Rant - Harbor Freight

[Hoyt Weathers]

My very first order to them was for their Dovetail Machine for $29.99 plus shipping. Today I received in the mail their "acknowledgement" (their misspelling - not mine). That showed the price of the article, tax of $0, Freight of $4.95 and Handling of $5.95 . It is my view that *handling* is an internal labor cost of Harbor Freight, just part of doing business, and should be part of their overhead and built into their prices. Because of this absurdity, I will never again order anything from Harbor Freight. They burned me once. They will get no other chance. Bank on it.

Hoyt W.

[J T]

Fri, May 28, 2004, 11:53pm (EDT-1) [e-mail] (Hoyt=A0Weathers) puts out: Today I received in the mail their "acknowledgement" (their misspelling - not mine).

Damn, now I've got to find a link to a new on-line dictionary, because the one I use spelled it the same way.

That showed the price of the article, tax of $0, Freight of $4.95 and Handling of $5.95 . It is my view that *handling* is an internal labor cost of Harbor Freight, just part of doing business, and should be part of their overhead and built into their prices.

You should have ordered a couple more things then. This came directly off their site: SHIPPING INFORMATION

1. (a) Quoted prices include FREE SHIPPING if the order is .00 or more, and being shipped within the contiguous United States.

Because of this absurdity, I will never again order anything from Harbor Freight. They burned me once. They will get no other chance. Bank on it.

I've seen places that charge more. I won't mail order from them any more either. Because there's now a store 15 or so miles from me.

JOAT "106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses." - Elwood

"Hit it." - Joliet Jake

[Lobby Dosser]

Hoyt Weathers wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Actually you will get burned again - when the order arrives. :o)

And maybe burned a third time when you have to pay return shipping. :o)

I *never* nuy anything from Harbor Fright that I can't see, touch, and smell in person. That said, their 4 inch angle grinder for $15-18 (depending on phase o' the moon) is a good deal. Fortunately I have a store nearby, so I get to dry test the stuff right there. Saw a guy last week taking apart a bench top planer - flick of the fingernail on the case told the whole tale - cheap chinois knockoff.

[John]

I have bought a lot of stuff from them. Their quality is not always very high, but if you are careful it can be an excellent value. Of course there is a local store; I would never buy without seeing the product first. You will be happy with the dovetail machine; it is identical to the ones selling for double the price elsewhere, and actually works pretty well.

Since you obviously have an Inet connection, I presume you placed your order over the WWW. Did the order show the handling charge? If so, you don't have anything to complain about, do you. If not, call them, tell them about the problem, and threaten to stop payment on the charge unless they take care of it. I am sure they will.

I can't remember a company mailing an acknowledgement unless they are out of stock, but I will take your word for that one.

[Leon]

Handling is what "you" normally do to get your merchandise. Shipping the expense of you driving to and from the store. Typically the cost to drive your car is 35 cents per mile when considering the cost of the vehicle, insurance, gas, and maintenance. Handling is you getting out of your car and going inside the store, finding what you want to buy, and paying the cashier and then boxing it up for shipping back home.

If HF is not in your town, that pricing is pretty cheap. Normally a company lumps it all together as Shipping and Handling.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I like your analogy.

Some places separate the two and charge a set handling charge no matter the size of the order and adjust the shipping as the weight goes up. No matter what the scenario, someone will find fault. I agree that some are too high, especially when you are buying a low cost item, but the cost is real.

If you look at Amazon, they offer free shipping on some orders. Not a bad deal, but you are paying for the "free" anything as it is included in the price. Easy to do when you are 100% mail order. For retail stores that also ship, they want to be able to offer the same listed price, but have to be compensated for the cost of the handling, picking the order, packing it, packing materials and other related expenses.

Look at it this way. You want to buy a new widget and the store is 10 miles sway. You ask the kid next door if he would go to the store and pick up the item and he agrees. Would you just say thanks, or would you tip him a couple of bucks for gas? Ed

[Alexander Galkin]

Their quality is rather poor but the prices are really cheap. I never buy machinery from them or anything that must be of good quality. However, drywall sanding sponges or glue brushes or even bar clamps are OK for me to order from them. I usually use coupon they send me for free shipping plus $5 off. Of cause they charge around 6 for "handling". I never paid "handling" on any order I made online.

[Bruce]

The best is yet to come. I placed an order with them and was expecting it the next week. When it didn't arrive I emiled customer service. "Please allow 14 BUSINESS days for delivery" WTF is that all about? I wrote back and asked if they shipped by covered wagon. Who in the hell takes 14 business days to deliver anything?

[Greg O]

Harbor Freight! Typical shipping time for them. Remember, it is 14 BUSINESS days, turns out to be closer to three weeks. As for Hyots rant, he should have ordered more. Orders over $50 ship free freight, although they will still hit you for the handling charge. Greg

[The Davenports]

On the other hand, two weeks ago, I ordered the Porter-Cable compressor package that had a brad nailer and a finish nailer...I'm cheap, went for the free shipping...was told 7-10 day delivery. That was on a Sunday night...Wednesday at noon, the box was in my garage.

Now THAT is what I call fast shipping!

Mike

[Zeke]

I've had to wait much longer than that with Amazon's "super saving shipping"

Zeke Change com to net for e-mail

[Mike G]

So it cost you $40.89 total, and they didn't tell you the total cost when you ordered or you didn't figure it out if you used their order form?

Interesting, let me know if you run across another dovetail jig that, including handling/shipping, is cheaper then $40.89.

[Kiwanda]

[e-mail] (Bruce) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

That was my experience too, but I'd been warned to expect that by the group. My order shipped from Chicagoland to Minnesota, and still took almost three weeks to reach my door. They sent me a UPS tracking number within a couple of days, but it didn't actually leave their dock for two weeks; it then took three days door to door.

It's a lot like the old 1970s K-tel or Ronco mail orders "Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery." The only reason I can suss to run a business like that is to float the payments for interest for two weeks, or to avoid the cost of actually stocking much merchandise. Either way, not a good sign.

-Derek

[Kiwanda]

Zeke wrote in news: [e-mail]:

saving

OTOH, I ordered the P-C compressor deal from Amazon this past Tuesday (had some credit to blow)-- with free shipping --and it arrived at my door Friday AM. Their web page told me not to expect it until around June 8th, so this was a pleasant surprise.

-Derek

[Rick Samuel]

[Bruce]

Not if you use Priority Mail like a normal person. I think it is so stupid not to use UPS Ground or FedEx Ground because it is quite reasonable and the customer is much more satisfied. I will likely not order from them again. Luckily I have a HF in town. BTW: The twist grip clamps are on sale. I just picked up 6 more of each 6" and 12" Unbeatable for the money.

[Rumpty]

Leon,

Quit being so sensible...please!

[Jim K]

It's not just Harbor Freight - many companies charge extra for shipping and handling. If you ordered via Internet, the whole price would have been shown and it's something you agreed to.

My latest amaz>My very first order to them was for their Dovetail Machine for $29.99 plus shipping.