# Craftsman plow rant



## jasf (Nov 7, 2004)

I bought a bigger GT than I needed for my property to begin with,but SEARS won't stand behind it. 21.5 horse Briggs,48"deck,42"blade for 1 acre & a 60'x20' drive with a turn around.The mower has had issues that are for another forum. The blade has been used 3 times & I've broken stuff 2 times. 1st the bolt on the trip spring sheered off. I replaced that with one from my job. Tonite I'm plowing 6" of the lightest lake snow I've ever seen & the angle cable snaps off the handle. I call the store-no parts- direct me to the tech/parts 800 number. The cable is $8.86. The rep offers me free shipping. NO, SEARS should pay for this! I get transfered from parts to service then disconnected. Call back. 2nd rep says no to anything & that free shipping is not a policy. Iask for a superviser & wait 10 min. The Super offers me the free shipping right off the bat! I agree if they will overnite the part. This took 1hr so far. The Super says they are not part of SEARS & have to charge me for the part. I call the local SEARS store back(1hr20min from the 1st call). The store Manager agrees to refund any $$ charged by the parts company.My wife calls me stubborn,but no way was I paying for that $8.86 part.Would you have done the same? My garage is FULL of Craftsman tools & they came one person away from pissing a $1000 a year customer away.


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## PlowRider (Jan 3, 2004)

Satisfaction guaranteed was Sears motto... But a lot of people took advantage of that ??? Buy a mower in the spring and bring it back in the fall and get your money back ??? I saw a lot of this when I was salesmen at Sears.. But they should back the products they sell... I hope you get it fixed and it works for you... Good luck


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Actually Sears Craftsman's "Satisfaction Guarranty" only applies to Craftsman hand tools- power tools or any kind don't count. Broken shovel handle counts, broken wrench counts, broken hammer handle counts, broken cable on your Sears lawnmower your problem IF it's out of the 90 day warranty for it.

Many Sears stores will take back lots of stuff they should not- or used to. Sears and Kmart are merging- Sears has had Massive layoffs (good friend WAS a manager got out before the store took the hit) they will be sticking to their polisy's more and more simply for cost control.

Don't buy Sears lawnmowers lesson #1, unless it's out of a recon outlet.

You are stubborn, and I might have done the same thing, but think about it this way- your phone calls, aggrivation and all that to get a $9.00 piece that means you "worked" for less than $9.00 an hour to get it. Remember what your time is worth. If you have so many problems with it talk to the store manager where you bought it and see what they can do about taking it back. It can;t hurt.


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## Plowlikehell (Nov 29, 2004)

I'm no longer a huge fan of Sears, But I do have a 22hp Garden tractor with the dozer blade. I have owned this since 99 and have never had to replace anything on the plow. The edge needs replacing now tho. If you are mad at Sears, go to Home Depot and look for the part number 917 on the tractor attachments. When my mower quits, I will never buy another one from Sears after the great :angry: service I got on my dish washer and stove.


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## bolensdriver (Oct 12, 2004)

Yes, Electrolux makes Craftsman tractors. BUT Elextrolux doesn't make the snowplows. The same company that makes the Kubota, New Holland, and some John Deere snowplows, makes them for Craftsman. I have a catologue with the info in it, when I find it, I will give more specifics.

My opinion, they are cheap cheap cheap and I hate them. It seems like many companies are turning to the brand, and they suck. Cheap snowblades.


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## millratf250 (Nov 15, 2004)

:realmad: :angry:  SEAR & RUBBISH


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

BTW FYI All of Sears power tools are made by other companies- study everything under the sears name before you buy it- if you recognise it it's probabily ok. The worm drive circular saw, for example, is made by Skill/Bosch (S-B Power tools), their table saws are made by Emerson and Ryobi.... (I used to work in the retail tools trade for a competitor). Sears doen;t make anything (Craftsman hand tools is a owned subsidiery I believe) they just rebadge it as do many other industries.


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## jasf (Nov 7, 2004)

Got the cable today. I actually rigged up a way to angle the blade with a pair of vise grips & some angle iron. I might just have someone weld it on for me & forget the whole cable idea.It looks like hell,but is much easier to operate &stronger! Was it worth an hour of my time for less than 9 bucks? Yes. Will I purchase anything other than hand tools from SEARS? NO. What pissed me off most was all of the different people each with a different answer. If there is a policy for cutomer satisfaction everyone should follow the same one. I probably would have paid for the part no prob if someone would have been the least bit personable or helpful initially. Thanks for the tip on Home Depot parts.


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## butters (Nov 16, 2004)

That is too bad that they treated you like that. My dealer would have looked it up and ordered the part for me right from the store.

I can't speak for their lawn tractors or snowplows, but I have had nothing but great experiences from Sears. My local store is just awesome. The owner really goes out of his way to help people out. I have had good luck with everything I have purchased so far from Sears in the last two years. This includes:
A Maytag refridgerator
Kenmore Elite gas range
Kenmore Elite Dishwasher
Kenmore gas grill
Kenmore washer
Kenmore dryer
Tradesman table saw
19.2 Cordless drill/circ saw/reciprocating saw/light combo (awesome set I might add)
2 cheap DVD players
16" Craftsman chainsaw
Humidifier
2 window a/c units
and probably a lot more that I can't think of right now.

Anyway, we just built a house and needed most of this stuff and my local store really helped me out. They had the stuff at the right prices. The owner always lets me use expired coupons and goes out of his way to keep me happy. I think that having a good reputable dealer makes all the difference in the world.

As stated above, all of Sears items are made by someone else. Whirlpool makes a ton of appliances for Sears as does KitchenAid, Frigidaire, etc. Not to mention the Chainsaws (Husqvarna), Cordless tools (Used to by Ryobi not sure now) the list goes on... I don't think this is a bad thing. It keeps prices low and allows companies to market their own brands. The point is almost all companies have things made for them. I could care less who makes it as long as it works and is reliable.

As for Home Depot, well I could write a book on how bad they have treated me and my friends. They are consistently unprofessional in almost every aspect. Poor customer service, lack of respect for the customer, special orders screwed up, consistently not having advertised items (and blaming it on something different each time), the list goes on and on. I only go there now if I have too. Anyway, just my $.02.


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