Craftsman Tools Lifetime Guarantee

[tony brizag]

like i said i worked for sears for 5 years, the Satisfaction Guarantee is not completely your satisfaction. It is Sears' satisfaction that they feel that they have done every possible out to fix the situation.

Example--

You have a lawn mower, It wont start, You take it to a repair center (Sears) and it is fixed. Well 5 months later it has another problem, You think it is a lemon and want another one. It doesnt work that way. The Repair Technician makes the call wether or not fixing the product would be financially appealing to Sears by weighing the cost of repair over replacement.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Pontificating; like if...



A Craftsman tool is left rusting in the woods but know one is there to hear it rust, is it still under warranty?

 

[Tom Schindler]

It is Sears' satisfaction that they feel that they have done every possible out to fix the situation.

In this situation, what has Sears done to fix the situation?





Tom

 

[Jake Levin]

I used to install showerdoors with a guy who bought work boots from sears. They had a lifetime guarantee. At the time he bought them he worked for a commercial roofing company and spent his days laying hot tar. Every 5-6 months he would return the boots because they were destroyed and they would give him a brand new pair free of charge. After returning his 6th pair the manager told him that the guarantee didn't cover the abuse he put his shoes through and these were the last pair they were giving him for free. Bottom line is he got brand new shoes every 6 months for the better part of 4 years. I have no idea where I'm going with this but I wanted to help the thread reach the 100 mark! :wacko:



(24 more to go)

 

[Tom Schindler]

How many people here that are siding with Sears would get upset if thier Trac deveolped rust? Since the purpose of a vehicle is for transportation, the rust does not limit its function.



Would that be acceptable?





Tom

 

[Jake Levin]

Does anyone remember the craftsman commercial from a number of years back where the guy goes and buys a hammer when he's 18 and when he's in his 70s working on something with his grandson the hammer brakes. so he drives to sears hands them the hammer and they hand him a new one, no questions asked.



(20)

 

[Fudged Undies]

Scott, no hard feelings.



TJR, in all honesty, probably not, however that may be an acceptable solution, though "repair" would lead me to believe that the clerk would be the one cleaning them .

(but again this would be interpretation)



I did something I thought was within reason as a craftsman tool owner. I still have a couple of broken sockets in my box which didn't find their way back to sears... yet (but that's a different thread). I stated "lifetime guarantee" as I understood/understand it. I didn't research any legalese to prove my point, nor would I, hence <i>I thought was within reason as a craftsman tool owner</i>. The manager had a crappy attitude, and didn't explain anything despite my asking (this definately added to my desire, though it shouldn't have). Had he, this thread probably would have been much different or non-existent. Should sears have replaced them? Hell, I don't know? I was however, surprised they didn't as a few friends/associates have done the same/similar things, as some have stated here, with no problems and are surprised when I've explained the situation.



At this point it doesn't matter. Now the discussion is about the legalese involved. As for examples of power tools, or lawnmowers or most other "tools", very few of those, if any, come with a "lifetime guarantee" so those examples are moot points. Warranty's/guarantees are usually pretty specific, as our Ford warranty is when it pertains to modifying your vehicle (read the warranty book if you disagree). Unfortunately, it's always open to interpretation by the employee your dealing with, as demonstrated by the tape measure example above. I find it hard to believe that something like a tape measure, that is almost certainly going to fail just due to normal wear and tear, would have the same guarantee but it does or at least did in the example.

 

[Fudged Undies]

Scott, never left, but sometimes you have to consider just how hard you want to beat a dead horse. Moreover, I'm not a lawyer and don't even play one on tv so I'm not going to play the legalese game.

 

[Jake Levin]

Scott,



it wasn't rusty, however due to the "elements" the handle was dry and cracked..



(16)

 

[Fred]

Sorry. Dry and cracked isn't covered.



(15)

 

[Rich Stern]

But another issue that has not been discussed hear is that in most peoples' mind, a warranty is designed to address defects in material or/and workmanship, and does not apply to wear and tear incurred under normal use.

Scott, what does that have to do with an express warranty?



Sears wants to sell you a tool, and to help themselves sell you a tool, they tell you they'll replace it forever, if it doesn't completely satisfy you. Not their satisfaction. Not somebody else's satisfaction. Not based on somebody else's warranty on a competing product.

Sears obviously has transcended this concept under many occasions for the benefit of its customers, and I do not disagree that they are leaving their ass out in the wind, so to speak, with that wording.

I think you mean they have met their obligation on many occassions. And yes, it's hanging in the wind, and Sears (Kmart) management knows this, hence the lack of clarity exhibited from store to store and associate to associate, in order to blur the lines. If Sears had a leg to stand on, they'd just send a memo to all stores, and train their staff accordingly. They leave it gray and hope that customers don't hold them accountable to the contract.

 

[Rich Stern]

P.S. 87

 

[Mark B]

I just went back to the China Super Buffet for the second time on the same receipt. Lucky for me their sign says 'all-u-can-eat' period and the receipt has no qualifiers. It turns out I get hungry and can eat more about every 4 hours. I may never have to buy food again.



They asked me to be reasonable. Those poor naive SOBs. I told them I'd be back tomorrow with a team of hungry lawyers.



God Bless America. 88

 

[Fred]

I get hungry just 2 hours after eating Chinese. :lol: 89

 

[Fred]

90

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

Sears' tools are really not that great. They're good, but not as good as some others. At full price, they are getting a hefty profit. The come on is "guaranteed forever. Complete customer satisfaction". This is why you buy sears and not Pittsburg or some other discount tool. Sears' price includes the anticipated returns and replacements.



"....If any Craftsman guaranteed forever hand tool fails to provide complete satisfaction, return it for free repair or replacement. Period." I do not see any caveat stating rust is excluded. Snap-On tools have better plating and resist rusting better. So I guess you could expect Sears tools to hold up as well.



I have never had difficulty returning a rusted Craftsman tool for replacement.

 

[Rich Stern]

If the tool still works for the purpose it was intended, what are the damages?

In Ed's case, it was a loss of the tools' appearance. Thats important to some folks. I like my tools to look presentable. Sears thinks it's important too, since they go to a lot of trouble to make them look good and have a prominent presentation of the brand name on the tool. And there is nothing satisfying about using a rusty tool. Rusted handles get rough. If it's a precision tool, the rust may put it out of spec. The rust can comes off on hands and cloths, or worse, can flake into a work area where it fouls what you are working on.



By the way, I would never suggest that people should go to Sears and exchange perfectly good tools just to hassle Sears and prove a point.



However, I am disappointed to see so many opinions that a merchant does not need to be accountable for its marketing representation of products.

 

[Mark B]

However, I am disappointed to see so many opinions that a merchant does not need to be accountable for its marketing representation of products.

Rich, disappointed?



I've gotten my tools nasty dirty grimy working on old cars. Why do I mess with cleaning them up when I'm done? Given Sears generous warranty, I'd be within my rights to just exchange them rather than clean them. Why don't I? To me, it's taking advantage their generosity and not particularly ethical.



I see your point but don't be disappointed that some Craftsman owners feel their own unwritten accountability.



94

 

[Thomas Rogers]

What fy10lyny said!



Rich, no one is saying that Sears shouldn't be accountable for its marketing and warranty claims. As a matter of fact, I think that I and others would expect that Sears by and large HAS provided an excellent service replacing broken and defective tools throughout the years.



From the comments here it is clear that few here assume that "Complete Satisffaction" should be interpreted as delivering on any and every possible customer whim or having to deal with countless types of misuse by the customer. That just isn't reasonable.



If McDonald's offers a "complete satisfaction guarantee or your money back", and I eat the meal, and claim I am not satisfied because my burger "tasted too much like beef and not enough like chicken", should I get my money back?



Or, should Sears replace your tools if they are stolen? Clearly you can't use them anymore, and you are no longer satisifed with their usefulness? I have heard that Sears has stated their policy doesn't cover misuse.



If you use a set of wood chisels as prybars and screwdrivers and they do a bad job at those functions AND you damage them, should Sears be willing to replace them; especially if you are truthful when they ask: "How did this happen?"



What it comes down to is that "complete satisfaction" guarantee, and the fact that really only the customer can state if they are satisfied. You, Rich, view that as a legal contract that is iron-clad with satisfaction defined by the customer. That's just not the case, IMHO. If such disagreements went to small claims court I am sure we would see that the judge WOULD use terms like "reasonable" and "expected".



Furthermore, I NEVER assumed that the writing on the package or Sear's posters was meant as legalese nor meant to be a contract. I always thought of it as a gesture of goodwill between Sears and I; one that implied that they stand behind their tools, forever; that they feel their tools are tough, and are willing to replace them if they become broken or otherwise inoperative. That's what I always assumed. I NEVER assumed it meant that if I didn't like the way the tools looked after a few years of use, I could have Sears replace them for "shiny" new ones.



And, since I was never trying to take advantage of Sears, I never read that text on the box or on their marketing posters as a contract that I could then "use against them"; mostly because I always knew that if I ever tried to have Sears make good on that warranty it would be with a real issue with their tool.



So, I think Sears IS delivering on its promise; I think they are assuming that the customer is NOT going to be unreasonable, and with the exception of a few isolated cases over the years, I think it would be hard to claim Sears has'nt delivered on its intended promise to repair or replace tools that no longer work.



TJR

 

[Tom Schindler]

As I have said before, the rust could be a cause of bad plating. That bad plating could allow rust to cause the took to break in a situation causing bodily harm.



Next time we get rust on the stepbars, just remember, the vehicle still works. Ford should not be responsible.





Tom