A few years ago, I brought a Craftsman steel/aluminum tape measure to Sears, and they replaced it with a plastic non-Craftsman tape measure, saying that they no longer honor the guarantee of 1:1 replacment for tape measures.
Of course, the new tape measure was *not* covered under the guarantee, and it broke a year or two after that.
Also, about a year ago, I handed them my favorite socket handle, and they took 8 weeks to repair it, saying they no longer replace socket handles with new ones on the spot.
That handle had the year 1972 inscribed on the handle, so, I must say I did get my use out of it; yet, still, I had expected an on-the-spot replacement, based on the marketing hype around their tool guarantee.
These two experiences with the Craftsman guarantee don't impress me much, so, while I like their tools, I wouldn't argue with anyone who said the guarantee isn't what it used to be (whatever it used to be).