth. I said ok and the thing works fine now

bob
 
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a390st

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Jun 9, 2008
Messages
920
The SO guy where I used to live fixed my 710 or whatever number it is last year. It broke on us one day and we waited forever to find him. He's one of those who will give you a new tool to try out and not show up again for a year. At least he doesn't try to charge you for the use of it. You only payed for it if you wanted it or lost it. He rebuilt and relubed that old 1970's (I think) ratchet, and it was better than ever. I don't have a SO guy to turn to anymore. I hate to hear that they are letting these old ratchets die out, but if they want to give me a new one in exchange in the future, that's OK by me. Good luck.
 
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wrenchr

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Jul 29, 2007
Messages
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Michigan
davestlouis said:
I have an early 1980s era FL720a ratchet that needs a new gear, the detent ball is not spring-loaded and the socket just falls off. I ordered a new gear from SO's online website, since I no longer have a dealer. I ordered other stuff too, all of which arrived 3 weeks ago. Tonight I got an email from SO customer service:

Thank you for the recent order with Snap-on tools. Item number F720A30 has been discontinued and is no longer available. We are not expecting any additional stock and are unable to fill this portion of the order. The item has been cancelled and you will not be charged for the product.

Now what the hell do I do?
Click to expand...

What is the tooth count? 20? I might have a gear for it.
 
M

Merkava_4

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Dec 26, 2007
Messages
14,518
Location
Clovis, CA.
My catalog says the rebuild kit RKRF730A is the rebuild kit for the F730A ratchet. I'm assuming that kit will fit the FL720A also.
 
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