Why I will never buy another Speeco product again

[redprospector]

Well, now I have it figured out.My Speeco is black and blue.No wonder you had all those problems!

You mean I coulda fixed that thing with a paint gun?
The only thing black & blue around my splitter was me...after they got through beating me out of my 1000 bucks.

Andy

 

[isaaccarlson]

My dad bought a speeco a few years back and has had a few problems with it.
We just fix it ourselves and keep going. Sometimes you have to buy something knowing you will be fixing it yourself.
I try not to count on a warranty working.

 

[redprospector]

My dad bought a speeco a few years back and has had a few problems with it.
We just fix it ourselves and keep going. Sometimes you have to buy something knowing you will be fixing it yourself.
I try not to count on a warranty working.

I think people lowering their expectations is part of the problem. If I buy something new, I expect it to work as intended for a reasonable period of time before I have much problem. Maybe I'm asking too much, I don't know. What I do know is that I bought a Duerr 20 ton splitter 27 years ago, I ran it for 12 years without one problem. Eleven years later I replaced the engine with a used one to get by. Last year I upgraded to a 9 hp engine and 16 gpm pump, new valve and cylinder. Not too bad for a $1000 splitter. Maybe I'm crazy, but I expected my new splitter to at least work for a while.
Anytime I buy something new, I hope I won't need to count on the warranty. But if I do need to count on the warranty, I expect the company to stand behind their product.

Andy

 

[kgip2k]

The last things I have bought new have been tires and a car battery... Both wore early, and both warranty's were about useless... Car battery died in a a year, had to pay 14 on the prorate... tires lasted 23,000 05 a 35,000 warranty but pro rating again got me for $75 each... Had I been aware of the prices I woulod have shopped for good used. I have no use for a warranty if its gonna cost me, but I hve no issue if I buy used and pay a lower cost if I have to fix something out of my own pocket... I will stick with used and what I know works, warranties are too funny anymore... Just like sears will give you a used rebuilt ratchet now if you break a Craftsman... I don't agree with that... I didn't buy a used ratchet, why do I get a used ratchet?

 

[Preston]

But if you buy a new ratchet, use it 2 years it ain't a new ratchet any longer. So should you get a "new" refurbished 2 years old ratchet? When does the get something new for something old end? I know the automobile warranty doesn't work that way. Still the way red was treated was crap. I may just blow up with that one.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

The last things I have bought new have been tires and a car battery... Both wore early, and both warranty's were about useless... Car battery died in a a year, had to pay 14 on the prorate... tires lasted 23,000 05 a 35,000 warranty but pro rating again got me for $75 each... Had I been aware of the prices I woulod have shopped for good used. I have no use for a warranty if its gonna cost me, but I hve no issue if I buy used and pay a lower cost if I have to fix something out of my own pocket... I will stick with used and what I know works, warranties are too funny anymore... Just like sears will give you a used rebuilt ratchet now if you break a Craftsman... I don't agree with that... I didn't buy a used ratchet, why do I get a used ratchet?

Just for everyone's info with Sears. If your like me and take care of your tools, don't want a replacement that's been used as a hammer or has the cheap plastic selector, you CAN have them rebuild your ratchet. I've done this several times now and have kept my metal selectors after getting shafted once with the plastic switcheroo. If counter guy says no, ask for the manager or try another store.

Preston:
I don't expect to get more than I paid for. To use your analogy though. If I took my car in for engine warranty issues. I wouldn't want to get someone elses beat up car with a new motor either.

 

[Preston]

I was think about the insurance co on TV say if you car is totaled we will give you the money for a car one year newer. To me that stinks.

 

[brenndatomu]

OK, I know we're getting a lil off topic here but I'll tie this in eventually. Years ago I was slingin wrench's for a living, and I had a craftsman 3/8 ratchet. I held up OK at first. It eventually got sloppy so I took it in for a new one. They rebuilt it for me. It lasted a month or so. Went back, got a rebuild kit, did the rebuild myself, 'bout the same results. Went back a third time, don't remember who did what, but the guts blew all over the shop that same afternoon. By now your thinking I'm beating on this thing or using a cheater bar on it, right? Wrong, using it just the way it was meant to be used! Go back to Sears, I says, I want a new one, nope, they can't do that. I says, lemme talk to the manager, we go a couple rounds, he gives me a new one, tells me not to come back! :msp_mad: At this point, I'm steamed, fortunately I didn't take it out of the package yet when the Snap-On truck pulls in. He gives me full price trade in against a new fine tooth 3/8 Snap-On ratchet, I still have that very same tool still today, never rebuilt, still works fine! I can be as cheap as anybody, but I guess the moral of my story is this, sometimes ya gotta belly up to the bar and spend the money on a premium tool for premium results. Warranty's are all full of loop holes now days since everybody has to compete in the new "global" economy. Not too many company's will take care of a problem, just because it's the right thing to do, at least not any more than they absolutely have too or that you strong-armed them into!

 

[Fred Wright]

Brenn's right, warranties these days are little more than a money racket for repair shops. If a company did offer a no-questions-asked, we'll-replace-it warranty they'd lose their shirts.

Sears nearly went bankrupt back in the day with this practice. A customer would return a month-old lawn tractor for warranty repair and Sears would just give him a new one. It's no wonder they were losing money.

With suppliers all over the world anymore, it could be 8 months or longer getting the part you need for warranty repairs. When I worked at the TV shop we had several week-old sets waiting for replacement parts from Malaysia and Korea. By the time the parts finally came in, the customers had grown tired of waiting and bought another set.

 

[redheadwoodshed]

Since we're dogging out sears, here's my story.In 2005 we drove the 60 miles to town and bought a dishwasher from sears to match our stove and frig. I put the thing in,wired and plumbed it, went to wash a load and it wouldn't cycle.Tried it again, same thing.Loaded it up the next day, and started the 120 mile trek, again.Come to find out, they have a policy.If they take a return,it's 15% restock fee.You see, I was supposed to call and they would send a repairman.Which would have given me a repaired not new, dishwasher.After about a 2 hour argument with the manager, I paid the 15% for him to take his piece of junk back, went across the street to Lowes, bought another one with the money I had left over, and it had a 30 day return, no questions asked policy on it.I don't see Lowes losing their shirt.Sears was a good company at one time.I guess they should have kept the Roebuck, too.
I haven't been to a sears since, and won't go to one again.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

OK, I know we're getting a lil off topic here but I'll tie this in eventually. Years ago I was slingin wrench's for a living, and I had a craftsman 3/8 ratchet. I held up OK at first. It eventually got sloppy so I took it in for a new one. They rebuilt it for me. It lasted a month or so. Went back, got a rebuild kit, did the rebuild myself, 'bout the same results. Went back a third time, don't remember who did what, but the guts blew all over the shop that same afternoon. By now your thinking I'm beating on this thing or using a cheater bar on it, right? Wrong, using it just the way it was meant to be used! Go back to Sears, I says, I want a new one, nope, they can't do that. I says, lemme talk to the manager, we go a couple rounds, he gives me a new one, tells me not to come back! :msp_mad: At this point, I'm steamed, fortunately I didn't take it out of the package yet when the Snap-On truck pulls in. He gives me full price trade in against a new fine tooth 3/8 Snap-On ratchet, I still have that very same tool still today, never rebuilt, still works fine! I can be as cheap as anybody, but I guess the moral of my story is this, sometimes ya gotta belly up to the bar and spend the money on a premium tool for premium results. Warranty's are all full of loop holes now days since everybody has to compete in the new "global" economy. Not too many company's will take care of a problem, just because it's the right thing to do, at least not any more than they absolutely have too or that you strong-armed them into!

Agreed. My home rollaround has the good stuff in it but can't justify putting Snap On stuff in emergency toolboxes in trucks or tractors. It is very sad how the quality has gone down. If your working with your tools a lot, how the feel in your hands is high priority. I always loved the Bonney wrenches from the early eightys before they folded. They had the same feel and polish as Snap on and had the flank drive before they did. Keep your eyes peeled for those as they are VERY nice.

My Dad has his original set of Craftsmen tools he bought in the 1950.s and they look nothing like today's versions. It was his only set of tools and he used the heck out of them and ratchet has never been rebuilt and none of the sockets have been cracked. His sockets are about half the thickness of the new ones and even thinner than Snap On's current versions. I've also had problems with recent craftsmen wrenches spreading on the open end. They seem to be plenty soft anymore. I took one in for replacement and counter guy said no because it wasn't broke. Got the manager and showed it was spread .125 wider than new and he swapped it out.

I have a feeling thing Sears will probably get out of the tool market or some executive will show how it would saves them millions to quit the warranty. That would kill off there sales more than they would think.

Tools like woodsplitters are probably in the same boat. Most use them very rarely so on average the warranty thing is minimal. I remeber what one of my Dad's buddys used to always say about his welding. "All my welds have a lifetime warranty. When they break, the lifetime of the weld is done."

 

[Gologit]

I think people lowering their expectations is part of the problem. If I buy something new, I expect it to work as intended for a reasonable period of time before I have much problem. Maybe I'm asking too much, I don't know. What I do know is that I bought a Duerr 20 ton splitter 27 years ago, I ran it for 12 years without one problem. Eleven years later I replaced the engine with a used one to get by. Last year I upgraded to a 9 hp engine and 16 gpm pump, new valve and cylinder. Not too bad for a $1000 splitter. Maybe I'm crazy, but I expected my new splitter to at least work for a while.
Anytime I buy something new, I hope I won't need to count on the warranty. But if I do need to count on the warranty, I expect the company to stand behind their product.

Andy

Well said.

 

[cantoo]

I would bet that more than 90% of the guys here don't even use warranty on stuff they buy, they just get out the wrenches, torch, welder, hammer whatever and fix it themselves. We are not the typical Home Depot, Sears, Lowes buyer who walks in there in pretty dress pants and buys whatever the "associate" tells them they need. We are only there because we can't make it ourselves or it's cheaper to buy it, we know what we want and likely how much it is worth to us. When I buy something and they ask if I want the extended warranty I just laugh at them, warranty is a joke at best.

Does this look like the shop of an extended warranty buyer? Yup, that's the Steiner I bought a a dealer last spring. Motor blew, didn't even call the dealer just ordered a new motor and fixing it myself.
View attachment 256645

 

[Locust Cutter]

I didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't get a decent product, for the money. I firmly believe that when I part with hard-earned money, that I should be getting something of value for it and that the company should stand behind it. That said, I also own(ed) a 6.0 Powerstroke,... I haven't cheerfully or willingly lowered my standards/expectations for purchases. I have, however, acknowledged that I don't have the money to fund a good-enough lawyer to take various Store/Manufacturers/Proprietors to task when they knowingly sell me crap, marketed as a functional item. My limited financial resources cannot compete with those of large corporations, who factor in legal liabilities to the financial outlook, weighing the deferred legal cost of defending a product versus the up-front cost of fixing, or making a Good one from the start.

For reference, think 6.0 Powerstroke, the Ford Pinto gas tanks, Cummins J-code engine blocks, Craftsman tools (current production), Dodge auto truck trannys, certain S&W products, etc... I want good service for good money. I know I can't fight them, as a pee-on like myself can't go head-to-head with a "Global Corporation" so I buy accordingly. I try to do my research in advance, buy the best I can afford with the money I have, and roll the dice like the rest of us. I would have been pissed had the Speeco rep treated me like he treated the OP. However, I don't expect TW, Built-rite, or S.S. performance out of a box-store product, nor will I permit box-store performance/longevity out of a professional product. I think that's the reason most of us avoid box-store products when we're dealing with items which are intended to augment our income, or save us money, as much as we're financially able to. Sometimes we get burned, but that's life. I had phenomenal service out of my old 039. That said, I would have EXPECTED the same out of an 036/361, etc. Sorry for the rant.

 

[dhopkins55]

So how good are Iron and Oak splitters? Any other suggestions for a splitter that won't run me $4k or more, yet is a decent unit?

I have an Iron & Oak PTO mounted 20 ton hydraulic splitter. I love the thing, and it's a real work horse. I've yet to come across a log I can't split. Basically if I can heft it upon the splitting surface, it'll cut the logs. I really like it!!

 

[stihlcrazy20]

Finally got the correct valve in good shape. Put it all back together and she runs decent again. Plan on splitting the 8-10cords I need this winter and selling the thing before it blows up on me again. As of right now though she ran good through the cord I split this evening. Still doesn't justify them treating me the way they did, customer service is aways #1. As a business man I would never dream of calling my customers liars and cheats the way speeco did to me. Will definatly be putting in a call to Blount international and tell them how one of their companies treated me. And will never buy their products again. Like I said I feel customer service is always of the upmost importance.