This Ain't Good! Marple Chisel

[Ken Massingale]

Crack goes from the face of the bevel to the left side and down the side about 2 inches. I emailed Irwin, hope they will replace it. New chisel, found this when completing the first honing.

[atgcpaul]

Weird but cool looking at the same time. Is it me or does the edge of the
chisel have a little crown to it rather than being straight across?

Paul

[cwsmith]

It certainly looks like a flaw in the forging, hopefully Irwin will make it right with you.

Regarding the "curve" of the cutting edge, that could be lens distortion. Unless taken with a "flat-field" lens, macro photography would lead to such image distortions. Only Ken would know for sure.

CWS

[Ken Massingale]

Well, I got a little ticked off at Irwin. They said to take it back where I bought it, but the set was a gift several months ago and I don't remember from who much less where they bought them. So they said to take it to any retailer and it would be exchanged without question. So I call Woodcraft and Home Depot and both said what I expected, NO!
Woodcraft did finally say they would as a favor since I help alot to keep them in business, but it is not normal.
I call Irwin back and ask again for an exchange. The lady kinda slammed the door in my face till I said O.K., I eat the thing and buy another brand, and post the pics and my experience in every woodworking forum on the Internet. At that point the lady cut me off before I could finish and gave me an address to ship it to for 'evaluation'.
I said no thanks.

I reckon the apparent curvature is from the scanner. I did check the edge after reading that reply and seeing that it does looked curved.

[Knottscott]

That's definitely not a good thing! I'm surprised that Irwin gave you a rough time....pretty silly IMO! ...who needs them?!

[Uncle Cracker]

Does Irwin think you put that crack there yourself? There is no question but that it's a material flaw. You may have had better luck with their publicity department, since they surely appreciate the negative value of having this spread around the WW community.

[jackellis]

If you can't get satisfaction from the customer service or PR folks, find out the name and address of the CEO of Irwin or its parent company. Compose a polite, businesslike letter that lays out the facts. Include copies of the photos you posted here.

In most reputable companies, the CEO has an assistant who handles correspondence like this and makes sure customer complaints get handled properly. If you've taken the time to track down the top guy and stick to the facts, there's a very high probability your complaint will be taken very seriously. I've usually taken advantage of this to compliment exceptional service but it's equally effective when there's a problem.

[mater]

That sucks. I have a set of them and wouldn't expect to see something like that. It is disappointing to know their CS treated you that way.

[Marv]

In a case like this where the merchandise is defective and the manufacturer will not stand behind it, I would go to a store that handles this product and purchase an exact replacement tool or a set containing the exact replacement tool. I would then return this new purchase with the defective tool and the new receipt.

I realize that some people might see this as unethical. I believe that the manufacturer is not being fair in a case like this.

[Ken Massingale]

In a case like this where the merchandise is defective and the manufacturer will not stand behind it, I would go to a store that handles this product and purchase an exact replacement tool or a set containing the exact replacement tool. I would then return this new purchase with the defective tool and the new receipt.

I realize that some people might see this as unethical. I believe that the manufacturer is not being fair in a case like this.

That's up to the individual to decide. I didn't want to go that route, that's just me.
Woodcraft did step up and exchange the chisel even tho the set wasn't purchased from them. The folks at the greenville, S.C. store are great people. They also called Irwin with me there and gave them 'what-for' in a nice P.C. manner. The fellow who called is a Brit and he used his best 'biting' accent and said more in a few sentences, 'politely but with an edge', than I could have conveyed in 30 minutes. Fortunately the same lady answered as I spoke with so he was able to call the kettle black without having to go thru the pot.
I still will be contacting Irwin myself and speaking to someone up a level or two.

[Uncle Cracker]

I still will be contacting Irwin myself and speaking to someone up a level or two.

Ken, if it were me, I'd go straight to the top, right from the get-go. Nothing gets an exec's goat more than finding out that a subordinate could have easily spared him the aggravation of dealing with you, but dropped the ball. I usually package such an inquiry with the old "I often don't know how MY employees are treating the customer unless somebody calls me, and I thought YOU might feel the same way..." speech.

[cwsmith]

Ken,

I was just looking at the paperwork (receipt and scan of the package... yeah, I know I'm anal!). The package states that it has a "Full Lifetime Warranty". Perhaps my set was before Irwin stepped into the picture, as I don't see Irwin's brand on it. I see "Marples" and "American Tool Companies, Inc." (Copyright 2002.)

I would have thought that Irwin would have picked up the warranty in support of the "Marples" brand name.

CWS

[Ken Massingale]

Ken,

I was just looking at the paperwork (receipt and scan of the package... yeah, I know I'm anal!). The package states that it has a "Full Lifetime Warranty". Perhaps my set was before Irwin stepped into the picture, as I don't see Irwin's brand on it. I see "Marples" and "American Tool Companies, Inc." (Copyright 2002.)

I would have thought that Irwin would have picked up the warranty in support of the "Marples" brand name.

CWS

The Irwin package and website both state Full Lifetime Warranty. When I threw this back at the lady I spoke with she said this meant take it back to the retailer.
Irwin has lost my confidence and probably $$$.

[messmaker]

I had a Stanley rachet go bad and called CS as I was in the same situation as Ken. The very nice lady said to throw the tool in the trash and she would ship me a new one as soon as she could(No proof required,no other questions). She said she was sorry for any problem it might have caused and thanked me for buying the Stanley brand. Two days later a new tool was at my door.I think about it any time I am looking at a tool purchase and one of the choices is Stanley. I wonder what I will remember when Irwin is thrown into the mix?

[cwsmith]

Ken,

I must admit that your experience is disappointing and I think we all appreciate your sharing this with us. This is the kind of thing that can make or break a companies reputation and future. Certainly stating the a product has a "Lifetime Warranty" isn't enough if they aren't willing to respond in a proper manner. I would be surprised if Home Depot (or whoever) would simply replace the tool. Even if that was really the avenue for service, it would be a shock to me if anyone at the retail level knew about it.

Messmaker,

I'm glad to hear that about Stanley, but it also surprises me. I don't recall seeing any mention of "warranty" on recent Stanley purchases. They used to have an good reputation years ago, but I wasn't so sure how they stood today. So, thanks!

CWS