What's so great about Wood's Powr-Grip's warranty? Of course, our warranty guarantees our products to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a full year from the date of purchase. But what matters to our customers is not the statement of our guarantee but the spirit of service accompanying our warranty: According to Assistant Shipping Manager, Beau Bradley, "We have the most generous warranty policy in the industry, and we do a lot to build our reputation for excellent customer service."

If any customer ever experiences a quality problem with one of our products, we want to know about it and correct it immediately. However, despite Powr-Grip's willingness to repair or replace defective products free of charge, customers are sometimes unsure about what sort of problems qualify for warranty service. On the obvious end of the spectrum, vacuum cups that have been run over or dropped off buildings would not be covered by the warranty, since Powr-Grip cannot prevent catastrophic damage from happening to our products. However, it is less obvious whether some other problems are covered under warranty.

A frequent problem in the glass industry is that rubber vacuum pads may become cut or scratched on broken glass or other sharp edges in the installation area. Since cuts in rubber are excluded under the warranty, installers need to keep vacuum cups in their carrying cases whenever they are not in use. If they set a vacuum cup down on a cutting table or floor, the vacuum pad must face up, to avoid cuts. Similarly, the inside of cup cases should be kept clean of glass pieces or other debris which could damage a vacuum pad.

Another common problem is for vacuum pumps to become contaminated by adhesives, putty or other installation materials. Again, such problems would not be covered by the warranty, as they are not defects in materials or workmanship. As Sales Manager Ross King explains, users are expected to take reasonable precautions against these kinds of damage.

One issue which sometimes prevents customers from receiving warranty service is communication. CEO Bryan Wood notes, "It's important for customers to know how to qualify a product for warranty," by supplying us with the information needed to process their request. Since Powr-Grip processes an enormous volume of vacuum cups through our Exchange and Repair Service, complete contact information and a clear request for warranty consideration are essential to receiving service. In this regard, Beau Bradley emphasizes, "the Exchange and Repair Form has proven to be a convenient way for customers to send us information, and lots of people are using it now."

In the final analysis, it's easy to receive warranty service at Wood's Powr-Grip: Customers just need to know the exclusions listed in the warranty statement; provide the information requested on our Exchange and Repair form; and ship products to the Powr-Grip factory or an authorized dealer according to the warranty directions.

Byron LaRue has more than 10 years of experience writing and translating literature about vacuum cups and below-the-hook lifters used in glass, stone and general materials handling. As the Senior Staff Writer for Wood's Powr-Grip, he is responsible for developing product instructions and labeling, marketing literature and website content.