I purchased a Makita 12/9 volt cordless drill for pest control work. When I set the clutch for screws, it worked for about a hundred holes and then would quit turning and just buzz before the screw was seated. It began to quit more quickly as I used it, until it wouldn’t perform at all, so I returned it to Home Depot where it was replaced. I set the second 12/9 volt to the screw emblem on the collar, so it would act like a direct drive, avoiding the clutch all together and after a couple years, it began to smell like burnt plastic when the trigger was pulled, so I purchased a new 18 volt, thinking the clutch issue was a fluke. I set it to the screw emblem on the collar again, just in case, and ran it on a hit and miss basis, for about two years when the clutch problem started again. I was in the middle of a job, for a lady, and the chuck stopped and buzzed when I pulled the trigger. Well it happened a few more times, so I took it back to Home Depot and asked if they could replace it or fix the clutch and they said their 30 day warrantee was up and I needed to take it to Makita. I called Makita and they said to bring it in, but wouldn’t tell me why they were selling drills that didn’t work. I went to their main office and walked into their front receiving area, where a woman and a Mexican girl were discussing something and I waited. The Mexican girl looked at me and returned to the topic of conversation with the white lady as if I didn’t exist. I’m white, so I waited a couple more minutes and the white woman finally asked if she could help, while the Mexican girl sat down at her desk. When I asked for directions to repair my drill, she gave me directions. I went to their Will-Call door and waited at their receiving desk. Four men were standing in cubicles in the room and an Asian was nearest the desk. He asked what I needed and I explained that my clutch went south and that it had happened before. The Asian man turned to a Mexican man and said, “You take this case.†and the first Mexican said to a second one, “You take it, I’m busy.†at which point the second one said to the third one, “You take it.†and the third Mexican said, to the fourth one, “You take it.†While watching this cartoon, the memory of making a pickup at a Morton Salt office, a few years ago, returned to me. It was a rush job for a Chemical company and I was directed to pick up a fifty pound bag of salt, for a batch that was being made, and to return to the production floor as quickly as possible. The front office had called in an order and was told that the bag would be waiting when the driver got there. As I entered Morton’s shipping office, at noon, there were seven Mexican guys sitting in a circle, eating lunch and they just sat, without acknowledging I was standing at the desk. I stood there for ten minutes and not one of ‘em even looked up, so I went next door and made a call. The manager told me to just go back and he’d handle the problem from his office. When I returned, there was a scurry of activity; the manager and three helpers were coming to the truck before I even stopped and when I hit the brake, I was handed the invoice papers as I heard the thump of the bag hitting the truck bed. These idiots at Makita brought the memory back, as I stood there listening to them, pass the buck from one retard to the other, in disbelief. The thought came to me, ‘No wonder Makita is garbage.’ Well, number four finally came to the desk and asked what the problem was and I showed him the drill, while explaining that the problem, with the clutch, wasn’t new. He asked for the receipt and I explained that the drill was two years old and had I thought I would need a receipt, the purchase would never have been made. At that point he was holding the chuck while he pressed the trigger and the drill was working. So I asked how the drill would be tested, because it was obvious to me, that his amateur examination wasn’t proving anything and he ignored my question while he began to read the label. “We can’t do anything with this drill, because the manufacturer’s warrantee is only good for two years and this drill is four years old.†he said. I just put the drill in the case and walked. I couldn’t believe that Home Depot had just read the same label and told me to go to Makita with my clutch problem, when they knew the manufacturer’s warrantee had lapsed! Home Depot sold me a two year old drill, SO THE DAY OF THE PURCHASE THE 30 DAY STORE WARRANTEE AND THE TWO YEAR MANUFACTURER’S WERE NO LONGER IN FORCE.
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