DeWalt warranty - what a joke !

Discodog

I decided to invest in some decent screwdriver bits so I bought a set of DeWalt diamond extreme bits - just about the most expensive out there.
The largest flat bit snapped whilst unscrewing a roofing bolt out of a bit of timber so hardly a strenuous job.

The set was about €30 Euro so this broken bit has a value of about €2 & I thought that DeWalt would happily replace it. So I emailed DeWalt. Firstly they wanted a date & proof of purchase - do we really keep the receipt for screwdriver bits ? Anyway I sent them the info & I explained that I was perfectly happy to buy a replacement bit.

In their latest email DeWalt want me to photograph the broken bit & photograph the bolt :eek:. If they are going to be this ridiculous over a €2 bit how would they be with a €200 drill ?

I have a brilliant 12v Milwaukee screwdriver & I wondered if they did a holster so I emailed them in England. The reply I got was as follows:

"We are just about to introduce a holster & belt. Can I send you one for free & maybe you could let us know what you think of it ?"

Solair

DeWalt is just Black and Decker.

elaverty

I hope you told them where to go with there free stuff and that you wernt going to be a guinee pig for anyone,the cheek of some people..:)

Discodog

I know. The joke is that all this messing around has cost them way more than a screwdriver bit

elaverty

Solair wrote: »

DeWalt is just Black and Decker.

Is it

Discodog

Yep. Tradesmen wouldn't buy a Black & Decker so they call it a DeWalt.

Discodog

elaverty wrote: »

I hope you told them where to go with there free stuff and that you wernt going to be a guinee pig for anyone,the cheek of some people..:)

I have since heard that Milwaukee send out loads of free tools in the USA. I think that you can apply to be a "tester". You get to keep it in return for giving them your opinion.

It would of been so easy to of put a couple of bits in a jiffy bag. It would of cost nothing & made me sing DeWalt's praises.

Atlantic Dawn

Discodog wrote: »

Yep. Tradesmen wouldn't buy a Black & Decker so they call it a DeWalt.

Never knew that, I always assumed they were an American company with no link to anyone else, thanks for the info. Did a quick Google, looks like Stanley too is owned by Black & Decker...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeWalt

DeWalt is a worldwide brand of power tools for the construction, industrial and woodworking industries. It is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.

Discodog

Thankfully Stanley Tools are way better than anything made by B&D.

dnme

Yeah it's amazing to learn that DeWalt is a subsidiary of Black & Decker. I always thought they were a high quality American brand. Just goes to show you the power of branding eh? I always wanted to own a few DeWalt tools cos I believed they were the best money could buy.

Now there's another very clever brand, FESTool. They produce fine tools and are innovative but their brand is so strong that they sell at a 300-600% premium over their competitors. Incredible eh?

Tell me, who makes good tool at a proper market price? Who would you buy a router from? what about a table saw or a chop saw?

slavetothegrind

a mate is a chippy and he bought a bosch chop saw, i think it was 1300 or so, fine bit of kit though!

me i love hilti, they take major use in their stride and rarely give jip, the back up service is there too.
quality fixings also!

Ryobi have there place for occasional use tools, have a now 5 year old 14v screwgun i bought for 220 euros and it's still going strong although the batteries are starting to die.

my pet hate is those ultracheap welding plants.
had to use one today as i was stuck, what a bag of ****e, but hey you gets what you pay for...sometimes....

slavetothegrind

OP meant to say you are dead right, a cost fcuk all replacement sent to you would have endeared themselves to you. now you have nothing good to say. Stupid of them.

fair play to milwaukee!!!

I find my local draper store ( ok the milwaukee thing is in me now) cool about the odd breakage.
bought a set of expert ratchet spanners a while ago, 85 euros for 5 spanners.
the 13mil gave up ratcheting in genuine regular use so i brought it back and was given a replacement on the spot. with an apology.
so i buy draper expert there now all the time as if anything is faulty i am sorted.

mind you that and a flatblade screwdriver that broke in a mcb are the only casualties so far!

Discodog

I love my Milwaukee 12 volt driver. Small, light, very powerful but also easy to control. I like it so much that I bought the matching reciprocating saw which is very useful because you can use it one handed.

Based on these two I would certainly consider Milwaukee as an alternative to Makita. Blue Bosch are also pretty good.

The trouble is that you don't know how good the company is until something goes wrong & DeWalt are useless.

yoshytoshy

I find that the newer batteries have a lot of torque and it's easy to round off screws etc. The slotted bits often break on me ,I usually use a screwdriver to get a start on loosening them first

Discodog

This broke removing a roofing bolt that would of had a hole drilled for it so very little load on the bit. Also I was only using a 12v screwdriver.

Hootanany

Don't buy Yellow

gsxr1

I have a a large Dewalt chopsaw, router , drywall gun, XRP cordless drill, XRP pin gun and power plane
They are all top class tools and are far from the diy quality Black and decker branded tools. Although one company may own the other, one would be mistaken if they believed they are the same.

The difference would be like comparing a ford Ka to a Ford Mondeo. Same make.

William Powell

Quick question OP why were you using a screwdriver on a roofing bolt? I use a socket made for roofing bolts and no way could you break that.

the bolt

slavetothegrind wrote: »

a mate is a chippy and he bought a bosch chop saw, i think it was 1300 or so, fine bit of kit though!

me i love hilti, they take major use in their stride and rarely give jip, the back up service is there too.
quality fixings also!

Ryobi have there place for occasional use tools, have a now 5 year old 14v screwgun i bought for 220 euros and it's still going strong although the batteries are starting to die.

my pet hate is those ultracheap welding plants.
had to use one today as i was stuck, what a bag of ****e, but hey you gets what you pay for...sometimes....

would have to agree with ryobi as i have a couple of screw guns and a plane and find them all to be good tools.saying that i have a dewalt chop saw that owes me nothing at this stage,nearly ten year old now but does all i need it for.mate has a hitachi screw gun he swears by,small ,well, balanced,hold good charge but twice the price of my ryobi.

JohnDory

So have they refused to replace the bit?

What did they say about the pictures?

I have to say I am surprised, I have never had anything but great service from the DeWalt team, they arranged to have my hammer fixed a few months outside of the warranty and didn't cost me a penny.

Discodog

William Powell wrote: »

Quick question OP why were you using a screwdriver on a roofing bolt? I use a socket made for roofing bolts and no way could you break that.

Just one bolt to remove - only did it to keep the bolt.

JohnDory wrote: »

So have they refused to replace the bit?

What did they say about the pictures?

I am not going to start taking photos for a €2 bit !. I will get a another replacement but not DeWalt.

They have sent me 4 emails. The time & money plus the cost of me having to reply is ten times the cost of replacing the bit. I am happy to buy one but I think that "computer says no !"

Owen

All my tools are DeWalt. Saying they're just another B&D is a bit of a farce, I've stripped my sander, and the sealed bearings in there, and the protection on the motor is far superior to anything in a similar B&D chassis. I've a dual orbital sander, heat gun, polisher, anglegrinder, circular saw, router ... all top quality considering the pounding I regularly give them.

And the warranty's brilliant as far as I'm concerned, I use my heat guns way more than the average person meaning they die every 10 months or so, and I get a new one each time, no quibbles. Before anyone says 'just 10 months ... you should have used x', I've used them all. The DeWalt lasts the longest and has no quirks or sporadic problems. There's a new version coming soon which promises to last even longer due to reworking of the heating element. Bring it on.

Yellow rocks!

Discodog

So they replace a heat gun with no quibble but want photos etc for a €2 bit

Do you deal with DeWalt or your supplier ?

Owen

Both.

10-10-20

Aren't B&D known for drilling 'square holes' as the shank is rarely aligned properly...

jack of all

That's bad form with DeWalt, I have some of their tools and never had a problem so I don't have personal experience with their warranty service. I've had a broken router bit replace for free by Trend (the replacement was of superior quality and price), spare parts for Bessey clamps- again for free and some other items have been replaced by tool suppliers/ manufacturers for free and without quibble. A €2 no-quibble replacement bit would have bought DeWalt some goodwill, their bad I think!

slowburner

PaintDoctor wrote: »

All my tools are DeWalt. Saying they're just another B&D is a bit of a farce, I've stripped my sander, and the sealed bearings in there, and the protection on the motor is far superior to anything in a similar B&D chassis. I've a dual orbital sander, heat gun, polisher, anglegrinder, circular saw, router ... all top quality considering the pounding I regularly give them.

And the warranty's brilliant as far as I'm concerned, I use my heat guns way more than the average person meaning they die every 10 months or so, and I get a new one each time, no quibbles. Before anyone says 'just 10 months ... you should have used x', I've used them all. The DeWalt lasts the longest and has no quirks or sporadic problems. There's a new version coming soon which promises to last even longer due to reworking of the heating element. Bring it on.

Yellow rocks!

I could be wrong but I think the confusion comes from the fact that B & D and deWalt had the same parent company. AFAIK deWalt was a rebranding of Elu tools and machinery.

Buford T Justice

Have to say that I've never had a problem with any of my yellow tools.

They might be the same parent company as B&D, but they are definitely not the same. DeWalt are far superior tool and are workhorses.....

Owen

slowburner wrote: »

AFAIK deWalt was a rebranding of Elu tools and machinery.

DeWalt only bought ELU in 94, and used their woodworking tools in their line up. They used whatever engineering was better in ELU's tools to shore up their own product line where the stuff was compatible, but they're not just a rebranding of ELU tools at all.

I wouldn't use anyting else these days for work. I've had Makita and Felsatis machine polishers which were supposed to be the dog's nuts - especially as the motor's constantly surrounded by wet polish and lots of water, but both died after only 13-15 months. The DW849 polisher's built like a tank.

spunk_monkey

I use to work for DeWalt, driving around the country in a massive yellow DeWalt demo van doing demo shows etc.

To say they are the same as black and decker is ridiculous .

DeWalt is designed for professionals, using their tools day in day out. The parts used in them are not comparable to DIY tools such as black and decker.

Give a trades man an 18 v cordless black and decker and it's will be burnt out in days. I have seen DeWalt stuff last over 10 years.

Generally speaking , DeWalt make the best woodworking gear.

Festool are superior but the price is a lot to swallow.

Buford T Justice

spunk_monkey wrote: »

I use to work for DeWalt, driving around the country in a massive yellow DeWalt demo van doing demo shows etc.

To say they are the same as black and decker is ridiculous .

DeWalt is designed for professionals, using their tools day in day out. The parts used in them are not comparable to DIY tools such as black and decker.

Give a trades man an 18 v cordless black and decker and it's will be burnt out in days. I have seen DeWalt stuff last over 10 years.

Generally speaking , DeWalt make the best woodworking gear.

Festool are superior but the price is a lot to swallow.

+1 I've broken B&D tools in a few hours of working with them. In fairness they would be getting a fair bit of abuse but then again I've given DeWalt the same abuse and they keep coming back asking for more. I need to get a new battery for my cordless drill though. doesn't last as long as it should anymore.

I'd be great if they did have something like the Ryobi One+ system where all the batteries are compatible with all of their tools. I've got the above cordless and a site radio, and both can use the same charger but the locking bases are different so i Can't swop them around....

Festool are unreal in price. I used to repair one in a hire shop I worked in. I was baffled that they would pay such money for a tool to have hired out and given dogs abuse. Makita would have been more suitable price wise and as easily repairable.