I used to work at Sears in the tool department and one customer came in with a 20+ year old socket wrench that he hated to have to turn in for something new. Instead of exchanging it, I used a repair kit to fix the internals and gave him back his old - works like new -wrench. He almost had tears in his eyes I could tell it meant so much to him.
My local Sears would only exchanged ratchets for one that had been allegedly overhauled with a repair kit. The one that I received back was just as bad as the one I turned in as a core. This may have been a store specific issue as the general manager at this particular location was a four letter "c" word that I can't use on TH-cam who I constantly had to butt heads with over getting things exchanged with. I got the last laugh in the end as she's now out of a job.
@@HustleMuscleGhias I had one try to do that. And we went through the dance multiple times of them insisting it has to be this used ratchet as the replacement for the one I brought in. They can call it anything they want rebuilt or anything else but they can't call it new. That's not what my warranty is for. It is for a new replacement. I showed them that written on the packaging right there in the store. They said that "well that's just not the way we do it anymore." And since I wasn't getting anywhere with the c behind the counter, I said okay. This brand new ratchet (The package in my hand) matches that ratchet that I'm exchanging for being broken. I'm walking out the door now. Bye. And of course nothing came of it.
I bought a set of "lifetime warranty" shock absorbers from an Auto Zone in Florida many years ago. Twelve years later, the mounting lug on one of them broke off. I rummaged through my files, found the original receipt and took the broken shock and the receipt to the local Auto Zone near my new home in Connecticut. The clerk couldn't find the old shock part number in the computer, but he worked his tail off to cross reference to another shock and provided it to me free of charge. The new shock fit perfectly! :)
I used to work at AutoZone. Get the lifetime warranty stuff. Do NOT buy anything else. The brakes specifically are the thing to get. Get yourself racing rotors from somewhere else. These rotors will absolutely grind up the brake pads! However, the pads have a lifetime warranty... Buy a new set, replace them, and bring the old ones back. This is part of the marketing when looking up your breaks. They try to sell you the "nice quiet brakes" which chew up your rotors. Don't get duralast gold. Get the cheaper ones.
If you want to offer a lifetime warranty, either be very confident in the durability of your product (so... not Socks) or just be ready with replacements.
@@RwP223 Yes, he did. The Bass Pro Redhead Lifetime Warrant socks are very thick and super soft 100%wool "hunting" socks. They are also (last time that I purchased some) $10.00 a pair. With a lifetime warranty they are well worth the price, without the warranty, still probably but I certainly wouldn't have 6 pairs and I wouldn't make the 50 mile trip to my local Bass Pro shop. The fact is that they offered the Lifetime warranty and now they are refusing that after I have spent my money, so I have to assume that ANY Bass Pro warranty on ANY of their products is worthless.
@@MrSirwolf2001 Most of the time people like warranties not because they plan to use it, but usually if a company says it was last X days. Usually, if a company offers it, at least 99.7% will make it to day X, and that means the average lifetime is longer than X. Most customers aren't planning to use the warranties, but are reassured by the confidence the company has in the product. In this case, there was no way this guy actually thought it would last his life (some lifetime warranties really are for products that are expected to last decades, long enough to outlvie the customer), but he was reassured the company would replace the socks.
Several years ago, I broke the tip off my Craftsman screwdriver, took it into the local Sears store and got a replacement, just like Steve said. That was a good experience. A not so good experience was when a Chinese-made electric fan with a lifetime warranty died. I took it into the store I bought it from, still had the receipt, and they declined to replace it, claiming that the "life" part of the "lifetime warranty" was on the product, not the owner. In other words, since the fan died, its life was over, and thus the lifetime warranty no longer existed. Basically, the lifetime warranty said that the fan would work until it didn't.
Sounds like they were messing with you. I also work in retail and have to deal with warranty claims. The main problem with people who want to fulfill a warranty is that they mistakenly assume that the store is responsible. The manufacturer is responsible for that warranty, not the store, so don't assume the store has any requirements to do anything about it. Obviously there are exceptions like in the video above where the brand is from the store itself.
Many times independent store owners who carry the lifetime brands, they will tell you the warranty is with the company that made the product, not them and you have to deal with them for a replacement.
Craftsman may possibly have been the best warranty policy ever. When I was a mechanic, I worked with a guy who swore by Craftsman tools and refused to go on the Snapon truck every week with the rest of us. One day he finally educated us to his reason when he needed a really short wrench that nobody in the shop had. He grabbed his wrench, locked it in a vise and proceeded to cut it in half with a cutoff wheel. He then used his wrench (which fit perfectly now) in the really tight area. After work that evening, on his way home, he stopped at Sears and exchanged the two pieces for a new wrench. Any idiot could see that the wrench had been intentionally damaged, but Sears didn't care and exchanged it no questions asked just like you said.
I've got a couple of custom wrenches made by cutting apart two wrenches in sizes I needed to use at the same time, and brazing them back together. I sure wouldn't trade them off once I made them, though.
Guitat center did the same thing with some guitar cables that i bought, a pair of cables with lifetime warranties, cost me in 2006 100$, about 50$ more than a similar pair of cables would cost, but i used my cables daily so i threw the warranty receipt for my cables into my gig bag in a baggy that i keep other hear receipts in, a few months later i went back when one if the cables quit working and they accepted the receipt and cable and exchanged it for a new one, when i checked out I realized they hadnt given me back my receipt and the new one said nothing about a warranty. They assured me that it was “in the system” and that i had no need of the purchase receipt. So i unwisely left. Next time i returned i had 2 broken cables about 14 months later, the guy behind the counter pretended to have no knowledge of and lifetime warranties for cables, and when i told them it should be in the system under my name, they looked it up and said they didn’t see anything. So i asked for a manager and had to wait 30 min for them to come and tell me that they no longer carry that brand of cable. And couldn’t give me a replacement. But said he would honor the warranty and grabbed two of the cheapest, thinnest cables that were about 6 ft long (my originals were 15s) and gave them to me as his way of honoring the lifetime warranty. Over the years i have bought alot of expensive gear, tens of thousands for bands and churches. Guitar center has lost out on all my major purchases because of this experience.
Yep. Managers like that never feel it but... I'd you tell corporate they had a moron, which store and when... they can all at least know who the moron was. He might be a higher up these days, lol
Notice how there was no protocol or training on this warranty for the manager. i.e. not honoring the warranty was the plan. The C-suite’s plan was just to blame store management for any “failures.”
Guitar center is the harbor freight of music stores. Strings and picks are all they’re good for. When you go to a music store and it’s obvious you know way more than anybody working there it’s an indicator that you need to find a smaller Ma and Pa store where they give a damn and actually have knowledge.
7:15 this is EXACTLY the reason Bass Pro is so STUPID for letting this get this far over a couple dollars worth of socks. The damage this could do to the Bass Pro reputation far outweighs the cost of the socks. You would think someone in the company's hierarchy would say... "socks cost 20$, but the defense attorney is 250$/hr.... just give the man his socks, and maybe we make our money back on his other purchases".
But it isn't just this guy. It is everyone that has bought their socks. They probably did some estimates when they first offered the deal of how often the socks would wear out and what proportion of people would actually claim new socks and thought it would be profitable and have since realised it isn't. They could easily be giving away tens of thousands of pairs of socks every year, so the lawyers could be the cheaper option.
@@thomasdalton1508 For one thing most people don’t go get replacements socks, the other thing is they don’t know how much damage this will do to their sales because people quit buying at their stores after hearing about them not honoring their promise.
I am sure they have lawyers in house so it is not costing 250/ hr, but I agree with your statement about the bad publicity this law suit could cause for Bass Pro.
I remember as a kid in the late 1950s going to Sears with my father. He had a broken caster off of something and he took the broken one to match it, thus getting the correct item. The Sears hardware clerk took one look at the broken one and said that shouldn't happen as he handed dad a new one at no charge. That got a lot of tool sales later as built my collection of tools when I was out on my own.
My dad found a broken hammer in a plowed field back in the 80s. You could tell it had been used as a pry bar and the handle broke. I took a wire brush and cleaned it and found that it was a Craftsman 20oz. I took it to sears and they gave me a replacement, same part number. I still have it.
I heard the same story from someone else, a long time ago. Except they found a broken Craftsman hammer handle and turned it in for a new hammer. Hmmmm...I wonder... 😕
@@musicloverme3993 Only the part with the Craftsman name on it. I had a broken chisel and I took one piece back. They asked for the other piece, and when I said it doesn't say Craftsman on it, so it can't be returned. They gave me the replacement.
Two good experiences come to mind. The spring broke in one of my Kershaw knives, I emailed to inquire about purchasing replacements. They responded with a request for my address and purchase location if I knew. Two days later, 5 of the springs, a small bottle of blue Loctite and a handwritten note about how to replace it without springs going "sproing" across the room. Another was Ruger, emailed with description of the problem and they responded with shipping labels, fixed it and I had it back in 10 days. In each case, nothing of warranty period was mentioned. It cost them each something but bought a lot of goodwill.
I had Stanley send me 3 tape Measures,2 speed squares, and 2 chalk lines when I called to complain about Home Depot not honoring the Stanley warranty. They really did seem to want to help, and said to contact them for any future warranty issues......
My dad purchased a car battery from a chain in Canada that came with a lifetime of your vehicle warranty. They did require a receipt. What they didn't expect was some people, like my dad, keep their vehicles for alot longer than 5 years. Every roughly 5 years we'd go in to get it replaced. First time was no biggie, since they still sold ones with lifetime of vehicle warrantees. Next 5 years was still no biggie, they stopped selling that warrantee, but still were aware. 30 years later was aproblem, the receipt was starting to fade, and noone seemed to know of the program. Took about 30 minutes to find someone who was willing to honour the warrantee. Unfortunately we got rid of the car a few years after that, so no idea what year 35 would have been like... :)
@@davidh9638 Yup, fortunately his receipt was an older hand written one on carbon paper. Were it thermal transfer we would have had to photocopy it or something.
I FOUND a Swiss Army knife about 40years ago. Over time I lost the tweezers and toothpick and broke some of the various tools. About 20 years ago I sent it in to the manufacturer Victorinox for repair. Got it back completely rebuilt for FREE. Still have it to this day.
You can also get replacement parts for Victorinox SAKs, they're super cheap and then if a scissor spring goes missing, a tweezer stops grabbing, a toothpick gets used for something greasy and horrible, just swap em out!
Same thing happened to me about 20 years ago when I was about 15, found a Fisherman Plus on a beach tangled in some weeds. The knife tip was broken off and it was missing the tweezers but otherwise in perfect shape. I called them and even told them it was found, but they still told me to send it in for a free repair.
Before the Sears went bankrupt here in town, long before I had purchased lots of Sears hand tools. They in general were above average tools and it was rare I would have to trade one in as I never abused my tools. One day I was looking for a leaf rake with steel tines, saw what I wanted at Sears as it had a large # of metal tines and it was a Craftsman. The were 2 problems that I saw: 1: that body that held the tines was made of plastic and it narrowed down to a thin narrow socket that had 1 tiny screw to attach to the wood shaft handle. I knew this plastic socket would never hold up forever. 2: The other problem was that on the rake the only thing that said Craftsman was the disposable paper shroud and lable over the plastic bady. I asked the salesman/clerk about it and he said that Sears knew which of its products were Craftsman & he assured me that Sears would always honor that warranty. This was in the 90's when a similar rake maybe cost $10 but I paid $25 which was a ton for a rake in those days. So 10 years later the plastic shaft broke beyond my ability to repair it & I headed to Sears with it, and they refused to replace it, cause it had no Craftsman label on it. The manager explained to me that all Craftsman tools were permanently marked with an engraved handle or some other permanent mark. He claimed no Craftsman tools were ever made without a permanent mark, period, that was a fact, end of story. He basically implied that I was lying about the rakes pedigree. I went home and grabbed 4 different Craftsman items I had in my garage, shears, lopers etc that had paper or foil printed labels (non-permanent) in various state of wear but all were legible. I returned to the store & still the manager refused to replace my rake as I still had no proof it was a Craftsman rake. At that point I told him that if he did not replace the rake I would sit in front of the store with a large sign and my tools and let every one know that Sears would not honor their warranty and if it was necessary after that I would go to corporate. The manager asked if I would do all that over a rake. I said yes I would and that he was doing the exact same over a rake. He finally folded and being without a similar rake traded me $25 for the rake. It was not worth my time from a monetary stand point, I just did not like being jerked around.
@@angrydragonslayer It depends on the terms of the sale. The new buyer might only purchase the assets and the previous owner still assumes the liabilities. I worked tech support at VistaPro radiators, and they only purchased the assets of Prolliance. Those were some of the more interesting calls, even though I had the number for them to call for the group handling the old lifetime warranties, they always thought that we had to honor them. Sorry, we didn't sell you the part, you can call this number to talk to the company that did.
@@flabbergastednut in an asset purchase, you only buy certain assets of that company (hence the name), not the company itself as a full true legal entity And unless the seller was stupid (which, to be fair, most are), you likely already paid enough extra money to cover the costs of all outstanding warranties
I'm a huge fan of Darn Tough wool hiking socks, also with a lifetime warranty. The footbed cushion is extra thick, making them both long-lasting and extremely comfortable...worth every penny at about 25 bucks per pair.
The lifetime warranty is great, I have had to use it four times and never had an issue. Fill out the paperwork, mail them the socks and the new ones show up in 5-7 days.
I'm also a Darn Tough fan. I wore out 3 pairs of their socks in one summer when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (about 2,650 miles). The company replaced them with no hassles.
I've got a $70 pair I wore in my spray boots in winter, 3x thick etc and more than a decade old. The only downside to Darn Tough is you never know precisely what you're gonna get back XD. "Why don't your socks match?" the kid asked me "I kept the ones that didn't wear out and they sent me new different pairs." Florida can be rough on socks, all the sand.
I work construction, I worked at a steel processing plant where broken Craftsman tools are recycled. You needed special permission to approach the Craftsman "pile" because you could, in theory, steal the junk and exchange it for new. (if me or any of my crew were near that pile, we would be escorted of the property)
@@oldfrend That was very much a part of Craftsman's appeal. Walk into any sears store with a broken Craftsman hand tool and walk out with a replacement no questions asked. I've heard of situations where the tool was insufficiently broken (just rusted or enough wear that the tool didn't work as well) to get automatic replacement. The most expedient way of dealing with that was to cut the thing in half and go back in with an obviously broken tool.
Never trust the word “lifetime”. In the 80s, my mom bought a lifetime membership to a video rental store for around $100 (a lot of money back then!). She went to rent some movies a couple months later and the store had gone out of business!
At one point in my career, I was a store manager, I honored ALL legitimate warranty claims with enthusiasm for my customers, the costumers loved it, it kept them coming back and buying equipment from me, they knew they where covered, we made good equipment, and some of the equipment we made, the market had not been covered yet, even so, customers know that even sometimes new equipment breaks or malfunctions, when your customer knows you have their back, they will keep coming back to buy stuff, your customer has confidence in you and that is powerful sales tool!!
Chinese replacement... All of my Craftsman are USA, but I remember giving my friend sh!t about him having some made in Japan. Now those would probably be treasured. Although Sears actually switched manufacturers many times, just gave the spec's to the new foundry.
@Captain MufDyven the China doesn’t mean bad comment is a common thing the communist started posting on social media several years back and got the liberals to say to get more money from us.
My friends dad had a Craftsman breaker bar that was bought in the 40s and a bit rusty. The breaker bar broke on my friend. He returned it and got a new one, no questions asked. By the way Lowe's carries the Craftsman brand now and do honor the lifetime warranty.
I was working on a Habitat house 18 years ago and a friend broke my Craftsman flat bar. I had just broken one that belonged to Habitat. I took mine back to the local Sears store and got another one and took them both to the checkout counter. The only question was from a young kid behind the counter - HOW did you do THAT? with a look of amazement on his face because he had never seen a broken flat bar!
When Home Depot debuted their Husky brand tools, they deliberately set out to top the Craftsman warranty: you could bring in a broken Husky OR a broken Craftsman tool and they would give you a new Husky tool to replace it.
That's probably a good idea. If someone is going to change tool brands they are going to do it for all their tools, not just the one that has broken, so you've just got a new long-term customer. It is a great way to overcome brand loyalty, which is very strong for products like this.
@@daves7775 if the company had changed owners that might not be the case. however.if it is owned by the same people than yes it should be honered. i still think the man was abusing the warranty. i would put in parenthesis will be honored up to x amount of times unless outer products are purchased after said date.
I have been a hiker for many years and so socks are important to me and I know of at least one brand of socks that offer life time warranty: Darn Tough Socks. So a life time warranty on socks is definitely a thing.
Is there a definition legally that separates "lifetime" of the buyer or the product? As a mechanic I come across fill for life fluid in transmission, transfer cases, and ect. The fill for life indicates the life of the component not the life of the owner of the vehicle. This life span for the component is typically unknown, and can vary greatly on how it is treated or maintained. Thanks for the videos.
its usually the "lifetime" of the part. the company will assign (a mostly arbitrary) time that the life of the part will finally fail due to wear and tear, and so will not repair or replace after that fact, or they will repair or replace if it actually breaks, but not if the part is worn down to a nub or something over time (think tire warranties) some companies will offer "forever" warranties which are use to differentiate between between the two types. so, wear and tear vs a true failure
It should all be in the terms and conditions documented for the warranty. Yeah, that thing people don't read ^_^ (ie - there is no universal rule, each warranty is different. For example some lifetime warranties are for defects only so if u happen to find a manufacture defect years later then it should be covered, but not normal wear and tear.)
Craftsman tools: My old Sears store had a broken socket wrench mounted in a frame and hung on the wall. It proclaimed: "This wrench was exchanged, no questions asked. It was purchased in 1942." The wrench was given to him as a teen, from his dad. You just can't beat that warranty. You also mentioned Die Hard batteries. No doubt, one of the best. But, that is where a lifetime warranty would have been great! (Obviously)
JC Penney used to sell "Forever Batteries" with lifetime replacements. After Firestone bought all of the JC Penney Car Care Centers, they made it harder and harder to get them to honor the warranty (surprise, surprise).
My high school auto shop teacher brought in a craftsman 25 foot tape measure (the kind that is wood and fold up in 6 inch sections) from his grandfather that my teacher had recently inherited. It was a very well worn but still in great condition except one of the folding sections hinges was broken. It had a patent date in the 1800’s, didn’t know the actual purchase date, had to be 75 years old, but it said craftsmen so he took it to sears. Sears didn’t sell them anymore, but they offered my teacher a 25 foot steel tape measure to replace the broken one. My teacher couldn’t do it, the original had to much sentimental value.
I was in the "who puts a lifetime warranty on SOCKS!?" camp until I watch this. I hadn't considered a warranty as a loss leader but it makes perfect sense.
Interesting. I bought these socks for my boyfriend for that exact reason. He loves wearing wool socks and Thorlos, but he wears out the Thorlos so quickly. I found him about 2 dozen pairs at a Sports Authority when they were closing the local store on clearance for about $3 a pair. But I've seen multiple wool sock companies offer lifetime warranty for socks (DarnTough of Vermont comes to mind). But typically, if you like them, you're more likely to buy additional pairs.
I worked for Sears in product development (testing) for a very long time 40+ years. our primary mission was to assure that the new products met what we considered customer expectations based on price and design. Extensive testing on Craftsman hand tools (the ones with the life time warrantee) They met all federal standards for strength and wear and in some cases exceeded them. BTW the primary difference between Craftsman, Snap On, Matco, and other major brands is the final finish to the outside of the tool, Snap on and Matco also had their trucks that visited the shops and were able to arrange direct timed payments from mechanics paychecks.
The Craftsman warranty is still in effect and is honored by Lowe's. I have a socket set purchased in 1981 from Sears. Orchard Supply Hardware carried Craftsman tools after Sears closed and now Lowe's. They replace a broken tool with no receipt just like you described. I replaced half of those 1981 sockets in 2018 simply because they looked old and slipped a little.
My late stepfather bought a whole Sidchrome [an Aussie brand] tool set in the 1950's. I inherited all of his entire workshop in the mid '80's. I found that one of the half inch drive sockets was split when I finally went to use it in 2019. [I have my own complete tool set.] I walked into my local Sidchrome retailer/Auto Parts store & put the socket on the counter, the counterman took one look at it, & handed me a new replacement moments later. Not a word was spoken. Best warranty ever.
These socks retail for $14.99/pair. On BP website under reviews/questions, someone aske about the former lifetime warranty. BP answers that if you bought a pair of the older lifetime warranty socks, they would honor the warranty.
Had a pair of those socks. After a year and a half, I had to take them back due to stitching issues and coming apart. Even had my receipt. I was told that the "lifetime warranty" did not mean my lifetime, but the expected lifetime of the socks. According to a "manager" the expected lifetime of the socks was 12 months. I no longer buy anything from Bass Pro or Cabelas.
I'm glad they're being sued for this. I don't give a damn about the specifics of a pair of socks but I do care about companies generally offering this sort of warranty but later switching out the replacement products for those that they will no longer honor the original warranty upon. For what it's worth this is part why I'm still pissed off regarding Sears. Craftsman mechanics' hand tools are now are difficult to get warrantied because of how the brand has been sold, and now retailers post-Sears carrying the brand are requiring receipt to perform an exchange.
Yes. Because, as you said, the Craftsman name was sold to many different manufacturers. It is no longer a Sears warranty but a licensed manufactures' warranty. I have seen their snow blowers made in USA and China in the same store. Today I will not any Craftsman, Sears, Kenmore, or Die Hard products. Even worse here in Canada as Sears no longer exists.
FWIW, the executives of Sears were up against a mountain of debt, and they did their best to preserve tool and automotive warranties for as long as they could. When they were at their top, they were truly a great American company. Their catalog-based, giant brick-and-mortar store business model outgrew them and buried them in debt when they couldnt adapt to change and compete with walmart and online retail fast enough.
@@davidh9638 You'll note that I specifically said "mechanics' hand tools," because I am well aware that their power tools did not have lifetime warranties.
When I was a teenager i used to find craftsman tools all the time that had been damaged. I exchanged them and would then sell them at various yard sales/open air markets where I lived. Heck, sometimes I would just sell them to mechanics in the area. Made me alot of money back then for essentially zero work. Thank You Craftsman :).
@@mvpfocus On the mechanism only... As a dealer I argued that the frame was a part of the mechanism - Lazyboy said no - I repaired them anyway for customer goodwill...
I miss going to the Craftsman tool section in Sears 😢 And I bought Craftsman tools knowing that if I ever had an issue, I could get it replaced for free. I believe I only had one hammer replaced. And like Steve said, I was in the store shopping when I got it replaced. If most folks knew the cost of getting customers in a store, yeah, a pair or two of socks every six months is a drop in the bucket.
I remember years ago analysts figured out that Walmart sold jeans for about $18 and it only cost them about 74 cents for slave labor babies to make. I would think a whole pack of socks is literally a nickel or less their cost. When I was a kid, my dad snapped one of his craftsman sockets. We drove to the sears store and they just gave him a new one. I have a small set of craftsman tools I paid about a hundred dollars for but I know you can really get invested into them and buy multi-thousand piece sets for like ten grand. That warranty was stellar and I bet it made them a ton of money. I noticed now that a lot of the craftsmen name stuff is pure garbage. Such a shame.
Wool socks are much more expensive, although probably still pretty cheap. Even "worn out" wool socks should probably be saved in a bag somewhere, that stuff is like cotton gold.
Someone why was trying to sell me windows for my house told me they had a double lifetime warranty! Apparently a lifetime warranty would only last as long as I owned the house, but a double lifetime warranty would transfer to the next owner for as long as they owned the house. An interesting definition of "lifetime"
Items like that used to be called "loss leaders", which are designed specifically to drive foot traffic into the store. Convenience Stores use (or used to) gasoline and Grocery Stores use food like Turkey during holidays like Thanksgiving sold at or below cost and then make up the loss with all the other highly marked items they hope the customer will buy while in the store. Since the typical corporate "memory" is less than 5 years the current management and bean counters at BassPro don't remember why they were selling those socks and only see the "loss" part of of the former loss leader.
This trick of replacing a "lifetime warranty" item with a "limited term warranty" replacement. Dillon Precision (ammo reloading equipment) discontinued the lifetime warranty on electronic products years ago, but still sort-of honors it on products bought when the lifetime warranty was in effect. But, you guessed it, the replacement has a 1 year guarantee.
I remember when the quality started to go downhill on craftsman tools. Their screwdrivers got softer. Their wrenches got weaker. It coincided with sear's decline. It was a sad day.
I purchased a Craftsman garden hoe at their closing sale. I used it one time to remove garden weeds, and the hoe head straightened out like a giant putty knife......
Yes you can tell I got some Craftsman tools that are 45 years old and the quality is 10 times better than the crap they sell now. A lot of times they took bids every year to see who got to make their tools so it depends on which year and which company made the tools. And about the last 10 years they also had higher grades that were very expensive that you could purchase as well. I found some of those higher grade kits in a pawn shop about 10 years ago and they're pretty nice and built very well
Steve you will be happy to know that the new retailer that bought the Craftsman brand, Lowe’s Home Improvement, is honoring Sears Lifetime warranty. I walked in with a broken Craftsman screwdriver and they exchanged it for a new one. They have a part # exchange catalog on file.
"I would like to exchange these socks under the lifetime warrantee" "sorry, that has expired" "Expired? But it is a LIFETIME warrantee" "Are the socks worn out?" "Yes! That is why I want to exchange them" "Read the fine print. It does NOT specify who's lifetime. The socks have reached the end of THEIR lifetime"
But if it's true as alleged that their advertising said, "The last socks you will ever need," then clearly the warranty period was the lifetime of the customer, not the product.
Sorry your lifetime has expired....... oh sorry you had to find out like this but you passed away two weeks ago so the lifetime warrenty on you socks has expired you won't need socks where your going it really warm there year round.....lol....lol...lol
In the same vain as mail-in rebates extended warranties are often offered on products because companies know that people will be willing to pay more but are unlikely to actually keep their paperwork and/or have the wherewithal to redeem them. Especially after a significant amount of time has gone by. It sounds like perhaps this particular warranty had a redemption rate higher than the company was expecting therefor messing up the predictions they used to calculate their target profit. I also wouldn't be surprised if they knew they might get sued and factored that risk into their decision to stop honoring the warranty.
I bought a Norton antivirus product probably almost 25 years ago that came with a mail in rebate. I sent it back within the time limit and they refused it saying it wasn't sent in within the time limit. I have never bought a Norton product since. That refused $20 rebate has probably cost them thousands in lost sales.
I have always bought my hand tools from Sears because of their return policy. One time I had a Craftsman tape measure that was guaranteed for life that I dropped from a 60 story apartment complex I was framing. It totally destroyed it and I put it in a bag and brought it in and they replaced it no problem I still have it to this day. So with that being said it was time to buy a new lawn mower and I bought a 48 in riding lawn mower from Sears Craftsman. They were getting ready to close down in about 3 months so they had some pretty good deals. I took it home and I do know you're supposed to change the oil after 3 hours of usage and all that. But I checked everything filled it with gas and cranked it up and black smoke started rolling out of this thing through the whole neighborhood and completely died and blew up. I took my completely brand new blew up brand new lawn mower back up to the store and the manager says oh if it was a push mower then we could trade it right away but I have some numbers you have to call to replace this riding lawn mower. I said my God man I just left here an hour and a half ago.after calling the number and not getting any kind of response I go back to the manager's office the next day and told him I'm not going anywhere till you get a hold of somebody and we get this resolved. So after bugging the crap out of him and staying in his office for over 2 and 1/2 hours he finally got the results that someone would come out with a new motor and put it in. Well I was absolutely amazed that the motor come being shipped that week. But the only problem was there was no one there to put it in. I would have put it in myself but that would have voided my warranty. Finally after 6 months of calling every day almost they sent a guy all the way from Alabama. I live in Middle Tennessee by the way. He comes out and finally puts the motor in I had to leave and go somewhere for just a little bit and come back and my wife said that he had put it in and left. I noticed something didn't look right the motor was in okay but he had totally took my deck apart and there were parts all over my yard. I tried to hold it together and not turn into the hulk and gathered up the parts and put the lawn mower together myself. I'm just glad I did not sell my other piece of crap lawn mower that I had prior to this fiasco. I continue to use it the entire time I was going through this for 8 months. So do your research kids. I have to special order every part on this lawn mower because I guess 48 in is an oddball. It takes special blades special belts for the deck and the drive. And I don't care who sells Craftsman lawn mowers I will never buy anything from Craftsman ever again that has moving parts and takes gas. My old lawn mower that I should have kept I sold for $200 and it was used when I bought it but it had a Tecumseh motor in it and I believe it was a turf pro. My friend that bought it from me still uses it to this day and I believe it's about 35 years old.
You're exactly right. Having a lifetime warranty on socks is brilliant, because the profit margins on accompanying sells for every return is probably terrific. Bass Pro Shops spends a thousand times more on mailer adverts than the could possibly lose on this, and this is by far a better ROI, which makes me think this was possibly set up by Bass Pro Shops as a free promotional story.
Reminds me of the light bulb life estimates: good for 10 years (if used up to 4 hours/day). Otherwise, less than 2 years when used 24hrs/day, which is how long a bulb tends to last, anyway.
When I worked at kohl's as a supervisor there was a family that committed return fraud every few weeks. They would wear the clothes they bought ($500-600) retag them, wear them fully and return them unwashed. And get a full refund. The were abusing the return policy. They did this approximately 2 dozen times over a few year period. Some of these policies are simply stupid bc people will abuse them. Laws are created for reasonable people but its the unreasonable people who break them. All laws and policies need to be created based upon any loopholes that can be exploited and patched before its passed.
The issue is the return polices may be abused but its only a fraction of a % of the over all returns so stores dont generally see it as a reason to care. This is also why various stores tie returns to a drivers license. Best Buy and Target being 2 notable stores. It doesnt matter how genuine the returns are. If someone had the worst luck with buying "lemon" products once they reached a threshold at either store within a certain period they would no longer honor the return (even with valid receipt). I do think that was a step in the right direction to cut down on abuse like what you had mentioned.
In the tool market there are still lifetime warranties. Snapon, Mac, Matco, Cornwell all give lifetime warranties on their hand tools. They are expensive, but you can bet if a professional mechanic needs a tool, one of those name brands is the first place they will call. Those companies have staked their reputations on that concept and have done very well by honoring it.
Steve, remember the lifetime car batteries back in the late '70s? Had one replaced twice in less than 2 years. 3rd did not have a lifetime warranty. Oh, they failed spectacularly, turn key and batt starts expanding like a ballon.
JC Penney sold car batteries in the 70’s. They came with a lifetime warranty that is actually still good to this day. They will reimburse you for a new battery up to a certain amount. At least I’ve read that it’s true and a quick search shows it is.
I'm In the U.P. of Michigan. I was recently at home depot looking for a new stove. One of which was a Samsung however the worker in the appliance department told me that Samsung has no repair techs in our area and if it broke they have no one to fix it. I asked what they do if it breaks while still under warranty what they do. He said nothing they just won't fix it. I don't know if this has actually happened to anyone but I don't think the worker would of had a reason to lie about it.
Sounds like a worker who would rather tell you now and have you pick something else instead of let you think it's got a good warranty and then deal with you later, when the money is already in the bank and the machine needs work
Samsung kitchen appliances have a terrible reputation. I have heard more complaints about samsung appliances failing than I've heard about ALL other brands.
I have only heard poor things about Samsung appliances, unlike electronics which are good. The repair community seems to see Samsung disproportionately frequently.
Pete's appliance in the Saulte has a blacklist of do not buy no repair. Samsung. Lg. Kenmore. Buy a speed queen! 1hp motor. They weight 190 pounds. Out of WI since 1908. Last 20 years. Paid $1480 otd
About 20 years ago, I bought a Samsung TV. It was when HD TV was new and they were still using CRT. The thing weighed over 200lbs. After a few months it broke down. A service technician came to the house and needed to repair it on-site due to its size. He took it apart, left the piece spread on our floor and went back to the shop for a replacement part. Unfortunately, Samsung hadn't decide to create repair parts. It took several months to get the parts and they wouldn't send any one to deal with the mess until they had the part.
Hey Steve, FYI. The Craftsman tools brand is now owned by Stanley Black & Decker. The tools are now sold at a number of different retailers including Lowe's, Advance Auto Parts and many smaller/independent stores. They don't have a lifetime warranty any longer but I have heard that Lowe's will give a one time exchange for a Craftsman tool that was purchased at Sears and came with the lifetime warranty. It might be interesting to check into the policy further as the tools were originally sold with a lifetime warranty even though the brand has been sold to another company. PS - I just saw a video on a car mechanic channel and it seems Advance Auto also now carries Die Hard branded tools. I guess they purchased the brand from Sears.
It was nearly 60 years ago when my mother bought me several pairs of socks that were guaranteed to never wear out. They came in ugly olive green, ugly beige, ugly brown, and grey. They were made of nylon and not very comfortable, certainly not at all absorbent. It is quite possible that they would have lasted forever if I hadn't thrown the damned things out once I was no longer living at home.
Auto parts stores offer lifetime warranty. Receipt was printed on thermal paper that only lasted a year or two. I have had warranties declined due to an illegible receipt.
Great topic for a law school class. Are damages equal to the value of socks for the remainder of the customer's life? Or refund of original amount paid? What brainiac in the company was so desperate to sell socks that they established this policy of free socks for life? Now let's argue lifetime warranty. Who's lifetime? The customer's lifetime or the product's lifetime?
Read up on customer aquesition costs. Getting a body inside the store can cost you a lot in advertising. Getting one in for your base (not retail) cost of socks isn't that bad. Once he's there, the profit of other purchases he makes can pretty quickly go over your actual costs of the socks.
Or the owner of the receipt. They should have fine print to require the original receipts to prevent against someone buying used socks at a garage sale and then returning them under warranty.
When the "lifetime warranty" on the Midas muffler needed to be redeemed because the muffler developed a hole, I took the car over and was told that the warranty was only on the component that failed, not the labor to put it in. I told them I wasn't going to pay $125 to install the muffler, and wanted the replacement muffler. They'd only give me the muffler after they told me that the replacement muffler would have no warranty because it wasn't installed by them. When I did the replacement, in my driveway, it took all of 15 minutes, and I didn't have the benefit of a lift. So, that $125 they quoted for labor was actually covering a large portion, or all of, the cost of the muffler itself. This was so sleezy that I stopped using Midas. I've done the over-the-counter replacement with Craftsman hand tools numerous times. My brother, when he was an electrician, was there weekly to replace screwdrivers, which would develop burns and melted shafts when he'd use them to short out lines he was working on (easier to pop a circuit breaker than to try to figure out which one in a panel). The Craftsman name was bought by Stanley. According to the craftsman site, you can still exchange broken craftsman tools at any retailer selling craftsman tools.
Had a patient of mine who owned a tire repair place. Said he gave a lifetime warranty on repairs, but would then follow up with “ if you bring it back, I’ll kill you!” Never charged with homicide as far as I know!
I forget the product exactly, but once I saw "LIFETIME WARRANTY" boldly declared on something that would never last 10 years, let alone 50. Checked the fine print, "lifetime refers to the expected life of the product. The expected lifetime of this product is 5 years" No joke
But, as I learned from your "How long does a 5-year warranty last?" video, companies supposedly don't have to honor any warranty after 4 years regardless of how long they claim the warranty is good for. 🤔
In the late 1990s, the place where I was working had a very old Craftsman electric drill with a defective power switch and a Craftsman wrench that had been cut and bent to use as a special tool. Both were replaced at no cost.
Steve, I'm not the plaintiff but I live in Springfield a couple miles from Bass Pro and I have two pairs of those socks. They were $25 a pair and are very thick and long. I only use them on bad winter days under boots so I have never managed to wear them out any. But I liked the idea of the local lifetime warranty a lot. Bass Pro may think they made a mistake by not thinking through the ramifications of basing an items marketing on the existence of a lifetime warranty. It seemed a little curious to me but I figured they expected most people would lose the socks or live in an area without a Bass Pro store and never bother to try and have them replaced. Now it looks like they have also failed to think through the downsides of trying to fight this legally and the negative publicity it will entail. I'm old and I remember seeing the start of Bass Pro with some fishing lures in the corner of a liquor store. But they are now the largest sporting goods chain and boatbuilder in the world. They should have just quit selling the socks but still honored the warranty for socks that have been sold. Sure it would be extra hassle and expense having to stock an item no longer being sold just to provide warranty exchanges. But it seems an insignificant burden for a corporation the size of Bass Pro to shoulder in order to avoid the negative publicity of something like this.
It BLOWS MY MIND to think that such a thing as a $25 pair of socks even EXISTS. Obviously Bass Pro has about an 85% - 90% markup on them. For them to go to all the expense & trouble to fight this is beyond stupid!
Hey neighbor. I've never purchased any of their socks, but if I'm not mistaken these are supposed to be Bass Pro's Redhead brand. My experience with the Redhead brand has been pretty favorable. Good quality stuff..
@@jasonrodgers9063 In the socks defense I can say they are exceptionally nice boot socks for cold winter weather. Socks of this quality and warmth are always pricey. They are also definitely not something I would want to wear on a routine basis. Huge, thick, and hot. But when conditions are bad then having the right gear can make all the difference.
@@markmiller2361 Yeah they got Redhead on the toes of the socks. Funny part is how explicit their warranty was worded and how it was focused on in marketing and packaging. Bass Pro should have just accepted this as an easy live and learn moment. They would have been smart enough to never give a lifetime warranty on all powerboats. That would have been a big problem. If they wanted to try out a lifetime warranty on socks then that was their decision and I sure can't figure out why they would want to take a hit on their reputation over such a low dollar item. I have also had good luck with the brand overall though.
Stanley Tools has a lifetime warranty on their tools. I had a ratchet that broke a month or two ago and they mailed me a new one, same colour and size for my set with no hassles or questions whatsoever. They are amazing.
@@Bobs-Wrigles5555 Yesterday afternoon I tried it on my phone for the first time and gave up. I certainly would not have found this one or any of the flat placements. Even on a MAC this one is difficult to see and missed it.
Remember the day I was walking into my local Sears store to stock up on Craftsman tools I needed… . Saw a worker on a ladder with a razor scraping off the gold lettered “Satisfaction Guaranteed” over the door. Last Craftsman tools I ever bought.
Beware, especially when it comes to electronics, the "lifetime warranty" is often defined as the lifetime of the product, not you. Might apply in cases like this as well. Bought a pair of Mixcder wireless headphones with a two year warranty, the bands fell apart and when I emailed them for warranty, they never replied, tried again, same result. Have them duct taped together.
Exactly, I had a belkin surge protector with a lifetime warranty. Had a power surge killed my $2500 iMac. Looked at the warranty, it’s a lifetime warranty, which was the life of the product which is 5 years. It’s a 5 year warranty. We were outside of those 5 years. I’ll never buy another belkin product again.
I bought a Kobalt torque wrench from Lowes a while back. It was just over a year old when the retaining bearing (for the socket) fell out. I took it back to Lowes, with receipt, box, and Lifetime warranty paperwork. Initially they refused to replace it because it was only a year warranty. I showed them the box, clearly marked “Lifetime” warranty and the inserted warranty…they replaced it with a new one, however the box and warranty inserts on the new one are now a one year warranty. The replacement has lasted 6 years so far.
Having dealt with lifetime warranties and such from the other side I can't say I have any respect for the people who abuse them or the companies that offer them, there just a gimmick and a headache.
I, too, have used Craftsman lifetime warranties at several different times for different products. The one I got replaced twice so far is a pair of grass clippers - the handle broke. It was a plastic casting and it broke at a weak point. I've still got, and use, the last replacement for the grass clippers, had them for over a decade, now. The ease of getting the tool replaced was always so disconcerting - usually you have to go through several pieces of paperwork and sign something. It always felt so odd to just walk in the store, show them the broken tool, and walk out with a replacement. Craftsman tools are now carried by many different stores, and I have no idea if they still have a lifetime warranty, or if, say Lowe's, would honor your original lifetime warranty on your Craftsman tool, originally sold only through Sears.
I got a replacement on a broken adjustable wrench that I found by a road. They didn't care how I got the wrench. That made me a, I thought at the time, a devoted lifetime customer. I never foresaw how my devotion to Sears would be destroyed by lies and bad service in the service center.
You're right, Steve, It's >not< a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty. It's a concept that also seems to have disappeared: the 'loss leader', meant to attract traffic to a store at a minimal cost.
Use an * on both sides of a word instead of >< to make a word bold, or _ to make the word italicized. Examples: "It's *not* a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty." "It's _not_ a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty." You can combine with _* and mirror that on the other side of the word and it'll look like this: "It's *_not_* a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty." Notice how the characters disappear as they modify the text. Looks cleaner. Hope that helps.
@@Eidolon1andOnly You're welcome to use whatever method of emphasis you like. I have the capability to italicize, but choose to use arrows. In any case, this exchange is not relevant to the subject.
@@harveyconway6036 You seem a little defensive there. I was merely trying to point out capabilities not many people are aware of on TH-cam. Just as we all are free to use any method of emphasis on words, we're all also free to use the comments section however we wish, so it shouldn't matter if my post was relevant to the subject of the video or not. In context it's still relevant to the choice of how we choose to emphasize words. Take care.
I remember a case from the 80s or 90s where an equipment manufacturer made a widget and sold accessories for it. The widget accessory was usually gotten from the manufacturer. There was a change in ownership, where the new owners saw they were not making any profit from the widget and stopped selling them and focused on accessories. Within two years, the company had closed its doors.
For people who travel frequently. Briggs and Riley make lifetime warranty baggage. And they do honor that warranty. Well worth the money. And Saddle Back leather goods also have a lifetime warranty. And i used to go through a leather wallet every 2-3 years. I've had my saddle back leather wallet for over 15 years now, and it's still awesome! So there are good products out there, you just have to look for them.
Stanley Black & Decker purchased craftsman for 900 million about 3 years ago .. biggest seller is Lowes but can be found at other national chains and small regional retailers as well as online
I once bought a graphics card for my computer that had a lifetime warranty. About a year later the card failed and they replaced (same SKU) it under warranty. Fast forward about 3-4 years, I had sold the card to a friend for use in his kids computer but it failed again soon after. Now they no longer had my old card in stock as it was old outdated tech by that point. They sent me a much newer model of graphics card (different chip maker entirely) that worked flawlessly but the new graphics card came with a little note card that said it wasn't eligible for replacement under the original cards lifetime warranty anymore. I figured I had gotten two replacement cards from them and called it good.
One of my dad's old buddies found a "loophole" (or maybe just poorly thought out procedures by Sears) with the Craftsman warranty. He'd periodically go dumpster diving at the Philadelphia Sears, find the broken Craftsman tools, take them in and get a replacement.
The socks are probably marked up at least 3 or 4x the actuall cost so they are still ahead, plus what they make from any additional sales that person buys when coming in to replace the socks
That's on you for not knowing what you were buying. Most gun makers give really good warranties because the vast majority of firearms sit in a cabinet or safe for decades and are lucky to ever have a thousand rounds shot through them before the owner passes on. That's changed somewhat with the popularity of the modern sporting rifle but there are millions upon millions of old shotguns and rifles out there that have maybe been fired a dozen times in the last 20 years if that. It's easy math for the gun makers.
Just over 20 years ago, I replaced a Western Digital hard drive via their (3 year? 5 year? I forget what it was at the time) warranty with a lot of time left (more than 1 year), but the replacement drive only had a 90-day warranty.
I’ve always wondered, since the “Lifetime Warranty” is on the item and that item breaks or dies, then isn’t that the end of its life? So its lifetime is over and the warranty is no longer any good. RIGHT?
It's warranteed up to and including when we see your tail lights Bernzimatic torch heads have change from lifetime to limited warranty during last 2 years took a 7 month period to get a torch head replaced. Bernzomatic torch heads at every Lowes and home depot. The torch heads by little blue tanks of propane or yellow tanks of nap gas.
Steve the Craftsman tools can be exchanged at any Ace Hardware store. I too have used the brand for over 45 years and still from time to time have to replace some due to breakage.
This is one of those times some college kid who just got a job is screwing up the company. Its one of those "we are going to save money" decisions because someone forgot they are in the business of making money. Seriously how many companies have folded over the years because they try to save money instead of making money.
Funny how you assume it's a college kid and not a boomer MBA profit optimization zombie who are the ones actually responsible for destroying the country.
Craftsman name was sold to Stanley Black and Decker so they now make a line of tools similar to Dewalt but with the Stanley black and decker designs. Now sold at Lowes. I have been happy with all of the new tools, but the old Sears lifetime warranty is gone sadly.
Maybe I'm just young, but I always thought a "lifetime warranty" meant you got a single replacement at any point in the future. The replacement item did not have any warranty. Them using the phrase "last sock you'll ever need to buy" muddies the waters, but I'd never expect unlimited replacement.
Limited Lifetime warranty, excludes normal wear or abuse, void if paper label damaged, has dings, dents, or scratches. Must be mailed in and approved, with original receipt, packaging and accessories. Not responsible for packages lost in the mail.
Henkel Knives are the same. I broke the blade on a knife I had for about 25 years. It fell on a wooden floor, and the blade snapped in half! I called the company, and they just asked me to mail it back to them. They sent me out a brand new one pretty quick. I was impressed!!
Amazingly I had a good warranty experience recently. I had a new Milwaukee impact driver that was leaking grease. I took it to a repair place (the one bad thing is that there was only one in the entire city, though you could mail it) and came back a week later to find that they just gave me an entire new driver. They said parts are currently hard to come by. Craftsman used to have lifetime warranties on even their power tools. Then it got down to just some of their hand tools. Now, I have no clue if there is any warranty at all.
I saw Craftsman Tools being sold in Lowe's last week. Darn Tough gives lifetime warranties on their socks. so far, so good. I've only had one pair out of 10 that I have returned over the last 5 years.
I once picked up a pair of Craftsman diagonal pliers on the side of the highway and it would not completely close. So I took it to the local Sears and swapped it for a brand new one. I kept that pliers for many years and it was just as good as the day I got them.
I own a small hardware store and some of the brands I sell include a lifetime warranty. As the owner I am able to honor a lifetime warranty for the customer as long as the manufacturer will honor it. In my case the warranty is provided by the manufacturer and not the store. What I have noticed is that many of these warranties explicitly state that the product is warranted from flaws in materials and craftsmanship not normal wear and tear. Therefore in the case of some tools they are expected to eventually wear out such as in the case of a tape measure. I am always willing to send a product to the manufacturer for repair or replacement (freight on buyer), but it is often determined that the issue is not covered by the warranty. Also, It doesn't mean that the product is indestructible. Using a 3 foot "cheater pipe" and socket adapters on a 1/4" drive ratchet to loosen a rusty 3/4" bolt will inevitably destroy the ratchet. Likewise using a basic 12pt socket on a pneumatic impact wrench will often crack the socket. This doesn't mean that the quality of the steel or the wall thickness of the socket was out of spec. They make impact sockets for that intended use. Most lifetime warranties do not cover normal wear and tear or abuse. Intentionally breaking tools to get "a new shiny one" is not something lifetime warranties were ever designed to cover. I haven't seen the warranty in the case of the socks, but I would suspect that they would be warranted from coming unraveled, but not a hole from wear or a cut by scissors. People abusing the system are part of the reason that Sears is out of business.
No, Sears is out of business because they started to suck as a store. They failed to adapt to the internet age and their old people clientele mostly died off so they went under.
I used to work at Sears in the tool department and one customer came in with a 20+ year old socket wrench that he hated to have to turn in for something new. Instead of exchanging it, I used a repair kit to fix the internals and gave him back his old - works like new -wrench. He almost had tears in his eyes I could tell it meant so much to him.
They did that to me too they put new gears in a swivel head ratchet that I loved
My local Sears would only exchanged ratchets for one that had been allegedly overhauled with a repair kit. The one that I received back was just as bad as the one I turned in as a core. This may have been a store specific issue as the general manager at this particular location was a four letter "c" word that I can't use on TH-cam who I constantly had to butt heads with over getting things exchanged with. I got the last laugh in the end as she's now out of a job.
@@HustleMuscleGhias Had the same issues. Went through 7 ratchets in 5 days. After that they always gave me a new ratchet off of the shelf.
My father one bought a box of Craftman wrenches and sockets (old and very used). He took the ones that wouldn't work to Sears and got new ones.
@@HustleMuscleGhias I had one try to do that. And we went through the dance multiple times of them insisting it has to be this used ratchet as the replacement for the one I brought in. They can call it anything they want rebuilt or anything else but they can't call it new.
That's not what my warranty is for. It is for a new replacement. I showed them that written on the packaging right there in the store.
They said that "well that's just not the way we do it anymore." And since I wasn't getting anywhere with the c behind the counter, I said okay. This brand new ratchet (The package in my hand) matches that ratchet that I'm exchanging for being broken. I'm walking out the door now. Bye.
And of course nothing came of it.
I bought a set of "lifetime warranty" shock absorbers from an Auto Zone in Florida many years ago. Twelve years later, the mounting lug on one of them broke off. I rummaged through my files, found the original receipt and took the broken shock and the receipt to the local Auto Zone near my new home in Connecticut. The clerk couldn't find the old shock part number in the computer, but he worked his tail off to cross reference to another shock and provided it to me free of charge. The new shock fit perfectly! :)
Sweet
Autozone seems to have pretty solid customer service in general.
Shocks need to be replaced in pairs.
@@BA-gn3qb If I recall, I did replace the pair, I don't remember if I had to pay for the other one or not. :)
I used to work at AutoZone. Get the lifetime warranty stuff. Do NOT buy anything else.
The brakes specifically are the thing to get. Get yourself racing rotors from somewhere else. These rotors will absolutely grind up the brake pads!
However, the pads have a lifetime warranty... Buy a new set, replace them, and bring the old ones back.
This is part of the marketing when looking up your breaks. They try to sell you the "nice quiet brakes" which chew up your rotors. Don't get duralast gold. Get the cheaper ones.
If you want to offer a lifetime warranty, either be very confident in the durability of your product (so... not Socks) or just be ready with replacements.
or put a 'need receipt' on the warranty terms.. takes care of 99% after couple of years.
Tommy Boy explained lifetime warranties really well
@@RwP223 Yes, he did. The Bass Pro Redhead Lifetime Warrant socks are very thick and super soft 100%wool "hunting" socks. They are also (last time that I purchased some) $10.00 a pair. With a lifetime warranty they are well worth the price, without the warranty, still probably but I certainly wouldn't have 6 pairs and I wouldn't make the 50 mile trip to my local Bass Pro shop. The fact is that they offered the Lifetime warranty and now they are refusing that after I have spent my money, so I have to assume that ANY Bass Pro warranty on ANY of their products is worthless.
@@MrSirwolf2001 Most of the time people like warranties not because they plan to use it, but usually if a company says it was last X days. Usually, if a company offers it, at least 99.7% will make it to day X, and that means the average lifetime is longer than X. Most customers aren't planning to use the warranties, but are reassured by the confidence the company has in the product. In this case, there was no way this guy actually thought it would last his life (some lifetime warranties really are for products that are expected to last decades, long enough to outlvie the customer), but he was reassured the company would replace the socks.
@@alex_zetsu some socks are just simply lost!
Several years ago, I broke the tip off my Craftsman screwdriver, took it into the local Sears store and got a replacement, just like Steve said. That was a good experience. A not so good experience was when a Chinese-made electric fan with a lifetime warranty died. I took it into the store I bought it from, still had the receipt, and they declined to replace it, claiming that the "life" part of the "lifetime warranty" was on the product, not the owner. In other words, since the fan died, its life was over, and thus the lifetime warranty no longer existed. Basically, the lifetime warranty said that the fan would work until it didn't.
Sounds like they were messing with you. I also work in retail and have to deal with warranty claims. The main problem with people who want to fulfill a warranty is that they mistakenly assume that the store is responsible. The manufacturer is responsible for that warranty, not the store, so don't assume the store has any requirements to do anything about it. Obviously there are exceptions like in the video above where the brand is from the store itself.
Many times independent store owners who carry the lifetime brands, they will tell you the warranty is with the company that made the product, not them and you have to deal with them for a replacement.
Craftsman may possibly have been the best warranty policy ever. When I was a mechanic, I worked with a guy who swore by Craftsman tools and refused to go on the Snapon truck every week with the rest of us. One day he finally educated us to his reason when he needed a really short wrench that nobody in the shop had. He grabbed his wrench, locked it in a vise and proceeded to cut it in half with a cutoff wheel. He then used his wrench (which fit perfectly now) in the really tight area. After work that evening, on his way home, he stopped at Sears and exchanged the two pieces for a new wrench. Any idiot could see that the wrench had been intentionally damaged, but Sears didn't care and exchanged it no questions asked just like you said.
Why wasn't he smart enough to keep the confined space wrench for future work?
I've got a couple of custom wrenches made by cutting apart two wrenches in sizes I needed to use at the same time, and brazing them back together. I sure wouldn't trade them off once I made them, though.
@@Omniseed maybe he needs the unmodified one for regular work. Next time he needs a short wrench, he can just hack it down again 😂
@Derek Smith, Craftsman Files had a Lifetime Warranty. As long as you keep the original sheath, you could replace the worn file for a new one.
OLD Craftsman was a GREAT tool... the NEW stuff is utter GARBAGE from China...
Guitat center did the same thing with some guitar cables that i bought, a pair of cables with lifetime warranties, cost me in 2006 100$, about 50$ more than a similar pair of cables would cost, but i used my cables daily so i threw the warranty receipt for my cables into my gig bag in a baggy that i keep other hear receipts in, a few months later i went back when one if the cables quit working and they accepted the receipt and cable and exchanged it for a new one, when i checked out I realized they hadnt given me back my receipt and the new one said nothing about a warranty. They assured me that it was “in the system” and that i had no need of the purchase receipt. So i unwisely left. Next time i returned i had 2 broken cables about 14 months later, the guy behind the counter pretended to have no knowledge of and lifetime warranties for cables, and when i told them it should be in the system under my name, they looked it up and said they didn’t see anything. So i asked for a manager and had to wait 30 min for them to come and tell me that they no longer carry that brand of cable. And couldn’t give me a replacement. But said he would honor the warranty and grabbed two of the cheapest, thinnest cables that were about 6 ft long (my originals were 15s) and gave them to me as his way of honoring the lifetime warranty.
Over the years i have bought alot of expensive gear, tens of thousands for bands and churches. Guitar center has lost out on all my major purchases because of this experience.
Does Guitar Center even exist anywhere anymore? I thought they were gone.
Yep. Managers like that never feel it but... I'd you tell corporate they had a moron, which store and when... they can all at least know who the moron was. He might be a higher up these days, lol
Notice how there was no protocol or training on this warranty for the manager. i.e. not honoring the warranty was the plan. The C-suite’s plan was just to blame store management for any “failures.”
@@freethebirds3578 they still exist, but alot of the smaller stores were closed.
Guitar center is the harbor freight of music stores. Strings and picks are all they’re good for. When you go to a music store and it’s obvious you know way more than anybody working there it’s an indicator that you need to find a smaller Ma and Pa store where they give a damn and actually have knowledge.
7:15 this is EXACTLY the reason Bass Pro is so STUPID for letting this get this far over a couple dollars worth of socks. The damage this could do to the Bass Pro reputation far outweighs the cost of the socks. You would think someone in the company's hierarchy would say... "socks cost 20$, but the defense attorney is 250$/hr.... just give the man his socks, and maybe we make our money back on his other purchases".
But it isn't just this guy. It is everyone that has bought their socks. They probably did some estimates when they first offered the deal of how often the socks would wear out and what proportion of people would actually claim new socks and thought it would be profitable and have since realised it isn't. They could easily be giving away tens of thousands of pairs of socks every year, so the lawyers could be the cheaper option.
@@thomasdalton1508 For one thing most people don’t go get replacements socks, the other thing is they don’t know how much damage this will do to their sales because people quit buying at their stores after hearing about them not honoring their promise.
I am sure they have lawyers in house so it is not costing 250/ hr, but I agree with your statement about the bad publicity this law suit could cause for Bass Pro.
@@richardlug6139 They won't use in house lawyers for litigation. Litigation is a specialist field.
@@thomasdalton1508 I bet they have litigation lawyers (at least one) in house
I remember as a kid in the late 1950s going to Sears with my father. He had a broken caster off of something and he took the broken one to match it, thus getting the correct item. The Sears hardware clerk took one look at the broken one and said that shouldn't happen as he handed dad a new one at no charge. That got a lot of tool sales later as built my collection of tools when I was out on my own.
My dad found a broken hammer in a plowed field back in the 80s. You could tell it had been used as a pry bar and the handle broke. I took a wire brush and cleaned it and found that it was a Craftsman 20oz. I took it to sears and they gave me a replacement, same part number. I still have it.
When I worked home construction in the '70s I favored Craftsman 20 ounce and heavier hammers, and continued to afterward.
I heard the same story from someone else, a long time ago. Except they found a broken Craftsman hammer handle and turned it in for a new hammer.
Hmmmm...I wonder... 😕
@@riverraisin1 "Hmmmm...I wonder... " as in could you take each piece individually in and get a whole new hammer for each?
@@musicloverme3993 Only the part with the Craftsman name on it.
I had a broken chisel and I took one piece back. They asked for the other piece, and when I said it doesn't say Craftsman on it, so it can't be returned. They gave me the replacement.
@@riverraisin1 hahaha Good one.
Two good experiences come to mind. The spring broke in one of my Kershaw knives, I emailed to inquire about purchasing replacements. They responded with a request for my address and purchase location if I knew. Two days later, 5 of the springs, a small bottle of blue Loctite and a handwritten note about how to replace it without springs going "sproing" across the room.
Another was Ruger, emailed with description of the problem and they responded with shipping labels, fixed it and I had it back in 10 days.
In each case, nothing of warranty period was mentioned. It cost them each something but bought a lot of goodwill.
I guess the last thing Ruger would want would be an owner injured by a product failure.
I had Stanley send me 3 tape Measures,2 speed squares, and 2 chalk lines when I called to complain about Home Depot not honoring the Stanley warranty.
They really did seem to want to help, and said to contact them for any future warranty issues......
Sent kershaw a knife with a broken spring, they sent me a new knife.
Bass Pro Shop simply needs to collude with the makers of clothes dryers to “lose” more socks/load.
What makes you think they haven’t?
@@jameswhitaker1324
Good point.
Have you checked behind the couch cushion. I swear there is some kind of wormhole from the dryer to that place in particular for socks.
😄😂
My dad purchased a car battery from a chain in Canada that came with a lifetime of your vehicle warranty. They did require a receipt. What they didn't expect was some people, like my dad, keep their vehicles for alot longer than 5 years. Every roughly 5 years we'd go in to get it replaced. First time was no biggie, since they still sold ones with lifetime of vehicle warrantees. Next 5 years was still no biggie, they stopped selling that warrantee, but still were aware. 30 years later was aproblem, the receipt was starting to fade, and noone seemed to know of the program. Took about 30 minutes to find someone who was willing to honour the warrantee. Unfortunately we got rid of the car a few years after that, so no idea what year 35 would have been like... :)
Modern thermal-print register receipts fade much more quickly than that.
@@davidh9638 Yup, fortunately his receipt was an older hand written one on carbon paper. Were it thermal transfer we would have had to photocopy it or something.
@@davidh9638 Yep, I get receipts from one place that specifies right on them not to leave them in direct sunlight or it will fade.
I FOUND a Swiss Army knife about 40years ago. Over time I lost the tweezers and toothpick and broke some of the various tools.
About 20 years ago I sent it in to the manufacturer Victorinox for repair.
Got it back completely rebuilt for FREE.
Still have it to this day.
You can also get replacement parts for Victorinox SAKs, they're super cheap and then if a scissor spring goes missing, a tweezer stops grabbing, a toothpick gets used for something greasy and horrible, just swap em out!
Kershaw knives are like that also.
Same thing happened to me about 20 years ago when I was about 15, found a Fisherman Plus on a beach tangled in some weeds. The knife tip was broken off and it was missing the tweezers but otherwise in perfect shape. I called them and even told them it was found, but they still told me to send it in for a free repair.
Before the Sears went bankrupt here in town, long before I had purchased lots of Sears hand tools. They in general were above average tools and it was rare I would have to trade one in as I never abused my tools. One day I was looking for a leaf rake with steel tines, saw what I wanted at Sears as it had a large # of metal tines and it was a Craftsman. The were 2 problems that I saw: 1: that body that held the tines was made of plastic and it narrowed down to a thin narrow socket that had 1 tiny screw to attach to the wood shaft handle. I knew this plastic socket would never hold up forever. 2: The other problem was that on the rake the only thing that said Craftsman was the disposable paper shroud and lable over the plastic bady. I asked the salesman/clerk about it and he said that Sears knew which of its products were Craftsman & he assured me that Sears would always honor that warranty. This was in the 90's when a similar rake maybe cost $10 but I paid $25 which was a ton for a rake in those days. So 10 years later the plastic shaft broke beyond my ability to repair it & I headed to Sears with it, and they refused to replace it, cause it had no Craftsman label on it. The manager explained to me that all Craftsman tools were permanently marked with an engraved handle or some other permanent mark. He claimed no Craftsman tools were ever made without a permanent mark, period, that was a fact, end of story. He basically implied that I was lying about the rakes pedigree.
I went home and grabbed 4 different Craftsman items I had in my garage, shears, lopers etc that had paper or foil printed labels (non-permanent) in various state of wear but all were legible. I returned to the store & still the manager refused to replace my rake as I still had no proof it was a Craftsman rake. At that point I told him that if he did not replace the rake I would sit in front of the store with a large sign and my tools and let every one know that Sears would not honor their warranty and if it was necessary after that I would go to corporate. The manager asked if I would do all that over a rake. I said yes I would and that he was doing the exact same over a rake. He finally folded and being without a similar rake traded me $25 for the rake. It was not worth my time from a monetary stand point, I just did not like being jerked around.
If I'm on they jury and I saw Bass Pro say, "The last socks you will ever need to buy..." Judgment for the plaintiff.
not if the company has changed owners that lifetime warranty should not have to be honored by the new owners because they did not agree to it.
@@supersaiyaman11589 when you buy a company, that includes liabilities
@@angrydragonslayer It depends on the terms of the sale. The new buyer might only purchase the assets and the previous owner still assumes the liabilities. I worked tech support at VistaPro radiators, and they only purchased the assets of Prolliance. Those were some of the more interesting calls, even though I had the number for them to call for the group handling the old lifetime warranties, they always thought that we had to honor them. Sorry, we didn't sell you the part, you can call this number to talk to the company that did.
@@flabbergastednut in an asset purchase, you only buy certain assets of that company (hence the name), not the company itself as a full true legal entity
And unless the seller was stupid (which, to be fair, most are), you likely already paid enough extra money to cover the costs of all outstanding warranties
I'm a huge fan of Darn Tough wool hiking socks, also with a lifetime warranty. The footbed cushion is extra thick, making them both long-lasting and extremely comfortable...worth every penny at about 25 bucks per pair.
The lifetime warranty is great, I have had to use it four times and never had an issue. Fill out the paperwork, mail them the socks and the new ones show up in 5-7 days.
I'm also a Darn Tough fan. I wore out 3 pairs of their socks in one summer when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (about 2,650 miles). The company replaced them with no hassles.
I've got a $70 pair I wore in my spray boots in winter, 3x thick etc and more than a decade old. The only downside to Darn Tough is you never know precisely what you're gonna get back XD. "Why don't your socks match?" the kid asked me "I kept the ones that didn't wear out and they sent me new different pairs." Florida can be rough on socks, all the sand.
I work construction, I worked at a steel processing plant where broken Craftsman tools are recycled. You needed special permission to approach the Craftsman "pile" because you could, in theory, steal the junk and exchange it for new. (if me or any of my crew were near that pile, we would be escorted of the property)
At least now we know what's in Fort Knox.
they don't require receipts to return craftsman tools?!?
@@oldfrend, NOPE!
@@oldfrend That was very much a part of Craftsman's appeal. Walk into any sears store with a broken Craftsman hand tool and walk out with a replacement no questions asked. I've heard of situations where the tool was insufficiently broken (just rusted or enough wear that the tool didn't work as well) to get automatic replacement. The most expedient way of dealing with that was to cut the thing in half and go back in with an obviously broken tool.
@@xuthnet And they sold a lot more tools because of that policy.
Never trust the word “lifetime”. In the 80s, my mom bought a lifetime membership to a video rental store for around $100 (a lot of money back then!). She went to rent some movies a couple months later and the store had gone out of business!
Was this Hollywood Video?
@@Genesh12 I didn't have to buy a membership to Hollywood Video---- Some of the small outfits used to pull that scam.
They didn't go out of business, they retired!!
@@Genesh12 No, a local store.
Similar thing happened to me with a gym membership, also in the 80s. Let the buyer beware!
Hey Steve, how much does a pair of socks cost a company when defense attorneys get involved???
100k
At one point in my career, I was a store manager, I honored ALL legitimate warranty claims with enthusiasm for my customers, the costumers loved it, it kept them coming back and buying equipment from me, they knew they where covered, we made good equipment, and some of the equipment we made, the market had not been covered yet, even so, customers know that even sometimes new equipment breaks or malfunctions, when your customer knows you have their back, they will keep coming back to buy stuff, your customer has confidence in you and that is powerful sales tool!!
Ace Hardware and Lowes have Craftsman now and still honor the warranty for the most part. You will get a Chinese made replacement though..
Chinese replacement... All of my Craftsman are USA, but I remember giving my friend sh!t about him having some made in Japan. Now those would probably be treasured. Although Sears actually switched manufacturers many times, just gave the spec's to the new foundry.
@@daves7775 I heard Lowe's will only replace an exact model wrench. If they don't carry that one anymore you are outta luck.
@Captain MufDyven the China doesn’t mean bad comment is a common thing the communist started posting on social media several years back and got the liberals to say to get more money from us.
Steve, please keep us updated on this story because I own several pairs of these lifetime warranty socks. Thank you.
My friends dad had a Craftsman breaker bar that was bought in the 40s and a bit rusty. The breaker bar broke on my friend. He returned it and got a new one, no questions asked.
By the way Lowe's carries the Craftsman brand now and do honor the lifetime warranty.
so does Ace Hardwere and K-Mart
Some lowe’s managers try to fight you on it or at least they did when they first started carrying craftsman
I was working on a Habitat house 18 years ago and a friend broke my Craftsman flat bar. I had just broken one that belonged to Habitat. I took mine back to the local Sears store and got another one and took them both to the checkout counter. The only question was from a young kid behind the counter -
HOW did you do THAT?
with a look of amazement on his face because he had never seen a broken flat bar!
When Home Depot debuted their Husky brand tools, they deliberately set out to top the Craftsman warranty: you could bring in a broken Husky OR a broken Craftsman tool and they would give you a new Husky tool to replace it.
That's probably a good idea. If someone is going to change tool brands they are going to do it for all their tools, not just the one that has broken, so you've just got a new long-term customer. It is a great way to overcome brand loyalty, which is very strong for products like this.
@@thomasdalton1508 that was their plan, yes, and they weren't shy about saying it.
@@daves7775 if the company had changed owners that might not be the case. however.if it is owned by the same people than yes it should be honered. i still think the man was abusing the warranty. i would put in parenthesis will be honored up to x amount of times unless outer products are purchased after said date.
I remember that. Lowes did the same with the Kobalt branded tools, back when they were made in the USA anyway.
@@daves7775 so if you timed the switch right... you could still have a warranty today?
I have been a hiker for many years and so socks are important to me and I know of at least one brand of socks that offer life time warranty: Darn Tough Socks. So a life time warranty on socks is definitely a thing.
Is there a definition legally that separates "lifetime" of the buyer or the product? As a mechanic I come across fill for life fluid in transmission, transfer cases, and ect. The fill for life indicates the life of the component not the life of the owner of the vehicle. This life span for the component is typically unknown, and can vary greatly on how it is treated or maintained. Thanks for the videos.
its usually the "lifetime" of the part. the company will assign (a mostly arbitrary) time that the life of the part will finally fail due to wear and tear, and so will not repair or replace after that fact, or they will repair or replace if it actually breaks, but not if the part is worn down to a nub or something over time (think tire warranties) some companies will offer "forever" warranties which are use to differentiate between between the two types. so, wear and tear vs a true failure
It should all be in the terms and conditions documented for the warranty. Yeah, that thing people don't read ^_^ (ie - there is no universal rule, each warranty is different. For example some lifetime warranties are for defects only so if u happen to find a manufacture defect years later then it should be covered, but not normal wear and tear.)
Craftsman tools: My old Sears store had a broken socket wrench mounted in a frame and hung on the wall. It proclaimed: "This wrench was exchanged, no questions asked. It was purchased in 1942." The wrench was given to him as a teen, from his dad. You just can't beat that warranty. You also mentioned Die Hard batteries. No doubt, one of the best. But, that is where a lifetime warranty would have been great! (Obviously)
JC Penney used to sell "Forever Batteries" with lifetime replacements. After Firestone bought all of the JC Penney Car Care Centers, they made it harder and harder to get them to honor the warranty (surprise, surprise).
My high school auto shop teacher brought in a craftsman 25 foot tape measure (the kind that is wood and fold up in 6 inch sections) from his grandfather that my teacher had recently inherited. It was a very well worn but still in great condition except one of the folding sections hinges was broken. It had a patent date in the 1800’s, didn’t know the actual purchase date, had to be 75 years old, but it said craftsmen so he took it to sears. Sears didn’t sell them anymore, but they offered my teacher a 25 foot steel tape measure to replace the broken one. My teacher couldn’t do it, the original had to much sentimental value.
I was in the "who puts a lifetime warranty on SOCKS!?" camp until I watch this. I hadn't considered a warranty as a loss leader but it makes perfect sense.
Interesting. I bought these socks for my boyfriend for that exact reason. He loves wearing wool socks and Thorlos, but he wears out the Thorlos so quickly. I found him about 2 dozen pairs at a Sports Authority when they were closing the local store on clearance for about $3 a pair.
But I've seen multiple wool sock companies offer lifetime warranty for socks (DarnTough of Vermont comes to mind). But typically, if you like them, you're more likely to buy additional pairs.
I worked for Sears in product development (testing) for a very long time 40+ years. our primary mission was to assure that the new products met what we considered customer expectations based on price and design. Extensive testing on Craftsman hand tools (the ones with the life time warrantee) They met all federal standards for strength and wear and in some cases exceeded them. BTW the primary difference between Craftsman, Snap On, Matco, and other major brands is the final finish to the outside of the tool, Snap on and Matco also had their trucks that visited the shops and were able to arrange direct timed payments from mechanics paychecks.
I liked craftsman finish out of all of them, they didn't slip out of your hands
The Craftsman warranty is still in effect and is honored by Lowe's. I have a socket set purchased in 1981 from Sears. Orchard Supply Hardware carried Craftsman tools after Sears closed and now Lowe's. They replace a broken tool with no receipt just like you described. I replaced half of those 1981 sockets in 2018 simply because they looked old and slipped a little.
I can confirm Craftsman is back at Lowe's (won't confirm the warranty) and I think that DieHard is at Advance / CarQuest now.
Lowe's will only warranty a Craftsman product if it's apples to apples they won't give you one of similar function
My late stepfather bought a whole Sidchrome [an Aussie brand] tool set in the 1950's. I inherited all of his entire workshop in the mid '80's. I found that one of the half inch drive sockets was split when I finally went to use it in 2019. [I have my own complete tool set.]
I walked into my local Sidchrome retailer/Auto Parts store & put the socket on the counter, the counterman took one look at it, & handed me a new replacement moments later. Not a word was spoken. Best warranty ever.
These socks retail for $14.99/pair. On BP website under reviews/questions, someone aske about the former lifetime warranty. BP answers that if you bought a pair of the older lifetime warranty socks, they would honor the warranty.
Watch that website's "bought" become "brought in" sometime during this suit.
Had a pair of those socks. After a year and a half, I had to take them back due to stitching issues and coming apart. Even had my receipt. I was told that the "lifetime warranty" did not mean my lifetime, but the expected lifetime of the socks. According to a "manager" the expected lifetime of the socks was 12 months.
I no longer buy anything from Bass Pro or Cabelas.
I'm glad they're being sued for this. I don't give a damn about the specifics of a pair of socks but I do care about companies generally offering this sort of warranty but later switching out the replacement products for those that they will no longer honor the original warranty upon.
For what it's worth this is part why I'm still pissed off regarding Sears. Craftsman mechanics' hand tools are now are difficult to get warrantied because of how the brand has been sold, and now retailers post-Sears carrying the brand are requiring receipt to perform an exchange.
Yes. Because, as you said, the Craftsman name was sold to many different manufacturers. It is no longer a Sears warranty but a licensed manufactures' warranty. I have seen their snow blowers made in USA and China in the same store. Today I will not any Craftsman, Sears, Kenmore, or Die Hard products. Even worse here in Canada as Sears no longer exists.
Craftsman _power_ tools never had a lifetime warranty. Typically one year.
FWIW, the executives of Sears were up against a mountain of debt, and they did their best to preserve tool and automotive warranties for as long as they could. When they were at their top, they were truly a great American company. Their catalog-based, giant brick-and-mortar store business model outgrew them and buried them in debt when they couldnt adapt to change and compete with walmart and online retail fast enough.
@@exploreraa983 Absolutely right. Sears was one of the best for many years. I miss them.
@@davidh9638 You'll note that I specifically said "mechanics' hand tools," because I am well aware that their power tools did not have lifetime warranties.
When I was a teenager i used to find craftsman tools all the time that had been damaged. I exchanged them and would then sell them at various yard sales/open air markets where I lived. Heck, sometimes I would just sell them to mechanics in the area. Made me alot of money back then for essentially zero work. Thank You Craftsman :).
My folks had a Lazyboy Recliner, they refused the warranty many years later when the frame broke.
The Lazyboy warranty was on the mechanism only and specifically excluded the frame.
@@mvpfocus On the mechanism only... As a dealer I argued that the frame was a part of the mechanism - Lazyboy said no - I repaired them anyway for customer goodwill...
I miss going to the Craftsman tool section in Sears 😢 And I bought Craftsman tools knowing that if I ever had an issue, I could get it replaced for free. I believe I only had one hammer replaced. And like Steve said, I was in the store shopping when I got it replaced. If most folks knew the cost of getting customers in a store, yeah, a pair or two of socks every six months is a drop in the bucket.
I remember years ago analysts figured out that Walmart sold jeans for about $18 and it only cost them about 74 cents for slave labor babies to make. I would think a whole pack of socks is literally a nickel or less their cost.
When I was a kid, my dad snapped one of his craftsman sockets. We drove to the sears store and they just gave him a new one. I have a small set of craftsman tools I paid about a hundred dollars for but I know you can really get invested into them and buy multi-thousand piece sets for like ten grand. That warranty was stellar and I bet it made them a ton of money. I noticed now that a lot of the craftsmen name stuff is pure garbage. Such a shame.
Wool socks are much more expensive, although probably still pretty cheap. Even "worn out" wool socks should probably be saved in a bag somewhere, that stuff is like cotton gold.
Someone why was trying to sell me windows for my house told me they had a double lifetime warranty! Apparently a lifetime warranty would only last as long as I owned the house, but a double lifetime warranty would transfer to the next owner for as long as they owned the house. An interesting definition of "lifetime"
Items like that used to be called "loss leaders", which are designed specifically to drive foot traffic into the store. Convenience Stores use (or used to) gasoline and Grocery Stores use food like Turkey during holidays like Thanksgiving sold at or below cost and then make up the loss with all the other highly marked items they hope the customer will buy while in the store.
Since the typical corporate "memory" is less than 5 years the current management and bean counters at BassPro don't remember why they were selling those socks and only see the "loss" part of of the former loss leader.
This trick of replacing a "lifetime warranty" item with a "limited term warranty" replacement. Dillon Precision (ammo reloading equipment) discontinued the lifetime warranty on electronic products years ago, but still sort-of honors it on products bought when the lifetime warranty was in effect. But, you guessed it, the replacement has a 1 year guarantee.
I remember when the quality started to go downhill on craftsman tools. Their screwdrivers got softer. Their wrenches got weaker. It coincided with sear's decline. It was a sad day.
I purchased a Craftsman garden hoe at their closing sale. I used it one time to remove garden weeds, and the hoe head straightened out like a giant putty knife......
the ratchets are made in China now not the USA anymore
Yes you can tell I got some Craftsman tools that are 45 years old and the quality is 10 times better than the crap they sell now. A lot of times they took bids every year to see who got to make their tools so it depends on which year and which company made the tools. And about the last 10 years they also had higher grades that were very expensive that you could purchase as well. I found some of those higher grade kits in a pawn shop about 10 years ago and they're pretty nice and built very well
Steve you will be happy to know that the new retailer that bought the Craftsman brand, Lowe’s Home Improvement, is honoring Sears Lifetime warranty. I walked in with a broken Craftsman screwdriver and they exchanged it for a new one. They have a part # exchange catalog on file.
"I would like to exchange these socks under the lifetime warrantee"
"sorry, that has expired"
"Expired? But it is a LIFETIME warrantee"
"Are the socks worn out?"
"Yes! That is why I want to exchange them"
"Read the fine print. It does NOT specify who's lifetime. The socks have reached the end of THEIR lifetime"
I have seen that argument made, that the lifetime warranty covers the lifetime of the product and, therefore, doesn't cover normal wear and tear.
But if it's true as alleged that their advertising said, "The last socks you will ever need," then clearly the warranty period was the lifetime of the customer, not the product.
Sorry your lifetime has expired....... oh sorry you had to find out like this but you passed away two weeks ago so the lifetime warrenty on you socks has expired you won't need socks where your going it really warm there year round.....lol....lol...lol
Except, that's not this warranty's intended meaning...before you argue, understand that I know this for a fact.
@@cerebraltackle What you want the meaning to be does not have to be what they mean by it.
Stanley Black & Decker now owns Craftsman, and the warranty is still in place.
In the same vain as mail-in rebates extended warranties are often offered on products because companies know that people will be willing to pay more but are unlikely to actually keep their paperwork and/or have the wherewithal to redeem them. Especially after a significant amount of time has gone by.
It sounds like perhaps this particular warranty had a redemption rate higher than the company was expecting therefor messing up the predictions they used to calculate their target profit. I also wouldn't be surprised if they knew they might get sued and factored that risk into their decision to stop honoring the warranty.
In other words, management got involved.
I bought a Norton antivirus product probably almost 25 years ago that came with a mail in rebate. I sent it back within the time limit and they refused it saying it wasn't sent in within the time limit. I have never bought a Norton product since. That refused $20 rebate has probably cost them thousands in lost sales.
I just downloaded a rebate form for a PC Case. $10.00 is NOT worth the hoops I'd need to jump through, PLUS all the spamming e-mails in the future.
I have always bought my hand tools from Sears because of their return policy. One time I had a Craftsman tape measure that was guaranteed for life that I dropped from a 60 story apartment complex I was framing. It totally destroyed it and I put it in a bag and brought it in and they replaced it no problem I still have it to this day. So with that being said it was time to buy a new lawn mower and I bought a 48 in riding lawn mower from Sears Craftsman. They were getting ready to close down in about 3 months so they had some pretty good deals. I took it home and I do know you're supposed to change the oil after 3 hours of usage and all that. But I checked everything filled it with gas and cranked it up and black smoke started rolling out of this thing through the whole neighborhood and completely died and blew up. I took my completely brand new blew up brand new lawn mower back up to the store and the manager says oh if it was a push mower then we could trade it right away but I have some numbers you have to call to replace this riding lawn mower. I said my God man I just left here an hour and a half ago.after calling the number and not getting any kind of response I go back to the manager's office the next day and told him I'm not going anywhere till you get a hold of somebody and we get this resolved. So after bugging the crap out of him and staying in his office for over 2 and 1/2 hours he finally got the results that someone would come out with a new motor and put it in. Well I was absolutely amazed that the motor come being shipped that week. But the only problem was there was no one there to put it in. I would have put it in myself but that would have voided my warranty. Finally after 6 months of calling every day almost they sent a guy all the way from Alabama. I live in Middle Tennessee by the way. He comes out and finally puts the motor in I had to leave and go somewhere for just a little bit and come back and my wife said that he had put it in and left. I noticed something didn't look right the motor was in okay but he had totally took my deck apart and there were parts all over my yard. I tried to hold it together and not turn into the hulk and gathered up the parts and put the lawn mower together myself. I'm just glad I did not sell my other piece of crap lawn mower that I had prior to this fiasco. I continue to use it the entire time I was going through this for 8 months. So do your research kids. I have to special order every part on this lawn mower because I guess 48 in is an oddball. It takes special blades special belts for the deck and the drive. And I don't care who sells Craftsman lawn mowers I will never buy anything from Craftsman ever again that has moving parts and takes gas. My old lawn mower that I should have kept I sold for $200 and it was used when I bought it but it had a Tecumseh motor in it and I believe it was a turf pro. My friend that bought it from me still uses it to this day and I believe it's about 35 years old.
You're exactly right. Having a lifetime warranty on socks is brilliant, because the profit margins on accompanying sells for every return is probably terrific. Bass Pro Shops spends a thousand times more on mailer adverts than the could possibly lose on this, and this is by far a better ROI, which makes me think this was possibly set up by Bass Pro Shops as a free promotional story.
It’s like the new owners don’t understand marketing and the value of getting people in the store.
They probably hired some Ivy League MBA. Those guys, in my experience, routinely f-up a company.
I never bought anything else when I went back to trade in my Red Head lifetime warranty socks.
Reminds me of the light bulb life estimates: good for 10 years (if used up to 4 hours/day). Otherwise, less than 2 years when used 24hrs/day, which is how long a bulb tends to last, anyway.
When I worked at kohl's as a supervisor there was a family that committed return fraud every few weeks. They would wear the clothes they bought ($500-600) retag them, wear them fully and return them unwashed. And get a full refund. The were abusing the return policy. They did this approximately 2 dozen times over a few year period. Some of these policies are simply stupid bc people will abuse them. Laws are created for reasonable people but its the unreasonable people who break them. All laws and policies need to be created based upon any loopholes that can be exploited and patched before its passed.
Lifetime warranty is a lifetime warranty….
The issue is the return polices may be abused but its only a fraction of a % of the over all returns so stores dont generally see it as a reason to care.
This is also why various stores tie returns to a drivers license. Best Buy and Target being 2 notable stores. It doesnt matter how genuine the returns are. If someone had the worst luck with buying "lemon" products once they reached a threshold at either store within a certain period they would no longer honor the return (even with valid receipt). I do think that was a step in the right direction to cut down on abuse like what you had mentioned.
passed. Problem was that they never spent any money even though the product wasn't bad on anyway
In the tool market there are still lifetime warranties. Snapon, Mac, Matco, Cornwell all give lifetime warranties on their hand tools. They are expensive, but you can bet if a professional mechanic needs a tool, one of those name brands is the first place they will call. Those companies have staked their reputations on that concept and have done very well by honoring it.
Steve, remember the lifetime car batteries back in the late '70s? Had one replaced twice in less than 2 years. 3rd did not have a lifetime warranty.
Oh, they failed spectacularly, turn key and batt starts expanding like a ballon.
JC Penney sold car batteries in the 70’s. They came with a lifetime warranty that is actually still good to this day. They will reimburse you for a new battery up to a certain amount. At least I’ve read that it’s true and a quick search shows it is.
@@cl7510 They told me they would not honor the warranty after the second one failed; just the declining credit of the non-lifetime battery they used.
Ben - Really tough to find. Laying on top shelf, forward the "Today will be awesome" sign. Steve's left. Fun when he's hard to find.
I'm In the U.P. of Michigan. I was recently at home depot looking for a new stove. One of which was a Samsung however the worker in the appliance department told me that Samsung has no repair techs in our area and if it broke they have no one to fix it. I asked what they do if it breaks while still under warranty what they do. He said nothing they just won't fix it. I don't know if this has actually happened to anyone but I don't think the worker would of had a reason to lie about it.
Sounds like a worker who would rather tell you now and have you pick something else instead of let you think it's got a good warranty and then deal with you later, when the money is already in the bank and the machine needs work
Samsung kitchen appliances have a terrible reputation. I have heard more complaints about samsung appliances failing than I've heard about ALL other brands.
I have only heard poor things about Samsung appliances, unlike electronics which are good. The repair community seems to see Samsung disproportionately frequently.
Pete's appliance in the Saulte has a blacklist of do not buy no repair. Samsung. Lg. Kenmore.
Buy a speed queen! 1hp motor. They weight 190 pounds. Out of WI since 1908. Last 20 years. Paid $1480 otd
About 20 years ago, I bought a Samsung TV. It was when HD TV was new and they were still using CRT. The thing weighed over 200lbs. After a few months it broke down. A service technician came to the house and needed to repair it on-site due to its size. He took it apart, left the piece spread on our floor and went back to the shop for a replacement part. Unfortunately, Samsung hadn't decide to create repair parts. It took several months to get the parts and they wouldn't send any one to deal with the mess until they had the part.
Hey Steve, FYI. The Craftsman tools brand is now owned by Stanley Black & Decker. The tools are now sold at a number of different retailers including Lowe's, Advance Auto Parts and many smaller/independent stores. They don't have a lifetime warranty any longer but I have heard that Lowe's will give a one time exchange for a Craftsman tool that was purchased at Sears and came with the lifetime warranty. It might be interesting to check into the policy further as the tools were originally sold with a lifetime warranty even though the brand has been sold to another company. PS - I just saw a video on a car mechanic channel and it seems Advance Auto also now carries Die Hard branded tools. I guess they purchased the brand from Sears.
It was nearly 60 years ago when my mother bought me several pairs of socks that were guaranteed to never wear out. They came in ugly olive green, ugly beige, ugly brown, and grey.
They were made of nylon and not very comfortable, certainly not at all absorbent. It is quite possible that they would have lasted forever if I hadn't thrown the damned things out once I was no longer living at home.
Auto parts stores offer lifetime warranty. Receipt was printed on thermal paper that only lasted a year or two. I have had warranties declined due to an illegible receipt.
Great topic for a law school class.
Are damages equal to the value of socks for the remainder of the customer's life?
Or refund of original amount paid?
What brainiac in the company was so desperate to sell socks that they established this policy of free socks for life?
Now let's argue lifetime warranty.
Who's lifetime? The customer's lifetime or the product's lifetime?
Read up on customer aquesition costs. Getting a body inside the store can cost you a lot in advertising. Getting one in for your base (not retail) cost of socks isn't that bad. Once he's there, the profit of other purchases he makes can pretty quickly go over your actual costs of the socks.
Or the owner of the receipt. They should have fine print to require the original receipts to prevent against someone buying used socks at a garage sale and then returning them under warranty.
Here in Canada, Canadian Tire will still honnor their Mastercraft lifetime tool waranty, no question no receipt needed... I speak from experience
Oh...we didn't mean YOUR lifetime...we meant the life of the sock! And that one has CLEARLY reached the end of its lifetime!
That is so true! The few "life time" warranties I read basically says that. Life time of the product, jot the owner.
When the "lifetime warranty" on the Midas muffler needed to be redeemed because the muffler developed a hole, I took the car over and was told that the warranty was only on the component that failed, not the labor to put it in. I told them I wasn't going to pay $125 to install the muffler, and wanted the replacement muffler. They'd only give me the muffler after they told me that the replacement muffler would have no warranty because it wasn't installed by them. When I did the replacement, in my driveway, it took all of 15 minutes, and I didn't have the benefit of a lift. So, that $125 they quoted for labor was actually covering a large portion, or all of, the cost of the muffler itself. This was so sleezy that I stopped using Midas.
I've done the over-the-counter replacement with Craftsman hand tools numerous times. My brother, when he was an electrician, was there weekly to replace screwdrivers, which would develop burns and melted shafts when he'd use them to short out lines he was working on (easier to pop a circuit breaker than to try to figure out which one in a panel). The Craftsman name was bought by Stanley. According to the craftsman site, you can still exchange broken craftsman tools at any retailer selling craftsman tools.
Had a patient of mine who owned a tire repair place. Said he gave a lifetime warranty on repairs, but would then follow up with “ if you bring it back, I’ll kill you!” Never charged with homicide as far as I know!
I forget the product exactly, but once I saw "LIFETIME WARRANTY" boldly declared on something that would never last 10 years, let alone 50.
Checked the fine print, "lifetime refers to the expected life of the product. The expected lifetime of this product is 5 years" No joke
But, as I learned from your "How long does a 5-year warranty last?" video, companies supposedly don't have to honor any warranty after 4 years regardless of how long they claim the warranty is good for. 🤔
Where did you get this information from, Milwaukee power tools come with 5 year warranty, the owner loyalty is unmatched.
In the late 1990s, the place where I was working had a very old Craftsman electric drill with a defective power switch and a Craftsman wrench that had been cut and bent to use as a special tool. Both were replaced at no cost.
Steve, I'm not the plaintiff but I live in Springfield a couple miles from Bass Pro and I have two pairs of those socks. They were $25 a pair and are very thick and long. I only use them on bad winter days under boots so I have never managed to wear them out any. But I liked the idea of the local lifetime warranty a lot. Bass Pro may think they made a mistake by not thinking through the ramifications of basing an items marketing on the existence of a lifetime warranty. It seemed a little curious to me but I figured they expected most people would lose the socks or live in an area without a Bass Pro store and never bother to try and have them replaced. Now it looks like they have also failed to think through the downsides of trying to fight this legally and the negative publicity it will entail. I'm old and I remember seeing the start of Bass Pro with some fishing lures in the corner of a liquor store. But they are now the largest sporting goods chain and boatbuilder in the world. They should have just quit selling the socks but still honored the warranty for socks that have been sold. Sure it would be extra hassle and expense having to stock an item no longer being sold just to provide warranty exchanges. But it seems an insignificant burden for a corporation the size of Bass Pro to shoulder in order to avoid the negative publicity of something like this.
It BLOWS MY MIND to think that such a thing as a $25 pair of socks even EXISTS. Obviously Bass Pro has about an 85% - 90% markup on them. For them to go to all the expense & trouble to fight this is beyond stupid!
Hey neighbor. I've never purchased any of their socks, but if I'm not mistaken these are supposed to be Bass Pro's Redhead brand. My experience with the Redhead brand has been pretty favorable. Good quality stuff..
@@jasonrodgers9063 In the socks defense I can say they are exceptionally nice boot socks for cold winter weather. Socks of this quality and warmth are always pricey. They are also definitely not something I would want to wear on a routine basis. Huge, thick, and hot. But when conditions are bad then having the right gear can make all the difference.
@@markmiller2361 Yeah they got Redhead on the toes of the socks. Funny part is how explicit their warranty was worded and how it was focused on in marketing and packaging. Bass Pro should have just accepted this as an easy live and learn moment. They would have been smart enough to never give a lifetime warranty on all powerboats. That would have been a big problem. If they wanted to try out a lifetime warranty on socks then that was their decision and I sure can't figure out why they would want to take a hit on their reputation over such a low dollar item. I have also had good luck with the brand overall though.
Stanley Tools has a lifetime warranty on their tools. I had a ratchet that broke a month or two ago and they mailed me a new one, same colour and size for my set with no hassles or questions whatsoever. They are amazing.
Ben flat on the shelf, either under or in front of Today Will Be Awesome plaque, Steve's LHS
good catch
@@terrancecoard388 Thank you, I pity those with just a mobile, it's near invisible
@@Bobs-Wrigles5555 Yesterday afternoon I tried it on my phone for the first time and gave up. I certainly would not have found this one or any of the flat placements. Even on a MAC this one is difficult to see and missed it.
@@terrancecoard388 👍😁
Remember the day I was walking into my local Sears store to stock up on Craftsman tools I needed… . Saw a worker on a ladder with a razor scraping off the gold lettered “Satisfaction Guaranteed” over the door. Last Craftsman tools I ever bought.
Beware, especially when it comes to electronics, the "lifetime warranty" is often defined as the lifetime of the product, not you. Might apply in cases like this as well. Bought a pair of Mixcder wireless headphones with a two year warranty, the bands fell apart and when I emailed them for warranty, they never replied, tried again, same result. Have them duct taped together.
Exactly, I had a belkin surge protector with a lifetime warranty. Had a power surge killed my $2500 iMac. Looked at the warranty, it’s a lifetime warranty, which was the life of the product which is 5 years. It’s a 5 year warranty. We were outside of those 5 years. I’ll never buy another belkin product again.
Same goes for most floor coverings. The "lifetime" of carpet for example is usually 7-10 years and there are many detailed exclusions.
@@jameskyne4127 if the product was still working after more than five years then obviously its lifetime is not five years. By definition.
I bought a Kobalt torque wrench from Lowes a while back. It was just over a year old when the retaining bearing (for the socket) fell out. I took it back to Lowes, with receipt, box, and Lifetime warranty paperwork. Initially they refused to replace it because it was only a year warranty. I showed them the box, clearly marked “Lifetime” warranty and the inserted warranty…they replaced it with a new one, however the box and warranty inserts on the new one are now a one year warranty. The replacement has lasted 6 years so far.
Snap On tools replaced a flex head ratchet wrench for me last month, that I bought new in 1982.
Having dealt with lifetime warranties and such from the other side I can't say I have any respect for the people who abuse them or the companies that offer them, there just a gimmick and a headache.
I, too, have used Craftsman lifetime warranties at several different times for different products. The one I got replaced twice so far is a pair of grass clippers - the handle broke. It was a plastic casting and it broke at a weak point. I've still got, and use, the last replacement for the grass clippers, had them for over a decade, now. The ease of getting the tool replaced was always so disconcerting - usually you have to go through several pieces of paperwork and sign something. It always felt so odd to just walk in the store, show them the broken tool, and walk out with a replacement. Craftsman tools are now carried by many different stores, and I have no idea if they still have a lifetime warranty, or if, say Lowe's, would honor your original lifetime warranty on your Craftsman tool, originally sold only through Sears.
I got a replacement on a broken adjustable wrench that I found by a road. They didn't care how I got the wrench. That made me a, I thought at the time, a devoted lifetime customer. I never foresaw how my devotion to Sears would be destroyed by lies and bad service in the service center.
I have participated in this lifetime warranty sock exchange for years and they denied me last year as well.
You're right, Steve, It's >not< a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty. It's a concept that also seems to have disappeared: the 'loss leader', meant to attract traffic to a store at a minimal cost.
Use an * on both sides of a word instead of >< to make a word bold, or _ to make the word italicized. Examples:
"It's *not* a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty."
"It's _not_ a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty."
You can combine with _* and mirror that on the other side of the word and it'll look like this:
"It's *_not_* a bad product to offer a lifetime warranty."
Notice how the characters disappear as they modify the text. Looks cleaner.
Hope that helps.
@@Eidolon1andOnly You're welcome to use whatever method of emphasis you like. I have the capability to italicize, but choose to use arrows. In any case, this exchange is not relevant to the subject.
*Cool*
@@harveyconway6036 You seem a little defensive there. I was merely trying to point out capabilities not many people are aware of on TH-cam. Just as we all are free to use any method of emphasis on words, we're all also free to use the comments section however we wish, so it shouldn't matter if my post was relevant to the subject of the video or not. In context it's still relevant to the choice of how we choose to emphasize words. Take care.
@@harveyconway6036 Mabey not, but I learned something I didn't know and am glad he posted it.
I remember a case from the 80s or 90s where an equipment manufacturer made a widget and sold accessories for it. The widget accessory was usually gotten from the manufacturer.
There was a change in ownership, where the new owners saw they were not making any profit from the widget and stopped selling them and focused on accessories.
Within two years, the company had closed its doors.
For people who travel frequently. Briggs and Riley make lifetime warranty baggage. And they do honor that warranty. Well worth the money.
And Saddle Back leather goods also have a lifetime warranty. And i used to go through a leather wallet every 2-3 years. I've had my saddle back leather wallet for over 15 years now, and it's still awesome!
So there are good products out there, you just have to look for them.
Stanley Black & Decker purchased craftsman for 900 million about 3 years ago .. biggest seller is Lowes but can be found at other national chains and small regional retailers as well as online
💖 Do pacemakers come with a "Lifetime Warranty " ?
I once bought a graphics card for my computer that had a lifetime warranty. About a year later the card failed and they replaced (same SKU) it under warranty. Fast forward about 3-4 years, I had sold the card to a friend for use in his kids computer but it failed again soon after. Now they no longer had my old card in stock as it was old outdated tech by that point. They sent me a much newer model of graphics card (different chip maker entirely) that worked flawlessly but the new graphics card came with a little note card that said it wasn't eligible for replacement under the original cards lifetime warranty anymore. I figured I had gotten two replacement cards from them and called it good.
One of my dad's old buddies found a "loophole" (or maybe just poorly thought out procedures by Sears) with the Craftsman warranty. He'd periodically go dumpster diving at the Philadelphia Sears, find the broken Craftsman tools, take them in and get a replacement.
The socks are probably marked up at least 3 or 4x the actuall cost so they are still ahead, plus what they make from any additional sales that person buys when coming in to replace the socks
I bought an extended Warranty for my Smith & Wesson rifle from a gun store. The Store never told me that Smith & Wesson had a lifetime Warranty.
That's on you for not knowing what you were buying. Most gun makers give really good warranties because the vast majority of firearms sit in a cabinet or safe for decades and are lucky to ever have a thousand rounds shot through them before the owner passes on. That's changed somewhat with the popularity of the modern sporting rifle but there are millions upon millions of old shotguns and rifles out there that have maybe been fired a dozen times in the last 20 years if that. It's easy math for the gun makers.
Just over 20 years ago, I replaced a Western Digital hard drive via their (3 year? 5 year? I forget what it was at the time) warranty with a lot of time left (more than 1 year), but the replacement drive only had a 90-day warranty.
I’ve always wondered, since the “Lifetime Warranty” is on the item and that item breaks or dies, then isn’t that the end of its life? So its lifetime is over and the warranty is no longer any good. RIGHT?
Kinda like the all you can eat buffets and being told that you can't eat any more.
It's warranteed up to and including when we see your tail lights Bernzimatic torch heads have change from lifetime to limited warranty during last 2 years took a 7 month period to get a torch head replaced. Bernzomatic torch heads at every Lowes and home depot. The torch heads by little blue tanks of propane or yellow tanks of nap gas.
My mother had a lifetime warranty on her sewing machine. When it died, they told her it was for the lifetime of the machine, not her. 🤨
Steve the Craftsman tools can be exchanged at any Ace Hardware store. I too have used the brand for over 45 years and still from time to time have to replace some due to breakage.
This is one of those times some college kid who just got a job is screwing up the company. Its one of those "we are going to save money" decisions because someone forgot they are in the business of making money. Seriously how many companies have folded over the years because they try to save money instead of making money.
Funny how you assume it's a college kid and not a boomer MBA profit optimization zombie who are the ones actually responsible for destroying the country.
yup
Craftsman name was sold to Stanley Black and Decker so they now make a line of tools similar to Dewalt but with the Stanley black and decker designs. Now sold at Lowes. I have been happy with all of the new tools, but the old Sears lifetime warranty is gone sadly.
Maybe I'm just young, but I always thought a "lifetime warranty" meant you got a single replacement at any point in the future. The replacement item did not have any warranty. Them using the phrase "last sock you'll ever need to buy" muddies the waters, but I'd never expect unlimited replacement.
Limited Lifetime warranty, excludes normal wear or abuse, void if paper label damaged, has dings, dents, or scratches. Must be mailed in and approved, with original receipt, packaging and accessories. Not responsible for packages lost in the mail.
Henkel Knives are the same. I broke the blade on a knife I had for about 25 years. It fell on a wooden floor, and the blade snapped in half! I called the company, and they just asked me to mail it back to them. They sent me out a brand new one pretty quick. I was impressed!!
Used to check tag/yard/garage sales for old craftsman tools to turn in for new ones.
Amazingly I had a good warranty experience recently. I had a new Milwaukee impact driver that was leaking grease. I took it to a repair place (the one bad thing is that there was only one in the entire city, though you could mail it) and came back a week later to find that they just gave me an entire new driver. They said parts are currently hard to come by.
Craftsman used to have lifetime warranties on even their power tools. Then it got down to just some of their hand tools. Now, I have no clue if there is any warranty at all.
I saw Craftsman Tools being sold in Lowe's last week.
Darn Tough gives lifetime warranties on their socks. so far, so good.
I've only had one pair out of 10 that I have returned over the last 5
years.
I once picked up a pair of Craftsman diagonal pliers on the side of the highway and it would not completely close. So I took it to the local Sears and swapped it for a brand new one. I kept that pliers for many years and it was just as good as the day I got them.
I own a small hardware store and some of the brands I sell include a lifetime warranty. As the owner I am able to honor a lifetime warranty for the customer as long as the manufacturer will honor it. In my case the warranty is provided by the manufacturer and not the store. What I have noticed is that many of these warranties explicitly state that the product is warranted from flaws in materials and craftsmanship not normal wear and tear. Therefore in the case of some tools they are expected to eventually wear out such as in the case of a tape measure. I am always willing to send a product to the manufacturer for repair or replacement (freight on buyer), but it is often determined that the issue is not covered by the warranty. Also, It doesn't mean that the product is indestructible. Using a 3 foot "cheater pipe" and socket adapters on a 1/4" drive ratchet to loosen a rusty 3/4" bolt will inevitably destroy the ratchet. Likewise using a basic 12pt socket on a pneumatic impact wrench will often crack the socket. This doesn't mean that the quality of the steel or the wall thickness of the socket was out of spec. They make impact sockets for that intended use. Most lifetime warranties do not cover normal wear and tear or abuse. Intentionally breaking tools to get "a new shiny one" is not something lifetime warranties were ever designed to cover. I haven't seen the warranty in the case of the socks, but I would suspect that they would be warranted from coming unraveled, but not a hole from wear or a cut by scissors. People abusing the system are part of the reason that Sears is out of business.
No, Sears is out of business because they started to suck as a store. They failed to adapt to the internet age and their old people clientele mostly died off so they went under.
Monroe gas matic shock absorbers had a lifetime (of the vehicle) warranty. I had them replaced twice on a van that I got over 300,000 miles on.