FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => Non-FE Discussion Forum => Topic started by: chris401 on October 24, 2018, 02:43:48 PM
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Something to think about if you decide to skip a weekly truck account payment.
I knew that King was bothered by how Snap-On treated them but I never did ask any details about the change to Cornwell. While searching for a used Modis today I found this page his wife created and changed my mind on my product choise. I have used King Regan off and on sinse 2000, exclusively from 2008 to present and belive there story. Seeing how some of those numbers came out of my pocket I will share:
http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/snap-franchise-owners-protest/
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Chris, link doesn't work for me. Bruce
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Link worked for me
Interesting read ,but not surprising in today's corporate world
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Chris, link doesn't work for me. Bruce
Works off and on. Maybe there is too much traffic?.?.
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Here is part of it, just so you can get the jist of it without having to follow the link:
You would think as a top performing Snap-on dealer that you would not be abused by Snap-on?
Think Again!
My name is Sally Regian. My husband, King, was an “award winning” top performing Snap-on dealer with a $27,626 per week paid sales average.
He performed much better than the national average in both paid sales and collections.
From 2010 thru 2014 his paid sales and collections were:
2010 $816,584 $656,489
2011 $889,787 $743,962
2012 $912,419 $799,778
2013 $1,215,687 $957,358
2014 $1,436,600 $1,050,081 ($27,626 in paid sales per week!)
In 2015, his collections were $1,025,784.00! He was honored at the 2016 Kickoff by the President to Snap-on. This was 6 weeks after receiving his letter of non renewal.
Everything was OK with Snap-on until my husband was advised at Snap-on’s own trade show, by a financial advisor, NOT to invest all of our money in Snap-on inventory but to turn in some of the inventory that we had been buying for years and financially diversify.
We then began to return new stock and warranty items. That’s when all the trouble began.
We sadly came to find out that Snap-on managers, in order not to have their bonuses reduced, routinely refused to take back inventory/warranty items on the bogus ground that King was buying Snap-on product off the internet.
Nothing could have been further from the truth and, even if it was, Snap-on has an obligation to its customers to warranty broken tools. Up to that point there had been many years when King didn’t return new tools or submit warranty items for any tools.
snap-on sally regianIn August 2014, we were sent a letter detailing a “newly created return procedure” for especially for King to use when sending in warranties. This letter was a direct violation of the contract with Snap-on. The warranty process does not include the ridiculous procedure that Snap-on regional manager Mike Doweidt outlined. We tried on numerous occasions to compromise with Mr. Doweidt on the special “King Regian” return/warranty policy he instituted just to hurt us and keep his bonus from being decreased.
King is currently in possession of over $110,000 worth – at net- of warranties. Even when Snap-on refused to honor their “LIFETIME Warranty”, King honored the warranty for his customers, with his own money, as that was the right thing to do.
You should also know that upper Snap-on managers look to steal a successful route so they can re-sell it or in this case give it to a relative by forcing King out. On August 3, 2015, Warner McBride came back into the picture as our Sales Manager barely four (4) months after an April, 8, 2015 email King received from Thomas J. Kasbohm, Snap-on’s Director of Franchising congratulating King on the renewal of his contract. Shortly thereafter Mike Doweidt sent a letter of non-renewal for King’s contract.
It seems very convenient that the franchise route King had built over the last 23 years was given to a Snap-on Store EMPLOYEE, Taylor Oden, who happens to be Warner McBride’s step son. It was an obvious set-up. As someone recently said, “Wouldn’t you want your son in one of the most lucrative routes in the nation?”
King loved being a Snap-on Tool franchisee and was an exceptional performing Snap-on dealer. He did what everyone said could not be done – running over one million dollars in sales and/or collections. He did that not only once but several times. It’s seems convenient that as soon as Snap-on saw that those numbers were attainable in the Waco market…he was removed and a COMPANY store took over.
Is this how Snap-on treats its award winning dealers? Giving them a special Snap-on tool – a screwing?
King is now an equally successful Cornwell dealer and will be filing a claim against Snap-on in an arbitration proceeding. We will also be bringing a court action on behalf of myself for the financial and emotional suffering that I have suffered. We have retained Gerald Marks, the attorney who has not only represented more Snap-on tool dealers than anyone else in the United States, to represent us but who also bettered the Snap-on system for all dealers when he got a $125 million dollar class action settlement against Snap-on for its wrongful actions against all dealers.
I will let you know about other Snap-on wrongs in upcoming emails and in my blog (https://wordpress.com/page/formersnaponfranchisee.wordpress.com) that we have started. Just remember, if they did this to a top performing, award winning dealer, just think of how they will mistreat lesser performing dealers.
Please pass this email on to as many dealers as you want to warn about Snap-on’s return and warranty abuse as well as its tactics to force successful dealers out just to get the successful route they worked years to build.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story,
Sally Regian
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I always thought that Snap-On's style of "franchise business" was kinda crazy, especially considering what it costs to get in the game, and the fact that most guys I know can't afford their tools. They are the best though. Just the other day I saw a Snap-On truck for sale, sitting in somebodies yard. Not sure if it's related to this current business 'trend'. If something is listed as Lifetime Warranty, then they should be FORCED to honor that. There is NO excuse for backing out of that!
Craftsman used to make excellent tools, for the money. But in the last ten years or so, they have gone to crap. Now it's not even worth trying to get an honor on their warranty, because you're going to get an inferior piece.
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I can't tell you how many Snap On Tool guys I've had in the last 25 years but it has been a bunch , just now on my second Mac Tool guy and it's the first ones son , lol , funny how this comes up and we have been wondering what happened to our Snap On guy ? been months since we have seen him
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Craftsman tools are now made offshore . Maybe some are still made here but I fully agree with cjshaker that their quality is poor at best. Now with Sears filling bankruptcy the brand will possibly get a death blow.
Snap on makes a good product but there are SEVERAL other choices. Warranty has always been touchy as many of the dealers "accuse" people of buying at a swap meet , internet , or auction/ estate sale , not buying them from him. SO WHAT? After seeing what was done to King I NOW understand. A dealer wants to keep his customers happy and buying tools so he "eats" a warranty that Snap on won't credit him for . That "courtesy builds up after time and becomes allot of out of pocket money. Snap on should look at it as 10% of his annual sales and honor it. Part of the warranty process is forensics to figure out what parts fail in the field so better parts can be produced. If Snap on doesn't want to do that , I don't want to buy their stuff. I have tools from virtually every US tool maker and some are 80+ years old and still functioning . That proves Snap on isn't the only game in town for durable tools.
I'm glad King is suing Snap on because of this and i hope others will follow suit.
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Most of my tools are from the 1940's as both my grandfathers were millwrights.
Thankfully I don't need to work on many modern engines.... ya know, engines where you need a laptop and not a hammer wrench.
I have one Snap On tool.... it's a 9/16th socket someone gave me when I broke mine on their bulldozer.
Anyway, I think snap on is being like most corporations, loyal to the shareholders instead of the customer, and the distributors.
It's a shame.
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Craftsman has been sold by Sears to Black & Decker. As a Craftsman tool owner since the 60s I have absolutely no problem with Craftsman, their warranty, quality and availability. I do have a few Snap-on tools, one for example is 3/4" drive 600 ft/lb torque wrench mainly because no one else made one at the time I needed it. Craftsman up until late you could always get a replacement tool 7 days a week and did not have to wait for the Snap-on truck to arrive. When you need a tool that either broke or is missing a week is an eternity if you need it to complete a job.
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About 30% of the tools I have a re Craftsman. Mostly sockets and screwdrivers for the exact reason given above . Seven day a week replaceability. I noticed a change several years ago in their sockets. They now appear to be "sintered " or powdered metal . They split in the corners like they never did in the past. I still have Craftsman sockets handed down to me from the 40's that are well worn but do the job better than their new offerings. I haven't had to buy a tool for at least 20 years and I still have too many. LOL
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My 3/8" ratchet won't hold the socket(pin spring is broken), but hate to turn it in as I will get a new POS back. It still functions well enough, just have to hold onto the socket when you pick the tool up.
Don't have the funds to buy high end mechanic tools. I'm still living on the Craftsmen tools I bought in the early 80's. Haven't had to replace much of anything, but I'm not that hard on things. I use the right tool for the job(most times).
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My 3/8" ratchet won't hold the socket(pin spring is broken), but hate to turn it in as I will get a new POS back. It still functions well enough, just have to hold onto the socket when you pick the tool up.
Don't have the funds to buy high end mechanic tools. I'm still living on the Craftsmen tools I bought in the early 80's. Haven't had to replace much of anything, but I'm not that hard on things. I use the right tool for the job(most times).
Craftsman [Sears] will replace the ratchet innards of your ratchet handle if you ask. I had a similar problem with a 1/2" drive 18" ratchet, they replaced the ratchet head assembly that cured the problem.
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Unless your ratchet is the fine tooth variety, they do not make an equal replacement.
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My view of Snap On - I have two Snap torque wrenches and 3 Craftsman. Of the 1/2 drive units, the Craftsman is more accurate.
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I don't have much Snapon stuff but I think their line wrenches are nice. They grip better than Sears.
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I have about 55% craftsman, 50% snap-on, The balance is MAC, and a no-name Chinese open end wrench set that I can't even remember how I got. My favorite ratchetis a MAC, it has a lever for switching direction, and a button for socket release, so its easy to use when your hands are all greasy, and the clicks are very tight. Almost all my stuff is 30+ years old. The shitty no-name Chinese wrench set is actually really good, thinner around the box ends than the craftsman, I managed to break the open end of the 9/16, but I had a pipe slipped over the end and was REALLY leaning on it ( I use the Chinese wrenches for really grubby dis-assembly jobs because I don't give a shit about them) as a rule, I prefer the snap-on to the craftsman, they are made out of better stuff that the craftsman, and are thinner, for more clearance. It isn't much, but sometimes that few ten thousands of thickness makes all the difference.
My torque wrenches are fifties era snap-on dial type that I inherited from my father, they have been re-calibrated a few times, and are fantastic. I also have a couple ( one 3/8, one 1/2) old Sturevant beam and pointer style I use for engine assembly. I dont/won't own a click type torque wrench.
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I have been using my tools to make a living for about 40 years, been a dealership mechan... oooops, I meant "Technician" for the past 30 years. Probably 70% of my hand tools and Snap On, 20% Mac, and a bit of Canadian Tire "Mastercraft Maximum", which I believe is made by Gearworks. My upper & lower tool chests at work are cheap Beach 12 drawer apiece units that I bought new in the early 80s. I could just never justify a tool box that costs what a new car does! Like some others, our Snap On dealer rarely comes around our dealership, but our MAC dealer comes by every 2 weeks. The Snap On guy says we don`t buy much, and always complains that we always seem to have tools for warranty, but if we need something, and the MAC shows up on a schedule, and the Snap On guy shows up maybe 2 or 3 times a years, does he really think we should wait for him to show up, rather than use the reliable Mac guy?. It certainly seems that the Snap On dealer in this story was looking after his customers, and got the shaft from management.
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I really like the little bit of MAC stuff I have, and if I was in a position where I had to replace a lot of stuff, that's probably the way I would go. I am lucky to have all the old snap-on, it's very nice stuff, but I don't think I would go out and buy it all new.
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Snap on , Mac , Cornwell et al DO seem to fail less often , I will give them that. But the high price is often hard to justify and if you don't have a dealer to work with ( you can't just stop a truck) you're stuck. My local automotive swap meet has several tool vendors and appear overloaded with tools as I see very low prices on the "big three" tools.
Randy