Black & Decker Power Tools Informative - Black and Decker products? Be Careful Consumers! - Black and Decker's Breach of Warranty

Posted by Skye on 2010-06-07:

Do you think CVS would of done a refund for you?

Posted by tnchuck100 on 2010-06-07:

"Brand names" are meaningless today. They have all been sold to corporations that are hard to determine who they actually are.

From a legal standpoint they are obligated to honor the warranty. But forcing them to do so through the courts is an expensive, time consuming proposition. They are banking on the fact you will not push the issue and just go away.

Posted by GenuineNerd on 2010-06-07:

Is this a small appliance or a power tool? I know that years ago, Black & Decker took over General Electric's small appliance divisions...most likely things have changed since then...I'm starting to see GE-brand small appliances again at Walmart and other stores. Perhaps this defective item was made by an unknown Chinese company that bought the rights to use the Black & Decker name. I do agree about the fact that "brand names are meaningless today". Companies that you never heard of would buy the rights to a brand name and attach it to cheap Chinese-made products. That is a problem, especially if the brand name had a reputation for high quality in the past. Bell & Howell and Polaroid are other examples of products that had their reputations cheapened by selling their name to other companies. Considering that the product was defective out of the box, maybe CVS should have refunded your money.

Posted by Weedwhacked on 2010-06-07:

"I informed the service-center manager Anita Phillips that it was not legal for Black and Decker to claim "no responsibility", and not honor their warranty just because they discontinued the item, particularly because I had just purchased it two weeks prior (& had my receipt)."

Where did you get your legal advice when you informed of this? If it was true you wouldn't have any reason to write this complaint as they would have honored the warranty. Did they?

Posted by PepperElf on 2010-06-07:

I agree, I would say don't assume a warranty is in place unless you actually read it.

Though you should also remove the employee's full name

Posted by Skye on 2010-06-07:

Please note: This is a forum for consumer reviews on companies and their products and services. Please do not post personal reviews regarding individuals, or post names of individuals within your review.

*Posted from My3cents rules and regulations*

Posted by Stew on 2010-06-07:

What a hose job. Yeah, I'd try to take it back to CVS for a refund.

I'm going to lodge a complaint against AT&T since every so ofter they toss a book on my doorstep full of people's names, addresses and phone numbers. Don't they realize how dangerous that is. *rolls eyes*

Posted by Venice09 on 2010-06-07:

Since you just bought it and have the receipt, I don't understand why you didn't return it to the store instead of contacting the manufacturer. Maybe you can exchange it for another one that will actually work. That would be a lot quicker than waiting for some resolution from the company. Either way, I do think B&D should stand behind its products. They should have offered you some kind of solution.

Posted by Skye on 2010-06-07:

You can roll your eyes all you want Stew, this is admins rules and their site.

Posted by Sheriffs Uncle on 2010-06-07:

Venice, I wondered the same thing. If you can return a working product within 30 days, why not one that isn't working?

Posted by Venice09 on 2010-06-07:

Sheriff, my first course of action is always to go back to the store. Just the thought of trying to contact a company makes me cringe. I don't know what CVS' return policy is, but certainly they must take back merchandise that doesn't work, especially within the return period and with a receipt. That's why I shop locally whenever possible.

Posted by Sheriffs Uncle on 2010-06-07:

I know when you buy from some online companies, your recourse from day one is the manufacturer, but I always though a retail store would take back a defective product within the return period.

Posted by Sheriffs Uncle on 2010-06-07:

Stew, your eyes will freeze that way if you don't quit it.

Posted by picklemetimbers on 2010-06-09:

Follow-Up... Thanks for sharing your comments Skye and Venice. I did (finally) get to CVS, and they were very gracious about giving me the option to return or exchange. However my intent in writing this was simply to warn other consumers about how Black and Decker handled the problem. I sincerely hope that big companies don't continue to be negligent in honoring warranties, and apathetic about customer-service. Yes, CVS did the right thing in this case, but the manufacturer of the faulty product was supposed to be responsible, and they refused to be. I worry that younger consumers are simply "accepting" sub-standard (or negligent) standards like the way Black and Decker handled this particular problem. When many consumers share information with each other, and then "vote with their wallets" by what they purchase, and who they purchase from,... then the quality companies will prosper, and the negligent companies will (eventually) lose their market-share. I really appreciate consumer sites like "my3cents.com" (and others) who make it possible for consumers to network and assist each other. Thanks! Tom