Lowe's is terrible, I hope someone here can help

[Greg]

Again, I believe that there is no such law. Have you actually seen the law? Is it state or federal?

Greg

[Edwin Pawlowski]

There are Federal laws covering how mail order can be handled. It is also required that seller notify the buyer if goods cannot be shipped in a given time, I believe it is 30 days, and offer the option of cancellation. There may be exceptions for special items or if a time is noted at the time of order placement, such as the TV deal that state "allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery"

Have I seen it? No , when I visited Washington I spent most of my time visiting monuments and museums.

[MC]

Would be a good idea to get a $100 UPS and attach to your credit card machine for those power problems.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Seems like it is not a Federal law

Card Pre-Charge

Of all the different policies that differentiate vendors, the one that is probably the most controversial relates to when a vendor charges your credit card on a mail order or online purchase--especially if the item is backordered or cannot ship immediately for some other reason. Some companies will charge your credit card the instant you place your order, even if the item you are ordering is not in stock, and even if they have no idea when or even if it will ship. Others will take your order but charge your card only when the item actually is sent.

Unfortunately, in many jurisdictions it is not illegal to precharge a credit card for an item that is backordered, though in some places it is. You have to check your local statutes. Where it is legal, many credit card merchant service companies specifically disallow this practice as a condition of the contract the vendor signs to accept credit cards. Of course the typical vendor doesn't publish its credit card merchant agreement, even if they aren't violating it, so it's not like you can easily check this. ;^)

30 DAY RULE

To protect the consumer the FTC has enacted the Mail Order Merchandise rule which is generally referred to as the 30 Day Rule. Many states have enacted similar laws. some of those laws have a more narrow definition than the federal law; the most notable is New York State.

The 30 Day Rule requires the seller to deliver the order within a 30 day period, unless otherwise stated in the sales literature. if the seller, for example, states in the order form that delivery takes 4 to 6 weeks, he has effectively insulated himself from the law. In a practical matter, however, he may have also affected his business in a negative way.

The 30 day period begins when an order arrives and has been properly paid for.

The 30 Day Rule is an easy regulation with which to comply. It should rarely take longer than 30 days to fill an order. If it does, the seller must notify the buyer of the delay and the reason for it.

Some mail order companies delay shipment of orders until checks rendered for payment have cleared. This should generally not take longer than 10 days. If the seller wishes to follow such a policy, he should so state in his literature. From the perspective of a mail order operator, I do not consider this to be a sound policy. NSF and ACCOUNT CLOSED checks are relatively rare and can be minimized with proper controls. If you practice such a policy, you may save a few dollars but in return you will make customers unhappy. I personally do not buy from companies that state in their literature that they hold checks for clearance. Most mail order companies experience very small bad debt ratios. It is recommended that you call the bank the check is drawn on to verify funds on larger amounts; as for example, on orders over $50.

Once the buyer has been notified that an order has been delayed, the seller is automatically granted an additional 30 day delay unless the customer advises the seller that the delay is not acceptable. If he does not reply to the notification, it constitutes legal acceptance of the delay. In general, and in most states, the seller may obtain a second 30 day delay as long as there is a good enough reason.

The New York law differs from the federal law in that it stipulates a maximum period of 65 days (including delays) for an order to be filled. Newcomers to the mail order field residing in New York State should obtain a copy of the New York regulations.

The 30 Day Rule does not pertain to credit card sales. Credit card charges should be processed when an order is filled. If a mail order credit card sale is cancelled, the seller must issue a credit against the account of the buyer within one billing cycle following receipt of the cancellation request.

Found some interesting information on consumer laws here also.

[Greg]

It is also not a state law where I live. Many people assume that we have laws protecting us from blatantly unethical behavior when we actually do not. The Internet has far too many unethical vendors who are very willing to cheat people for us to assume that the gov't has the wisdom to establish obvious and logical laws to prevent it.

"CAVEAT EMPTOR" can not be said loudly enough in the Internet world. It is a very costly luxury to be stupid or lazy when making purchases on the Internet.

Greg

[fk89]

DOOR UPDATE!

Ok so the door got installed yesterday. I'm still in shock!

Apparently I did need a 79 1/4 inch door as the door they sent was a little more that a =BC inch short. They installer centered it and put a rubber flap on the bottom to prevent any air from getting in. He said this is common and not to be concerned. My question is, should I be? I do not feel any air through it nor do I see any light pass through it when using a flashlight.

Also the door seems very tight, knob is a bit hard to turn when opening. It not hitting just closing tight! He said this would break in and loosen up. Is this common?

Felix

[Noozer]

Are you sure that the new door really is 79 1/4"? Maybe then just sent a 79" door and had the installer "fudge" it into place.

Ok so the door got installed yesterday. I'm still in shock!

Apparently I did need a 79 1/4 inch door as the door they sent was a little more that a ¼ inch short. They installer centered it and put a rubber flap on the bottom to prevent any air from getting in. He said this is common and not to be concerned. My question is, should I be? I do not feel any air through it nor do I see any light pass through it when using a flashlight.

Also the door seems very tight, knob is a bit hard to turn when opening. It not hitting just closing tight! He said this would break in and loosen up. Is this common?

Felix

[fk89]

No that's what i meant they sent a 79" door that's why it was short by

1/4 of an > Are you sure that the new door really is 79 1/4"? Maybe then just sent a 79"

[John Willis]

The question is, what is the margin around the door? Even if it is a little small, there are door sweeps (ie. little rubber flap) that attach to the inside of the door, but I prefer a seal that attaches to the bottom and seals against the top of the threshold.

As to the fit, no that isn't right. A properly fitted door will open and close just as easily right after installation as it will years later (assuming the foundation isn't moving around!:~) If it is hard to turn the knob, it will continue to be difficult. Either the knob isn't aligned correctly in the door or the striker plate isn't aligned with the assembly. Either way it is aminor matter of adjustment to fix the problem and one the installer shouldn't have left you with.

As for that extra 1/4", doors need approximately a 1/8" margin at the top and sides. Slightly more is ok, less isn't. Unless you are installing a door unit and have plenty of room for shims, the bottom of the door can be a bit variable, depending on the installation. There are even thresholds that adjust in height if the bottom margin is a bit too much. This is why I was saying ording a door at 79 1/4" tall seemed a bit silly since there are lots of oprions for taking up that small amount of extra space.

Let this be a lesson for you-never have the big box stores do special orders and never have them hire out the installation of anything. Typically they use the lowest cost installer, and is that really who you want working on your home?

Glad it worked out. Hope you get the door knob issue resolved!

On 8 Mar 2005 06:54:14 -0800, [e-mail] scribbled this interesting note:

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[Goedjn]

Or there's weather-stripping on the doorstops that the installer expects to crush down over a few weeks.

[Duane Bozarth]

Depends on whether the knob is hard to turn only when the door is closed or not...if it's stiff while open, there's a problem in the set. If it's only when closed, see if putting some pressure on the door to close it "tighter" relieves the stiffness or makes it worse--also, if the latch is not aligned w/ the catch quite right there may well be a tell-tale scratch area showing where...

I agree however, that for the price it should be smooth-operating when the installer leaves...

[Duane Bozarth]

Duane Bozarth wrote: ...regarding stiff lockset after new door install...

Of course, it could be just a cheap POS lockset, too... :(

[fk89]

OK, so Lowe's came back yesterday and made an adjustment to the keyset and now all is well.

Looks like in the end I'm fianally happy and allthough I will continue to shop at Lowe's I will NOT be placing any more orders or special orders with them.

Felix

Duane Bozarth wrote:

[The Real Tom]

I think it's common to have seals, but I'm guessing you are asking about the size of the door.

I'm curious, did you actually measure the size of the door?

later,

tom @