More Rigid Problems

[woodturner]

The sweet young customer service lady, different one from the other day, immediately said, sure we will handle it, go get a 2 pack of batteries and we will be happy to swap them out!

So they did honor the service agreement (it's not a warranty) and replaced the covered batteries? What is the concern then? Is it that they don't offer the service agreement on batteries sold separately?

FWIW, I also have had absolutely no problems getting batteries replaced under the service agreement, one very good reason in my opinion to prefer Ridgid (and Rockwell, which also offers lifetime battery replacement).

[capncarl]

woodturner, the story goes like this; I was shut down by a customer service clerk with a Ferguson attitude, then told by Ridgid the store handled warranty, then the nice customer service girl replaced the batteries without a problem. That was the problem, she was so nice and the transaction went so quickly I had the batteries and was out the door before I realized that I had no paperwork or anything to continue my limited lifetime service agreement! Dang, they killed me with kindness, something I am not use to. This week I hope to be able to contact Ridgid LLSA and transfer the new batteries to the agreement. I'll let everyone know how this turns out.
capncarl

[Cochese]

I will say that letting the batteries fall below the fail safe is a mistake.

[capncarl]

In my opinion the bottom line to Ridgid tools and their Limited Lifetime Service Agreement (LLSA) is;
This is just another investor driven company that buys up reputable name brands and converts them to money machines. Real quality is not an issue with them, they don't strive for reliability and customer satisfaction, just bottom line profits. Volume sales is their number one concern. They know that most customers never really follow up with a warranty and don't know a quality tool if it bit them. They know that a few customers that care or are disgruntled with their products wind up on web sites fighting among theirselves and nit-picking the little problems that are a product of the tools companies lack of engineering and cost cutting measures. These few customers are harmless and no amount of complaining or feedback in their 350 word customer comment boxes will fix the problem.
The only thing a concerned customer can do to protect his investment in these over priced tools is to Register the tool in the companies online warranty site and utilize the HD store when possible for tool and battery replacements. Don't spend additional money on their tools and batteries unless necessary to keep the tools you have operational and get all the service out of the tool you can. Suck it up and bear with the tool as long as you can stand it then throw it in the trash. Share your tool experience with others and just maybe it will help them make a better educated tool purchase. When you do have to purchase a new tool, do your research first and prepare to shell out the big bucks for a quality tool and hope you haven't walked into another tool trap like this one!
capncarl

[woodturner]

When you do have to purchase a new tool, do your research first and prepare to shell out the big bucks for a quality tool and hope you haven't walked into another tool trap like this one!
capncarl

It seems a little unfair to blame a customer service issue at your local home depot store on the manufacturer. We all know that service between hd stores varies widely, and most of us frequent the stores that have better service.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think it is unfair to refer to this as a "trap". If you like, go ahead and buy the other, higher priced brands that don't service through the stores, don't even offer a decent warranty or service agreement, and require you to mail the tool back to them (along with a $25 "processing fee") to get warranty service.

Personally, I like Ridgid tools. They are great tools, reliable and strong, and hold up well. I have used them heavily for years, with few problems. When I did need service, it was quickly handled locally with few hassles.

Curious, though, when people put down Ridgid tools while praising other tools made by the same company. Seems to happen a lot, probably because most people don't really know who makes what.

I've unfortunately needed service from essentially every brand over the years - and Ridgid is by far the best, in my experience.

YMMV, etc.

[capncarl]

I apologize for coming off like I am against their customer service. This has been a "discovery" experience with tools like I have never experienced before. I really like the drill and impact driver and use it a lot. I liked the 6" sander as well. Rather, I am bashing Ridgid that is obviously putting out tools that needed more research and development before they put them on the market. Reference my 6" random orbital sander that completely wore out before I used up the 4 packs of sandpaper I bought at the same time. Then there is the 18 v LI batteries that just die, apparently because of battery internal circuit board problems. I am sorry, when the battery dies the tool is dead regardless of whether we like the tool or not. Customer service has resolved these problems for me, but the fact still remains that I have spent more time using the warranty than the tools! The problems that HD has with their customer service counter is just an aggravation. Just my opinion. Good luck with your batteries.
capncarl