Snap-on Tools Snap-on Credit. Beware of Snap-on guys and your young kids working at oil change stores, and repair shops! Libertyville, Illinois

 My 18 year old son has just been lured into snap on credit's questionable practices. He has only been on the job less than 2 weeks and has put himself foolishly in debt for $6000 worth of their tools. While I absolutely believe he is responsible; I question the ethics behind their lending practice. When someone goes out and purchases something they can't afford; the finance company is not able to take out their money out of the person's paycheck before they can pay their rent, utilities, food, etc. I do believe a lender has the responsibility to in good faith lend to only people capable of repaying the loan. Do the "older mechanics" on here really think it's not questionable to lend an 18 year old 6k? In 1975 6k was equivalent to lending $25000. But loan officers had integrity then. They knew it could be someone's son who attended the same church, was a neighbor, etc. While 18 year olds can go enlist. Their employer (armed forces) does not allow outside sources to enter the workplace and try to sell them guns, bulletproof vests, etc. they also don't, deny them of food or shelter if they can't pay outside said source. Yes, an 18 year old can enlist; but they can't drink hmm... Because they aren't educated enough to make the right choices. This situation is similar to preying on vulnerable elderly folks. Yes, their adults but they shouldn't be pressured into buying $20000 dollar home repairs when a few thousand would have sufficed.

I just finished reading the rest of all the so called scam reports hahah. I'm in awe of the few who's kids are still Hooked on the tit. Maybe just maybe the dealer as greedy and helped push a kid into a new box still doesn't mean your kid could have said no or I'm probably gonna quit my job. Mechanics are not stupid people and I say thank you snap on for eliminating another dummy applying for a job in a field where smarts are worth more than a box of shinny tools. I'm sorry that tool dealers get stuck with claims like this by parents who call snap on garbage hahahahaa any mechanic knows what I am thinking about those parents. 

Been a mechanic for years worked in several shops heavy equipment and truck repair. met many tool truck captains and regional reps all  great to deal with. scam  is totally ignorant. I was I depth to snap on for over 20 years and from my very first teenage loan it was made clear how it works With the finance. It was your sons negligence alone and no one else. And in the field we are glad people like your son don't stick around because we are sick of kids who think a mechanic is a term used to describe irresponsible and lazy people who only own tools  a way to impress someone. Snap on has been around for a very long time, there is a reason most mechanics have snap on tools and the company is always at our  to produce the best tools. 

  Jr from juneau ak.I got my first Snap on set at the age of 16 with a cosigner. I've been buying Snap on Tools ever since. I'm 42 years old now and still buying Snap on Tools so your son goes off and do a contract and buy car or house or personal loan Or line of credit and defaults on it are you going to pay for that to. All sale men are trying to sell that's their job.you should talk to your son about the world of credit before He turned 18Teen should a school him how it will impact his credit And his lIfe

I have been buying Snap-On tools since 1976 when I worked for a motorcycle dealership in San Diego. Five years later I worked at another dealership in Lemon Grove, and there was a new Snap-On dealer who was in his first week on the route. We assembled motorcycles (and a ton of ATCs) out of the crate, and using combination wrenches and ratchets takes all day. This new dealer sold me a dynamite lightweight air ratchet with just $10 down, and Dave, a new employee who had only worked there for a couple of weeks, really wanted one of those air ratchets.

Many Snap-On dealers require you to work a minimum amount of time at a job so you don't go running off with their merchandise after one payment, but this new dealer was looking for new customers and, after talking to Dave (who had lived in the area his entire 21 years and was financing a Toyota pickup), he sold him the identical air ratchet for the same $10 down deal that he had given me. In other words, he trusted him. Dave paid him at least $10 each payday (every other Friday), and bought many more items along the way (it's easy to become a Snap-On junkie, since their tools are beyond outstanding). He paid every nickel of the balance.

I worked at an R&D shop in San Bernardino in 1985 and I needed a good #2 Phillips and flat blade screwdriver. The Snap-On dealer offered to sell me a beautiful six-piece set for around $60 (remember, this was 1985), and said, "Give me $10 dollars; heck, I take payments." After I paid for the screwdrivers, I bought a beautiful tool chest for $275 (the kind with the flap that folds down and covers the drawers), and I swear, I loved that beauty more than my girlfriend. When I quit that job I explained to him what was going on and he accepted the box as a return and called it even (the thing still looked brand new).

I've had nothing but good luck and good treatment with Snap-On dealers. Maybe living in Southern California  has something to do with it.

You have got to be kidding me yes both parties are toblame but an adult knows way more than an adult

This company snap on are a bunch of crooks they got my son with that bs 4500 dollars worth of tools that he cant pay for because he 

Have a job yet Why would you give credit to an 18 year that has no way of paying for them.I went back and fourth with the sales rep and the company and got the run around so now im seeking legal advice If there is a class action suit  im in please let me know

And for the individual who feels snap on did nothing wrong then he needs help thats like saying the banks did nothing wrong when they sold all those houses to people that qualify or could afford them which eventually screwed up the economy

I just wanted to say that my son while at college fell into the same trap.  He was in the High Performance and all around mechanics program and working at a car dealership when they conned him.  Same basic story.  We are in the stage of guiding him through this without paying for it.  It will be a lesson learned for him in the end.

Have you read about all the lawsuits Snap-On has had against them and lost?  For years they have been getting sued and losing.  Tons of complaints and lawsuits from customers and their own dealers or franchisees they call them all about the credit predators that they are.  These are not all young niave college students either, many are experienced adults that have been very responsible with their credit.  In my research and I want to warn you, I have found out that customers have returned tool boxes and tools some completley unused, to their dealers and were told by the dealer that in doing so would completely wipeout any debt with them.  Even given signed statements stating such but it's a fraud, they do not relieve the debt they still go into collections and sometimes they even charge more to your acct and there are many reports of that happening. 

Also concerning the comment on selling the tools on ebay, get this  my son had his box listed on craigs list and he was called by Snap-On and told that, "this is against the contract he signed and that if he sold it they would charge him with a felony!"  Then proceeded to try to get him to turn over his tool box to them.  He is only 2 weeks behind on the payment! I have a feeling that this is another load of bologne but we are in the process of getting that contract and a lot of the other paperwork they don't give customers like you mentioned and go over the fine print in all this.  It is outrageous!

The Dealers have won class actions against Snap-On, but it is much harder for individuals to go to court when they run up your legal costs.  So I'm not walking away from this.  I'm going to do more research and speak to some lawyers so that I can advise my son how HE should handle this.

I agree that the Snap-on dealer took advantage of your son.  On the other hand, your son is 18 yrs. old and is of legal age to off to war for the country and to sign a contract.  Consequently, the Snap-on dealer didn't appear to do anything even close to illegal.  Actually, you might ask your son's previous employer (the dealership) why somebody didn't recommend he start out with Craftsman tools, for example, before he blew his $8 an hour pay on top-of-the-line Snap-on?

Now, what's the resolution?... I would first of all ask you and your son a question.  What has your son done with the tools?  You complain about the cost, but did your son ever try to sell the tools?  Have you ever looked at the price of used Snap-on tools on eBay?  I'm guessing the answer is "no."  Used Snap-ons are somewhat like used cars in that there is a huge secondary market for these items.

In my opinion, the Snap-on dealer wasn't doing your son any favors.  That said, I think you should (i) inventory his tools, (ii) check the Snap-on website for retail prices, (iii) open up an eBay account and take pix of tools, and finally (iv) sell the tools in order to pay back your son's debt.

One final comment... there is absolutely no reason why your son should not receive an itemized bill for a debt allegedly owed.  If the Snap-on dealer and Snap-on Credit refuse, then you may consider contacting your State's Attorney General for a resolution.

Hope this helps.

first you should not be paying for your kids credit problems, i dont see how snap on did any kind of rip off, your son bought professional tools for a job he was doing and paid professional price for them, snap on did not come into the shop and held your son against a grinder forcing him to buy their tools, he went onto the truck and said ohh i have to have that tool box, with him being 18 how do you get stuck paying the bill because he did not want to change oil any more...... he needs to man up and pay his own bills no, do you job hop every couple of months because you dont like that job any more. I suggest you and your son read some books on personal responsibility check out larry winget, he'll kick your son on the road to man hood.

The original poster's attitude is a picture perfect illustration of why kids today have no sense of obligation. Your kid was 18, and was of legal age to enter into a contract. There are no ifs, ands or buts about that. There are no exceptions. This is the real world, and it was your job to prepare him for it. Most likely, your kid quit his job because he expected his monthly payment obligation to just evaporate if he wasn't making an income, and you reinforced that by taking care of it as though he was a twelve year old. He *deserves* to get sent to collections, and take a hit to his credit report for the next few years. It will not be the end of the world, it will be a lesson in the way the world actually works. Are you going to still be taking care of his obligations when he's 40 because he never learned to take care of himself?

That's quite odd and I can't believe your son ripped you off the way he did.

I have a teenager, and I know how unexperienced they are to the world. He may be 18, but this place took advantage of him. He could have a nice used car for that garbage. I had had class in juvenile delinquency, I remember one of the instructors, a former detective making the comment, if you cant get a confession out of a young adult, you mind as well hang it up in this field. Meaning kids are easy to manipulate.

"I could not believe it. How could a grown man talk an 18 year old to buy all this stuff? I was not consulted in any way, and am paying the bill to protect my son's credit. (He has now decided to go back to school)"

You were not supposed to be "consulted". Your son is of legal age to enter into a contract. Why should a salesman consult you?

Since he is your son, it was your responsibility to impart some finacial wisdom to him before reaching the age where he could get himself into a world of trouble by signing contracts he did not understand. What you are paying for now is an expensive lesson. If I were you, I'd get as much mileage out of it as possible.