Do what I did, take them to a Sears out of the area. You don't have to go too far. I went to the one in Lafayette. It is about 2 hours away. And don't take them ALL in at once. Take a few tools every time you go and do it a few trips.

I didn't bother with my sockets though. They were a litte discolored, but not rusty. Soaked them in WD 40 and they're almost as good as new.

Usually when I read about companies screwing people over on this site my thought is either "I'm not surprised, and I already don't do business with this company" or "I'm not surprised, time to STOP doing business with that company". I've been a loyal Sears customer since as long as I can remember and was bummed out when I read this post. I've forwarded a link to Sears customer service looking for an explanation. I really don't want to stop shopping at Sears...I hope they make this right.

Question: Is this a cosmetic condition, or does it actually affect performance?

I worked at Sears. It was store policy when I worked there back in 2001-2004 not to take rusty tools back. Its just that sometimes a customer brings 1 back and I'd just go ahead and act like it slipped through. If someone came up with a whole bunch of them then I'd probably tell them no or just call the manager.
I had denied customers many times because they came in with a bucket full of rusty tools.

@sleepydumbdude: It may be your store policy not to take back rusty tools, but does that local policy attempt to circumvent your corporate policy concerning tools?

time to call a lawyer

snowferret's comment is what is wrong with this country

@mconfoy:
snowferret is standing up to a big American Corporation that is not living up to its word...Corporations understand lawyers...sometimes you have to fight fire with fire....

Seems to me this activity, "Our neighbor haunts garage sales in search of rusty Craftsman tools to exchange at Sears", is just wrong. Your neighbor probably thinks he is taking advantage of Sears but he is really either driving up the cost of new tools or he could be the reason this stance has been taken.

I believe Mantari has a valid question, is it cosmetic only or does the rust affect the functionality of the tool?

How come almost 75% of the stories on the Consumerist are something like this:

... so I went to my local ... and the manager there said ... despite what the website says and the official policy ... therefore Company XXX should NEVER be trusted again!

It seems like the truism is not that Companies suck, but that local store managers are morons.

I think probably the best thing is to take them out of the area, and in small batches. You could also try soaking them in naval jelly, but I'm not sure what this does to the plating (it's great for removing rust on regular steel...phosphoric acid and all that).

You could also get a wire brush that goes on a bench grinder and remove a lot of the rust that way.

Even if the rachets are siezed, if you at least clean the rust off, they'll probably take them. (I have the worst luck with Craftsman ratchets..the mechanisms always seem to give out).

@tadowguy:
Well, it seems the point is that Corporate should have better control over their local stores and enforce policies better.

What's the point of buying a product you think will have one advertised policy but going to the local store and receiving different treatment?

I'd actually side with Sears on this one...my interpretation of the warranty is satisfaction with the manner in which the tools perform their function...not warrantied against all events.

If I use a saw as a hammer and it breaks I shouldn't expect Sears to cover that..nor should they cover rust that is an 'act of God' or negligence of the owner...

People need to start taking some personal responsibility and stop trying to get someone else (Sears) to bail them out.

It's a product warranty, not a promise that no matter what goes wrong in your life (hurricanes, fires, rust) you can get brand new tools. If the tool is defective, it'll be replaced. Sears never promises to replace tools you've allowed to rust, or save you from not insuring your household belongings. If a store is accepting rusty tools, it's purely as a customer relations move, not as a warranty matter. As for the friend who buys rusty tools at tag sales to turn in for new ones...there are no words.

The problem is that Sears has already enjoyed the benefit of having a Full Unlimited Warranty, in the form of increased sales of their products. Now that it is the customers' turn to enjoy the benefit of this policy, it is absoultely unfair for the policy to suddenly be abandoned.

I think another word for this is fraud.

Sears isn't honouring the warranty because it'd break the bank to replace every tool in southern Louisiana and the other areas affected by Katrina. That doesn't make it right, but they're not rejecting the replacement because of 'cosmetic issues' or because they beleive that its not a 'manufacturer's defect' that resulted in the tool being useless. It has got to be an economic decision.
And, of course, it might be WORSE for them to have this sort of bad press get out, than to just replace all the tools that people bring in from Katrina areas. So big up on The Consumerist and others for reporting this. Heck, perhaps they'll take a page from the Quiznos manual and make a 'tool giveaway' into a PR event.

I have used several tools in my life and rust typically dosent affect they workings of the tool. Sears will take back your tools if they are defective, break, or are otherwise unusable. Sorry but rust doesnt fall in that category, I'm with Sears on this. If you can show how the rust is causing the tool to work improperly (which I doubt it is) then I'll side against sears.

Wait... if a manufacturer's defect caused the product to be unusable, I'd return it for a new one.

Anyone would!

You mean to tell me THAT is the extent of the much vaunted Craftsman Full Unlimited Warranty?

Is that even a SELLING point?

People need to take "Personal responsibility" for an act of God? My ass! If Sears wants to hype a "FULL AND UNLIMITED" warranty, they need to support it. I expect the "full and unlimited warranty" to be just that, if advertised as such.

I haven't read the fine print, but certainly the craftsman lifetime guarantee is presented as being all inclusive by their sales staff who have assured me as much when they were trying to make the sale.

I thought that Sears does not cover abuse, fire, or rust in their warranty paper work.

@Zweites

I haven't read the fine print either (couldn't find it, actually), but customer abuse (rust) of the product is not Sears' problem or any company's problem. I wouldn't expect it to be covered under a warranty, even an unlimited one. The purpose of the warranty is to cover the customers using the tools to their breaking point, which is supposed to be for a very long time. The unlimited-forever warranty is so that when your great-grandpa's ratchet snaps in your hands, you can take it to any Sears, without a receipt, and they will hand you a new one. The box full of rusty tools is not a product failing due to wear or workmanship issues; it is end user neglet. Now, in the "special" case of Katrina damaged tools, put yourself in the store's position. If they take pity on everyone with tools rusted by a Katrina flood, this sets a precedent. Now EVERYONE who had Craftsmen tools go through a flood or are otherwise rusty can take them back to Sears and demand new tools. There is no way to differentiate between Katrina tools and tools left out in the rain. You need to deal with your insurance company and scrutinize their policies on this matter.

And indeed, I will agree that we have a major problem in America with accountability. Everyone is so willing to run to a lawyer for everything, when really they need a lesson in responsibility. Leaving your tools in the rain is not Sears' fault; replacing a tool collection damaged by catastrophe is not Sears' problem. Tripping over your own feet on your neighbor's sidewalk is not your neighbor's problem.

I think we should use company policies for what they are for, using our sense to guide us. As huge as these corporations are, and as much as we'd all like to screw them as we all feel are screwed, we have to take a step back and decide if we are part of the problem. Abusing policies designed to keep good customers coming back does not bode well for a group of people (consumerist.com) calling for businesses to do good business.

AFAIK the warranty is full, unlimited and without condition. The fact is, some local stores like to institute further conditions or policies regarding exchanges and returns. I'm really unhappy with Sears about this. Especially the Katrina people, very awful thing to do.

The fine print:
***
Craftsman hand tools are guaranteed forever. If any Craftsman hand tool ever fails to give complete satisfaction, return it to Sears for free repair or replacement. This warranty gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Other Craftsman tools are covered by limited warranties.
***

This doesn't seem to leave room for exceptions based on fires, cosmetic damage, hurricanes, rust or manager's mood.

I'm actually thinking about rounding up all my Craftsman tools and returning them because the unhonored warranties I'm hearing about are enough to make them "fail to give complete satisfaction." (I did a bit of Googling after running into this post in order to find the warranty text and in the process ran into numerous similar complaints on forums such as bobvila.com and toolmonger)

OK, what part of "unconditional" don't you people get? Sears didn't institute that because they're nice Christian people. They came up with it because it is a SELLING POINT designed to cause people to choose Sears' Craftsman tools over other brands.

Either "unconditional" means NO CONDITIONS WHATSOEVER or it has NO meaning at all.

No one put a gun to Sears' head and made them use that in their advertising. "Unconditional" means that I can bring back the tool for replacement if I suddenly decide it has a demon living in it or for any other reason at all.

Please do not start interpreting "unconditional" to mean "unless it's rusty" or anything else. It's an ABSOLUTE promise to the customer. Period.

They made a promise and now they're reneging on it.

It's corporate policy. I worked at three Sears. One in Evansville, IN, one in Daytona, FL, and one in St Louis. It was easy to get a job at the others with the store transfer.
I always thought it was a stupid rule and would usually just let them unless a manager was behind me or it was a bunch of stuff. Most the time i just didn't care to hear the customer bitchin when I told them no.
I was told it was to keep people who come from yardsales from making returns.

From the Sears website:
"A Warranty is a contract between the purchaser of a product and the company that produced the product that details the components, duration, and circumstances by which a defect in the product will be remedied."

Rust isn't a defect....it's physics.

Well, I am glad that their are people out there with the same thoughts I have on this issue. As for the ones saying to take personal responsibility nice advice, but it has no relevance in this matter. From what I read on here you seem to have a "FULL and UNLIMITED LIFE TIME WARRANTY." I interpret it as if anything happens to it I can replace it at no cost regardless of how the product became unusable. I forgot the name of the person that posted about how financially hurt sears would be if they replaced all of Louisiana's damaged Craftsmen tools, but I believe that is the case here. If I was a New Orleaner, I'd file a class action law suit for false advertisement. I for one wouldn't put up with this and I'm sorry for your loss of shiny tools.

it really depends on the specific tools in question - if the damage effects the usability of the tool or if its just cosmetic. thats the key factor as to who is to blame here.

Ok, I am on the side of sears on this one. My husband is a big craftsman fan and has used their return policy many times because of tools breaking etc. The policy is set in mind for a small volume of returns. if they would take tools back from Katrina from owners that did not take are of their tools it would break the bank and raise the price of many tools. (not to mention it goes down the food scale and eventually affects the workers at the factory)
Sorry but there were plenty of warnings for Katrina and if you have an expensive collection of tools be prepared and have a waterproof toolbox (thats what my husband has and we are not even in a flood zone)

If you really do take care of your tools, you might want to go to a different store and not with a bucket full of tools. that raises suspicion in anyones eyes.

Just MHO

I just read the warranty for home use Craftsman tools, and rust is not covered under it. However, if your tools did get ruined by Katrina, I would suggest using Navel Jelly as one previous poster suggested. I works great on my tools for surface rust, it should clean them up enough for exchange at your local Sears. However, to that guy who goes around to garage sales looking for rusty tools to exchange, you are a leech and are taking advantage of the warranty. People like you are going to make Sears require a receipt for exchange if you keep that up. Sears should be applauded for this warranty, even with the rust exclusion.

i stopped using sears last year when i had a problem getting my under warrenty refridgerator repaired in the hottest part of july.............we now use a local applaince store for all our appliances.....sears sucketh (along with best buys)

@rockergal:
"Sorry but there were plenty of warnings for Katrina"

Get in touch with reality woman. Let me paint you a picture. You live somewhere along the Gulf Coast or Atlantic Seaboard. This includes all you New Yorkers and New Englanders too. On Monday you're watching the local news and the Weather Man comes on a says that there is a "system" forming that we need to keep our eye on. You have heard this a million times before. So you make note of it and go about your business. You tune into the news the next night. It's crossing the Carribean and doing damage to some third world tropical island. The "Cone of Confussion" in the US mainland ranges from Texas to the Florida Peninsula. Or maybe from Florida all the way up the Carolinas. All the people that live within 100 miles of the coast there are now put on warning. Ok, you take note of it and pray one of you fellow americans is the "lucky" one now.

On Wednesday morning they have now narrowed the "Cone" down some. You are smack dab in the middle, but there is enough leeway to the left or right that is could still pass you.

This is now 3 days out. You are someone living from paycheck to paycheck. Not necessarily the people you saw in the pictures at the Superdome. People with a car and some cash, but just maybe a paycheck or 2 from trouble.

You now have 3 days to decide if you are going to evacuate. And if you do evacuate which way do you go? Maybe you have family 500 miles west or east. But they're right on the edge of the "Cone". It's not likely that the storm will hit them. But what if it does, that also means it's going to bypass you, and they might be headed your way. You start to make a plan. Did I also mention that you have a spouse and 2 kids and drive a mid-sized sedan? That you've evacuated several times before, only to have the storm shift and go past you with just some 30 mph winds? That each time you do evacuate you miss several days of work, not to mention the cost of this little "vacation" and what 2 or 3 of them do every year to your budget?

The next day, Thursday, and the "Cone" is smaller. but you are clearly near the center. Odds are you are going to feel some effects. It is a Cat 4 and could go Cat 5. You start boarding up the windows of the house, bringing in anything thats outside that could get airborne and become a projectile, that means things that can weigh as much as 50 pounds if they are large enough to catch some wind. You hope you neighbors do the same. You've done the drill before. Grab the "Important" file, Birth certificats, passports, tac papers, insurance papers. Start arguing with the kids about how many of their toys and things you can take. Making sure they have enough clothes for 2-3 days, because thats how long these things usually take. Do you have a pet? I won't burden you with those logistics in this scenario. No, no pets.

Ok, it's Thurday evening. According to the Weather Channel the storm is going to make landfall in about 36 hours, However there is STILL a 30% chance it could miss you. Do you stay or do you go? And more importanatly, WHERE THE FUCK DID I STORE MY CRAFTSMAN TOOLS BECAUSE I KNOW THOSE FUCKS WILL TRY TO SCREW ME ON THE GUARANTEE IF MY HOUSE FLOODS!

@rockergal:
Oh, and send me alink on you husbands "waterproof" tool box.

@Sudonum:

Very, very well done.

Why should they take back a rusty tool. It's not a defect but rather failure to take care of it. With that kind of thinking one could abuse a tool in anyway he wants and then expect a new one to replace it.

What does the warranty say?

From this page:

When I hear the "store policy" line, I say, "In that, I will take this to small claims court. You can talk about your policy, and I'll talk about the law. Who do you think the judge will agree with?"

@Sudonum: Excellent. Very well written, indeed.

@rockergal: Tell you what. Take your husband's waterproof toolbox and put it in your bathtub after you fill it with water. Check for air bubbles -- if there are any, it's not really waterproof. If you're lucky enough to not have bubbles, add a canister of salt and let the box sit there for a week or so, just like most Katrina victims' stuff did. Then tell me how his tools fared.

FWIW, on Sears' website right now, when you shop for Craftsman tools, the site states "guaranteed forever". I don't see any exceptions there. An absolute warranty is ABSOLUTE, there are no exceptions. Not for customer abuse, not for rust, not for acts of G-d, not for cranky store managers, nothing. It seems a simple concept to me.

I think it is absurd that people expect that warranty to cover storm damage. The warranty clearly is meant to cover tool defects and failure during normal use. Sears had nothing to do with Katrina and the damage it did.

This is especially true with the guy collecting rusted tools from garage sales in an attempt to scam Sears. That should be treated as criminal activity. I don't know if people should invest in water-proof tool boxes, but they SHOULD realize that a broken/defective tool warranty would not cover acts of god, natural disasters.

Sounds like a car warranty issue I ran into. I bought the comprehensive warranty (say what you like about it being un-needed), but part of the contract was to provide all parts/labor coverage, free towing, and a free loaner car until the car was fixed. The hood hinge was broke and at highway speeds the hood would jump every once in a while. I brought it in 130 miles before the end of the warranty, but told "it's too close to the end of the warranty". They admitted it was a covered repair "right now" but, but I was SOL, since the parts/labor/loaner would be used after the warranty period, assuming I put 130 more miles on (the shop couldn't fit in the job to fix it ... it's not my problem).

I wound up having to get the agreement which stated "if any warrantied items fails during the covered period we will cover....." It failed during the covered period, that's all that matters. I'm on the side of the consumer, don't take money for a product where part of what's advertised is (insurance/guarantees/unlimited warranty/etc.) and then change rules when it becomes too expensive to make good on your claim.

Guarantees and warranties are liabilities and risks, you lose sometimes. Sears/Kmart no better way to kill your customer base than to not stand behind your product.

Hey, when you buy a Craftsman tool, you are paying a premium. That added cost goes to the unlimited warranty. Whether you return one tool or a tool box full, they should cover you. The added cost when purchasing Craftsman tools applies to a tool box of tools too. Sears wants their cake and eat it. You can buy non warrantied tools at discount from other makers that sell them at 1/2 to 1/3 the price from manufactures in China. And you wonder why made in the USA doesn't mean anything anymore. Thanks, Sears.

Rust is a cosmetic issue. It doesn't affect the operation of the tool. The warranty is meant for tools that break.
From a Sears rep:
"The lifetime warranty is meant to protect the customer in the event that a tool is defective or breaks under normal use. It is not meant to cover tools that are damaged/destroyed/lost due to fire, water, theft or other natural
causes. Rust is not covered by the warranty."

Should Chrysler give you a new car if you've got a 100,00 mile powertrain warranty and now your motor is full of water?

File an insurance claim and quit worrying about it. If you didn't have insurance- then why should Sears pay for your mistakes?

If you use sudonum's example you've just pissed away 4 days of preparation by waiting until Thursday to get your shit together to evacuate. Missing work? Better than missing your life.

Things to do in the future:
1. Buy some fucking flood insurance. Claim your rusty tools there.
2. Have an evacuation plan. Have all your important papers together. Don't wait until the last minute.
3. Buy some steel wool & oil. Clean off your tools. They're mostly chrome plated. I'll guarantee (there's that word again) that you can clean the rust off of those sockets.

And the guy that buys tools at yardsales and exchanges them at Sears? What a scumbag.

Everyone wants to blame everyone else for their mistakes.

Has anyone else noticed the uptick in company apologists here lately? Interesting fluke or sockpuppetry?

Sears tried to pull a bait-and-switch on me in the 80's. They had some car speakers on sale, then when I went in to get them, Sears was like, "Oh were out of those, wouldn't you like these?" and proceeded to show me a more expensive set, which was much more than I needed or wanted to pay. I insisted on a rain check and got it after a lot of hemming and hawing on Sears part. I called week after week and each time told the auto accessory dept manager "Hello, this is John Doe, and I have a rain check for the XYZ speakers that I would like to fill, do you have them in yet?" Each time the response was "No, sorry, those haven't come in yet." After the third time I had a friend call in asking about these same speakers, and viola, Sears had them, and they were NOT on sale, but they DID have them in stock. I promptly went in, grabbed a set off the shelf and when I checked out the manager was running the cash register. He looked crest fallen as he honored the rain check, and was surpised to see me there getting my original deal. I KNOW that jerk was trying to keep from honoring that rain check, that putz. Another time my wife broke a globe on a Sears stand up lamp, and Sears said they wouldn't replace it, and that I'd have to buy a whole new lamp. I asked for the manager and insisted on Sears rplacing it, as they had plenty of other replacment parts, why not for their furniture line? I had to go to Sears three times and they kept putting me off, telling me the manager wasn't in, etc, but I perservered and finally did get in to see the assistant manager and told him I would not give up until Sears got me a replacement globe, which I would be glad to pay for. He said he would do his best to locate one and eventually did locate one that they couldn't sell because it had a blemish. It was covered by the shade, so that was good enough for me, at least they finally did SOMETHING for me, but it took a lot on my part, and in the 80's you only had the telephone or you could write a letter, or make a live visit which is not convenient for many folks.

From the "Toolmonger" article:

Craftsman hand tools are guaranteed forever. If any Craftsman hand tool ever fails to give complete satisfaction, return it to Sears for free repair or replacement. This warranty gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Other Craftsman tools are covered by limited warranties.

In the minds of a consumer, the tems "stainless steel" under a coat of rust arguably entitles them to repair or replacement under the terms covered by this warranty. Under the terms of the waranty, there appears to be no specific time in which Sears/Craftsman is obligated to satisfy these conditions. Were the NOLA Sears at all PR savvy, they would happily accept any/all rusted tool returns, and ask the customer to return in a week after they had "repaired" the tools by scrubbing all of the rust off of them.

@WV.Hillbilly: Show me where it says, in the warranty, that rust isn't covered. Not what some Sears rep says it means. Show me where the warranty actually says that.

The warranty I saw, and quoted above, doesn't contain any such exclusion.

Your armchair evacuation plan is irrelevant.

Everyone wants to blame everyone else for their mistakes.

Heh. Yeah.

@Nygdan:

If it costs them too much, too bad. You can't go back on a contract after it is signed. The warranty was in effect when the tools were sold. It also didn't say "except in New Orleans". Therefore, Sears is committing fraud -- and I don't see any proof of any effort by corporate to rein in this illegal behavior. So yes, it is time to call in the lawyers.

And what's with the ridiculous corporate-apologist behavior around here?

.....Sears is shafting those folks. I hope they get what's coming.

.....I rolled into New Orleans back in June of 1991, during a massive rainstorm. Some kids may have fallen into a canal, and they shut off the pumps. The city flooded while I was trying to get to the French Quarter. Rolling around midtown with water trickling into your doors is scary as all hell! I managed to keep the engine running and get to high ground, but that car stank of swamp rot for years thereafter, and there was no getting rid of it! That cured me of any notion of wanting to actually live near the Gulf!

Wow, It's nice to see people getting personal over some tools. I guess if there is anything worth getting personal over, it's your your tool.

But really, this is Sears. Please don't insult Katrina victims to defend Sears.

I have to go with Sears on this one. The tools are warranted against breakage from normal use. Why should Sears eat the damage from the tools getting all wet and rusty, when that was never what was meant to be covered by the warranty?