Great customer service from Dewalt

[dlsmith]

I bought a Dewalt 12 volt 3/8" impact a few months ago, and Saturday while I was working on my Nova it fell to the floor and broke the latch on the 5AH battery pack. I tried to fix it with epoxy, but it wouldn't adhere to the latch plastic. So this afternoon I tried to find a replacement latch, which is not available and ended up calling Dewalt customer support. After a short wait I was connected to a nice lady with a bit of a foreign accent, but understandable. I explained the problem, she asked for some numbers off the pack and asked me to hold for a minute or so. When she came back, she asked for my name, address and email, and said they would send me a new pack, no charge. Shortly thereafter I got an email confirming them shipping a replacement battery pack.
Just thought I'd relate my great experience with Dewalt's customer service.

 

[Trimley]

Now figure out a way to jery rig the bad one. Rubber band, velcro strap......something. Use it.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Unfortunately, that's not the norm these days. Good to hear a company taking care of you!

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

contrary to what many others would think that battery that fell to the floor would never be in any of my buildings or vehicles again!

I would immediately send it out to be recycled.

Dewalt replaced for free because it was seriously damaged and poses a huge fire risk.

Me and mine, my family (and "stuff") to valuable for that sh@t of keeping a damaged lithium battery around.

youtube]8nz5ijXcckI - Google Search

watch the one at the 1 min. mark and tell me it doesn't pucker your butt just a little bit.

 

[ve9aa]

I am glad they did it for you.

but

I'd be recycling it.
=====

For grins and to see what would happen:
I stuck a screwdriver in an old (tiny) cell phone battery and it burst into flames and created a huge smoke plume so bad the neighbours called to see if everything was ok.

Thankfully, before my test, I had the presence of mind to do it outside away from the house on top of concrete.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

took dewalt 2 WEEKS to respond to a 'general question' I posed on their website.
I asked 'Why are battery powered circular saws built opposite from corded ones ?'

Idiot response was 'to see the cut better'......
sigh...
so the saw I was gifted is going back to China....
and I'll continue to use my 4 decade old corded B&D saws......

 

[fried1765]

took dewalt 2 WEEKS to respond to a 'general question' I posed on their website.
I asked 'Why are battery powered circular saws built opposite from corded ones ?'

Idiot response was 'to see the cut better'......
sigh...
so the saw I was gifted is going back to China....
and I'll continue to use my 4 decade old corded B&D saws......

That response was likely from a printed 'script", in front of a 3rd world person, who has never even seen a DeWalt saw.

 

[Trimley]

I used DeWalt 12v-14v exclusively when my role was finish carpenter, building yachts. They never let me down. On the premises, we had an individual who was a certified DeWalt repair man. If there was ever an issue and he could not repair, a brand new tool was given back to you, and was yours.

Last year I transitioned to Rigid 18v. I've used them a lot, so I'm comfortable recommending them.

I still like DeWalt though.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

took dewalt 2 WEEKS to respond to a 'general question' I posed on their website.
I asked 'Why are battery powered circular saws built opposite from corded ones ?'

Idiot response was 'to see the cut better'......
sigh...
so the saw I was gifted is going back to China....
and I'll continue to use my 4 decade old corded B&D saws......

I think Ryobi has one model in their One+ line that is 'right-handed'. I have also seen left-handed corded saws, you'd have to go out of your way to buy one I think.

I think cutting with the blade to the outside of your body would be safer, but it's harder to see exactly where you're cutting.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Your eyes should be on the 'scribed line', aka 90* cut line NOT the blade to get the cut straight.
If you can, use a protractor style square to slide the saw along.

 

[Trimley]

Your eyes should be on the 'scribed line', aka 90* cut line NOT the blade to get the cut straight.
If you can, use a protractor style square to slide the saw along.

🫤In a perfect world

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I bought a Dewalt 12 volt 3/8" impact a few months ago, and Saturday while I was working on my Nova it fell to the floor and broke the latch on the 5AH battery pack. I tried to fix it with epoxy, but it wouldn't adhere to the latch plastic. So this afternoon I tried to find a replacement latch, which is not available and ended up calling Dewalt customer support. After a short wait I was connected to a nice lady with a bit of a foreign accent, but understandable. I explained the problem, she asked for some numbers off the pack and asked me to hold for a minute or so. When she came back, she asked for my name, address and email, and said they would send me a new pack, no charge. Shortly thereafter I got an email confirming them shipping a replacement battery pack.
Just thought I'd relate my great experience with Dewalt's customer service.

Thanks for sharing. I like hearing that. I have only bought one Dewalt (corded circular saw - highly rated) and I’ve just been disappointed with it from the beginning. So I’ve not been a fan. ( have a healthy collection of Milwaukee tools and that is the platform I chose.) However just this month I got a Dewalt cordless tool combo set (either 9 or 10 tool set) as a gift…it’s really a nice collection of tools, so I will give them try…. I don’t like having 2 battery platforms, but the price was right. Good to hear they have good after sale service. Happy Turkey Day on Thursday.

 

[trial and error]

For the record,my ridgid brushless full size cordless saw is designed for right handed use. My brother's milwakee m18 fuel full size saw is set up for lefties

 

[Trimley]

For the record,my ridgid brushless full size cordless saw is designed for right handed use. My brother's milwakee m18 fuel full size saw is set up for lefties

Milwaukee is a brand I intentionally avoid.

Nothing against the brand, just that, I like Doritos too much to tempt my taste.

 

[DustyRusty]

I have always liked the DeWalt tools, however, I have had a few that have problems with the triggers, and the cost of a new trigger often exceeds 50% of the cost of a new tool. For that reason, I have sworn off DeWalt tools unless they are on some type of blockbuster sale price. I have a leaf blower that is 2 years old and this fall when I took it out to blow the leaves off the driveway the trigger failed. Looked up the cost for a new trigger, and it was about $55, and I only paid $99 for the blower. Looked on eBay and found a lot of them for sale not working. It is a common problem that DeWalt just has their head in the sand about. I see them as disposable tools.

 

[AndyM]

Funny you should mention that - a Dewalt grinder I have had a trigger problem as well. Not unique I guess.

 

[dlsmith]

Now figure out a way to jery rig the bad one. Rubber band, velcro strap......something. Use it.

Actually, I had a little extra time late last night and I took the extra 2AH battery I have apart, and the latch is the same as the 5AH batter.y. I pulled the 5AH battery apart and swapped the good latch onto the 5AH battery which I use most of the time and used some JB Weld to glue the broken one together. Let it set overnight and this morning I trimmed off the excess JB Weld and it seems to be plenty strong enough. Put it back in the 2AH battery and it works okay on the impact, so I'll have and extra when the replacement gets here.

 

[Trimley]

Actually, I had a little extra time late last night and I took the extra 2AH battery I have apart, and the latch is the same as the 5AH batter.y. I pulled the 5AH battery apart and swapped the good latch onto the 5AH battery which I use most of the time and used some JB Weld to glue the broken one together. Let it set overnight and this morning I trimmed off the excess JB Weld and it seems to be plenty strong enough. Put it back in the 2AH battery and it works okay on the impact, so I'll have and extra when the replacement gets here.

Watch for a recycle station. Odds are you can find a dead pack to rob one from.

I've taken dead packs apart, and rebuilt them. They're pretty simple to do. Generally when a pack no longer charges, it's one battery causing the issue, the rest are fine. Replacing one, I was advised not doing due to age and how many times they've been cycled, which causes an issue in and of itself among the rest of the pack.

Rebuilding can save dollars. If you get batteries in bulk (jumpers too), most times you can build a better pack.

I strongly suggest AVOIDING cheap deals on chicom claims, as they are weak links and usually have the exploding and fires to follow.

If interested in building new packs. I have been purchasing Lithium batteries for years, through a few good suppliers, I can recommend.

 

[bbxlr8]

Thanks for posting - I generally really like Dewalt and have some older corded as well as battery-powered driver & impact tools. Their angle grinders seem to be the reference standard among welders and I followed suit when I got my welder a couple of years ago - it is an absolute workhorse.

Interesting timing in that just today, I bought their black Friday deal at HD ahead of time (limited inventory)- 6 tools and 2 batteries. I have been kicking it around based on my experience with the other tools and finally pulled the trigger. Came with a large rolling case also

 

[dlsmith]

Watch for a recycle station. Odds are you can find a dead pack to rob one from.

I've taken dead packs apart, and rebuilt them. They're pretty simple to do. Generally when a pack no longer charges, it's one battery causing the issue, the rest are fine. Replacing one, I was advised not doing due to age and how many times they've been cycled, which causes an issue in and of itself among the rest of the pack.

Rebuilding can save dollars. If you get batteries in bulk (jumpers too), most times you can build a better pack.

I strongly suggest AVOIDING cheap deals on chicom claims, as they are weak links and usually have the exploding and fires to follow.

If interested in building new packs. I have been purchasing Lithium batteries for years, through a few good suppliers, I can recommend.

I have an older 9.6 volt Dewalt drill and the NiCad batteries only last a couple of years, so as an experiment I took the NiCads out of one of the cases and bought some odd size LiPos that let me fit six in the case in a 3S2P configuration. Added a charge controller and was able to get it to work in the drill.