So I came home from work today and my 18-month-old air compressor was running. Weird.
I watched it awhile (about 10 minutes). It stayed at 140 PSI. I turned it off. I sprayed it down with soapy water, no bubbles. I drained it. I tried to refill it. Now, suddenly, it won't go above 30 psi.
Now I'm pissed, this is the second expensive tool from Sears that has broken in the last year.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=369719
I go to the store, they tell me that I can pay $30 to have them send the air compressor to a service center, then they will call me and tell me how much the repair will cost. I tell them that I want to know what it will cost up front, so that I can go buy a new (non-Craftsman) air compressor if need be.
I also tell them that I received no such offer for repair with my floor jack. "We don't repair floor jacks.", was the response I got.
I end up getting the department manager. I explain to him that I've spent $400 for a floor jack and an air compressor and both have failed after 18 months. No mention of the warranty period was given with either purchase, nor was I offered and extended warranty on either. I ask him what he will do for me about the floor jack. He shrugs and starts to give me an 800 number.
I ask him again what
he will do for me. He stutters and asks me to call Craftsman.
I ask him again what
HE will do for me. He just shrugs this time.
I say: "All I'm hearing is that you will not do anything for me."
He starts in about the one-year warranty on floor jacks. I interrupt him: "A floor jack should not fail after 18 months. Craftsman is promoted as a premium brand. You have done nothing to fix this problem."
"You can try to call..."
"I want
YOU to take ownership of this problem. I will not tolerate being passed off to someone else again." (As it took three hand-offs before I talked to him.)
"I can't do that."
"I'm done here."
I'll go back on Monday and talk to the store manager. I have little hope of resolution. These guys are trained to pass problems off and hope they get lost in the bureaucracy. They have no interest in solving problems for customers.
I stopped buying Craftsman when my floor jack broke and was told I was SOL. Today, I called and canceled my Sears card (which I haven't used in years anyways).
If I do not get satisfaction on Monday, I will never set foot in a Sears again.
It's too bad really, my grandfather retired from there in 1989, when it was a much different company.