Craftsman tool warranty worthless

Not all Craftsman hand tools have a lifetime warranty and many that were traditionally warrantied now have none. It seems Kmart has directed the removal of the lifetime warranty from many previously warrantied tools. They are easy to spot because they lack the warranty information on the packaging. What does this mean to the average buyer. Three things. One, read the label to make sure it has a life time warranty, even if it is marked Craftsman. Two, if you buy a lifetime warrantied tool be sure to save the warranty label because the chances are if you need to have it replaced in the future the replacement tool in the store will lack a warranty label. Three, save the receipt because this too is now required in order for Sears to honor the warranty. Lastly, Sears has been directed to begin increasing their denial of tool replacements based on tool mis-use.

Reply to
tomcas
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Can you say "liftetime receipt retention" boyzngerls?? goodgawd... The Insertion never stops. I was going to say that this was likely a big policy /R mistake by Sears/Craftsman, to mess w/ one of the few redeeming facets of its overall predatory existence, but sheeeiit, who am I kidding? Big Corp is not only having us *Insert Ourselves*, they make us stand in line to do it.

Which reminds me, I gotta switch urologists. This guy's killin me, man, killin me. I keep tellin him, Dewd, whoa horsey, cain't you be a little

*affectionate*?? goodgawd....

K-mart sellin craftsman?? Did I read right? Well, why not? Effing HSN/QVC is hawking Tiffany and Hermes.... made for QVC, of course. :) Now, the muhfugguhs buyin DAT shit are giving themselves the whole colonic....

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®

On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 21:46:41 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, tomcas quickly quoth:

So it gets worse, does it? I haven't shopped at searz since the Crapsman tools went to shit in the late seventies. Effem!

-- Seen on a bumper sticker: ARM THE HOMELESS

Reply to
Larry Jaques

the quality of their tools has mostly went to shit starting a few years ago.

Their screwdrivers are chinese grade at this point, which is really sad.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

K-Mart OWNS Sears in the USA. They can't run their own business, yet they can buy up and run down a company traditionally MUCH larger than themselves.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®

Chapter 11 and pension funds can do magic when the right people are in charge. Mainly make the assets disappear into thin air.

Not to worry though, the PBGC [with a little help from the tax payers] will pay some of the earned pensions.

Unka' George (George McDuffee) .............................. Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be "too clever by half." The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

John Major (b. 1943), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Quoted in: Observer (London, 7 July 1991).

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

So what tools have changed their waranteee? I have not viewed craftsman tools at Kmart, but I kind of doubt that the warrantee is or will be changed.

It seems Kmart has directed the

Not all craftsman tools have had a lifetime warrantee. If you buy a craftsman micrometer and use it as a c-clamp you are out of luck. But this has always been the case. If you break a wrench, they will always replace it.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

USA is totally owned and managed by the US govt . They dont allow us to own a house ! Try skipping your rent payment each 6 months ! All business is crony , pretending to compete and try to sell what we want . Walmart will tell you :

" If ya dont like it , take your stinking $$ and dont come back , we dont want to hear your complaints , the quality aint gonna change , we dont have to compete , we simply take your tax $$ to pay our employees paychecks "

Nature will take back the world in 50 years . There will be no more gov'ts and thus no more poverty and crime and war . Population will be less than 10 million . Tools will be only top quality . Lives will be only top quality . No written laws , you will eat on your reputation , lose it with a slip of the tongue ....

Now for the pleasant stuff ....... I spaced the guide blocks on my HF 7 by 10 lathe with about .017 mil shims , but only on the center screws . This way i can snug down the outers to adjust the play . But the far right also has a arm on it to lock the carriage I then drilled more holes on cross slide to lock it , but i will probably turn the gibs into tapered types soon . The motor mount is trash , i made a monolithic frame that hinges /adjusts . I will cut out the thru hole to take cheap Enco R-8 collets . I will put a power feed on carriage from the right side , completely nixing the hand wheel . gotta get my microscope out to hand scrape the crossslide ways ! They dont exist ! Its not touching but in 2% of area . I'll drill small holes down thru the rest to reach the newer smaller screws locking the swivel . .=2E....

clare wrote:

Reply to
werty

Shoulda bought a 30 y.o. clausing or south bend or sumpn... goodgawd... Oh, the Future Rant: I feel better now. :)

USA is totally owned and managed by the US govt . They dont allow us to own a house ! Try skipping your rent payment each 6 months ! All business is crony , pretending to compete and try to sell what we want . Walmart will tell you :

" If ya dont like it , take your stinking $$ and dont come back , we dont want to hear your complaints , the quality aint gonna change , we dont have to compete , we simply take your tax $$ to pay our employees paychecks "

Nature will take back the world in 50 years . There will be no more gov'ts and thus no more poverty and crime and war . Population will be less than 10 million . Tools will be only top quality . Lives will be only top quality . No written laws , you will eat on your reputation , lose it with a slip of the tongue ....

Now for the pleasant stuff ....... I spaced the guide blocks on my HF 7 by 10 lathe with about .017 mil shims , but only on the center screws . This way i can snug down the outers to adjust the play . But the far right also has a arm on it to lock the carriage I then drilled more holes on cross slide to lock it , but i will probably turn the gibs into tapered types soon . The motor mount is trash , i made a monolithic frame that hinges /adjusts . I will cut out the thru hole to take cheap Enco R-8 collets . I will put a power feed on carriage from the right side , completely nixing the hand wheel . gotta get my microscope out to hand scrape the crossslide ways ! They dont exist ! Its not touching but in 2% of area . I'll drill small holes down thru the rest to reach the newer smaller screws locking the swivel . ......

clare wrote:

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®

tomcas wrote in news:aKT0h.378$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe09.lga:

From their web site

====================================================================== You'll never regret buying better quality tools. CRAFTSMAN® tools help you to get the job done quicker, easier and right the first time.

CRAFTSMAN® branded products were developed and tested for the home workshop to provide professional-quality performance.

CRAFTSMAN® is one of the leaders in innovation and new ideas. Excellent materials, superior construction and meticulous attention to detail built the reputation of the brand and continue to maintain it. The performance is your proof. The warranty is our promise of quality and value.

CRAFTSMAN® mechanics tools and CRAFTSMAN® hand tools have a Lifetime Warranty? they are guaranteed forever ?unconditionally, no questions asked. If one should ever fail to give you complete satisfaction, Sears will replace it, free of charge.*

Replacement: A proof of purchase is not necessary to replace a tool. All that is necessary is that the "Craftsman" name is stamped on the tool. A 5 digit number located on the tool is required.

Important: We provide repair kits for ratchets. Ratchet handles that are broken or bent are covered by the Craftsman lifetime warranty.

*CRAFTSMAN mechanics tools & CRAFTSMAN hand tools include: Sockets, Wrenches, Wrench sets, Hex wrenches, Ratchet wrench handles, Micro adjustable torque wrenches ( not including calibration), Pipe wrenches, Hammers, Screwdrivers, Pliers, Cutters, Scroll and Metal saws (except saw blades), Hand drills, Hand saws, Squares, Levels, Drift punch and drive punch sets, Shears are covered by the Craftsman lifetime warranty.

Craftsman Tools not covered by the lifetime warranty include: Micro-adjustable torque wrench calibration, Hand tools cutting edges, Portable electric tools, Bench and Stationary tools, Battery operated tools, Precision measuring tools.

The following brand name tools are not covered by the Craftsman warranty: Companion, Estwing, Fuller, Grey & Footprint, Stanley, DeWalt, Skil, Bosch, Delta, Makita, Black and Decker.

========================================================================

If they are denying your warranty complain to your state's attorney general's office.

I think most of the confusion started with the "Companion" line of tools, which are cheaply made Chinese hand tools. They are sold right along side the Craftsman tools but don't carry the lifetime Warranty.

I recently brought back a 3/8" ratchet wrench. It was discontinued so the guy grabs one of the cheapie ones to replace it with. I told him that since the one that broke was full polish I expect the same in return. So he says "go pick one out", I did.

I keep reading about how bad Craftsman tools are and how Sears won't honor the warranty, but it doesn't square with my experiences.

If you are expecting Snap-On quality at Craftsman prices you'll be disappointed for sure. If you are putting your tools through heavy duty daily use, you need to spend more money on them. Craftsman might be OK if your a broke kid just starting out as a mechanic, but you'll be wanting to upgrade before long.

The only tool that I seem to have regular trouble with is the 3/8" ratchet wrenches, they wear out. But I've never liked their screwdrivers and don't use them. Everything else; 1/2" drive ratchets, wrenches, sockets and extensions have all held up well enough.

Reply to
D Murphy

to keep this going a bit, a few decades ago I broke a Crafstman allen wrench. I took it to my local Sears store and they refused replacement. I tried a second time with the same result. So, I packaged up the broken wrench and (after looking the address up in the library, this was pre-internet) sent it to the president of Sears in Chicago, along with the warranty statement I had clipped from a catalog. I told him that refusing to honor the warranty was fraud, and asked him if he really felt that this was the way the company should act. I asked that he cause my wrench to be replaced like it was supposed to be, and that he refund my postage required to bring the matter to his attention.

In about the amount of time it would take my letter to reach Chicago, I had a letter in my mail box with a replacement allen wrench, a stamp, and a letter signed by the manager of the local sears store saying, basically "I wish you hadn't done that".

To continue the amusement, the replacement wrench was defective (mfgr defect, I didn't even use it) - so I took it back. I walked into the tools area and one of the clerks let out a scream and ran over "I'll replace that for you right away SIR" (and he did so) - I was gratified.

snip

Reply to
William Noble

Ah well, when anyone offers me a "lifetime warranty", my answer has to be "whose lifetime is that: mine or your company's?"

A company effectively dying when it's taken over.

Reply to
David R Brooks

Which tools, specifically?

Do you have a link to this?

Reply to
expfcwintergreen

That pretty well matches my experiences as well. I've not broken many Craftsman tools, mostly mangled screwdriver tips, and I've never had any questions or hassles getting them replaced.

My use of the tools is not as frequent as "professional use", but it is certainly as demanding (6' cheater pipe on 3/4" drive ratchet, etc.) and the tools perform just fine. I have a few stray Snap-On / Proto / SK tools and never noticed any appreciable difference in quality when applied to my modest shop use.

As for the Craftsman / Companion thing, that is indeed a likely source of confusion for those who aren't paying attention though they are labeled and packaged distinctly differently. I rather like having the choice between quality levels, rather like MSC / Enco where I can find the item I need and then select between a couple quality levels based on my needs for that item.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

I took a quick look at the Sears/Craftsman website, and found no mention of the old lifetime tool warranty... I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they used to hype it right and left.

Sad in a way, for years now it was the only reason to go near the place.

Erik

Reply to
Erik

While they don't have the warranty hyped on the general Craftsman tool pages, if you look at any of the Craftsman hand tools (I looked at a wrench set) and select product specs it shows "General Warranty - Full Unlimited", looking at another Craftsman wrench set it shows "General Warranty - Guaranteed Forever" and a hex key set shows "General Warranty

- Lifetime".

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

Did they ever!!! I did a lot of my shopping for "Craftsman" tools at flea markets and yard sales. Buy the tool for a nickel or a dime and get it replaced. For a while, though, they dropped lifetime warrantees on socket wrenches and stuff. But there was such a howl that they restored it.

While "Craftsman" brand once had a right to the name, for a long time now, it had been better interpreted as "Crapsman." One tool or appliance after another has given up the quality objective and dropped down to the lowest quality denominator. About ten or fifteen years ago, I had two burned out electric screwdrivers. A Craftsman whose battery had gone west, another Craftsman with a bad chuck that I picked up at a flea market. Then a friend brought over an unrepairable Black-and-Decker electric screwdriver with a faulty switch. There they were on my workbench, alongside my Makita cordless drill. My son (the violin maker) looks at my workbench and say's: "Craftsman, Craftsman, Black-and_Decker... Makita! Sort of tells the whole story, doesn't it?"

Boris

Reply to
Boris Beizer

Most of what you mention applies to Craftsman power tools, not the Craftsman hand tools. The power tools did indeed go down hill, probably why they now carry many name brand power tools. The Craftsman hand tools (not to be confused with the cheap Companion line) are still decent and still "Guaranteed Forever".

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®

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