A poll to pass the time while I wait on hold with Ridgid service

[SiXGuN]

I know some of you are feeling as beat down as me in dealing with Ridgid customer service. So here's a little poll to find out how angry you all are.

[BadgerDave]

The only thing worse than bad customer service are stupid whiny polls.:rolleyes:

[SiXGuN]

LOL

Spoken like a true diehard employee of the Ridgid Tools Customer Service Department!

[Frankiarmz]

You only get one chance to make a first impression and bad customer service is a companies first impression to the consumer. In terms of business, there is nothing worse!This customer may be complaining or in your mind being a whiner, but if he hangs up that phone and decides to switch brands Ridgid has just lost another opportunity to satisfy the customer. Competition is too great nowadays to have such a laid back attitude. Ridgid could be a leader, but it will take hard work. They need to get off "Hold" and get moving!

[oldslowchevy]

dang dave, you work for either home depot or ridgid yet again

[BadgerDave]

dang dave, you work for either home depot or ridgid yet again
Yup, it sure is a dilemma for me every morning. I have both a RIDGID and a Home Depot baseball cap and I never know which one to put on when I get up in the morning.:p

[doubtingtom]

So ...... would purchase of HD's ESP with Ridgid power tools solve / have solved many of these (other current harangue threads) problem? It's a pretty cheap alternative to the consternation involved ..... IF IT WORKS !!

I only wear my Big Green Egg (BBQ) hat .....

Tom B

[l_bilyk]

Yup... the tools have good features, the quality seems to be there for the most part, but the customer service is lacking

[garager]

Tools, just like people, there is always a bad apple in the bunch. As I have said before, I own many, many of Ridgid Tools and equipments, and not 1 one of them has broken down.

Come on people, even all the other brands will have a tool or 2, that can/will break down right away. If you don't want to deal w/Ridgid no more, then move on, you made your point.

Same with H.D., Sears, Tool Crib, Lowes, Menards, and any every other big boxes, tool selling stores out there, you can find them to not stand up to their warranty. They are just hoping you would move on w/your problems, because there are more people out there just like yourself.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist out there to figure out how they all conduct they're business with customers.

As far as Ridgids customer service, ya that needs to be reprogrammed, but then again so do all of the other companies. But if you think by coming around here and constantly telling everyone that you had a problem and expecting everyone to jump on your band wagon and boycot whomever, move on man.

There are more people pleased with Ridgid Tools, then there will ever be of you. Move on !!!!!

PS, I don't work for nobody, but I do work for myself. And tools are an everyday usage with me thus I buy Ridgid Tools......

[mspaugh24]

LMAO!! That poll was good,BUT the results were even better!! :D:cool:

[l_bilyk]

Tools, just like people, there is always a bad apple in the bunch. As I have said before, I own many, many of Ridgid Tools and equipments, and not 1 one of them has broken down.

Come on people, even all the other brands will have a tool or 2, that can/will break down right away. If you don't want to deal w/Ridgid no more, then move on, you made your point.

Same with H.D., Sears, Tool Crib, Lowes, Menards, and any every other big boxes, tool selling stores out there, you can find them to not stand up to their warranty. They are just hoping you would move on w/your problems, because there are more people out there just like yourself.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist out there to figure out how they all conduct they're business with customers.

As far as Ridgids customer service, ya that needs to be reprogrammed, but then again so do all of the other companies. But if you think by coming around here and constantly telling everyone that you had a problem and expecting everyone to jump on your band wagon and boycot whomever, move on man.

There are more people pleased with Ridgid Tools, then there will ever be of you. Move on !!!!!

PS, I don't work for nobody, but I do work for myself. And tools are an everyday usage with me thus I buy Ridgid Tools......

I don't think anyone wants to boycot ridgid. People just want better customer service, and it's probably good that people are vocal about it so that the higher-ups realize that there is a problem. First improvement would be to have a separate ridgid call center from ryobi. Guys who pay the premium ridgid tools probably use them to make a living and can't afford to get the run around. Every tool of any brand will eventually need something replaced (well maybe not milwaukee :p). Why is it that bosch mails me the part in two days, dewalt repairs my tools in a 2 hour period, while ridgid plays phone tag with me, sends me to an incompetent repair center, makes me wait two weeks, and then finally agrees to ship me the part only after I give them **** for their poor service up to that point?

My point is, alot of us have already purchased several ridgid products. I, for one, was really happy with my purchase up until the point that it required service. I still like alot of the ridgid products and I would start buying again if I saw some better customer service.

[erngum]

Tools, just like people, there is always a bad apple in the bunch. As I have said before, I own many, many of Ridgid Tools and equipments, and not 1 one of them has broken down.

Come on people, even all the other brands will have a tool or 2, that can/will break down right away. If you don't want to deal w/Ridgid no more, then move on, you made your point.

Same with H.D., Sears, Tool Crib, Lowes, Menards, and any every other big boxes, tool selling stores out there, you can find them to not stand up to their warranty. They are just hoping you would move on w/your problems, because there are more people out there just like yourself.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist out there to figure out how they all conduct they're business with customers.

As far as Ridgids customer service, ya that needs to be reprogrammed, but then again so do all of the other companies. But if you think by coming around here and constantly telling everyone that you had a problem and expecting everyone to jump on your band wagon and boycott whomever, move on man.

There are more people pleased with Ridgid Tools, then there will ever be of you. Move on !!!!!

PS, I don't work for nobody, but I do work for myself. And tools are an everyday usage with me thus I buy Ridgid Tools......

Are you kidding Garager? Something must be done! It was Ridgid who made the first inferior NiCad powered light sabers and the empire was lost because they would not honor the warranty (and it was past the 90 day HD return policy). Thus the dark side took over with superior Dewalt brand light sabers with 90 amp hour lithium batteries! We must band together and end this treachery!!! ... Or let's just hang out and talk about using tools.

Ern

[MrsSeatDown]

Those who say girls are drama queens have never visited the Ridgid forum:eek::D

[PLUMBER RICK]

i'm glad this only happens to the wood guys.

us plumbers have a direct line. in fact they even call me to see all is well:D

but seriously, i've never had an issue getting a live knowledgeable person on the phone. i guess it's the fact that i'm calling the plumbing division and not the cordless branch;)

in fact they have a great data base, once you've spoken to them, they know who you are and where you are. i have no complaints:)

now do i get my commission:confused:

rick.

[ToUtahNow]

I agree with Rick they have always been available for me. I keep the owners manuals on the truck and call from the field with any questions.

Mark

[erngum]

Those who say girls are drama queens have never visited the Ridgid forum:eek::D

I refuse to get a Ridgid forum hat until I see on paper what the exact thread count of the material is. I called Ridgid CS and they "had no idea" so I think it must be at least 400. I don't know, I'll have to check the specs on the Makita hat. This is inexcusable! I'll never wear hats again!:D

[garager]

Those who say girls are drama queens have never visited the Ridgid forum:eek::D

I can really relate to what your saying there, Joey.

Just reading the Plumbers Forum section, I don't need TV morning shows...:D:D:D

Some of those questions that are asked, get the same answers for days on days by different people :eek:. Grab a diet pop and a bag of popcorn and I'm good for the day, if I have the day off, that is...:D:D:D





















Just mess'in around w/ya.....:cool::D:D:D

[Frankiarmz]

I think if the folks at Ridgid are reading these posts and taking bits of advice here and there, that's a good thing. A little humor is always welcomed and insults and threats don't accomplish very much in my opinion. Ridgid can tell by sales or lack of if they need to make changes. Personally I treated myself to the big 18volt set as a retirement gift to help me work around the house and property, I even use the impact driver on my car. Very pleased with the quality and strength of these tools. Not always thrilled with the run time, and since I don't use them often enough they naturally discharge while waiting for me to pick them up. Just a week or two after I bought my set, Ridgid came out with the 24 volt lithiums. I was a little disappointed figuring I could have gotten better tools had I waited, but after handling the 24's I realized the set I got was right for me. I have been hoping Ridgid would offer lithium ion batteries for my existing tools, ones that would have equal or stronger Amp Hours. That hasn't happened yet and I don't know why but I really think it would be a smart business move for Ridgid. I hope they improve their customer service and warranty practices for all you folks who use these tools to earn a living. We are living in great times for these kinds of tools, keyless chucks(no more key to find and fumble with), powerful motors and all sorts of useful tools. Now we have batteries that run full out, don't develop a memory and can be stored without losing much charge. I can get by with my nicads if I have to, but I'd sure like to get them Lithiums:D

[Disaster]

Personally I treated myself to the big 18volt set... Not always thrilled with the run time, and since I don't use them often enough they naturally discharge while waiting for me to pick them up.

You can greatly slow down the self discharge rate of NiCds by keeping them in the refrigerator. I've done it for years. As an added benefit, they will develop less memory (it also slows down the chemical reaction that causes the "memory" issue.) I've never lost a battery I've left in the fridge. The same can't be said about ones I've forgot about in the basement.

A good practice, for NiCads or NiMh is to develop a regular recharge schedule. You NEVER want to let them drift below a minimum charge level...about .5 volts a cell (or about 7 or 8 volts for a 18 volt pack.) Below this level they can reverse...one cell can push another into negative voltage, this will destroy the cell and if you lose a cell, you lose the whole pack.

When you keep them in the refrigerator, you can change from a monthly/bi-monthly charge schedule to a semi-annual/annual charge schedule. Heck, I've had some batteries that I didn't charge for well over a year, and they still bounced back.

The only real negative is the batteries do not perform well when cold...so they won't have a lot of runtime when you pull them out of frig and drop them right into your tool. On the other hand, if you aren't good about topping batteries off, every few weeks, they will probably be better than your current regime.

When it comes time to use the batteries I either, except the lower power on the first cycle, or drop them in the charger for a few minutes before I use them...depending on what is the most convenient.

[garager]

You can greatly slow down the self discharge rate of NiCds by keeping them in the refrigerator.

Mythbusters proved that to be wrong, I do believe.

I think the best way to get more life out of them, is to keep them fully charged, but not leaving them on the charger all the time, thats a no, no. Charge them up, take them off and keep charging at a weekly period. I know this will be debatable.

And never leave them on concrete.

[Josh]

Guys, know that we have taken notice here. Making country wide improvements to a service model takes time. Its not gonna happen tomorrow or even next month but we are working to improve it.

Just wanted you guys to know we hear your voice and take it to heart.

Josh

[Frankiarmz]

Josh, thanks for the update and I'll keep an eye out for those batteries someday.
Disaster, I appreciate the information about the nicad batteries, I usually try to run them down then give them a proper charge. I stick to a monthly routine of charging my NIMH batteries because the discharge so quick. Now they have a hybrid NIMH that will hold a charge almost a year! Think I'll keep the nicads in my garage, cold weather will be around for several months and I can check the voltage like you suggested. Hey, maybe those stronger Lithiums will be here by Spring time.:)

[BadgerDave]

Guys, know that we have taken notice here. Making country wide improvements to a service model takes time. Its not gonna happen tomorrow or even next month but we are working to improve it.

Just wanted you guys to know we hear your voice and take it to heart.

Josh

Sorry Josh but that's pretty much the same response we heard a year or two ago. See this thread (http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6905). Note the response from ProBrand about half way down. Has there been any improvement over the situation in that time? Is so, what are they? How about Authorized Service Centers? I'd be interested in knowing how many there were two years ago vs how many there are today. And, I'm not talking about the service centers that only service the red tools. Promises mean nothing unless they are kept.

[Disaster]

Mythbusters is an embarassment to the scientific and engineering community. I cringe everytime I watch that show. I still remember the stupidity of the show where they tried to prove you got wetter if you moved faster through a rainstorm. There are so many procedural and statistical problems with the way they run their experiments....YOU DON'T WANT TO GET ME STARTED!!!!

Having said that, the advice is generally good.

You DO NOT want to leave them on a charger. This is because heat is one of the things that is bad for them and many chargers have a trickle mode that pumps to much amps into the batteries. The excess energy converts to heat and it will destroy the batteries eventually.

Your best bet is to recharge them regularly. They need to be recharged everytime they dip below a certain level.

If you are really good about keeping up with regular maintenance schedules then by all means, keep them with the rest of your tools and recharge them monthly.

If, on the other hand, you are more like me, and tend to forget about a tool that you haven't had a need to use in 6 months, you are much better off putting the batteries in the refrigerator. This lowers the required maintenance schedule by a factor of at 6 to 10....taking a monthly or bi-monthly schedule and turning it into an annual schedule.

Check out some of these websites for more info.

First this one.

http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterymyths.html

Where it says: "NiMH and NiCd batteries self discharge at a MUCH faster rate than alkaline batteries. In fact, at "room temperature" (about 70 degrees F) NiMH and NiCD batteries will self discharge a few percent PER DAY. Storing them at lower temperatures will slow their self discharge rate dramatically. NiMH batteries stored at freezing will retain over 90% of their charge for full month. So it might make sense to store them in a freezer. If you do, it's best to bring them back to room temperature before using them. Even if you don't freeze your NiMH batteries after charging them, you should store them in a cool place to minimize their self discharge."

and this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-cadmium_battery

which talks about the problem with heat and out-gassing that can happen if left on a charger.

and this one:

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/hobby/nicadred.htm

That states: "Notice the effect of increased temperature on self-discharge rates. The rate of self discharge is about 1% per day at room temperature and doubles for every 10 degrees above room temperature."

[Josh]

Sorry Josh but that's pretty much the same response we heard a year or two ago. See this thread (http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6905). Note the response from ProBrand about half way down. Has there been any improvement over the situation in that time? Is so, what are they? How about Authorized Service Centers? I'd be interested in knowing how many there were two years ago vs how many there are today. And, I'm not talking about the service centers that only service the red tools. Promises mean nothing unless they are kept.

All I know is that they are working on it right now. And I know that they hear about it because I keep sending links ;-) ProBrand also reads it on the forums.

[Frankiarmz]

The way I see it my 18 volt nicads are holding up just fine and I have the warrantee if and when I have a problem. Nicads are a thing of the past and if Ridgid refuses to market a high amp hour 18 volt that backward fits my Ridgid tools,I'll shop around and switch brands when I need a new set. Maybe they are just very slow when it comes to meeting customer needs, but it will be hard for them to ignore all these other manufacturers filling the gap.:o

[Disaster]

For some reason this silly forum website is not letting me update or correct my earlier post so I will try to post the whole thing again with corrections.

Mythbusters is an embarassment to the scientific and engineering community. I cringe everytime I watch that show. I still remember the stupidity of the show where they tried to prove you got wetter if you moved faster through a rainstorm. There are so many procedural and statistical problems with the way they run their experiments....YOU DON'T WANT TO GET ME STARTED!!!!

Having said that, the advice is generally good.

You DO NOT want to leave them on a charger. This is because heat is one of the things that is bad for them and many chargers have a trickle mode that pumps to much amps into the batteries. The excess energy converts to heat and it will destroy the batteries eventually.

Your best bet is to recharge them regularly. They need to be recharged everytime they dip below a certain level.

If you are really good about keeping up with regular maintenance schedules then by all means, keep them with the rest of your tools and recharge them monthly.

If, on the other hand, you are more like me, and tend to forget about a tool that you haven't had a need to use in 6 months, you are much better off putting the batteries in the refrigerator. This lowers the required maintenance schedule by a factor of at 6 to 10....taking a monthly or bi-monthly schedule and turning it into an annual schedule.

Check out some of these websites for more info.

First this one.

http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterymyths.html

Where it says: "NiMH and NiCd batteries self discharge at a MUCH faster rate than alkaline batteries. In fact, at "room temperature" (about 70 degrees F) NiMH and NiCD batteries will self discharge a few percent PER DAY. Storing them at lower temperatures will slow their self discharge rate dramatically. NiMH batteries stored at freezing will retain over 90% of their charge for full month. So it might make sense to store them in a freezer. If you do, it's best to bring them back to room temperature before using them. Even if you don't freeze your NiMH batteries after charging them, you should store them in a cool place to minimize their self discharge."

and this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-cadmium_battery

which talks about the problem with heat and out-gassing that can happen if left on a charger.

and this one:

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/hobby/nicadred.htm

That states: "Notice the effect of increased temperature on self-discharge rates. The rate of self discharge is about 1% per day at room temperature and doubles for every 10 degrees above room temperature."

and this pdf on how to improve NiCd battery life...longterm.

http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~phiscock/papers/nicad-battery.pdf

[oldslowchevy]

but but but, i like myth busters

[Disaster]

but but but, i like myth busters

It is fun to watch. It's just a little frustrating for us scientists...as cop shows probably are to cops and doctor shows to doctors. Actually, my wife is a doctor and she likes watching doctors shows....maybe because she enjoys laughing at some of the ridiculous stuff they say and do.

I guess I wouldn't mind it if people treated it more as pure entertainment and less as real science that proves anything. It is the WWF of science shows.

[gear junkie]

And never leave them on concrete.
Are you serious or joking?

[Josh]

Is anyone else having trouble posting. What seemed to happen that you couldnt update your post disaster? Only reason I am asking is cause one other member had a problem posting earlier.

Thanks,

josh

[Frankiarmz]

Watch those comments about the WWF! Professional wrestling is just about the only sport that is so pure you can't bet on it. It has been referred to as the "Sport Of Kings". No protective gear like football, mano y mano. :mad:

[garager]

Are you serious or joking?

serious...

[gear junkie]

Now you got my interest Garager. Why can't you leave them on concrete? I never heard this before.

[oldslowchevy]

http://www.ibsa.com/www_2001/content/about_us/current/december_1999/1199_techtalk.htm


this should clear things up, or make them worse. either way please read it
:D

[gear junkie]

Thanks OSC, very interesting.

[oldslowchevy]

no problem gear junkie

[SiXGuN]

Guys, know that we have taken notice here. Making country wide improvements to a service model takes time. Its not gonna happen tomorrow or even next month but we are working to improve it.

Just wanted you guys to know we hear your voice and take it to heart.

Josh

Josh-

If this were true and you guys actually cared you would have had somebody contact me directly by now. I gave my Email addy, Home address, phone number...everything except my wifes maiden name when signing up to these forums. I have not had a single response from Ridgid, nor do I have resolution on my drill problem yet. After another 30 minutes on hold waiting for a supervisor on Friday during my lunch break, I had to give up yet again.:mad:

[Frankiarmz]

I agree that when you reach out as you have and asked for help, there should have been a resolution beyond a posted response. Seriously, imagine the good will and good publicity if someone from Ridgid had contacted this consumer and not only informed him a new tool was on the way, but a gift certificate as well for all his trouble? Speaking for myself, I not only posted on several threads here but also contacted customer service and techs at Ridgid with my interest in if or when a higher amp hour 18 volt lithium was in the works. Someone in the "Know" could have either posted here or contacted me with an answer. Pros who use these tools as well as homeowners might be willing to put off buying a different brand if they get some feedback, meanwhile many other brands are getting thier lithium products on the shelves. All I can say is give the consumer what he/she wants or lose them. Getting back to the original post for a moment, if I was this guy I would be at the Home Depot where I bought this tool and they would either do the right thing by helping me or deal with a very irate customer. :mad:

[l_bilyk]

Josh-

If this were true and you guys actually cared you would have had somebody contact me directly by now. I gave my Email addy, Home address, phone number...everything except my wifes maiden name when signing up to these forums. I have not had a single response from Ridgid, nor do I have resolution on my drill problem yet. After another 30 minutes on hold waiting for a supervisor on Friday during my lunch break, I had to give up yet again.:mad:


Hmm... ProBrand offered to have a manager contact me after I made my thread 3 weeks ago. I declined since I figured the guys at the warranty center were competent enough to order a knob for me, and because I was told that ridgid will not mail out a warranty replacement part directly to the customer. In hindsight, I should have taken him up on the offer.