RIDGID Thumbs their nose at me

[ray66v]

Yes, I actually do get it.

1. Your original post says to avoid the Ridgid Brand. I disagree with that post and have given my reasons

2. You have been doing emails with some body at ridgid. Quite frankly that is usually a waste of time the person doing the emails only has to tell you no and go about their buisness. If you want to do emails then get the address for the person that is at least a VP in sales and point out the cost of the drill bits versus the cost of advertising. The last problem I had with someone was armstrong ceiling tiles. The sent a person that did not have a clue what she was doing to evaluate the problem and told me that my celings were the problem not the tiles. I called sales and got a VP and told them why she did not know what she was doing ( my house has tongue and groove pine ceilings and she was saying I did not put furring strips up was the problem) I pointed out that they probably had less than 50.00 tied up in the tiles I had bought I on the other hand was prepared to write several letters to trade magazines that they advertised in detailing my problem and their lack of response. I was not sure how many thousands of dollars in sales that would cost him but it would be a lot more than 50.00. He asked me where I wanted the new boxes of tiles sent.


3. Sending the broken bits to ridgid means that they have to do something with them. They either have to send you the broken bits back or else they have to send you new ones. More than likely if they have to mail something back it is going to be new ones.


4. You can vent on this space and maybe feel better but still you have broken bits.


5. For me personallly someone having a problem with a drill bit will probably not stop me from buying ridgid tools.

I think most people expect a lot more from a company than you. However, if you want to deal with a company that treats its customers this way, uses deceptive advertising, and puts you in a position that requires you to have to fight you way up the chain of command, and or force them to do, what they are legally and morally obligated to do by virtue of the contract, that they offered upon purchase of their product. Then frankly, please I beg of you, continue to do business with them. So they can get a chance to do to you, what they did to me.

My intention here is to inform people, not debate YOU. Frankly, I don not care what you think. If I start a thread like: "RIDGID, good or not good?" Feel free to give your opinion. You are not going to change my opinion of them, and I am not going to change, (nor care too), yours. I am simply trying to help those who want to be helped.

 

[patrick_g]

Pat: If you or anyone else wants to start a thread about how great RIDGID is, be my guest.

As I said, I would have joined you a week ago. If you would have had my experience this week, and had to deal with their attitude, you would not be sticking up for them.

I am offering this advice to try to help those who want it, if you don't want the advice, don't take it.

Even if you had a guy on a street corner, selling dog do do on a stick, some one out there will be raving about how good it is. That does not mean it is not @#&%!

I don't want to get a penalty for "piling on" but...

a. I did not "stick up for" Ridgid.
b. I sympathized with you (past tense)
c. I just reported my personal experience and surmise regarding Ridgid. They aren't the bastion of American quality they once were.

I have only bought one Ridgid tool in the last 20 years and it was the joiner about 10 years ago at Home Depot. It works fine.

It is too bad you broke a bit but I don't see how your "problem" is with Ridgid. You have never exercised the warranty due to problems with bozos at HD and maybe youir lack of focus. It seems your problem is with Home Depot not getting with the program in accordance with the warranty of the product they sold you. Whether or not the item was "crap" or not is NOT the issue. You need to take your problem up the chain in the HD hierarchy in a factual and logical manner. Talking to the bozos on the floor of the store didn't get you very far. If you want to get a proper redress of your grievance you need to take it to a higher level of management. It would help your case immeasurably if you stick to the facts and not "go attitude" with the people you need to decide favorably in your instance.

You need to decide if you want replacement goods or you just want to throw a tantrum. I would support you in either but the most successful approach for each of these is mutually exclusive with the other. Decide what you want, replacement goods or to exercise your righteous indignation and then hone your approach to serve your selected ends.

Although I don't think as much of Ridgid quality as in the olden days, your problem lies with HD.

There is fighting the good fight and then there is biting your nose off to spite your face. I have broken lots of cheap bits, some with warranties and never considered it hardly worth the time to go to war over a $.30 bit. I typically buy multiple copies of drill indexes and "bargain lots" of loose bits and just refill my indexes as required. With the price of fuel these days I won't waste $40 in fuel to make a round trip to argue about a $0.50 or even a $1.00 BIT.

I sure hope you get satisfaction. I know how important that may be but don't lose sight of what they actually owe you (a drill bit.) They aren't gonna kiss your backside in the middle of route 66 on Sunday afternoon on Wide World of Sports no matter what you do or say.

Now just in case during all this fast paced excitement I lost sight of THE FACTS, please explain to me how Ridgid has abused you. Isn't your beef with HD for not honoring the terms associated with the goods sold to you?

Even Don Quixote could only tilt at one windmill at a time. I personally think you need to give HD a wakeup call about honoring the stated waranty for the goods they sell.

Pat

 

[Bird]

I've broken a few drilll bits and never even considered asking for warranty on them because I really don't know how you can "break" a drill bit in a way that wasn't abuse that would void the warranty. I know you can wear them out or dull them, but how can you break one that isn't your own fault?

 

[ray66v]

I don't want to get a penalty for "piling on" but...

a. I did not "stick up for" Ridgid.
b. I sympathized with you (past tense)
c. I just reported my personal experience and surmise regarding Ridgid. They aren't the bastion of American quality they once were.

I have only bought one Ridgid tool in the last 20 years and it was the joiner about 10 years ago at Home Depot. It works fine.

It is too bad you broke a bit but I don't see how your "problem" is with Ridgid. You have never exercised the warranty due to problems with bozos at HD and maybe youir lack of focus. It seems your problem is with Home Depot not getting with the program in accordance with the warranty of the product they sold you. Whether or not the item was "crap" or not is NOT the issue. You need to take your problem up the chain in the HD hierarchy in a factual and logical manner. Talking to the bozos on the floor of the store didn't get you very far. If you want to get a proper redress of your grievance you need to take it to a higher level of management. It would help your case immeasurably if you stick to the facts and not "go attitude" with the people you need to decide favorably in your instance.

You need to decide if you want replacement goods or you just want to throw a tantrum. I would support you in either but the most successful approach for each of these is mutually exclusive with the other. Decide what you want, replacement goods or to exercise your righteous indignation and then hone your approach to serve your selected ends.

Although I don't think as much of Ridgid quality as in the olden days, your problem lies with HD.

There is fighting the good fight and then there is biting your nose off to spite your face. I have broken lots of cheap bits, some with warranties and never considered it hardly worth the time to go to war over a $.30 bit. I typically buy multiple copies of drill indexes and "bargain lots" of loose bits and just refill my indexes as required. With the price of fuel these days I won't waste $40 in fuel to make a round trip to argue about a $0.50 or even a $1.00 BIT.

I sure hope you get satisfaction. I know how important that may be but don't lose sight of what they actually owe you (a drill bit.) They aren't gonna kiss your backside in the middle of route 66 on Sunday afternoon on Wide World of Sports no matter what you do or say.

Pat

This was a 6 piece set of wood boring (auger) drill bits. They are NOT cheap.

I am sorry I bothered to try to let everyone know about this. My intention was to help others not get cheated, like I did. I see now, this was a further waste of my time.

 

[patrick_g]

I've broken a few drilll bits and never even considered asking for warranty on them because I really don't know how you can "break" a drill bit in a way that wasn't abuse that would void the warranty. I know you can wear them out or dull them, but how can you break one that isn't your own fault?

Bird, Have you ever bought tools from the traveling tool show, Cumins? They have bits that are trash by HF standards. I have broken 3-4 one right after another trying to do what the bits in another index from another source (HF) had no trouble doing. The few I have left are used for soft wood only.

That aside, I am in basic agreement with you when dealing with most decent quality bits. Still, if the item has a warranty and you didn't abuse it, it is reasonable to expect the store to honor the warranty as stated on the package.

Like a tire, if it has new tread but blew out without hitting anything you'd expect them to honor the warranty. I think the ROI needs to be considered but that is just me. IF it costs you $50 to get a $0.50 bit was it a good fight? If I were going by the store anyway and had some time I woild give it a try otherwise it would not be worth it to me to hold their feet to the fire for a buck.

Pat

 

[ray66v]

I've broken a few drilll bits and never even considered asking for warranty on them because I really don't know how you can "break" a drill bit in a way that wasn't abuse that would void the warranty. I know you can wear them out or dull them, but how can you break one that isn't your own fault?

When you pay $8 for 1 auger bit, and the first time you put power to it, it snaps in half, thats what is called, "a defect in workmanship." Either way the warranty covers them, thats way I selected these particular bits. If taking them out of the package to use them, is my fault, then I guess its my fault.

Funny in 30+ years of using auger bits, I have worn out dozens of them, never have I had one snap in half.

 

[patrick_g]

This was a 6 piece set of wood boring (auger) drill bits. They are NOT cheap.

I am sorry I bothered to try to let everyone know about this. My intention was to help others not get cheated, like I did. I see now, this was a further waste of my time.

OK Ray, exactly what have you let everyone know?

You are having trouble getting HD to honor a warranty. How does that reveal any awful truths about Ridgid?

If I invested 1/2 the time at HD or working my way up the HD chain by fax, email, or phone that you have invested grousing and looking for solace here under the guise of a public service announcement, you would probably already have a replacement set.

Sorry, but although I certainly sympathize with your position, I do not condone your approach to righting the wrong. If your intent is to use this site as a sounding board to defame Ridgid then I think you are way premature as well as misguided, having selected the wrong target. If you did what I suggested (with a decent attitude) and still got no satisfaction I would cheerfully support your effort to get visibility for your problem.

Do you want a new bit, sympathy, or just to vent? Let your actions support your goal.

Pat

 

[ray66v]

My only satisfaction for now, is to let everyone know that RIDGID is not being honest with their customers about the "lifetime warranty" on these tools. And how they were unwilling to take any action to correct my problem.

I have made this clear from the beginning.

 

[ray66v]

OK Ray, exactly what have you let everyone know?

You are having trouble getting HD to honor a warranty. How does that reveal any awful truths about Ridgid?

If I invested 1/2 the time at HD or working my way up the HD chain by fax, email, or phone that you have invested grousing and looking for solace here under the guise of a public service announcement, you would probably already have a replacement set.

Sorry, but although I certainly sympathize with your position, I do not condone your approach to righting the wrong. If your intent is to use this site as a sounding board to defame Ridgid then I think you are way premature as well as misguided, having selected the wrong target. If you did what I suggested (with a decent attitude) and still got no satisfaction I would cheerfully support your effort to get visibility for your problem.

Do you want a new bit, sympathy, or just to vent? Let your actions support your goal.

Pat

Yes, what I should have done was have everyone let me know exactly how high up the chain I need to go, and how much time I needed to spend, before your all convinced that I tried hard enough, and further frustrated myself enough. So that you all could be satisfied. And Yet, you say it is not worth it for a drill bit. But, you think I should have done it before I have a right to say anything?

 

[patrick_g]

I have made this clear from the beginning.

To quote a past president, "Let ME make one thing perfectly clear."

It is unlikely that you will get your drill replaced by anyone here on this site.

Until or unless you elevate your problem within the correct organization (Probably HD, maybe Ridgid, but surely not TBN, you will not get your drill replaced.

I realize how frustrating it is to not meet the prerequisites to be able to DEMAND warranty service and it is really too bad you don't have a receipt. This is all the more reason to try to be civil, even though firm, with the folks at HD as you want them to want to help you not put up sand bags and start ranging for a mortar barrage.

I return things all the time to HD and Lowe's (and Wally World) with no receipt and never get a hassle.

You could gamble on resolving the problem with a gambit. Here is the scenario: buy another copy of what you had originally and use that receipt to exercise the warranty on the broken item. After the warranty issue is over return the 2nd (new unopened) set for a refund. The unbroken item should be able to be returned even with no receipt in case they mark up your receipt.

This should work and get you a new item.

Apparently this issue is of paramount importance to you. It wouldn't be to me. We were well along in this discussion before I knew it was over $8 not $0.50.

Good luck getting a replacement, if that is actually what you want.

Pat