Pissed off at Home Depot. (Rant)

I was minding my own business some weeks ago, when I saw this nifty cheap belt-sander by Black & Decker. I knew it would never have the duty of my PC's, but it had one feature which attracted me to it. A very small front roller. with a flip-up door so that one can get into small tight corners. I felt I could use that feature sporadically so the 'duty' didn't concern me too much.

I take the thing home and leave it in the box till the time came I could use that feature; the inside corner of a counter-top edge. ( Did I tell you guys I fabricate solid surface counter tops?) Well lemme tell ya...what a piece of crap. MUCH worse than what I expected. I KNEW it wasn't a 'pro' piece, but come-ON!! The thing shuddered, and sounded like the bearings were spinning, screaming and howling..... I went: "Uh-oh!" and stuck it back in the box.

I took it back to HD with my complaint.....they didn't want to refund the 98 Can$ (About 70 US$), they wanted to send it for repairs...because I was 10 days 'overdue' of the 30-day allowable return period. I was even willing to replace it with a small belt-sander from another make and pay a little extra if I had to...but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

A Big deal? Not really, I guess, but unless I get some satisfaction, and soon, the boycott is on and I will never set foot in that store again... and I can be one stubborn Dutchman when I want to be.

They want to hang a business relationship on 98 dollars or a '10-day' technicality...then so be it.

Rob

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Reply to
Robatoy
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THEN I find out that there is NO way to e-mail those fine HD people...and that their website for HD Canada says 90 NINETY days return no questions asked....oh boy...wait till tomorrow....

Reply to
Robatoy

Reply to
miey

Error. What would it take to plug it in and pull the trigger?

If 10 days is OK, then 12 is too. If 12 days is OK, then 18 is too. If 18 days is OK, then 30 is too. Why not just make it 5 years and be done with it. The 18 year old at the return desk does not have much discretion in interpeting corporate policy.

Posted policy, not a technicality. I'm surprised at you. With all your experience, you know B&D is low end, you knew the HD policy was 30 days, you've been in business for a long time, now you want special treatment. I really think you have to take responsibility for some of this for not checking it beforehand. They did offer to send it for repairs.

Sorry for the lack of sympathy, but I just happen to disagree on this.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

One of the reasons I buy new power tools down at Chase Pitkin - Lifetime warranty on all power tools - all brands. It's worth the trip to Rochester(or if we're cruising by...).

Rob

Reply to
trainfan1

Amen. Companies deal with all kinds of fraud yet everybody thinks they should never be suspected. Heck, they offered to have it repaired. Plus, we can't see how "used" it was. Perhaps they thought, my God, this guy used the heck out of this machine, is finished with it, and now wants us to eat it.

Reply to
Never Enough Money

One would think that in this day and age they had done that for me at the end of the assembly line. Basic quality control is not a new idea. I have reason to believe that a new tool will work. No? I know B&D is not high-end, but it should at least do the job it is supposed to do, no? You can't tell me that outright garbage is okay for the other customers who have NOT had the exposure to quality gear?

I'm approaching this from their viewpoint. Those kind of rules are guide-lines. Those 'rules' are not like a road-sign for State Troopers to hide behind looking for their quota. " Excuse me sir, does that sign say SPEED LIMIT 56?"

Turns out that is a moot point as their advertised policy states 90 days.

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a little flexibility makes for good relations. The lack of flexibility and discretion is what is wrong with those MegaMoFo giant big-box bastards. They simple don't give a rat's ass. It opened my eyes. And THAT is why I'm done with them. Sure they have been conveniently located for my needs, but that only accounts for so much.

You're damned right I want special treatment. It's just not smart to piss off customers who drop the kind of money on that store like my outfit does. If I go to the same restaurant for years, *I* expect the better pork chop from the cooler.

I have taken responsibility for not checking this closer. I did not expect them to be nit-pickers on policy like that. It was *I* who ventured into the UnderWorld of Black & Decker and became sorely disappointed in one quick hurry. MY mistake. But HD could have taken advantage of my dilemma and scored some major points in customer relations by taking care of me better... instead of "You bought it...OHHMYYY...missed it by ten days..OOPSIES you lose........

I wasn't looking for sympathy, I know where to find that in the dictionary. I find you're a level-headed guy in your other posts here. There are likely many who will disagree with this. *I*, on the other hand, expect to be treated a bit more like I treat MY customers.... maybe that's my mistake, but I will never compromise that.

Reply to
Robatoy

I do not fit that profile. Not even close.

Reply to
Robatoy

Hey Robatoy:

Calm down. I am a contractor here in Texas, and with few alternatives, I have to shop at HD for a lot of my every day stuff. Liquid nails, paint, sealer, a few boards here and there, plumbing, etc.

I used to scream like a mashed cat when I would go through what you have, but the reality of it all is something you have already hit on.

They HONESTLY don't care. Shame on you for not checking out a POS like B&D the first chance you got, but I DO understand that you buy something like that and it does take a while for you to get it to the job and try it, and a few more days to get by the store to return it.

They are a giant corporation. One size has to fit all. All rules must be obseved the same for all shapes, sizes, sexes, races, etc. for fear or litigation. Or worse, to have some asst. manager nitwit start "interpreting" the rules as he or she sees fit.

You have to realize the nature of the beast you are dealing with. They are what they are. They are a giant corporation moving units through the system. They could be selling farm implements for all they care.

You must have an entirely different type of HD up there in CA. Why in the world did you think they gave a crap in the first place?

I have read many of your posts and don't believe that you still believe in the Easter bunny or Santa ;), so why the big orange box fairy?

Don't shop there. I don't unless I am trapped into it. They are not worth getting my blood pressure on boil because they are too stupid in most cases to even know that they care.

As a CONTRACTOR (read: constant, repeat, daily business) I am on your side. As a realist, I think you are taking this much to personally. After 24 years in business I will not boycott a supplier that could save me time (= money) when they are so unconscious they simply don't even notice, and wouldn't care if they did.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Home Depot and the other big boxes have by and large, become a joke.

I am returning to the local merchants for most of my non marine stuff.

Just yesterday, needed a 2", foil faced, rigid insulation board.

Started at H/D because they we closest, they no longer carry the product.

Next was a brand new Lowes, they had 1" but not 2" board.

Next was a lumber yard that has been around since 1884.

They had what I needed and the price was in line.

Nuf said.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Y'know, there are tens of thousands of other "special" people out there who deserve the best, or think they do. For every customer you have, they have ten thousand. They cater to the 9,999 who shop there for price and availability.

I think it was your mistake on several levels, so eat the bucks. Like it's the first or last time you'll make a poor decision?

There's the law and there's lawyers. In jail, they're all lawyers, ranting against the law. You don't belong in that company.

Reply to
George

Over time you do notice one consistent, overriding philosophy: they are there solely for the convenience and financial gratification of the employees and management, PERIOD

Basically, I wouldn't walk into a HD if the company did not have a commercial charge account and the money was coming out of my pocket. The bastards even tried to kill me with a forklift last week, then attempted to blame it on me ... damn good thing I am relatively nimble for my age. That particular store "manager" won't forget me for a long time.

Reply to
Swingman

Actually, like any publicly traded company, they are there solely for the financial gratification of the stockholders. And based on what their stock price has done over the past 20 years or so, I suspect stockholder gratification is pretty high.

If they invest any effort to make customers, employees, and/or management happy, it's only because they believe doing so will ultimately improve shareholder value.

Let's take an example at another end of the spectrum -- Lee Valley. You often hear people on this group raving about what a wonderful company it is and how well they treat their customers. Well, that may be true, but my statement above still holds -- they only treat their customers well because they believe doing so will ultimately improve shareholder value (it's not a publicly traded company, but the owner(s) still profit from it doing well).

There is no doubt that I like doing business with Lee Valley more than I like doing business with Home Depot. But, it also doesn't escape my attention that Home Depot could probably buy Lee Valley out of Petty Cash. It would seem (sad as it may be to say this) that when push comes to shove, big, obnoxious, and relentlessly efficient is a better (or at least, more successful) way to make money.

Personally, I drop a lot of money at Home Depot. I know what to expect from them, and what not to expect from them. And I know if I buy some low-end B&D power tool, I'll probably regret it, but that's not really HD's fault. I'm gonna keep buying hand planes from LV, but when I need a box of nails, a garden hose, and a roll of BX cable at 10:00 on a Sunday night, the big orange box is where I head. And, yes, I'm hoping Lowes gets some stores open in my area. Having somebody who can compete with HD on an even footing can only be good for me as a customer.

Reply to
Roy Smith

You were a bit faster then me: Early January, I was delivering some goods to a local Kmart and the bloody forklift *did* get me !! A crushed left ankle, Trip to the local hospital, 600 km flight to Perth and a week in Hospital to get it all fixed. Only hung up my stick a couple of weeks ago and am getting about not to badly now. Moral of the story "If you pick on a forklift be prepared to come of second best. John

Reply to
John B

Nope ... the shareholders aren't the ones who store the lumber carts at the furthest end of the parking lot from the entrance.

Reply to
Swingman

Never buy "nifty" tools.

Sorry, but no sympathy here.

B&D make crap. You know this.

They're a shop, not a rental place. Now in my book, '30 days and return for "I don't like this"' is pretty generous anyway. But there's no other way to know if the thing is any good, so I guess that's their cost downside against the upside of having a self-service warehouse instead of a shop with real staff.

But the rules are pretty plain. _30_days_. A whole month. You don't need that long to work out if the thing is tolerably "fit for purpose", you can do that in an afternoon. So for a returns policy that's already pretty generous, you're just taking the piss here.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Hi Roy -

If we won't sell to Berkshire-Hathaway, there's not much chance the Borg would do any better...:)

Robert (nailshooter) pretty much hit it on the head...the Boxes just aren't flexible, or agile.

Cheers -

Rob

Reply to
Robin Lee

On Tue, 10 May 2005 23:51:28 -0400, the inscrutable Robatoy spake:

Then why continue to rant so hard? If you're done, you're done. Hold onto that vinegar and it'll eat a hole in your stomach. Repairs for that are a helluva lot higher than the cost of a B&D sandah, sir.

Your outfit or you, personally? How do they know you? Does the manager know you personally, or do you just do a lot of business there and a couple of the checkers know you by sight? Do you do a lot of warranty returns, custom fabrications/orders?

P.S: A man who "drops that kind of money" there usually doesn't buy from the B&D line.

Have you truly taken responsibility for it? (If so, why the whine?)

You should thank them for teaching you an inexpensive lesson. Once purchased, every tool or item should be inspected immediately and/or used to verify its function/color/texture/usability. Please DAMHIKT.

OK, so they screwed up on the warranty period. Send a letter off and let it go. Your health is worth far more than a vendor's inattention.

In July, I'll have 20 years of sobriety. I've found that I can get through the largest of calamaties unscathed, but it's the little things like this which cause me the most amount of frustration and are the hardest to deal with. Weird, ain't it? I've learned (for the most part) to accept it and move on, and I hope you can, too.

Thanks for the reminder this morning; my daily lesson.

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

Home Depot and the other "boxes" must be doing something valuable to have grown so big so fast. It takes customers to do so.

I personally love having a Lowes and Home Depot. They replaces the local overpriced mediocre service hardware and lumber store.

I've returned numerous things to Home Depot and never ever had a problem. I simply cannot identify with your experience.

Reply to
Never Enough Money

Ummmmm....what are you saying? Huh? Huh?

*g*

Sears has better customer relations than these clowns. That is saying something. I repeat that I had NO expectations from B&D beyond the 'less-than-medium-duty' market niche they cater to. That's still no excuse for a non-functioning device to be on their shelves, something they are ultimately accountable for. To then hide behind a "you-want-fries-with-that' grade policy simply sucks. It is hit-and-run marketing. I won't be part of it...and sometimes it is an event like this which sheds some light on the fact that HD is, in fact, an arrogant organization.

Funny thing, I bought an air-conditioner for my shop at Canadian Tire the same afternoon. That chain is notoriously understaffed and the few that do work there, do so at minimum wage. So I expect lousy service...guess what? I GOT lousy service... but I shrugged it off, knowing where I was and what to expect.

I'm done with HD. For now.

Reply to
Robatoy

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