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Fell for a 'lifetime' warranty on a toolbox and lost $250
I bought a big rolling toolbox from a local hardware chain last spring because they promised a 'lifetime warranty' on the slides. The slides started jamming after 4 months and when I brought it in they said the warranty only covered the shell, not the moving parts. Has anyone else gotten burned by fine print on tool storage or gear like this?
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corablack1d ago
That 4 month timeline is exactly what happened to me with a Craftsman set from Lowe's. I brought the whole thing back and got the same runaround about "internal components" not being covered. @the_elliot is right about going straight to corporate, I called their 800 number and they sent me a whole new set of slides in the mail for free. But you know what really gets me? They call it a "lifetime warranty" but your lifetime apparently doesn't include the time it takes to drive back to the store and argue with a kid who doesn't care. I've started keeping a photo of the receipt on my phone and reading the warranty terms out loud to the manager before I buy anything with a guarantee.
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the_elliot2d ago
The real trick is they count on people losing the receipt or forgetting the exact terms. If you hadn't brought the whole box in and instead called their corporate support line and escalated, they probably would have swapped the slides out. Those retail store employees are just reading a script, they don't have the authority to override the fine print. Next time skip the store and go straight to the manufacturer.
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