A while back I posted about the Mastercraft Life-time Warranty because I was able to replace a measuring tape with no questions asked. That post has received a number of comments from people who have had problems exercising the Mastercraft warranty.
I decided to contact Canadian Tire, the retailer who sells the Mastercraft tools brand in Canada, to ask them about their warranty policy. The response I got back from one of their Corporate Customer Relations people was:
Limited lifetime warranty is issued on certain types of Mastercraft tools and can only be exercised with a proof of purchase and/or the visible marking of the Mastercraft name. Without either one of these criteria, the store is unable to honour the replacement of a tool. The warranty excludes any damage resulting from apparent negligent handling, misuse or lack of maintenance or care.
Based on this policy, we would be able to exchange the tools that meet the above criteria. In the event there is no replacement tool available, the store would then issue a refund. The stores reserve the right to refuse to credit or exchange the article should a receipt not be available or a defect cannot be found with the product.
From the response above, it would appear that if your tool has an obvious Mastercraft marking, Canadian Tire should replace it with the same tool, as long as it is available, no questions asked. Of course, don’t abuse your tools or they won’t honour the warranty.
Unfortunately, it also sounds like each Canadian Tire store can refuse to honour the warranty if you don’t have a receipt. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where there are multiple stores, you should try a different store if the first one rejects your warranty exchange. If you do get refused, you should contact Canadian Tire and request their help in exchanging the defective Mastercraft tool.
Good Luck!
I am A dissatisfied customer of MASTERCRAFT. I purchased a 1/2 Impact wrench kit for my husband on fathers day as a gift, now the wrench is broke and I have misplaced the reciept. I have the tool in its orignal kit and box showing 3 yr warranty but cannot get this tool replaced.I thouight mastercraft was a good company till now and always purchased this brand for my husband, am so dissatisfied I WILL NEVER PURCHASE MASTERCRAFT AGAIN….
…DON’T BUY MASTERCRAFT!! As of Nov 2010, their new policy is “no receipt, no return, no exchange” They have effectively voided their own ‘lifetime’ warranty, and nullified all previous warranties on their tools…speaking from my own experience, I don’t have every receipt for every tool I’ve purchased over the last however many years, some of my tools are indeed 8 to 10 years old…but now they have no further coverage if I can’t produce a receipt…so if my 3 year-old ratchet wrench or maybe the socket set I got for Xmas has a problem or failure, I’m completely S.O.L. …nice to see that this company, that used to be proud to be called Canadian, no longer cares about the people that have supported its’ growth for so many years…now it’s grown too big to care anymore…
We also went to Canadian Tire to return a Mastercraft tool. The tools were bought because of the lifetime warranty.
We too were told we needed a receipt or proof of payment. They would not replace the tool.
If their is a lifetime warranty, who keeps their bills for years.
Craftsman, from Sears does has a lifetime warranty, and honors the warranty.
only time they have asked me for a reciept is when there was a limited warranty. my socets and my ratchets are lifetime and i have had no issues to date.
Where in MN can you find a store that I can go to. I too have a Mastercraft Lifetime Warranty tool that needs replacement and cannot find anywhere to take it. Have had it for years. Bought at Montgomery Ward which is not longer in business in MN.
Irene, I’m not sure who sells Mastercraft tools in the US. A quick search online suggests that Menards may but I’m not sure.
Here in Canada, the Mastercraft brand name is owned by Canadian Tire.
Here is a little tip from a contractor of 30 years. No brand of tool is 100% reliable. Life time warranty or not. When it comes to tools always keep your receipt or proof of purchase. Keep it as long as you have te tool you will never have an issue with returning a tool and having it replaced
i now keep my tool recipts
the problem now is after awhile they fade
and you can`t read them
what now