# My Crapsman hose let me down!



## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

The other day I was using the black rubber lifetime warranty hose made by Crapsman and all of a sudden the end where it screws into the nozzle blew off. Oh well, $hit happens I say, and drag out my old standby Color works brand Wally World special hoses that are maybe 6 or 7 years old and still do not leak, and finished doing what I was doing.

So today I carry the hose back to Sears............and got a run around as to who takes care of the problem........so after bouncing back and forth between this clerk and that clerk I finally go to the womens apparel section and plop the hose on the counter and the lady there says whats this? I tell her its a hose and its busted, and has a lifetime warranty, and I want it replaced. She tells me to take it to the lawn and garden department, and I replied , nope, I am not bouncing around anymore. YOu can check out other items besides lingerie and dresses so you can get me the hose replaced....She replied, I don't think so.......so after a bit of staring each other down and some gestures, she makes a call to a manager, who comes to check out the problem. I tell him whats going on with getting a run around and he takes the hose and tells me to come with him. Off we go to the other department, where he goes up to the one clerk and hands him the hose, and points to me, then walks away. I am standing there, and this clerk dissapears, and then comes back a few minutes later and hands me my old hose, and a brand new in the pack hose end repair fitting. Nope this is not going to get it dude, I tell him. I want a new hose or my money back. I show him my receipt and the hose is just 2 months old plus or minus a day to todays date. He says its Sears policy to repair or replace, and in this case they would repair.......I tell him no way and demand to see the big manager. Clerk makes a phone call, and here comes another manager and the previous manager that carried my garden hose from the womens apparel department. After a bit of fussing, they finally told the clerk to replace the hose. 

I gave Crapsman Sears a good hearted attempt to win my business back but it failed. I am sure it has to do with the managers of this store and not Sears overall, but my future dealings with Sears will all depend on what kind of response, If any at all that I get to the email I sent Sears today after that little fiasco with the MOntgomery store. So anyhow I have a new and unused as of yet garden hose with a so called lifetime warraanty for what its worth, and waiting for a return email......maybe. Depending on the content of that email will decide if I do any more business with Sears or not.

So...........do you think I was within my right to want a new hose or was Sears within their right to hand me a repair end. Why would I want to buy a hose with a nickle plated or chrome plated machined brass hose connection only to have it fail becasue it probably was not swedged on properly to begin with, and then have a die cast zinc piece of crap connector and a hose clamp supposedly make things right? And still have to repair it myself to boot!

Oh well it was an interesting day anyhow, anbd whenever I go to Sears there is never a dull moment. Even my wife said I sort of embarrased her when I carried that hose to the ladies apparel department and plopped it on the counter etc etc..But said the look in that ladys eyes was worth being embarrased over.

I guess with all this rain I should have demanded my money back as I sure don't need it much right now.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

Your right man no doupt. Hey I HATE those repair hose ends, and if I wanted one, I would have those cheap a$$ hoses, that the ends fail on all the time. I learned in the past with the sears stuff, when you bring it back for replacment make sure it's REAL broke.


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

My biggest complaint with the local Sears store is the fact they no longer honor the old sign they used to have "Satifaction garanteed or your money back" I am a Sears brat but after the run around I got on my old Sears Crapsman lawn tractor, 2 engines 3 front axles and numerous linkages broken all in the span of one year and they claimed I abused the tractor. At that time I was using it on a flat level mature landscaped lot of one arce that did not even have a bump or rut. I just flat gave up with Sears and have never even returned to the store. My father retired as a store manager and the only thing he gets from Sears today is his retirement check. He understands the problems with Sears even more then me. The biggest problem is the fact that the clerks are ill trained and the salesmen (whats left of them are no longer interested in helping the customer as Sears has decided to compete witht he Wally Worlds.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

*"Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back"*

Isn't that their motto on Craftsman tools...if so they should honor it. Hell I took a tractor back after a year and more because I didn't like the mower deck and they gave me my money back...bought another tractor from them with the better deck. I think it has to do with individual store management...How a store is managed, good or bad, affects how the associates feel towards Sears and eventually how the customer is treated.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

i think its only going to be a matter of time before sears is totally changed... besides for their tools and appliances... i do not know why people go to sears.. theres a walmart on every corner that is usually more convenient to get to, and has better prices.. and home depots everywhere for tools and appliances.. 


Sadly i bet within the next 3-5 years sears is totally restructured..
and will have the small sears hardware type stores replace the big sears in all the malls.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Sorry to hear that Chip, I guess you have to really read the fine print. I had to go to Home depot to get one of your cool nozzles. It is a lifetime deal as well but you have to go thru the guys that made it. Oh well as long as I know that up front all is well. Enjoy the new hose!:crazy:


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

Kinda strange on the tractor Michael. I have had a lt 1000 for year and I beat the crap out of it. Never broke an axle, never had any engine issues or linkage issues. I still have it as well as my GT5K (at least until it (the 5K)is sold!!)


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## terrapin24h (Jun 4, 2004)

Chip-
For what that hose costs, not only should they have replaced it(glad to hear that they did) but done so fromt he get go. I like your approach to getting a manager. If it's not too much to ask, could you fill us in on the email you sent to HQ and what they respond when they do respond? I'd be really interested in knowing if the problem is wide scale or just hte store you went to. I have alot of craftsman stuff (a tractor included) and can't really say any of it has let me down, and i've always gotton really good customer service, except at one particular sears we go to. When they don't have an item we're looking for(say a tractor) they won't help you to find out if it's at another store. They always say "Nope, they won't have it either, we are the store with the biggest stock room, if we don't have it neither will anyone else" That statement of course defies all logic. The size of thier stock room has nothing to do with the buying habits of people at the other sears stores. A hot seller at one may be a dud at the other. SO we just don't go to that specific sears anymore. Anyway Chip, good luck I hope they square up with you in the end.

--ed for spelling


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Well, Sears was near bankruptcy a couple years back and then they restructured and remarketed themselves and for the better in my opinions, but times like these will certainly lose you some business in the future. I bought my lifetime hose from SamsClub(Walmart wholesale side) for $20 each and bought 3 of them.
They are SUPER thick, tough black hoses and I cannot imagine ever having to replace one of them. After all, isn't it obvious that one negative experience will affect others? This thread alone has 46 views of people who have read this story. Would you have rather replaced the hose or risk having dozens of people read about this negativity? Seems like bad management practices. 

What is the content of the email you sent? Was it a synopsis of your original post? Please keep us informed, Chip...I too have had great success with local Sears in Hammond, LA and with all of my Craftsman tools, equipment and mowers. 

Regards,
Andy


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

My experience is from 1995 and on the first year of using the tractor. I think it was a lemon and not a army tank. At the time I had a old Murray garden tractor that I thought was on its last legs but when I returned the Craftsman tractor after a lot of hassle from Sears I just kept using the Murray for another 7 years and the only problem was the deck finally gave out from rust on the MUraay. The linkage problems was directly related to the j-hook rods used to support the deck lift area. The hooks would only last about 6 months and then would snap at the bend. I finally got tired of it doing this because when the j-hook would snap it would take out the blades. I did notice that AYP finally redesigned these rods out of the tractors a few years ago and the newer ones have not the same lift. I just could not understand the problems with these tractors but I think that frame flex was the other problem with them and I think that it might of led to alot the problems. Sears today will have to improve nationwide before they will ever a lot of the customers they once had when they were once the top selling mass mechandiser in the country.


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