Coleman C12L420 Step Ladder: Coleman or Not?

[J. Ed taylor]

When my Coleman step ladder fell over and the tool tray broke I found that the Coleman name was being used by a licensee. A licensee that wouldn't stand behind the ladder and by its own words doesn't even carry the tool tray as a spare part.
A customer's first point of action is to return the product to the storefrom where it was purchased as we are not a retailer, but a supplier.

While we stand behind our products for manufacturing defects, our products
are not warranted for miss use(sic). If a glass cup falls off the table and
breaks, it is not covered by a manufacturer warranty. This is a similar
case. Some of our products such as stainless steel bottles are made for
hard impacts and rough handling, but not all of our items are made that way.

Sincerely;

Customer Service Department
Pat Bruggeman
Allied Imex, Inc.
310-538-1964 X 202
pat@alliedimex.com
I emailed the Coleman Company and received this response;
Thank you for contacting Coleman. I would be more than happy to assist you today.
I apologize for the inconvenience. We do not manufacture these products. We would not offer parts for these products. They are manufactured and distributed by a different company and we are in a licensing agreement with them to put our name on their product.

For information on Vacuum Bottles, Jugs, Folding Stools, Folding Trolleys, Folding Tables, Plasticware, Blankets and Umbrellas, please contact:

Allied Imex Corp.
1530 W El Segundo Blvd.
Gardena , CA, 90249
http://www.colemanliving.com (http://www.colemanliving.com/)
Toll Free: 1-888-649-1153

Allied Imex Corp. manufactures those products under license of Coleman and handles repair parts and warranties on those items.

If you need further information, please visit us online at http://www.coleman.com (http://www.coleman.com/).

Thank you,
Katherine

My ladder was a gift I think purchased in Pigeon Forge, TN so I can't return it to the store of purchase even though a broken tool tray is probably a safety hazard since I grasp it when mounting the ladder. I guess I'll just avoid Coleman products if I have a choice.

[Larry Frank]

Sorry that your ladder tool try broke. I think that if mine fell over and broke, I would not expect the company to replace or repair it. It would be nice if they had replacement parts to purchase.

[Matt Meiser]

We bought chairs several years ago and had a real warranty issue with zippers on the storage bags and got a similar response. They finally sent us replacement bags that were the wrong color. Coleman (and many other companies) apparently could care less what licensing their name to get stuck on junk does to their name long term as long as they make a buck now.

[Duane Meadows]

I agree with Larry. Also don't think the tool tray is made to support weight when "mounting" a ladder. Haven't seen too many I'd trust for that, anyway. Also, I'd guess most parts for ladders would be a liability issue for many people to replace themselves.

[Justin Ludwig]

How would you return a ladder or it's tray that was broken by misuse even if the store was in your home town? Are you mad because the tray broke and someone won't give you a new one (sounds ludicrous) or are you mad because Coleman makes money by licensing their name into other brands?

/confused

[J. Ed taylor]

First it is impossible to mount the ladder without grasping the tool tray as it envelopes the top of the ladder (IOW not really an add on accessory). Since it is also the hand hold for mounting it should be more robust thus my first ploy was for a free replacement. If that hadn't worked I would have considered purchasing a replacement depending on price and shipping. The tray being totally unavailable is what makes me mad. It seems that Coleman should be more careful in use of its name. In contrast I have a Werner that has been seriously abused but no plastic failure.

[J. Ed taylor]

It is a nice spring day and I decided to repair the tool tray myself since it is a bit unwieldy. I forget that it's broken and it's a natural hand hold as it covers the top of the ladder. I used my soldering gun and cut some strong thin black HDPE to use as welding rods. It worked out pretty well, looks a bit messy upon close inspection but is a good conversation starter when someone asks what happened.