I found out today that Home Depot will not longer honor the warranty on the Ridgid tools they sell (and have sold in the past).

Previously, I could bring Ridgid tools to my local Home Depot and have them repaired right there. They would diagnose the problem, order parts and repair the tools locally. This was for both tools with their standard 3 year warranty and those with a life time warranty.

I had 2 tools replaced and several repaired.

Now I have to get the tools to an authorized repair center. For me, that's 5 hours away (unless I want to mail the table saw and pay for shipping both ways.

So now the life time warranty is essentially worthless.

I'm sure HD was looking for a way to cut costs. I wish Lowe's was closer.

While I agree this is a pain, I'm not sure it is fair to say that they are "no longer honoring the warranty". Your warranty is still just as valid is before -- it's always had to be returned to an Authorized Service Center. They are just no longer an Authorized Service Center.

It's Ridgid's warranty, not Home Depots. (Note that HD DOES have an extended warranty program and, from what I understand, you can still return them to the local stores for that.)

Again, I agree that it is very inconvenient now and I likely won't be buying Ridgid. But the originally warranty, as written, is still the same and valid. You've just lost the local Service Center to drop it off to.

Also, I'm curious about where you are in NC? I put in a few random large cities and found DOZENS of repair centers in each of them. Like, I literally couldn't come up with ANY location in NC that didn't have a repair center a lot closer than 5 hours. Heck, even if you meant round trip, I couldn't even find a location where it was more than 2 hours away...

Two weeks ago I put into service a newly constructed apartment property, around two miles from a Home Depot. I called and two people were on duty in the appliance department. I went up to the only one I could find helping customers at her desk. I asked her to page the other employee on duty in the department. After waiting 30 minutes and getting now help from anyone, I left, passing my the Special Order Department. I told him I was there to purchase 6 sets of high end washers and dryers and couldn't get help, waiting over 30 minutes for an on duty appliance specialist.

When I get turned down, I wait until I can find an employee who knows me and I ask them for help.

So far, that has worked for me. I exchanged a broken rigid sander for a new one last month.

If that does not work, print out a total $ spent last year from your pro rewards account, show it to the manager, and ask for help.

But, Home Depot does seem to be the only game in your town (or island).

Don PA don't do that.... no different then swapping price tags really.

I have been buying a lot of stuff at online auctions lately. Most is overstock or returns. I have gotten some good deals on stuff I know I will use.

I have also gotten some real crap. Broken or missing items. Noticed some was from Amazon or Lowes but most was from HD.

Started looking into it a little deeper. Some of the employees at HD call them the easiest rental site in the world.

Someone comes in, buys an item, uses said item then returns it as not what they wanted. HD takes it and returns the money. Then they have to get an RMA from the vendor. Usually they get partial money back and then they sell it to someone who buys truckloads of the stuff at a time. That person sells it usually at auction and hopes for the best.

Have bought broken items, missing parts, mis-labeled, wrong item in the packaging.

It's sad really that people do this on a regular basis.

My local Lowes used to sell entire bays to me of returns, scratch and dents and the like. I took the good with the bad. Then I find out some were buying the items and returning for store credit. Then the cycle started all over again.

Then I find out that a couple LL's were buying the stuff and selling it at rummages. They would tell the buyers to go to Lowes and demand the missing parts. Lowes would usually comply.

I keep missing out on so much by doing things that are morally correct in my mind.

But HD doesn't make the faulty item. They get stuck with the junk then they have to deal with the manufacturer. Then it all starts over again.

Someone buys the brought back in a new box product and they are stuck with the junk. This has happened to me a few times. Bought a baseboard heater. Got to the job and someone had replaced it with an old one that was burnt up.

I took it back to Lowes and explained what happened. I got my money back, but what a waste of time on my part.

I have seen tool packages that were brought back looking brand new and still sealed. Opened up and had bricks taped inside to keep the weight the same.

Zero,

I paid $$ for the extended warrantee on a Schlage keyless entry. It broke. Went to HD with my receipt for the warrantee and was told I had to "register" the warrantee with an insurance company to get reimbursed.

Sooo I bought a replacement lock ... put the broken one in the box and returned it on my next trip to HD. Said "it's broken" with the dated receipt. Got reimbursed.

Ray,

I will agree completely if HD (or whichever company) is the parent to another company which fails. Wasn't aware they owned Ryobi. I tent to stay with Dewalt for whatever reason.

tryan,

It's interesting to see the number of people here who fully admit to committing a crime after they have justified in their minds that they are being "cheated" by the company.

I have a feeling these same people would be criticizing tenants who do the same sort of thing -- a moral justification to steal from a company because they are "huge" or "cheated me in the past" wouldn't be seen as acceptable behavior. But you have no problem doing it yourself!

Very interesting to watch indeed. :)

I scanned 10 year smoke detectors and was asked if I wanted to buy an extended warranty on them for a few dollars more. I thought about this carefully. When a place burns to the ground and there is a 11 year old smoke detector in place, who is at fault?

Don,

Can't really say how HD does it as I rarely get to shop there. But I do know that Lowes has put items I have returned as defective back on the shelf.

Whether it is miscommunication or laziness I am not sure. But I have seen the same box with the same item after I went back a week or so later.

Ray,

Maybe that would work for the 10 year units that quit working early? Taking a chance they crap out before the expiration date and get a new one.

I would think that it is best to just put them up and replace as time warrants.

Don: You seem to be twisting reality to justify your actions here. That isn't what happened.

If I buy a tool and take it home and it doesn't work when I get it home (or within their usually short return period), then I take it back to the store for an exchange or refund. That's legal and how it works.

What we're talking about here is using a tool for a while and then having it break. And not wanting to have to follow the warranty requirements by returning it to an authorized repair center -- and therefore buying another one and returning your broken one because you are upset that the local store happens to no longer be a return center.

Sorry, but that's illegal. Period. You can try to justify it all you want because you're ticked that they decided not to be a repair center any more -- but that doesn't change the fact that you are deciding that you don't LIKE how the warranty works now, so you're just going to lie about a new purchase being return.

Personally I would like to see more realistic warranties that are serviced by the seller not the manufacturer. Lifetime warranties worked for Sears/Craftsman in the olden days by getting you back to the store a couple times to make the exchange. They figured you would buy something else while you were there and their return policy meant that their tools could sell for more.

I bought a large number of 10 year smoke alarms from HD expecting to have many years of use for each unit. After less than 1 year I had a failure rate of greater than 20%. Tried to exchange the defective ones directly at the store and found that HD would not exchange or provide any prorated refund after 90 days. HD also passes the buck for other warranty claims and requires the purchaser to pay for for the return to a service center.

Know this is the reality, buy your items assuming you will only have 90 days providing you retain your receipt and ignore any packaging that claims a longer warranty.

But I thought Brawndo had what plants crave!