Like many of you I have some Ridgid tools - I can't remember the particular decision processes, but we all know that Ridgid offers a Lifetime guarantee if you go through the steps within 90 days of purchase. I did all of that with the SCMS and TS I bought in 2008. I still have the emails acknowledging creating the Ridgid.com account and registering those tools - 7 years ago.
So this weekend I bought a Ridgid EB4424 spindle sander. I checked Amazon and the price was $379, compared to $199 at HD. That was a no-brainer, and I drove the 8 minutes to HD and grabbed one. Then I logged back onto Ridgid.com - after 7 years I still have my logon info - and there were my previous purchases (including a recip saw in 2010 that I forgot about) - but all with "3 Year Warranty", and all expired. Huh? I know damned well I did the complete process - cutting out the box tag, mailing it in - and I assumed that was that. So I called Ridgid and asked what happened?
They are still waiting on the receipts, though of course the 90 period is long gone. I am offered the option of writing a letter to some manager and asking for "goodwill" inclusion into the LSA (Lifetime Service Agreement, NOT a Lifetime Warranty BTW) but without a sales receipt from an "Authorized Distributor" it would be denied.
7 years ago I had the receipt - that's how I could send it to them. Could I find a copy now? Damn, that's going to be a PITA. But here's the big gotcha - it has to be from Home Depot. That's right, since 2014 Home Depot has been the ONLY Authorized Distributor of Ridgid "Held Power Tools, Stationary Power Tools, and Pneumatic Tools". It says right there: "Note: The RIDGID Lifetime Service Agreement is only available for eligible RIDGID tools purchased at THE HOME DEPOT."
I honestly don't recall where I bought those tools 7 years ago, but I'm pretty sure that before my go-to purchase channel became Amazon Prime with free shipping I would have bought them at HD. Like I said, it's 8 minutes from my house and I'm there several times a week. Every week.
The Ridgid tools are operating just fine, I haven't had any problems with them, but I now see their LSA as a giant gotcha with almost no real value.
Should I go through the hoops and register my new spindle sander? I was informed that if I sent the paperwork in within 90 days of purchase, but did not receive an acknowledgement within 6 to 8 weeks (i.e. 42 to 56 days) then they did not receive it. At which point, what? I won't have the box tag - I had to send that in along with my original receipt. So then I suppose I could write the letter to the manager...<sigh>