Craftsman Tools Latest Ploy

[BigBoy1]

I have a bunch of Sears Craftsman tools. About a month and half ago I replaced a screwdriver which had broken. (Separate bad experience which will not be covered here.) The tool I turned in had the name "Craftsman" molded right into its plastic handle so there was no question as to who made the tool.

The new screw driver which I was given as a replacemet was one of Sear's "newer" models in which the name "Craftsman" is just painted onto the handle. I have used the screw driver and the painted name is just about completely worn off. There is now no way to prove that the screwdriver was a Sears Craftsman tool! Since it doesn't have the Craftsman name, Sears is no longer obgligated to replace it. Really sneaky way to get around the lifetime guarentee.

[Punkinhead]

Another ploy is to just quit making something. I stopped in to replaced a broken Craftsman tape measure a couple weeks ago and was told Craftsman no longer makes tape measures so they gave me a Stanley. When this one dies I'll be out of luck.

Does anyone make a 12' tape measure that isn't a POS? The reason I bought Craftsman is because I can count on them only lasting a year or two before the locking mechanism breaks so I knew I'd be returning it. I'd pay more for a quality one.

[flylo]

I was told that chrome flaking off tools are not covered. You know Craftsman is seperate from sears & is being sold at Menards & Ace. I reas in the Ace flyer Craftman tools bought at Ace had no warrenty. How will they know. I bet in year or 2 they won't honor any warrenty. Really sad when Harbor Freight has a better warrenty than SK & Crapsman. Kind of like Kia & Hundai. Really sad.

[winchman]

I took in a broken tap wrench which had "Craftsman" molded into the frame. The replacement they sent me came in a package marked Craftsman, but there were no markings whatsoever on the POS tool, which broke about two months later.

[platypus2020]

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal about a year ago, stating that the Craftsman Tool lifetime warranty was the third biggest financial drain on the parent company (Sears Holdings) after salaries and health care. They said that the lifetime warranty was being abused by people returning tools that THEY never bought, stating tools from estate sales, yard sales and auctions, were being returned for new units at alarming rates. It has finally dawn on them, that their pricing can't support the current warranty policy. The article said, unless they can find a way to get out of the warranty policy, Sears will never again have a strong financial footing to continue in business.

I was told recently, unless I have the actual receipt for the item I bought, there is no warranty, who keeps receipts for screwdrivers??. They will find a way to get out of it. The articles said if they filed a certain type of bankruptcy and with Federal Gov't approval, they could wipe the warranty policy out instantly. Is that in the future??

[ZINOM]

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal about a year ago, stating that the Craftsman Tool lifetime warranty was the third biggest financial drain on the parent company (Sears Holdings) after salaries and health care. They said that the lifetime warranty was being abused by people returning tools that THEY never bought, stating tools from estate sales, yard sales and auctions, were being returned for new units at alarming rates. It has finally dawn on them, that their pricing can't support the current warranty policy. The article said, unless they can find a way to get out of the warranty policy, Sears will never again have a strong financial footing to continue in business.

I was told recently, unless I have the actual receipt for the item I bought, there is no warranty, who keeps receipts for screwdrivers??. They will find a way to get out of it. The articles said if they filed a certain type of bankruptcy and with Federal Gov't approval, they could wipe the warranty policy out instantly. Is that in the future??

I may not be the brightest guy on here, but I can at least understand that when folks abuse something that is meant to be a show of good faith on a company's part, that the result can and usually will be either a revocation of that policy, or a cost cutting measure in some form.

With the amount of harbor freight tools ending up in people's toolboxes these days, is Sears supposed to take it in the face and eventually fail?

The slices of the pie can only get so thin before thay cannot sustain those sharing it.

I've seen folks return rusty Craftsman tools that they found on the roadside...that kind of thing can only happen so many times before it has a real effect.

It's early for me, I usually refrain from "ranting" until later in the day.

Cheers,

John

p.s. I share the same feelings about this as others do...I'm sad/mad that this is now the current trend with these tools.

[Mcgyver]

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal about a year ago, stating that the Craftsman Tool lifetime warranty was the third biggest financial drain on the parent company (Sears Holdings) after salaries and health care. ??

This seems unbelievable, I need to see some numbers on this otherwise I'd guess Craftsman tool warranty costs would amount to a rounding error. We're talking a company with $30B in cost of sales and $10B in SG&A. Craftsman warranty costs next to salaries and health care? A quick skim through there annual report where details on costs structures and components are give and this is not even mention, it mustn't be significant.

I was told recently, unless I have the actual receipt for the item I bought, there is no warranty, who keeps receipts for screwdrivers??.

that's the easiest way for them to get you, assuming they want to get anybody.

I dont see where going to an estate sale and buying broken tools for the trade in warranty should be considered dishonest. Its not like if you buy the tool and die than the warranty is void, so your children can't return your broken tool. Craftsman made the warranty under the impression their tools would last forever or they would replace them for free anytime. Thats why people buy them, for the lifetime warranty. IMO its doesn't matter if 10 people owned the tool before it broke, it was sold with a lifetime warranty, period.

I agree with that. There wasn't any of the Fluke nonsense about must be the original owner. A buyer could argue one of the reasons he purchased was that the warranty did extend to subsequent owner, and therefor affected the price of what he could sell it for used which in turn affected his decision to buy it in the first place.

Painted handles etc are imo part of crap product era we live in as opposed to sneaky tricks to avoid warranties. But the BS factor does skyrocket, now you've keep records to substantiate a claim etc. These consumer oriented retails; Sears, home depot etc are increasingly just selling garbage. Except for something like craftsman or Canadian tire's high end mechanics tools because of the warranty, I won't by tools from these places because so much of it is junk....and they will drop the quality brands to put in their house brands.

[Beazld]

"Craftsman" is a brand name owned by Sears. Different Craftsman branded products are supplied by different manufacturers. The sockets and mechanics hand tools were manufactured by Danaher Corp. Danaher also manufactured Allen, Armstrong, Gearwrench, Holokrome screws, and Jacobs chucks. In 2010 Danaher merged the above brands with Cooper Tools (Crescent, Nicholson, Plumb, Xelite, etc,) to become Apex Tool Group. Allen, Gearwrench, Jacobs, and now some of the former Cooper brands have moved offshore to China, Mexico, and other places. Industry speculation is Craftsman will follow suit to be import as well. Currently Armstrong is still made in USA, due mainly to military and government contracts. Holokrome was sold off to Fastenal in 2010. I was a manufacturers rep for Danaher and was laid off in 2010 as a result of the merger.
It's all about the bottom line and quarterly profit statements and "share holder value". We have all heard the phrase "customer loyalty" but I have never heard the phrase "shareholder loyalty". Think about that next time the market takes a triple digit drop. Sad but true, corporations are only concerned about investors, not customers, hence the sorry quality and service we consumers are getting used to buying and come to expect from corporations.

[vpt]

Love my snappy and mac stuff!

[amatts]

Another ploy is to just quit making something. I stopped in to replaced a broken Craftsman tape measure a couple weeks ago and was told Craftsman no longer makes tape measures so they gave me a Stanley. When this one dies I'll be out of luck.

Does anyone make a 12' tape measure that isn't a POS? The reason I bought Craftsman is because I can count on them only lasting a year or two before the locking mechanism breaks so I knew I'd be returning it. I'd pay more for a quality one.

The starrett tape measures are the best.I was working at sears when the gangster bankers told starrett that they were not going to pay for a quality product...so therefor,offshore it went,thinner tape steel,cheap springs,the lot.Having exchanged about a million of the damn things,I could not understand a warranty that allowed exchanges for abused tools.Rusted,busted,etc.Now they say they can't afford it.BOO HOO