I have several (broken) items that have a lifetime warranty. The problem with the lifetime warranty is that they want me to send the item back to the company at my expense, and send them a specified amount for return shipping and handling. I have a Totes umbrella that costs $12 new (it is still available in stores for that price). They want $5 for shipping and handling, and i have to ship it to them at just under $8. I would almost be better off buying a new one. I have a Chinese made scope that costs me $20. The LT warranty says to include $10 for return shipping and handling. It cost about $8 to ship it back. The scope broke the second time I used it. If they send me another scope that breaks, I will be out $18. I also have a cheapo calculator I bought for $1 that has a LT warranty. They want $5 return shipping. Lifetime warranties sound good, but you don't really get anything for free. My guess is the Totes umbrella only costs $2 to make, and the scope only costs $5, so I end up buying a new item anyways, but they call it a LT warranty.
Parts with Lifetime Warranty.
- Thread starter Loobed
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Lifetime Warranty only works if you can return it to local store for exchange likes Sears Craftman tools. I look at lifetime warranty as a gimmick if the merchandise must shipped to them for any warranty work/replacement, unless it is a high cost item such as Bilstein shocks/struts. If it failed then I would contact Bilstein directly to know the exact procedure, it's probably buy replacement parts, replace the broken ones, ship it to them then wait for reimbursement.
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A warranty is nothing more than a sales tool.Surveys have shown only about 10% of warranties are put in for claim.And the way things are today,they make it very difficult for those cases to actually get satisfaction.Hand tools like the old SK lifetime warranty are almost useless.SK has been sold at least 3 times and they want tools to be sent in postpaid to the company for repair or replacement.If they find signs of abuse,you get nothing and are actually out the shipping costs.Like I said,"Lifetime warranty" sounds good at the time of purchase and may make a sale over something with no warranty or just a 90 day product warranty,but its increasingly meaningless now.
I always think of Tommy Boy when the lifetime warranty talk comes up.
JHZR2
Staff member
Most cheap junk has a "warranty". It is really a gimmick to make you feel like youre getting even more "value" than just a low price. More expensive stuff may also have a relevant warranty, but it is also more likely to be serivceable and worth doing, and also less necessary to do so often. Depending upon the item, there may also be more practical ways to get it serviced.
From Ken Rockwell:
Quote:
Cheap versus Frugal
I usually use the word "cheap" instead of frugal, but I mean frugal. I use "cheap" because it sounds funnier.
Cheap means buying something obviously [censored], and only stupid people do that since they usually cost themselves more in the long run. For instance, a cheap person hires the wrong person to do a job, and winds up paying more to have a competent person have to fix the damage done by the first workman. Cheap means giving your girlfriend flowers picked out of a funeral home dumpster, and leaving the wrong sympathy card attached to them, That's going to cost you a lot more than you just saved!
Frugality is entirely different. Being frugal means using your money well and not wasting. Being frugal often involves spending large sums on the right things, like hiring competent professionals to do a job, or buying a more durable, quality product that lasts far longer than a regular one.
Everywhere I use the word "cheap" below, please realize I mean "frugal."
Yes, as you may guess, I am part Scottish.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-afford-anything.htm
From Ken Rockwell:
Quote:
Cheap versus Frugal
I usually use the word "cheap" instead of frugal, but I mean frugal. I use "cheap" because it sounds funnier.
Cheap means buying something obviously [censored], and only stupid people do that since they usually cost themselves more in the long run. For instance, a cheap person hires the wrong person to do a job, and winds up paying more to have a competent person have to fix the damage done by the first workman. Cheap means giving your girlfriend flowers picked out of a funeral home dumpster, and leaving the wrong sympathy card attached to them, That's going to cost you a lot more than you just saved!
Frugality is entirely different. Being frugal means using your money well and not wasting. Being frugal often involves spending large sums on the right things, like hiring competent professionals to do a job, or buying a more durable, quality product that lasts far longer than a regular one.
Everywhere I use the word "cheap" below, please realize I mean "frugal."
Yes, as you may guess, I am part Scottish.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-afford-anything.htm
I agree with your point except for Leupold Rifle Scopes. I ruined a scope and sent it back to Leupold to see if they could fix it with a note telling them what I did to it (my fault). They sent me a new, yes new scope back to me UPS with a note that basically said, Sorry for your bad luck here is a new one. We hope you continue to enjoy our products. I now only buy Leupold except for one Zeiss. Great people
I once purchased suitcases with 10 year warranties and returned all of the them to the store one after the other and received new suitcases in return with no problems. Unfortunately, the new ones didn't come with new 10 year warranties, but still better than nothing.
I also have a problem with stores that have a lifetime warranty, but will say to you that you can only use the warranty one time. Once I had an auto parts store tell they wouldn't warranty my brake shoes any more because I had already taken them up on their warranty.
On the subject of companies standing behind their products. Two years ago I bought a golf bag made by Bag Boy. It had a detachable bag with a zipper. I broke the zipper. I e-mailed the company asking how I could get a replacement. They e-mailed me back asking for my address as they were going to send me a replacement for free.
Kestas
Staff member
I claimed warranty for the front Monroe shocks of my 91 Marquis twice already and three times for my 71 Cutlass. I've owned the Marquis for 21 years and the Cutlass for 29 years.
The Cutlass is due for new ball joints. I'll see if Moog will honor the warranty after 27 years. I have the receipt.
The Cutlass is due for new ball joints. I'll see if Moog will honor the warranty after 27 years. I have the receipt.
Tommy Boy is a perfect lesson in what a lifetime warranty can sometimes mean. There are companies that really mean it, and then there are the rest...
I remember back in the early 1990s, I bought plug wires for my old LTD 4 cyl. from the dealership. They were absurdly expensive, around $80 at the time. However, there was lifetime warranty and they were almost as thick as a thumb.
Their lifetime warranty was unconditional, and they did honour it. I carelessly tore a boot some years later changing plugs. I took the broken wire and the receipt to the dealership, and no questions asked, I got a replacement wire.
Their lifetime warranty was unconditional, and they did honour it. I carelessly tore a boot some years later changing plugs. I took the broken wire and the receipt to the dealership, and no questions asked, I got a replacement wire.
At the time I bought balljoints at NAPA for my truck, the parts person offered me two same parts. 555 Sankei brand, but were repackaged as NAPA Chassis Parts with the lifetime warranty or Master Ride Chassis with a 1 year warranty. I bought the one with the lifetime warranty, it was $25 more. The balljoints appear to be good quality, made in Japan, greaseable.
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
I agree with your point except for Leupold Rifle Scopes. I ruined a scope and sent it back to Leupold to see if they could fix it with a note telling them what I did to it (my fault). They sent me a new, yes new scope back to me UPS with a note that basically said, Sorry for your bad luck here is a new one. We hope you continue to enjoy our products. I now only buy Leupold except for one Zeiss. Great people
I have 1 Leupold and 4 Redfield scopes with lifetime warranties. My Zeiss binoculars have a lifetime warranty, and it is transferable. Taurus has a similar lifetime warranty that is transferable.
I agree with your point except for Leupold Rifle Scopes. I ruined a scope and sent it back to Leupold to see if they could fix it with a note telling them what I did to it (my fault). They sent me a new, yes new scope back to me UPS with a note that basically said, Sorry for your bad luck here is a new one. We hope you continue to enjoy our products. I now only buy Leupold except for one Zeiss. Great people
I have 1 Leupold and 4 Redfield scopes with lifetime warranties. My Zeiss binoculars have a lifetime warranty, and it is transferable. Taurus has a similar lifetime warranty that is transferable.
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