Sears warranty

[rick carpenter]

I have a nice little Craftsman boxed 10 bit router set, and I managed to break the 1/2" bit. Time to take advantage of the famous Sears warranty reputation. I took the whole set by our small Sears tool store today in our small town and asked about a replacement. The person there checked their on-shelf inventory and said they only had sets. "Couldn't you just order the bit?" "Not really, you'll have to go to a mall store." Well, the closest 'mall stores' are 40 and 50 miles away and I'm not headed in that direction anytime soon.

Why "not really"? Is that standard procedure for small Sears tool stores? Would the manager take care of this for me?

Thanks,
Rick

[Ryan Baker]

The "famous Sears warranty" only applies to Craftsman hand tools. I've never seen their power tools and accessories get anything more than the standard 1-month to 1-year warranty. That said, replacements are hit-and-miss. Some stores (usually the big ones) will give you the closest replacement and send you out the door. But I have seen just as many cases where they stall, debate over not having the exact replacement, or waste so much of your time with manager approvals and process that you want to give up.

If you are sure your warranty covers the individual bit, and you aren't getting anywhere with the sales people, go to the store manager. If they can't produce a replacement bit, they should provide something equivalent, like a credit for the cost of a comparable bit. It's probably not worth the trouble thought for another cheap Chinese bit.

[Kevin Bourque]

I buy all my mechanics tools from Craftsman.
I break a few sockets and ratchets a year and they always replace them no questions asked, but if it doesn't have the name Craftsman on it they won't replace it.

[Dan Rude]

It depends on the store and manager. I had the quick release bit collet that I picked up years ago. The first time I used it, it broke. Took it back to the store and they looked it up and said it was covered, and shipped me a new set. This is the same quick release they use on the CarveWright CNC router. I also have the multitool, that I bought the warrenty on. The local store replaced the washer and bolt for the blade for free, the manager even ordered 2 for me.
Dan

[Matt Meiser]

If it is under warranty I'm pretty sure a lazy clerk lied to you. I was going to say call Steve Light's (VP of tools at Sears) toll free number but apparently he jumped from the sinking ship in May and now works for Meijer according to LinkedIn. Sears clerks and store management have a history of making up rules to get out of warranty if you search the web. Our most local store tried to limit me to five pieces and a call to Light's hotline got it taken care of but that was in the spring before he quit.

[glenn bradley]

Sears' sleeping through the dot.com explosion and costing America one of its premier retailers is a crime that will live . . . (wait for it) . . . in infamy!

[Rich Engelhardt]

A few months before our local small Sears (Tool and Appliance) closed, they started doing similar weird things.

[John R Hoppe]

From the OP, I would guess that the broken bit is a ½” straight bit with a ¼” shank. Probably about a $10.00 item for a comparable quality bit at most vendors. Personally I would not fight Sears over that.

Years ago I worked for Sears in the tool department and what you describe is exactly what I would suspect the answer to be for a couple of reasons.



As mentioned above the “Lifetime Warranty” only applies to “Craftsman” branded hand tools. Everything else is warranted through the store exit door or 30 days at most. If your bit had broken within 30 days of purchase, you might have been able to return the entire set for replacement.
Since your ½” bit is part of a set, Sears has no SKU number for that individual piece. Without a SKU, the store cannot account for the sale/replacement. The only way the department manager could replace it would be as a “freebie” that counts as a loss against inventory.


You would be time and money ahead to just pick up a generic replacement bit at a local vendor.