Registration Scam... Google It

[Eric Durham]

Will be long.......... So I'm a project manager for a construction company and of course try and get feedback from my employees on many different brands of tools. One I hadn't tried was RIDGID at Home Depot and talking with the sales representative and he explained the lifetime service agreement. I figured I would go with something simple on the home front and rebuild my gate but needed to replace my cordless drill. I purchased a RIGID drill for $179 at my local Home Depot in Altamonte Springs, FL. Among other things I like to build are computers toy with electronics around the house but never have I EVER had to go through registration issues just to get a warranty like this before. Everything I buy (for at least 4 years I keep receipts) I register if it has a warranty. Just stupid not to. This is the only company I've had issues with. So I go online as soon as I get home, open the box and start the online process and finish. I get a note that says, even though what I just did was digital, it will take 2 weeks to process?....... LOL.... Sure enough at the end of the two weeks I get an email stating that they were unable to confirm the registration information and I must send a certified mail in with the ORIGINAL receipt and a copy of the email in and then it would take 8 WEEKS TO PROCESS???????????!!!!!! Ok so that is 8+2=10 weeks... That is 70 Days.. GONE as you have 90 days to register your product from the time of purchase... So, after the math I googled RIDGID product registration and sure as heck... there are pages of information and complaints about the RIDGID process and it being a scam. Infuriated I called their customer service, and spoke with Amanda Winslett
Warranty Service Representative
Techtronic Industries Power Equipment

She instructed me that she could not do anything to verify my information or purchase other than to mail in the receipt. I then reminded her she was sitting at a desk with a computer right now..... I said I have ALL my Home Depot receipts emailed to me and could send it to her right now. Direct copy from HD itself. She said she would send me her email Amanda.Winslett@ttigroupna.com and she would handle this on a "one time only event". So in my email I sent to her just after I got off the phone I asked her to send me a response that she got it and is working on the agreement. I know she opened the email and read it (thanks outlook) yet I got no reply from her. So the that afternoon I went in and took all the required info AGAIN and sent it off certified mail. I know the mail won't get their until tomorrow but I'm thinking if I don't hear back from them by next Tuesday I'll just return it for good and never buy nor recommend a RIDGID product. Especially in the construction industry. I should have known it was too good to be true and done my due diligence and researched this too good to be true offer. After all, how hard can it be to register a product.... well RIDGID's takes a minimum of 70 days and that is if you have the will and knowledge to fight their purposefully broken system.. Even the voice recording you hear when being transferred to customer service says they are having issues with their system and the registration process....... I guess they have had this issue now for what a good 5 years because there are tons of posts if you google them that are very similar to mine.

So here you go RIDGID.. Here is my Home Depot Receipt. You can check it against my email for this account and for what it is registered under for the LSA. You have until 3 April 2016 at 2359GMT time to get it registered or it is going back to the store. I mean seriously, even freaking coffee makers are easier to register.

Oh and before you delete this forum thread, I've taken a screen shot of the final message before I post it and will take another after I post it. So if you remove it, that means you deliberately keep the truth about this situation from being known. I will post the screen shots to the industry and social media. Have a nice day.

[cactusman]

You are not alone!
This problem has been around since the genesis of the LSA program.

On the other hand.....
The Ridgid tools are very good [if not abused],
and even the three year warranty is OK

Cactus Man

[ToUtahNow]

I do not delete complains anymore than any other posts unless they are abusive. I believe you are confusing the Lifetime Service Agreement with the Warranty. They are two separate offerings both with different requirements. That said, this is probably not the best way to contact Ridgid,

Mark

[Eric Durham]

@ Mark, I understand the difference. I actually read the fine print. Yes, I have tried every method to contact them which is why I go to the forums. Next social media (really social). The point is that this is obviously a systemic problem which appears, because it is systemic, to be on purpose creating frustration to the point of capitulation on the part of the purchaser. Thus, it alleviates the financial burden placed on RIDGID for actually offering the LSA in the first place. .... put simply..... Bait and Switch. Or, bait and drag drag drag.... oh we are sorry folks, looks like you are out of time! I would not be here and would normally think it a "crap happens" and go along with trying to get it fixed but because I did a search on this issue and founds loads of problems, it then dawned on me that the reason it is so hard to register is because it is done on purpose. I hear you guys on RIDGID is a good tool. BUT, I can by pretty much the same thing and or combo packs for $50-$60-$70 that are neigh just as good. I wanted to pay the extra money for the LSA but it seems getting them to even acknowledge that I purchased it in the first place is a challenge. I can assure you I am not waiting until 70 days from purchase to find out they "can't find my info". I may as well drive down the highway and toss out a $50 bill.

[Gary 1]

Eric
Sounds like you have figured it out. Welcome to the club. I gave up on it. I can spend my time much more productively elsewhere

[Eric Durham]

** found

[ToUtahNow]

Oddly enough, 50 years of buying Ridgid tools I have never purchased their newer line of TTI power tools. I guess I have never really considered them Ridgid tools. That said, my son has all of my tools for a new plumbing business. As such, I need to go buy some new cordless tools. I have just registered at the Ridgid/TTI site today and will start looking at their tools.

Mark

[Bob D.]

Let us know how your LSA registration experience goes please Mark.
I hope you are in the minority and get registered without a problem.

[Bob D.]

''As such, I need to go buy some new cordless tools.''

So what brand were your old cordless tools that your
son now has, and why not buy the same brand again?

[Gary 1]

save yourself the time and grief and just by DeWalt. No warranty issues there

[CCinMI]

** found

Does that mean Ridgid found your purchase and registered your tool purchase for the LSA?

The first Ridgid tool I purchased was the 10" portable job site table saw R4510. I was able to register it online without a hitch and received email confirmation of the LSA within a few days after registering. The saw has been great and based on my satisfaction with it, I have since purchased an additional 6 Ridgid power tools and have successfully registered all of them online except for two. All email confirmations of successful LSA registration came within a few days of registering online. For the two tools that failed to go thru, as far as registration online, I was notified just as quickly by email with easy to follow instructions to mail in for the LSA registration. Certified mail was recommended.

Is it a hassle to have to mail in? Yes, I'll concede it is. The online system should work better overall, but having a lifetime service agreement is worth the extra bit of effort to mail it in and get registered if the online system fails to go thru. I'm batting 5 online out of 7 online. And I am quite satisfied with the tools I have purchased so far.

As I was hesitant to mail out my original receipt, I contacted Ridgid by phone and was told a clear copy of the original would be sufficient. I asked if a Home Depot email receipt would also be okay. I was told it was and the Rep even gave me her email address I could forward it to. She also reminded me to include my Customer ID# with the email. I sent both copies out and received confirm of receipt a few minutes later. A couple of hours later and two more emails confirming "RIDGID Registration Completed" for both tools.

Your RIDGID Lifetime Service Agreement (LSA) registration has been verified! Please see below for the following product(s) that have been approved!

Obviously, the Ridgid Lifetime Service Agreement is no scam. Just for clarity for anyone who is reading this thread, Ridgid power tools come standard with a 3 year warranty. The Lifetime Service Agreement is a "service agreement" for the original purchaser who registers the tool according to the terms and conditions required. Home Depot return policies are separate from the 3 yr warranty and the LSA. You do have to properly follow instructions in order to register for the LSA and the conditions required are clearly spelled out. That shouldn't be too hard for folks in skilled trades, should it?

[Gary 1]

A scam by any other name is still a scam. Read the many, many threads on this site alone. This would be a very small percentage of the people who don't post on this site

[bruhozer]

You seem to infer that the OP did not jump through all the hoops in that last paragraph "That shouldn't be too hard for folks in skilled trades, should it?" - No it is not and I believe that the OP did jump through all the hoops for the LSA, just as I did. I think that Ridgid is dragging their feet in order for most of the customers to just settle for the 3 year warranty. It is not a fair business practice and I feel that consumers should be made aware of it by any means. CCinMI- you do not have to agree that it's a SCAM but you have to admit that after someone fills out a form and enters 4 product numbers and 4 serial numbers and the order number and detail record of the sale that the company should not then need anything else and should deliver what they advertised.

[old wood guy]

Like many others I tried to register on-line only to be asked to send in copies of original documents. I did so by certified mail and they received it more than 10 weeks ago. Still no word and when you call they just say they are "behind on opening mail". Registering products with other vendors is a snap. Ridgid is a mess and looks like it has been for quite some time. If you like the product fine, but if you buy it thinking that the LSA has some value I would think again.

[blue_can]

Does that mean Ridgid found your purchase and registered your tool purchase for the LSA?

The first Ridgid tool I purchased was the 10" portable job site table saw R4510. I was able to register it online without a hitch and received email confirmation of the LSA within a few days after registering. The saw has been great and based on my satisfaction with it, I have since purchased an additional 6 Ridgid power tools and have successfully registered all of them online except for two. All email confirmations of successful LSA registration came within a few days of registering online. For the two tools that failed to go thru, as far as registration online, I was notified just as quickly by email with easy to follow instructions to mail in for the LSA registration. Certified mail was recommended.

Is it a hassle to have to mail in? Yes, I'll concede it is. The online system should work better overall, but having a lifetime service agreement is worth the extra bit of effort to mail it in and get registered if the online system fails to go thru. I'm batting 5 online out of 7 online. And I am quite satisfied with the tools I have purchased so far.

As I was hesitant to mail out my original receipt, I contacted Ridgid by phone and was told a clear copy of the original would be sufficient. I asked if a Home Depot email receipt would also be okay. I was told it was and the Rep even gave me her email address I could forward it to. She also reminded me to include my Customer ID# with the email. I sent both copies out and received confirm of receipt a few minutes later. A couple of hours later and two more emails confirming "RIDGID Registration Completed" for both tools.

Your RIDGID Lifetime Service Agreement (LSA) registration has been verified! Please see below for the following product(s) that have been approved!

Obviously, the Ridgid Lifetime Service Agreement is no scam. Just for clarity for anyone who is reading this thread, Ridgid power tools come standard with a 3 year warranty. The Lifetime Service Agreement is a "service agreement" for the original purchaser who registers the tool according to the terms and conditions required. Home Depot return policies are separate from the 3 yr warranty and the LSA. You do have to properly follow instructions in order to register for the LSA and the conditions required are clearly spelled out. That shouldn't be too hard for folks in skilled trades, should it?

Here's something that may not occur to many people. Email is not a guaranteed form of communication. Unless the standards have recently changed once someone sends off an email it can get lost in the email chain (for example if a buffer overflows in a server somewhere). Both the sender and the recipient may not be ever aware of this. In most cases when you register tools you connect to a sever and establish a real time session with the server and it lets you know if the registration occurred or not. The LSA is different in using a manual checking procedure with email both of which add to the uncertainly. It would be far better for Rdigid to text people regarding the status of the registration rather than email.

[Bob D.]

It would be far better if they would just get the darn online registration process to work and forget wasting time on workarounds and excuses.

[blue_can]

Agreed - live online registration with a server that is connected to HD's system and can validate in real time and register people is the correct way to do this. btw I do have a friend who runs a business connecting different types of commercial computer systems and getting them to talk to each other and is very good at what he does. I've suggested to him to contact Ridgid and offer to look at their system and fix the issues. He is busy at the moment but he may get around to contacting Ridgid. I will post on here if anything comes of it.

[CCinMI]

Here's something that may not occur to many people. Email is not a guaranteed form of communication. Unless the standards have recently changed once someone sends off an email it can get lost in the email chain (for example if a buffer overflows in a server somewhere). Both the sender and the recipient may not be ever aware of this. In most cases when you register tools you connect to a sever and establish a real time session with the server and it lets you know if the registration occurred or not. The LSA is different in using a manual checking procedure with email both of which add to the uncertainly. It would be far better for Rdigid to text people regarding the status of the registration rather than email.

Email may not be a guaranteed form of communication...BUT when someone emails you right back with a confirmation they received yours,...well, that works for me. I also received another email within a couple of hours confirming registration. I later logged into the Ridgid tool owners "dashboard" and that also confirmed registration. All Ridgid power tools I own are now registered for the Ridgid LSA. I take care of my tools and I hope I never have to use the LSA but if I do, then that will be a test onto itself. How quickly a tool can be fixed and back in use is very important for someone using their tools professionally.

Just to recap, all the Ridgid power tools I have purchased are registered for the LSA. I completed all registrations except for two online and received email confirms of LSA acceptance within days, (all tools showed as "pending" on the dashboard until approved). For the two tools that for whatever reason didn't go through online, I was notified by email as such, with clear instructions on how to manually apply. I forwarded a copy of my Home Depot email receipt and was approved for the LSA, in my case by email and within hours after submitting, (details above).

[Gary 1]

Consider yourself very lucky if in fact your story is true

[bruhozer]

I hope in the end I'm as lucky as you in straightening out the mess with the LSA, Ridigd seems have to have taken something that should be very simple ( product registration) and made it difficult, I can only assume that they have a reason for doing that, and that it is NOT to the customers advantage.

[blue_can]

Email may not be a guaranteed form of communication...BUT when someone emails you right back with a confirmation they received yours,...well, that works for me.

If an email sent to you is dropped in the email chain you will never get the email or the confirmation. The confirmation is just to show that the recipient opened the email - nothing to do with whether they got it in the first place. It's great it has been working for you so far but people seem to think if you send someone an email they are definitely going to get it - well that's not the case.

[Bob D.]

Depending on the mail system used you can get delivery receipts or read receipts, or both. MS-Exchange does this. I don't know about any of the UNIX-based mail systems but I would suspect they do offer this too.

[blue_can]

If you don't get a read receipt it could be due to the loss of the email, the recipient opted not to transmit that status, the mail program does not support read receipts or other reasons. So it may not necessarily work in the manner you want.

[Bob D.]

All true.

[User Has A Name]

I do not delete complains anymore than any other posts unless they are abusive. I believe you are confusing the Lifetime Service Agreement with the Warranty. They are two separate offerings both with different requirements. That said, this is probably not the best way to contact Ridgid,

Mark

I've seen the comment several times now that the "Warranty" is not the same as the "Lifetime Service Agreement", but despite the fact that they have different names and that the LSA requires registration to enable it, I cannot see the difference. Both, so far as I understand what I read, basically say that if something stops working they will repair or replace it at no additional cost to the person who originally purchased the tool. Is there some difference between the two that I am failing to see?

[ToUtahNow]

I've seen the comment several times now that the "Warranty" is not the same as the "Lifetime Service Agreement", but despite the fact that they have different names and that the LSA requires registration to enable it, I cannot see the difference. Both, so far as I understand what I read, basically say that if something stops working they will repair or replace it at no additional cost to the person who originally purchased the tool. Is there some difference between the two that I am failing to see?

One is a Warranty and one is a Service Agreement. One only requires you to save your receipt for warranty work while the other requires you to register your tool. One is 3-years long and the other is your lifetime long.

Mark

[blue_can]

I've seen the comment several times now that the "Warranty" is not the same as the "Lifetime Service Agreement", but despite the fact that they have different names and that the LSA requires registration to enable it, I cannot see the difference. Both, so far as I understand what I read, basically say that if something stops working they will repair or replace it at no additional cost to the person who originally purchased the tool. Is there some difference between the two that I am failing to see?

Offering a warranty also binds the seller to legal obligations and they can be subject to prosecution for failure to honor the warranty. One possibly reason to not call the LSA a warranty would be to have a looser agreement to what a warranty requires..

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/busi...#Magnuson-Moss

[Bob D.]

I wonder can they (RIDGID/TTI) decide someday to end the LSA and there would be nothing you could do about it because it is not a warranty. Say they get tired of supporting the program because claims are increasing in number (which seems plausible since as more tools are sold and registered the number of 'protected' tools in the LSA program increases), or due to a need to reduce operating costs management decides to end the program completely. Would they stop taking new LSA registrations and continue to honor those already in the system or just end it outright and leave you hanging.

[blue_can]

Quite likely possible. Many companies who offer some form of extended warranty tend to call it a service agreement and I suspect it is to circumvent warranty law. For example there are clauses in there about deceptive warranties as well as timely service. So under warranty law people having their tools taken away for months (as some have claimed has happened to them for LSA service) can have some recourse. If calling a warranty by some other name allows the seller to circumvent warranty law that seems like a loophole.

[Bldr]

Well Eric,

if registration tried your patience, wait until you have an actual "issue" and attempt to navigate the repair process!

also, be prepared that, as an authorized repair center, HomeDepot charges a supposedly refundable, flat rate for "diagnosis"..

RIDGID is orange, the LSA is a carrot.

That said, the tools, IME, are OK.