Problem with the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack

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A serious problem appears to exist with the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack. Below I’ve copied the message I sent Sears and the Craftsman Club this morning.

Has anyone else on this site had a similar experience?

On 06/09/09, I purchased the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack & Charger (item #033287141609) at Sears in Garden City, NY (Sales check # 010045522358). The battery pack worked well with my three Craftsman C3 19.2 volt tools:

Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Cordless Drill/Driver (item #00917191000)
Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Impact Driver (item #00917080000)
Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Work Light (item #00911391000)

About March 27, the battery pack indicated that it needed to be charged. I placed it in the charger. The charger ran through the charging sequence, but, when it indicated that the pack was charging, the indicator switched to full charged in about 30 seconds. When I placed the battery in the Drill/Driver, the tool worked when I pushed the trigger the first time, but it ceased to operate on the second push of the trigger. (However, the charger worked fine with my 4 Craftsman C3 Battery Pack and all of my C3 tools ran well with these Ni-Cad packs.)

After repeated tries to get the Lithium-Ion Battery Pack to charge, I returned the battery pack and charger to Sears in Hicksville, NY (Sales check # 012641090696).for a warranty exchange. I believe I got the last Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack & Charger (item #033287141609) in the store.

Once I got the new battery pack home, I placed it in the charger. The charger ran through the charging sequence, but, when it indicated that the pack was charging, the indicator switched to full charged in about 30 seconds. When I placed the battery in the Drill/Driver, the tool work ed when I pushed the trigger the first time, but it ceased to operate on the second push of the trigger. Repeated tries elicited the same result.
The Sears web site no longer lists the Craftsman C3 19.2 volt Lithium-Ion Battery Pack & Charger (item #033287141609).

Since this problem happened with two of the battery packs, I am reluctant to simply exchange the item again. I would prefer to just have the battery pack replaced with one which has been tested and works.
Thank you! Joseph L. Crivelli Craftsman Club Member #7071100268094569
 
The problem may be with the charger. I had similar experiences with two different B&D Firestorm chargers. Ended up buying a new DeWalt drill with, an obviously better made, charger that accomodates several different battery packs and a range of voltages. Still using the B&D tools and batts.
We have a battery guy here, maybe he will chime in.
 
Your first mistake is assuming that Craftsman is still a quality brand. They messed me around YEARS ago and haven't gotten a chance to redeem themselves yet. I do DeWalt, and Hitachi and Bosch with great results.
 
Ron,

Sears' replied:

We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you we can understand how frustrating this must be. At this time we would advise that you please contact the store were you bought the battery at for further assistance with your request. If you have any further questions or concerns please call the number below.

My response:

Thank you for your reply!

“At this time we would advise that you please contact the store where you bought the battery at for further assistance with your request.”

I’d do this if it was the first time this problem occurred, and the product was readily available.

At the same time that I sent my original message, I also put this problem out on the 5 woodworking forums that I am a member of. The replies indicated that this is a common problem. One reply indicated that the age of the battery packs may be the problem.

All I want is a battery that will hold a charge. I don’t think that the tool department in the Hicksville, NY store is going to begin opening sealed packages to charge and test the battery packs for me until we find one that works.

I would expect that Sears has a department that tests Craftsman products. I would like a fully-tested battery pack found and sent to the Hicksville, NY store for me to pick up.

I’d like to be able to tell the woodworking community that Sears really takes care of its customers.

Thank you!


I'm being a bit demanding, but I feel that Customer Service is trying to pass the buck to the local store.

I'll keep you informed!
 
Joe
Sears certainly is not the company it once was. Until the late 70s their "satisfaction guaranteed" policy meant what it said. I owned a Sears-Roebuck store in the 70s and was there when policies changed. The instant customers could no longer buy with confidence sales dropped dramatically. At that time Sears was the largest retailer in the history of the world. It shrunk almost to the vanishing point. Today it is a whole different type of retailer but, unfortunately, many customers still buy from them believing satisfaction is guaranteed. Nope, as you have learned corporate doesn't care. If you can't get help from the local store you probably have junk on your hands and a big expense coming up for new tools of a different brand. BTW, I shut my store in 1975. The combination of falling sales and having to give my customers a hard time when they returned an obviously defective item just wasn't for me. I think I have made two purchases from Sears since then and have regretted both.
 
Frank,


Thank you!

You were able to add so much background to my message that I copied the body of you message and sent it to them.

I am now running a PSYOP against SEARS to change their attitude and acheive my objective.

I'll keep the board informed.

Joe
 
I believe that you may be barking up the wrong tree, there ain't no squirrel in that one buddy. You need to find a tree where there is a squirrel who cares in it and bark at the base of that tree. I still purchase appliances from Sears but haven't bought a power tool from them since the late 70's when they told me to go fly a kite. With the appliances I get good products and good service without a lot of hassle. Too bad they have given up on their power tool business, it used to be a pretty good one.
 
I believe that you may be barking up the wrong tree, there ain't no squirrel in that one buddy. You need to find a tree where there is a squirrel who cares in it and bark at the base of that tree. I still purchase appliances from Sears but haven't bought a power tool from them since the late 70's when they told me to go fly a kite. With the appliances I get good products and good service without a lot of hassle. Too bad they have given up on their power tool business, it used to be a pretty good one.

Appliances? One of the few Sears purchases I have made since about 1975 was a dishwasher. Shortly after installation it caught fire and nearly burned the house down. For whatever reason, it didn't trip my main breakers, just burned. When I went back and demanded satisfaction, I was told the washer was used and the sales person (the daughter of the store owner) knew it was a defective return when she sold it. They refused a refund but gave an exchange. I wasn't happy with that but it fell a little short of being a shooting offense.
 
All,

Thank you for your messages!


Last evening I got a call from Sears Customer Solutions. Nice lady, but she had little access to their systems and little authority to do anything about my problem.


This morning I found a message from Richard Goldsmith, Craftsman's community engagement manager who asked me to send him a message about the problem and possible solutions.

I sent the message and he got back to me in about 2 hours. He is contacting their supplier who will call me to make arrangements to exchange battery packs.

If this is successful, I'm going to suggest to Mr. Goldsmith that he setup a technical questions/problems page on the Craftsman Club web site so that members can communicate with knowledgable people about Craftsman problems.
 
Solution

I’m happy to report that the subject battery has been replaced with a fully functional one.
This outcome was due to the kind intervention of the Craftsman's Community Engagement Manager.
This was a problem that needed a contact familiar with the Craftsman line and had technical knowledge. While SEARS Customer Service sincerely tried to help, they don’t have Craftsman-knowledgeable personnel to assist customers.
Anyone who uses Craftsman products should join the Craftsman Club.
 
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