What is a warranty worth?

[workinonit]

So the Everlast guy made his way into a thread here the other day, not sure which one it was, basically sales pitching his inverter over transformer machines. All 3 of my Miller welders and my Thermo plasma cutter may fail the next time I lite them off but so far I've never had issues with them. I also have a repair shop 3 miles from me that reps Miller and Thermo so if one of mine fails it goes to him. I bought my Syncro 200 from him used. I didn't chime in on the Everlast sales guy the other day but I wanted to hit him with this exact scenario. No need now, Gary has answered any questions that I may have had. I personally wouldn't buy a welder from HF but that's just me. I don't have time to be taking things back for any reason. If my welder fails I call Todd and he picks it up. If someone is comfortable using HF equipment so be it. My view of HF is if I need an expendable item that's where I get it. I also buy consumables from them.

 

[Tinhack]

I regularly deal with customers who have expectations that bulky, heavy items should have discount pricing AND free shipping. I tell them to try Amazon.

I have and still do. Amazon is now the first place I look for products and supplies. I got my tool and cutter grinder as well as a metal band saw from Amazon. It's not unusual to get what I order the next day. And I live out in the sticks. I no longer have to spend a half day running up the big city to buy a box of bolts or a roll of sand paper. Auto parts are getting the same way. I keep being told by the counter person; "I can have it here next Friday". Well heck, I can have it here tomorrow and end up walking out.

Big names don't influence my purchases. You'll find most all "manufacturers" get their parts off-shore these days. Especially electronic parts. If it dies in the first 30-90 days, I get a new one. If it's something simple, I fix it here. If not, I can still buy a new one NOW and not be without for weeks on end waiting on warranty work. Time is money. Warranties only make money for the manufacturer. That's why they sell and YOU pay for a 5-year warranty. You're paying for it whether you know about or not. It's built into the pricing.

 

[AWSubie]

I am sorry to hear the OP has issues with his Everlast welder. I own two Harbor freight welders and one Everlast. All I can say is that I love my Everlast welder, it runs circles around the harbor freight welders regarding smoothness of arc and easy starts (initiation of the arc). Even though you had to pay for shipping charges I still think your money ahead with the Everlast.

 

[grsthegreat]

My hypertherm plasma cutter is nearly 10 years old, never a lick of trouble. My lincoln mig has nearly 8 years of troublefree use and the miller thunderbolt stick is nearing 5 troublefree years. If something i bought lasted 1 hour id be so pissed off.

 

[fried1765]

If you buy a plasma cutter/ TIG/ stick multi-process machine with 3 year warranty and it craps out after less than an hour of use and it cost you $160 to get it repaired, how much is that big 3 year warranty worth.

I just got the bill back from Everlast repair shop to repair my machine which I had to pay to ship it to their repair facility ($62 via UPS). Now they want me to pay $95 to ship it back ($50 shipping + $45 boxing fee). So the $639 machine is now almost $750 and I have only did some test cuts with it.

Folks bad mouth Harbor Freight' s 90 day warranty, Heck, the Harbor Freight 90 warranty is free replacement, no questions asked. SO which is better. For the $157 I paid to get my 3 year warranty work done, I could get the 3 year extended warranty on any machine Harbor Freight sells, if it craps out just pick up another one, NO CHARGE.

Many warranties offered are basically worthless, and you have just identified Everlast as being another one.

 

[Citydude]

I’m still trying to wrap my head around a $45.00 “boxing fee”.

 

[Diggin It]

I’m still trying to wrap my head around a $45.00 “boxing fee”.

Yeah, that didn't sit well with me either. Since they require you to send it in the original packaging (box), why is there a fee ?

 

[Citydude]

Yeah, that didn't sit well with me either. Since they require you to send it in the original packaging (box), why is there a fee ?

Oops! Guess I didn’t read the fine print when I bought mine. I threw the box in the recycle bin the day I got it. It wasn’t worth anything near $45.00 by the way.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Maybe this is the Everlast boxing fee

 

[WranglerX]

On another forum a guy sent in his welder for warranty work and tickled to death because after a month or more of sitting on their dock it was finally going to be diagnosed..... Wish I could remember what forum I saw this on....It only takes one post like that to make me very wary of a machine...

And am always weary of a retailer that is stickied on top of a forum...

Dale