warranty calls for tool destruction !

Joined
Aug 30, 2023
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I purchased some Knipex carpenters pliers from an online retailer in Canada.

Noticed that the cutting edges of the pliers were "slightly" damaged something I would not have cared about that on a "lower tier" tool but when it says 100% Quality on the packaging and made in germany it's kind of hard not to have high expectations. So I contacted the retailer to start a RMA and return the defective tool.

The reply came in today "field destroy the tool and send pictures of the tool destroyed"

Ok I got my grinder and destroyed the tool and did the follow-up. Felt terrible doing it. I sure hope I have not offended the tool gods and have not brought on bad mechanical luck to myself for years to come :(

I guess this a common thing in the tool world ?
 
I had some Fiskars Pruners/loppers that the Handle cracked and I sent an email to warranty and the same thing happened. They agreed to send me a new pair and wanted some pictures of the pruners destroyed in agreement to send me the new pair.
 
We had a similar situation with a Snapon ball joint press. We had Snapons original design of press before the BJP1 and were running into stuff we couldnt do due to a lack of available adapters. Snapon district manager said it was under lifetime warranty with few service parts. Break it and we will replace it with a BJP1. Cool, we ruined the threads on the forcing screw, our snapon man took it and handed us a BJP1. Next week he walks back in with our broken press, hands it back and said his boss only wanted a picture of the broken tool and we could do what we wanted with the original. We fixed the threads on the screw and still have it.
 
Last year my Karcher pressure washer stopped working while under warranty. I contacted their warranty department and filled out a form along with sending proof of purchase. They sent me a new one and said to throw out the old one. Before the new one came, I checked over the cord with a built in GFI. Took it apart and bypassed that. Got it working again, albeit not the safest thing what with water and electricity. Have the new unopened unit in the basement as a spare.
 
Last year my Karcher pressure washer stopped working while under warranty. I contacted their warranty department and filled out a form along with sending proof of purchase. They sent me a new one and said to throw out the old one. Before the new one came, I checked over the cord with a built in GFI. Took it apart and bypassed that. Got it working again, albeit not the safest thing what with water and electricity. Have the new unopened unit in the basement as a spare.
And? If it had been some high dollar pressure washer brand it likely would have been handled differently.
 
I totally understand. It is a waste of money to have you return the defective tool. But if they let you keep the defective tool, they are essentially offering their tools 2 for the price of 1. And it wouldn't be long before everyone with a little scratch on their tool would do the same as you, and then expect to keep the supposed defective tool.

Policies like this come about because of how terribly dishonest our society has become.
 
I wouldn't destroy anything. Have them send a label and get their garbage fixed. Their opening themselves for a big lawsuit if somebody gets hurt trying to grind/ cut tools in half. I had a online retailer try the same BS on a pair of side steps that arrived damaged for a truck. I'm not chopping or spray painting anything. I simply refuse to do their leg work for trash QC.
 
Last year my Karcher pressure washer stopped working while under warranty. I contacted their warranty department and filled out a form along with sending proof of purchase. They sent me a new one and said to throw out the old one. Before the new one came, I checked over the cord with a built in GFI. Took it apart and bypassed that. Got it working again, albeit not the safest thing what with water and electricity. Have the new unopened unit in the basement as a spare.
But a new gfi and put it in.
 
This,, and trying to insure that they aren't handing out free merch without a valid reason.
My coffeemaker just died four months before the three year warranty ended.
I had to cut the cord and send a photo.
I was fine with that, saved me $200.
My Mr. Coffee cost me $11.88 at Walmart. The only switch / button it has is for "OFF" and "ON". It's going on 5 years old. When it finally takes a dump, I have another "in stock", and ready to go. That one I got for $10.49 on a end cap sale.

Before that I paid almost $150.00 for a Cuisinart. The front panel looked like the controller for a 5 axis CNC machine. It lasted a total of 4 months before the steam from the brewing process screwed up the thing to the point it wouldn't work.

I'm seeing that in the majority of the newer ones, they finally figured out that hot steam and electronics don't mix.

I see the price has gone up.

 
GFI = Ground Fault Interrupter ?

I was confused there for a while but it's a far more sensible descriptor than the one we use in Europe which is RCD or Residual Current Device. What the hell does that mean. In the UK we used to call them Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers which at least made some sense until the EU came up with RCD. And you wonder why we wanted out of the EU.
 
Before that I paid almost $150.00 for a Cuisinart. The front panel looked like the controller for a 5 axis CNC machine. It lasted a total of 4 months before the steam from the brewing process screwed up the thing to the point it wouldn't work.
Don't get me started on 'fancy coffee makers'. When will people learn?

NOTE: Braun sold a coffee maker at Walmart and stamped the base "Type 1A2B".
Parts cataloging (for replacement carafes) cites "Model 1A2B" etc.
I suppose "Type" is Braun's lingo for "extra cheap items which are not guaranteed or supported"
 
I totally understand. It is a waste of money to have you return the defective tool. But if they let you keep the defective tool, they are essentially offering their tools 2 for the price of 1. And it wouldn't be long before everyone with a little scratch on their tool would do the same as you, and then expect to keep the supposed defective tool.
Or they flip the perfect replacement tool on Ebay for big money.
 
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