Milwaukee disappointment

[Saskataper]

So today I went into the Milwaukee service centre because i was having issues with my 3 month old heated jacket. The battery "pod" where you plug in the battery was working intermittently which really sucks when your waking up to -50. Anyway he tried to blame it on my batteries saying they were probably old and no good (they worked fine in my other m12 stuff) I said I can't be as the oldest one is only a year and a half if that. He went on to show me the date code on the bottom explaining that the two year warranty was from date of manufacture, the newest battery was made just shy of two years ago and the oldest was 3. So when I bought the tools and jacket I really only had a few months of warranty if that and not the two years. That is total BS in my opinion, not to mention the fact that he gave me the impression that an m12 battery is only expected to last a couple years even without being used a lot. He did give me a new "pod" though witch was nice. But when I gave the battery a whack to push it into my new "pod" he said "oh no don't do that it will brake it and void your warranty" say what?
I was a big fan of the red tools before I drank the koolaid but now I'm really starting to wonder

 

[leer]

I'd contact Milwaukee management and ask if condescending attitudes and less than acceptable service is what is to be expected by a "once devoted fan" of the Milwaukee brand.

I worked in product marketing and account management for a variety of companies, and warranty was triggered ALWAYS by sales or shipment date, and not manufacturing date.  But regardless of warranty policy, that person treated you poorly.  Sadly we see way too much of that these days.  And some companies wonder why sales taper off. They only have to look at how customers feel about a purchase after the sale.

 

[wow]

The treatment and story you got is not typical opt Milwaukee, but just like Festool there are good and bad dealers.

The battery holder module has been a common problem. Contact your Milwaukee rep. You should be able get his name from Milwaukee and meet him/her at a local dealer.

 

[TelcoRandy]

I have two M12 LED flashlights, drill, impact driver, hackzall and SDS drill. Hopefully if I have a problem I won't run into the same disappointment. Milwaukee tools have some great specs and performance but if this incident is representative of how they honor their warranties; then I'm going to make sure I don't buy anymore of their products. Hopefully some other people here chime in with their experiences, I'd like to know if I bought some lemons.

 

[Saskataper]

The treatment and story you got is not typical opt Milwaukee, but just like Festool there are good and bad dealers.

The battery holder module has been a common problem. Contact your Milwaukee rep. You should be able get his name from Milwaukee and meet him/her at a local dealer.

He did give me a new battery holder module as I said, it's just his attitude, implying either I broke it or that my batteries were old, giving me the impression that Milwaukee is now a fragile and short lived brand.
It was a Milwaukee only service centre and not a dealer, he is only allowed to sell refurbs and overstock. So I'm not sure where they fall in terms of representing Milwaukee.

 

[Timtool]

Li-ion batteries have a life expectancy of about 3-5 years after production, whether you use them often or not at all.
But it's up to them not to stock them for years, and warranty should start at date of purchase. But often you will see in fine print "excluding batteries"
That being said i suppose you are aware that milwaukee is now a Chinese company that produces most of it's tools in China under the Milwaukee name.
They have bought other German tool companies with very good reputation in the past, and displaced the production to China and now those brands are like under black and decker on the scale of quality.

 

[RussellS]

All I can add is I have a Milwaukee 1/2" drill.  Highest quality there is.  You pick that drill up and the quality rubs off on your hands.  I associate its quality to the rest of Milwaukee's tools.  Maybe not correct to do this.

 

[72anthony]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I've had nothing but great service at the factory service center in Houston. They have warrantied batteries that were past the "official" date, replaced other items without question, and even given me a set of free blades when buying a reconditioned saws-all.

 

[Saskataper]

My dad is a Milwaukee guy and has an old sawsall and circular saw that still work like new and I'd bet they are at least 25 years old, I've got a big circ saw and a corded half inch drill about the same age and the stuff is just built tough, it's really got that made in the USA feel. The new stuff just seems like it's really good for made in China, and it seems they are making some tools just to say they have a big lineup, not cause its a good tool. I bought an M12 screwdriver and sawsall combo a couple years ago and they were both totally useless, I took them back the same day.

 

[leakyroof]

I can second that frustration with a now-long-gone-and-good-riddance Milwaukee Cordless Drill. It was my first Lithium-Ion battery tool. I bought a Makita 18volt Impact Driver a few months after buying the Milwaukee 18v drill. Right away I noticed that the run time and the held charge time of the Makita beat the pants off the Milwaukee. Then, before a year was up, the batteries for the Milwaukee would never hold a charge for more than 1 day.
I decided to sell the Milwaukee, buy my first Festool Drill, and have never looked back. I have also haven't had to replaced any of the batteries in either of my Makita's, or the Festool.
I do like my Milwaukee SCMS with its 12 inch blade and decent dust collection[with a vac hooked up]. It's no Kapex, but works for me.