Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Craftsman Warranty

210 views
Skip to first unread message

Puddin' Man

unread,
May 24, 2008, 11:12:19 PM5/24/08
to

About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy" Craftsman garden
hoses. The hose material itsownself looks like it might outlive me,
but the threaded aluminum connector on the end is flimsy.

The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector is bent.
It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.

If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought it to a
Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
honor their warranties?

Thx,
P

" ... and the bees made honey in the lion's head."
- from "If I Had My Way", Blind Willie Johnson

David Nebenzahl

unread,
May 25, 2008, 12:06:19 AM5/25/08
to
On 5/24/2008 8:12 PM Puddin' Man spake thus:

> About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy" Craftsman garden
> hoses. The hose material itsownself looks like it might outlive me,
> but the threaded aluminum connector on the end is flimsy.
>
> The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector is bent.
> It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.
>
> If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought it to a
> Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
> honor their warranties?

Pls. try this and report back here to us.


--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute
conversation with the average voter.

- Attributed to Winston Churchill

Joseph Meehan

unread,
May 25, 2008, 6:37:38 AM5/25/08
to
It is hard to say these days. It is now K-Mart Sears. In the old days,
they certainly did honor those warranties.

"Puddin' Man" <puddin...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:67mh34h70n5amv7jh...@4ax.com...


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

ransley

unread,
May 25, 2008, 8:22:03 AM5/25/08
to

They probably will honor it, but it might be easier to cut off the
fitting and put a new one on.

The Ranger

unread,
May 25, 2008, 10:57:14 AM5/25/08
to
[Borrowing David Nebenzahl's <nob...@but.us.chickens> posted
message
news:4838e54a$0$11145$8226...@news.adtechcomputers.com]

> On 5/24/2008 8:12 PM Puddin' Man spake thus:
> About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy"
> Craftsman garden hoses. The hose material itsownself
> looks like it might outlive me, but the threaded aluminum
> connector on the end is flimsy.
> The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector
> is bent. It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.
>
> If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought
> it to a Sears store for replacement, what should I
> expect? Do they *really* honor their warranties?

Yes, they still honor the Craftsman warranties on the tools.
You might not find that exact hose still stocked but they'll
provide a similar product. Have you attempted to "bend" the
end-fitting back into shape with pliers or other toothed tools?
If so, that might make returning it more difficult (they'll
still accept it but you'll have to stand there longer and
probably talk to a lead or dept. manager. BTW: If you change
out the end-fitting, though, it'll void the warranty when the
hose does finally deteriorate.

The Ranger


dpb

unread,
May 25, 2008, 11:07:05 AM5/25/08
to
Puddin' Man wrote:
...

> Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
> honor their warranties?
...

I've never had any Craftsman "lifetime" warranty be refused altho I've
never had a Sears-branded hose.

I'd check on whether the replacement offered were any better or not,
though. If the hose itself is ok, new brass end fittings aren't
expensive and might be better than new.

--

Gordon Shumway

unread,
May 25, 2008, 11:20:03 AM5/25/08
to
On Sun, 25 May 2008 07:57:14 -0700, "The Ranger"
<cuhula...@yahoo.com> wrote:

<snip>


>they'll provide a similar product.


Generally this means a cheaper, lower quality.

This is one of the main reasons I quit buying crapsman tools many
years ago. I used to buy their "Industrial" or "Professional" or
whatever the current flavor was and of course I paid a higher price.
However, a few years later when the tool failed and I went to replace
it they tried to give me the lowest priced "similar product." The
flavor of the day had changed and what I bought a few years ago was no
longer available. I had to plead my case to someone higher up the
food chain to get an equivalent or better replacement.

Now I buy quality tools. In the last 20 years since I quit buying
crapsman the only hand tool that failed was a Snap-On 1/4" wobble
extension when I tried to put 35 Ft\Lb of torque on it. It was
replaced with the same exact tool.

G.S.

The Ranger

unread,
May 25, 2008, 11:42:47 AM5/25/08
to
Gordon Shumway <Rho...@Planet.Melmac> wrote in message
news:9kvi34hqmd57oll8n...@4ax.com...

> On Sun, 25 May 2008 07:57:14 -0700, "The Ranger"
> <cuhula...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> <snip>
>> they'll provide a similar product.
>>
> Generally this means a cheaper, lower quality.
>
> This is one of the main reasons I quit buying crapsman
> tools many years ago. [snip remain Caveat Emptor tale]

This is also why I no longer purchase Craftsman tools. I got
tired of having to "discuss that with the dept manager" on why
they were going to replace my failed tool with a similar or
higher (on two incidents over the same tool -- a garden hoe --
after he really pissed me off) quality. I've been using
Armstrong, Corona, Fiskar, and Snap-On tools since and have
absolutely no complaints or failed hand-tools.

The Ranger


Puddin' Man

unread,
May 25, 2008, 12:28:25 PM5/25/08
to
On Sun, 25 May 2008 10:07:05 -0500, dpb <no...@non.net> wrote:

>Puddin' Man wrote:
>...
>> Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
>> honor their warranties?
>...
>
>I've never had any Craftsman "lifetime" warranty be refused altho I've
>never had a Sears-branded hose.

Pardon my nosiness, but how long since they last honored a "Craftsman"
warranty for you? A month? A year? Decade? Was it worth over $10?

>I'd check on whether the replacement offered were any better or not,
>though. If the hose itself is ok, new brass end fittings aren't
>expensive and might be better than new.

You mean the clamp-on stuff? This hose *looks* like it wasn't
really designed for such. Or at least that's my "take" on it.

Puddin' Man

unread,
May 25, 2008, 12:36:26 PM5/25/08
to
On Sun, 25 May 2008 07:57:14 -0700, "The Ranger" <cuhula...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>[Borrowing David Nebenzahl's <nob...@but.us.chickens> posted
>message
>news:4838e54a$0$11145$8226...@news.adtechcomputers.com]
>
>> On 5/24/2008 8:12 PM Puddin' Man spake thus:
>> About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy"
>> Craftsman garden hoses. The hose material itsownself
>> looks like it might outlive me, but the threaded aluminum
>> connector on the end is flimsy.
>> The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector
>> is bent. It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.
>>
>> If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought
>> it to a Sears store for replacement, what should I
>> expect? Do they *really* honor their warranties?
>
>Yes, they still honor the Craftsman warranties on the tools.
>You might not find that exact hose still stocked but they'll
>provide a similar product. Have you attempted to "bend" the
>end-fitting back into shape with pliers or other toothed tools?

Nope.

>If so, that might make returning it more difficult

That occured to po' me.

>(they'll
>still accept it but you'll have to stand there longer and
>probably talk to a lead or dept. manager. BTW: If you change
>out the end-fitting, though, it'll void the warranty when the
>hose does finally deteriorate.

Also occured to po' me.

DGDevin

unread,
May 25, 2008, 3:35:14 PM5/25/08
to
Puddin' Man wrote:

> About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy" Craftsman garden
> hoses. The hose material itsownself looks like it might outlive me,
> but the threaded aluminum connector on the end is flimsy.
>
> The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector is bent.
> It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.

Considering the value of your time and the price of gas etc. it might make
more sense to pick up a new connector at your local hardware store for a few
dollars and install it in a couple of minutes. When I did that recently I
even found a connector that wasn't made in China, amazing.

Sears lost my business years ago due to their use of spam e-mail to promote
their home improvement business, the decline in the quality of their tools
over the years just makes my decision to shop elsewhere even better.


dpb

unread,
May 25, 2008, 3:49:41 PM5/25/08
to
Puddin' Man wrote:
...

> Pardon my nosiness, but how long since they last honored a "Craftsman"
> warranty for you? A month? A year? Decade? Was it worth over $10?

I guess it's been two years now -- son tried electrician's pliers to cut
#10 fencing wire and took a chunk out of the cutter. Only difference I
can tell between old (>20 yr) and newer is in texture of handle
insulation...

> You mean the clamp-on stuff? This hose *looks* like it wasn't
> really designed for such. Or at least that's my "take" on it.

...

Well, I was really thinking of the metal crimp-on style. Don't know
what is special about a hose that it would have to be designed for any
generic repair coupling, however. I do have a sizable number of hoses
w/ the standard plastic repair couplings and they, while admittedly less
attractive looking, do the job and last quite some time for minimal cost.

--

Oren

unread,
May 25, 2008, 7:28:24 PM5/25/08
to
On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:12:19 -0500, Puddin' Man
<puddin...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
>About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy" Craftsman garden
>hoses. The hose material itsownself looks like it might outlive me,
>but the threaded aluminum connector on the end is flimsy.
>
>The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector is bent.
>It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.
>
>If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought it to a
>Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
>honor their warranties?
>

To exchange a Craftsman hose under warranty; there NEEDS to be a clear
marking on the hose, indicating the Craftsman brand. . You can take it
back (at least my wife has). The hose she brought home for exchange is
about 13 years old; clearly marked as a Craftsman hose.

You make me want to try and exchange mine; now!

Boden

unread,
May 25, 2008, 8:27:35 PM5/25/08
to
Amen. I have many Craftsman tools that I bought in the 50s & 60s. They
were and still are superb. I view today's Craftsman tools as worse than
junk.

Boden

Erik

unread,
May 25, 2008, 9:43:46 PM5/25/08
to
In article <67mh34h70n5amv7jh...@4ax.com>,
Puddin' Man <puddin...@gmail.com> wrote:

I've taken back a few hoses with no problems. However, none in the last
couple of years. One had obviously been run over with the mower... they
didn't seem to care. Your mileage may vary.

Through the years I've exchanged literally thousands of pounds of
broken/worn out commercially hard used Craftsman hand tools... most
originally bought in the late 60's and early 70's. Rarely do I get any
guff, and when I do, it's almost always from a new employee.

That warranty is a good deal, take advantage of it! It's sure saved us a
bundle!

Erik

Puddin' Man

unread,
May 26, 2008, 11:59:02 AM5/26/08
to
On Sun, 25 May 2008 16:28:24 -0700, Oren <Or...@127.0.0.1> wrote:

>On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:12:19 -0500, Puddin' Man
><puddin...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy" Craftsman garden
>>hoses. The hose material itsownself looks like it might outlive me,
>>but the threaded aluminum connector on the end is flimsy.
>>
>>The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector is bent.
>>It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.
>>
>>If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought it to a
>>Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
>>honor their warranties?
>>
>
>To exchange a Craftsman hose under warranty; there NEEDS to be a clear
>marking on the hose, indicating the Craftsman brand. .

It's clearly marked "Craftsmans Best" or somesuch. Good thing, too,
'cause I couldn't find any papers on it.

>You can take it
>back (at least my wife has). The hose she brought home for exchange is
>about 13 years old; clearly marked as a Craftsman hose.

I likely will, after I confirm the store mngr's name over the phone. :-)

>You make me want to try and exchange mine; now!

Look at their hose line on sears.com. Then figger time, gas, etc.
Might be worth it, might not.

Best,

Dan Lanciani

unread,
May 26, 2008, 3:09:09 PM5/26/08
to
In article <ianl345nknl8kq715...@4ax.com>, puddin...@gmail.com (Puddin' Man) writes:
| On Sun, 25 May 2008 16:28:24 -0700, Oren <Or...@127.0.0.1> wrote:
|
| >On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:12:19 -0500, Puddin' Man
| ><puddin...@gmail.com> wrote:
| >
| >>
| >>
| >>About 12 years ago I bought one of those "Best Buy" Craftsman garden
| >>hoses. The hose material itsownself looks like it might outlive me,
| >>but the threaded aluminum connector on the end is flimsy.
| >>
| >>The unit hasn't been mis-used at all, but the connector is bent.
| >>It leaks a fair amount. It has a "forever" warranty.
| >>
| >>If I drained the damned thing, packed it up, and brought it to a
| >>Sears store for replacement, what should I expect? Do they *really*
| >>honor their warranties?
| >>
| >
| >To exchange a Craftsman hose under warranty; there NEEDS to be a clear
| >marking on the hose, indicating the Craftsman brand. .
|
| It's clearly marked "Craftsmans Best" or somesuch.

That's what the rubber one I exchanged a few years back said, and that's
what they wanted to see. Interestingly, they tried to give me a much less
expensive plastic hose that did not say Craftsman anywhere. I pointed out
that this would be an issue if I needed to exchange it again. There was
some argument that the hose I was exchanging was green while the current
rubber Craftsman hoses were black (and the plastic non-Craftsman hoses
green) but they did give me the Craftsman one eventually. I still have
one of the older green rubber Crafstman hoses; we'll see what happens if
it fails some day...

Dan Lanciani
ddl@danlan.*com

Oren

unread,
May 26, 2008, 4:48:06 PM5/26/08
to

I have a 50' Craftsman green hose connected to the black Craftsman 50'
black one.

The green one has a sleeve / collar near the hose bib end...with the
"marking" you'll be able to replace the hose if marked.

SPAM@verizon.net Anthony Diodati

unread,
May 26, 2008, 5:59:44 PM5/26/08
to

"Erik" <er...@spam.this> wrote in message
news:erik-58CA59.1...@news.verizon.net...

I paid $10.00 extra for a "no questions asked,walk in replacement warranty"
on an 1/2" impact wrench. With in the year, it lost some of the guts it had
when new, and when I went to exchange it, got a hard time about "what was
wrong with it".
I told them I paid $10.00 for a "no questions asked" warranty, what's up
with the questions/hard time.
Then they tried to tell me they didn't make that impact any more, so they
couldn't replace it.
I think I finely had to talk to a store manager, and told them they needed
to give me something of equal value,(I had the warranty receipt) So they
finely did.
Funny, the same guy who was happy to sell me the warranty, was the same one
that gave me a hard time.

Now, hand tools OTOH, were never an issue, they took a quick look at them,
threw them in a bucket, and gave me a new one.
YMMV.
Tony


Puddin' Man

unread,
May 27, 2008, 10:54:05 PM5/27/08
to
I took the offending hose in. Got what appears to be a
proper and comparable replacement.

MIghta helped when I screened over the phone, mentioned the
store mngr's name.

P

On Sat, 24 May 2008 22:12:19 -0500, Puddin' Man <puddin...@gmail.com> wrote:

Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted

Oren

unread,
May 30, 2008, 5:40:38 PM5/30/08
to
On Thu, 29 May 2008 22:10:04 -0700, Ashton Crusher <de...@moore.net>
wrote:

>On Sun, 25 May 2008 16:28:24 -0700, Oren <Or...@127.0.0.1> wrote:
>

>Did she still have the receipt??

No receipt. The replacement hose is ready for an exchange. Is a
Craftsman hose and is marked.

0 new messages