Ridgid warranty/registration

[sailor55330]

When I bought my TS, I followed the instructions to the letter. I checked back at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months with no results. I called customer service many times and they told me the wait time was normal???? After 1 year, I still had no confirmation and Customer service told me they had no record of any submission. Now, I don't have the required documentation and of course, the switch went out last week. No help from Ridgid, but on the plus side, no more money to them from me.

I hate companies that project an image/policy but then always seem to find ways around it.

[woodturner]

Now, I don't have the required documentation

You didn't keep copies to resubmit?? It's really important to follow the letter of their terms, including the "keep copies of all submitted materials".

I hate companies that project an image/policy but then always seem to find ways around it.

It's likely that your original submission was lost in the mail, but I don't see how that is Ridgid's fault. I've never had a problem with Ridgid trying to "find ways around it", and in every case I have read about, the person did not follow all the rules and terms. The LLSA is really like a rebate - if you don't follow the terms to the letter, you may not get the rebate. The LLSA really is like a rebate, a bonus for those willing to make the effort. Even if you don't want to make the effort, though, the tools still have a 3 year warranty - longer than other tool manufacturers.

[sailor55330]

I should have made my earlier post clearer. During the monthly checks, the customer service person could see the application, just that it was "in process" then it went missing after about a year of not being processed.

It's all good.

[woodturner]

I should have made my earlier post clearer. During the monthly checks, the customer service person could see the application, just that it was "in process" then it went missing after about a year of not being processed.

Oh, sorry, I did not understand that part. I can understand your frustration if they said they had it, then didn't have it. I would have thought they could resolve that over the phone, though.

I suppose human nature is to praise the companies we like and overlook their "minor" issues, and focus on the "major" issues with companies we don't like. As I think about companies I don't like, it's generally been the result of an experience not all that different from yours. I suppose companies like people sometimes make mistakes, and if it happens to someone else, we tend to think it's the person's fault, but if it happens to us, we are more likely to assume the company made the mistake, regardless of what the true objective facts are.

It's like computer part retailers - a lot of people complain about TD, but I've dealt with them for years, have never even had to call to get a rebate, and have been very satisfied. Many people praise Newegg, but I have had nothing but trouble - have to call for every rebate, they won't stand behind the rebates, etc. Have had to do chargebacks for products not received, etc.

In any event, I hope your Ridgid tools work well for you. If you do want to repair the switch, it's probably available from other sources if you don't want to deal with Ridgid, and should be a fairly simple repair.

[capncarl]

Just returned from HD to pick up my "repaired" RIDGID 6" ROS sander. I have not received a pick up call like here clerk said but I did see a refund of the $18.95 I paid HD to handle the warranty in my credit card balance. When I plugged it in the motor sounds good...... But the 1/8" ROS option does not work at all, the 1/4" options works fine. Back it goes. Another hour of my life I'll never get back, counting the other hours driving back and forth returning the other sander I would be money ahead investing in better tools.
capncarl

[capncarl]

Ridgid Sander repair update. I picked up my R 2611 Ridgid 6 " Dual-Orbit random sander today from HD who sent the unit in for repairs 2 months ago. It had failed after 3-4 hours of use. By failing, I mean vibrating so bad you couldn't hold it, disk spinning to the point you couldn't control it. When it was new I was really impressed with its sanding capabilities but it just didn't last (this is the second sander, the first was replaced over the counter by HD, thus the warranty was void) the first repair attempt proved fruitless so I let them have another whack at it. 2 months for a repair job for $18.95, glad I didn't need a sander for a while. Maybe I'll give it a work out next week and see if it lasts.
capncarl

[cwsmith]

(this is the second sander, the first was replaced over the counter by HD, thus the warranty was void)

I think I mentioned this earlier, but this kind of an exchange (having an HD associate replace a failing tool) can pose a problem for many customers who might think that they still have their warranty or LSA.

I'm not even sure if this follows Home Depot policy, although it is nice that a sales associate do it. The problem comes up with the fact that the new, replacement tool will have a different serial number than the one in which the owner registered into the LSA; and, they won't have a receipt for the replacement tool, which means that there's no documented path as to how you got it. Question for me is whether you really have any warranty at all on the new replacement tool, if you can't go back to that particular store or sales associate?

Properly done, the associate should have just taken back the original failure, refunded your money and/or issued you a new receipt so that the replacement tool can be validated and registered. However, that may not be possible under HD policy either.

One would think that there should be a legitimate pathway in which such a replacement transaction could take place, but if that were possible, then perhaps there wouldn't be any need for the LSA.

I guess I look at buying a Ridgid tool as if I was really buying two things: the tool itself, AND the Lifetime Service Agreement. Having Home Depot replace only the defective tool is getting only half of what you originally paid for.

Bottom line is that I'm very happy that you were able to make this work for you and hopefully you'll have no further problems with the sander. I don't think everyone will be able to pull that off though, once they're outside that 90-day 'Satisfaction Guarantee" (and if it did fall within the 90-days, then a full refund should have been made and you would have been able to buy the new 'replacement' and still have a receipt.


CWS

[capncarl]

If I remember correctly, I'm not where I can refer to the LSA agreement and my memory isn't what it use to be, so correct me if I am wrong. Once a Ridgid tool or battery is replaced by the LSA, The replacement tool is not covered by the LSA and does not have the same lifetime agreement. If that is the case and I had followed the rules of the LSA I would be in the same situation with my ROS sander!
capncarl

[cwsmith]

Carl,

Normally you wouldn't get a replacement tool under either the LSA or the Warranty, you'd simply have to get it repaired. However, batteries are different as they generally are NOT repaired, but replaced. In the case of a battery replacement, under the LSA or Warranty, the customer needs to call Ridgid Customer Service and tell them the new battery serial numbers and the rep will enter those numbers into the system and they'll then be covered.... AND, you can do this forever, as I understand it!

Understand though, that Home Depot can't just give you a new battery... the Service Center can, but not Home Depot. In the case of the Service Center, they go through the 'paper work', having to enter in the defective battery number and the number that they gave you to replace it. Brand new batteries that you may have purchased as accessories or backups are NOT eligible for the LSA and thus, cannot be registered. That causes a bit of frustration I've read, but it is what it is.

With a defective tool, you'd send that in for repair and of course you'd get back the original which still bears the original serial number. If it breaks again, you send it back in, etc. etc. etc., forever! But, I imagine, if the tool broke so badly that it couldn't be repaired or repaired economically, then perhaps the Service Center might authorize a new or replacement tool (but I don't know for sure). IF that happens, then you'd have another unit with a different serial number and the question would be whether or not your records could be changed to reflect that... like a warranty-replaced battery? OR, what if the tool cannot be repaired because there were no longer parts and the tool was no longer being made? What happens then?

I have a 7-Volt Pivot Driver, that I really like.... but do they haven't made that in years, and I'm not sure they still could replace or repair even the battery for it. BUT, I have a Lifetime Service Agree for it nonetheless. (And it's MY lifetime, not the tool's.) So I wonder what Ridgid will do, when and if I ever require repair or replacement?

CWS

[cwsmith]

Personally, I think there will be problems with the LSA at some time. Can this really go on forever? According to the LSA it sure looks that way. But remember, the LSA is NOT really Ridgid's... at least it's not the problem of Emerson Electric's Ridgid subsidiary.

The "Ridgid" orange-line of power tools is made by Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries (TTI) (http://www.ttigroup.com/en/our_brands/) and uses the Ridgid brand under license. It IS TTI that issues the LSA.

Now take the "Ridgid" vacuum line, which is not a TTI manufactured product but a Emerson Electric product. Ridgid shop vacs are not eligible for the LSA (because they're not made by TTI), but instead carries a "Lifetime Warranty". So one would think "Hooray", I don't need to go through any kind of registration and I'm good forever!

Right?

WRONG!.... The Emerson Electric "Ridgid" Lifetime Warranty, defines "Lifetime" not in your lifetime terms, but in the product's lifetime. What does that mean? Well, Ridgid defines that in terms of the motor brushes. Once they wear out, the life of the vac is considered over! No replacements are available, for sale or otherwise. So, that "Lifetime Warranty" is sort of worthless, and considered just a market ploy by many. You could have a perfectly good motor, case, hose, and attachments, but once those brushs wear down, your vac is dead.

Warranties are sort of weird attractions for a lot of buyers.... Yeah, there's an awful lot of strange brands that have "lifetime" warranties... sounds good, but those companies disappear and/or change their names faster than the season's change. I imagine that somewhere in the future, even the notorious TTI-Ridgid LSA will change too. When? Who knows. Did you know that TTI produces a duplicate of all the "Ridgid" tools in Europe and Asia under another brand name, AEG? They're orange, just like ours, but as I understand it, they don't carry the LSA. If or when Ridgid and TTI decide to sever their license agreement, then I imagine AEG will become the new brand here in the U.S.

It can be very confusing at times,

CWS

[capncarl]

The LSA and other gimmicks used by some tool companies really pound home the fact that it makes sense to purchase the best tools you can afford. Too bad some of the best tools are hard to find since A lot of stores push their own brands and don't stock the good stuff, or the good stuff is just too expensive.
capncarl