For a building tradesperson, tools are the livelihood — and a heavy line in the budget. A grinder, an impact driver, a compressor, a site laser: between buying new and replacing worn-out kit, the spend adds up fast. Yet a good share of those tools are still under warranty when they give out. You just have to be able to prove it.
Three traps specific to tools
1. The “3-year” warranty that only exists if you activate it. Many power tool manufacturers offer an extended 3-year warranty (sometimes longer) — provided you register the tool online within days of purchase. No registration, and you’re stuck with the basic coverage. How many of your tools have you actually registered?
2. The receipt that’s nowhere to be found. Purchases happen at the trade counter, sometimes several times a week. Receipts pile up in the van, get stained, disappear. The day you need after-sales service, no proof = no warranty.
3. Mixing up identical tools. Three drivers of the same model, bought on different dates: which one is still covered? Without tracking by serial number, there’s no way to tell.
What an uncovered tool costs
Replacing a brand-name driver, a laser or a compressor runs to several hundred euros — not counting the lost day on site spent chasing down a replacement. A warranty you actually claim is that expense avoided, and the job kept moving.
What a tradesperson really needs
- Fast entry at the counter: photo of the receipt, brand, model, serial number, in under a minute.
- Tracking of warranty-extension registrations.
- An alert before the deadline, so you can decide whether to replace the tool or claim the warranty.
- Access from your phone, on site and in the workshop alike.
Keept, in your pocket on site
With Keept, you add a tool in seconds from your phone: photo of the receipt, model, serial number, warranty length. The app works out the expiry date and warns you before it runs out. The day something breaks down, you know instantly whether the tool is covered and you can show proof of purchase without turning the van upside down. Your tool warranties stop going to the skip with the old receipts.