Ridgid & Home Depot

[Keith Pleas]

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>

[John Schweikert]

If Ridgid tools are important to you and their LSA is important to you (The LSA is quite hit and miss for many owners) then spend a few dollars each time for certified mail with return receipt, no different than when you send paperwork to the IRS or other legal items. Sure, you shouldn't have to resort to that path but if you want your LSA then CYA is needed (cover your a--).

I have a few Ridged tools, they work great yet I have never bothered with the jump-through-the-hoops to validate a warranty. I use the tools and that's all I expect. I can fix them myself or just get a new tool from another brand with less hassle.

[Keith Pleas]

I was mostly boggled at the idea that HD is the only authorized distributor of Ridgid tools. I knew there was something special, just didn't realize it went far.

[Randy Red Bemont]

If your tools were accepted into the LSA 7 years ago you should have a letter from Ridgid stating that they were accepted. I've have it for my tools and have used it on a ROS recently. My repair was free. It's a great service but you have to do it their way in order for it to work. And if you use the LSA for battery packs, you have to register the new battery pack any time you replace them. Good luck.

Red

[Jim Andrew]

Don't they have the same deal with Ryobi tools? Not that I would buy any.

[cody michael]

I bought a battery drill kit basically basic of the lsa I registered in a few minutes online, didn't mail anything got my confirmation email 1-2 weeks later, I have replaced 2 batteries so far, and I figure in the next 50 years I'll replace quite a few more. I thinknthe lsa sign up is annoying but not to hard and very worth while doing it online.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Buy a CERTIFICATE of MAILING. It proves you mailed it, you don't care if they got it. Besides they will lie about not receiving it, I KNOW! Registered drill / light combo on Dec 07, 2011. Mailed in info with certificate of mailing. Fast forward to Oct 2013, and LSA still hasn't been activated. Call and they say never receiver info in mail, so most likely I didn't send it. Reminded them that I had Certificate of Mailing (dated Dec 07, 2011) in my hot little hands. Told me to send copy of COM and receipt, which I did. Last week when registering another tool asked about why LSA hadn't activated, again they said they hadn't received paperwork. This TWICE I have sent it in, yet they still don't have it. Both times it was sent first class, along with return address, so if it wasn't delivered, it would have come back to me. As for having to register replacement batteries, I'm not sure. Nothing in my original LSA says anything about having to do so. This would amount to modifying an existing contract, which I don't think is legal. That's one for the State Attorney General to handle. But I have used LSA on first drill set from 2007 to get two sets of batteries. At Christmas, HD had new 4.0 AH batteries, a set of two for $69. When they marked them down to $49, I jumped on a set, even though LSA won't apply. As for registering new sander, registration is now done all online. They will want HD receipt #, along with model and serial #. Save what you used to send in, just in case. Also print out a copy of registration ,along with reply email. I have a file labeled RIDGID to keep all info in.

[Peter Quinn]

This sounds like a classic weed and deny scheme. If they genuinely wanted to honor their warranty as advertised they would make the process convenient, like DO IT AT THE REGISTER AT TIME OF PURCHASE for instance. They don't have any trouble offering you an extended warranty that they can validate at the register at time of purchase...how hard would it be to validate the warranty then too? They have actually offered me the extended warranty on a collated screw gun I purchased......I'm reading the box to the cashier "Lifetime warranty"? So the extended warranty covers after I'm dead? Or the tool is dead? Exactly whose lifetime does the lifetime warranty cover, I should know this before I extend that arrangement? Crickets. No response...."Sir, I have to ask you these questions". Yes, and yet nobody can answer mine!

My point is much like insurance companies (and this lifetime thing pretty much reeks of insurance company BS anyway) their goal is not to honor as many policies as possible, but to obfuscate, deny and exclude as many as possible with Byzantine registration processes, lost paper work, expired registration periods. They are very much counting on honoring as few of these lifetime arrangements as possible IMO. My plan when or if any of my rigid tools fail is to drive by the store at night and throw them through the front window.....return to original point of purchase so to speak. Like a salmon going back to its birth place to die. A very orange salmon. Or maybe placing them in a dumpster is a more law abiding way to go, they are fairly well made and will have earned a proper burial when I'm done with them.

Ever read the IKEA cabinets 25 year warranty? Had somebody (potential client) quote that to me, so I found a copy of the warranty, read it for them. Basically the warranty is only good if you never use your kitchen. Use it and it may fall apart, not our fault. They use a LOT of words to say that, hoping you pass out or expire before reading it I imagine. I'd much rather have a 3 year unlimited warranty that was actually honored than a 25 year or lifetime warranty that is basically garbage.

[Dave Zellers]

As for registering new sander, registration is now done all online. They will want HD receipt #, along with model and serial #.

I thought so too but I got an email about 10 days later saying I had to send in the actual receipt and the UPC from the box.

They also said they recommend sending it certified mail, which I did. Now I wait.

[David Cramer]

Hello

I dealt with the same issues back in 2008 or whenever it was that they announced the lifetime guarantee. I called the company who was the parent company of Ridgid (I forget their name). I was on a 3 way conversation coming up with scenario after scenario as to what would happen if...

One of my questions was what if a switch went bad and then they replaced it and then it went bad again, then what? I was told by both people on the phone that the lifetime of the switch would have been met after 3 times and I'd have to buy a new one myself and install it or pay them to do it. I said that's not what lifetime means and they said to read the fine print. I came up with several other questions and got answers that I didn't agree with (everything was civil and peaceful).

My neighbor got a 14.4v drill a few years ago and has three battery problems. He had issues trying to get a new one as they said he'd have drive to a service center or send it there on his dime. Now it appears that they have you go to the store tool rental, they test it, and then order a new one if they can prove that the battery is bad (I just spoke with an employee last week who verified it).

For the record, I have 2 dewalt batteries that were manufactured 200736, the 36th week of 2007. They are 7.5 years old and just starting to lose their power. I have 3 drills that were manufactured in 1997 (date is on the bottom) and they have not had one issues, nothing at all.

I know that some have had good luck, but I won't touch anything with Ridgid that involves batteries. Their orbital sander has always gotten high marks, but the battery stuff...no thanks, I'll buy DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Makita.

Respectfully,


David

[Art Mann]

I bought a Ridgid shop vacuum a few months ago and dutifully went to their website to register the LSA. I had to join some kind of Home Depot on line membership I didn't want before I got access to the registration. Then they wanted me to do another on line membership registration with Ridgid once I got there. They required I fill out yet another form with lots of personal information that had nothing to do with tools or warranties. They made it so difficult to register the LSA that I just gave up. It is no accident that registration is so much trouble. They want be able to advertise a lifetime service agreement without actually having to furnish one. I am done buying any more tools of any brand from HD because of this. They should not sell merchandise from such a company.

[Gene Takae]

Same story with mail-in rebates-just a gimmick to entice you to buy.

[William C Rogers]

I have two Ridgid tools. They actually sent me a card say ing Life Time Warranty and has a number on it. Haven't had to use it.

[Joe O'Connor]

It seems like I must have gotten lucky. I registered my 18 volt combo kit three years ago and it was pretty easy, last week my charger went bad so I took that and the batteries to a service center I found on the ridgid website. They determined the problem was the charger but gave me two new batteries anyway. They had to order the charger and I got a call yesterday that it was in. I also registered the new batteries, you have to call and give them the numbers over the phone it took about ten minutes.

[cody michael]

You need to register any replacement batteries you get, so they have the current serial number. if you turn in battery 1234 and get battery 5678 then battery 5678 dies you take it in and they have no record of you owning it.