I've purchased Craftsman tool in the past because of the liberal return policy but seem to remember a recent poster getting a snarky response from the sales droids about that. My Gooja Karma seems to be lacking because I can't pull up the articles.
Does Craftsman (Sears) still allow the return policy on their tools? Or has it been knocked down to "If within the first 90 days of purchase" like most other tools?
The Ranger
Unless it has changed in the last year they are still pretty good about it. I bought broken tools at a yard sell for almost nothing and got them exchanged. Tools included a broken shovel and a couple of worn out ratchets. No Problem.
Jimmie
-------------- I seem to recall you need a receipt.... something I am always losing! - paul
Nope, no receipt needed -- as long as the word 'Craftsman' is still legible on the handle of the tool, they'll exchange it. Or repair it -- they had a problem a few years back with failures of the ratchet mechanism on some of their ratchet wrenches. I returned one, expecting to get a new wrench; instead, the clerk pulled out a repair kit, replaced the ratchet mechanism in about 30 seconds, and handed the wrench back to me.
Boy Jimmie, you oughta win the "There is no right way to do the wrong thing" award for that.
Re the OP, my son cracked a Craftsman socket a few weeks ago and had no problems exchanging it for a new one at our local Sears, without a receipt.
OTOH I had a Craftsman oscillating lawn sprinkler give out on me last year and brought it with me on a shopping visit to Sears. The clerk gave me a new sprinkler of similar design, but not marked Craftsman. I asked him if the replacement would have a lifetime warranty and he told me it wouldn't and that they no longer carried "Craftsman" sprinklers.
Jeff
There'd been reports of salesdroids refusing returns/exchanges for various silly reasons. A couple of weeks ago The Consumerist (A Consumers Union blog) got on the story, and got the higher-ups at Sears to crack down on the morons staffing the returns counters. Full story at
Subject: Craftsman Hand Tool Lifetime Warranty
There have been several news articles and emails regarding customers being denied Craftsman Hand Tool exchanges for reasons that are not part of the warranty. We've had specific complaints of denied exchanges based on:
- Tools having rust on them
- A 3 Piece per day limit on exchanges
These are NOT valid reasons for denying our customers their right to exchange their Craftsman Tools under the Lifetime Warranty.
The warranty states: "If for any reason your Craftsman hand tool ever fails to provide complete satisfaction, return it to any Sears store or other Craftsman outlet in the United States for free repair or replacement. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state."
Our Craftsman Hand Tool Lifetime Warranty is one of the most important competitive advantages we have in the market. It is crucial that we ensure all of our sales associates are trained to understand all the hand tools that are covered under this warranty.
Thx
I liked those repair kits... the really old ratchets were much nicer than the new ones, at least as far as feel in one's hand goes. I haven't seen one in years though.
That said, I did manage to get lucky once where I took a friend's 1/2" drive new-ish ratchet in for repair/exchange after the ratchet stopped working (one of those deals where we'd both collected a boxful of busted tools and it was getting to the point where we had to replace them to get any work done, rather than both of us go I just took both boxes) and they didn't have any equivalent new models on the shelf. I walked out with a repaired polished-handle model instead. I thought for a brief second about going to another store and buying him a new, standard one but That Would Have Just Been Wrong.
nate
I think the difference is that a socket is a "hand tool" and therefore it is covered but a lot of other stuff has a limited warranty not a lifetime one.
nate
If it is in fact a CRAFTSMAN tool, then it is a lifetime warranty unless a air tool or power tool. Air tools are one year. Not sure about the electric ones. Don't own any craftsman electric stuff. (and never will)
In '92 I bought two Craftsman garden hoses (clearly marked). Years later they were replaced by Sears -- free and still carried the same warranty. A pin hole leak on the threads for the end.
I once replaced a 3/8 " ratchet. What they gave me was a *refurbished* tool. It looked NEW.
Anyone know if you can return it to Kmart? Just moved here and I don't think there is a Sears tool department, just a mail order place. But, there is a Kmart.
I had broken a new shovel and taken it back for replacement, turned aound and broke the handle on it again that same day. The lady who runs that department came out to see if I was abusing the tool. She inspected the tool and said it wsa a manufactues defect, the grain in the handle was going the wrong way. Then she inspected every wood handled shovel there and took them off the shelf because they all had the same defect. She also gave me a fiberglass handled shovel at no extra charge. Thats what I call good service.
Which is why I continue to purchase Craftsman tools. My similar experience was with the gravel rake. I purchased the lighter-weight model because I was going to be using it across a large cross-section of my plot. The few extra ounces the fiberglass model had caused me to set it back on the shelf. I purchased the wooden handled rake brought it home and within an hour, the rake head had pulled itself free of the handle. I went back to the tool area, exchanged the tool only to repeat the process. The dept manager came out, looked at the tool, went to the remaining rakes, and pulled a rake head out by hand, clucked and handed me the fiberglass model for my inconvenience. It was not only more expensive, it's seen nine years of solid service.
I'm glad to hear that Sear's VP is letting some uninformed associates (and hopefully their supervisors) know that customer service is more important than they seem to think.
The Ranger
On 4/13/2009 1:00 PM Steve Barker spake thus:
Why not?
I have a Craftsman drill (3/8" reversible, *all metal*), router, circular saw and saber saw (the last two bought new). Never had any problems w/any of them (well, outside of having to replace the speed control on the drill which I bought for $15, well-used, at a flea market).
Perhaps your reasons are as irrational as your refusal to use WD-40.
...
Steve pretty much mirrors my attitude based on my experience -- at one time Craftsman stuff was pretty good and power hand tools were at least adequate. But, they got to where nothing I tried was satisfactory or lasted and I gave 'em up. So far, while they apparently have improved at least some from their nadir, no reason to give them any advantage over current choices instead. That I've got essentially everything I need and don't do as much as did at one time doesn't help in that I'm not buying nearly the amount of hand tools used to, either...
--
I have a Craftsman handscrew clamp with a loose handle. I tried to take it back and they refused, saying that only Craftsman tools without moving parts are guaranteed. Can't hurt for you to give it a try.
There's the rub - by what definition does Sears define a 'hand tool'? Some might try to claim, as Phisherman mentions, that hand tools are only those things that don't have moving parts, thereby getting away with not honoring wrench sets or the like.
But the VP's memo posted at Consumerist.com does put my irk to rest from a few years ago when a Sears quasi-pseudo-department manager said that Sears didn't warrenty hand tools any more. Poor 'droid doesn't even know his own company's policy...
Always remember droids have bosses and you should ask to speak to one. Just remember to be nice at the start. If that does not work ask for the store manager:-))
Lou
Paul Oman wrote in news:T8idnbSyFL0K7X7UnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:
Receipt solution: I scan anything in if I even think I may need it some years out. They just sit in a receipts folder with some descriptive name. Some of the "You need the receipt" places get depressed when I can produce it. Couple of examples: New motor for a Shop-Vac, 3 new 18v batteries for a contractors cordless set, ceiling fan, etc. Works for me.
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