Birmingham metro area Realtor Paul Decarlo (@soldbydecarlo) recently posted a TikTok video detailing his disappointment with his inability to obtain a new drill due to Lowe’s warranty policy.
“Well, I’m disappointed at Lowe’s,” Decarlo starts. “People, you need to keep your receipts because the Kobalt brand, which is a Lowe’s brand—Kobalt’s owned by Lowe’s—has a 5-year warranty on the tool, [3-year warranty] on the battery.”
Decarlo explains, “I’ve got this Kobalt drill with the date, serial number, and so forth. And they’re able to identify the store that was purchased in, where it was purchased, and it is [within the warranty] period. But it is not accepted without a receipt at Lowe’s, unfortunately.”
Lowe’s Warranty Policy Requires Paper Receipts?
Of course, keeping track of paper receipts is a job in itself. One person in the comments joked, “Oh, you mean that paper with the disappearing ink??” Others noted that using the app or store card might have saved this information.
“If you use My Lowe’s or Lowe’s credit card you don’t need a receipt,” said one commenter. “That’s why you use the app, it keeps track of all your purchases,” commented another. “Also if you link your credit card to your email, you will always get an email receipt if you choose both physical and digital receipt.”
One person recommended taking the extra step. “This is why you register it and upload your receipt online with Kobalt,” they said.
Valid Proof of Purchase
A rundown of the process is relatively straightforward. At some point, Decarlo purchased the Kobalt 24-volt 1/2-in. Keyless Brushless Cordless Drill, along with the battery and soft bag, at a Lowe’s in Hoover, AL. The items came with the warranty.
According to Lowe’s warranty policy, it will replace drills that meet this criteria for free. But here’s the caveat: You need a valid proof of purchase, i.e. a receipt. As commenters noted, there are several ways of maintaining your receipts digitally.
On some message boards, customers recall the company once employed a “no questions asked” policy, which ended around 2019. Decarlo and other consumers think requiring a physical receipt for warranty claims is extremely petty and unnecessary. Especially since Lowe’s can verify all purchases digitally. It presents a clear gap that frustrates customers and contradicts the brand’s alleged “hassle-free” warranty marketing.
All Hip Hop reached out to @soldbydecarlo for comment.
@itsbrandonmarlo if #thrifting at @Goodwill Industries Intl. hasn’t felt the same in a few years, it’s because it’s not. the coolest #vintage ♬ original sound – Brandon Marlo