# Crazy Home Depot



## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

There's been this Ryobi 9" bandsaw sitting in the Clearance section of my local HD. It was a display model. It's been in the Clearance section for over a year, maybe even 2 years. It was reduced to 80 bucks, sells for 129. I think I just got tired of seeing it and decided to buy it. I fiqured, I work on saws (metal cutting) with my day job, saws that cost 10x (plus) more then these little wood saws. If it needs a little work, so be it. I get it home and I find that the key for the switch is missing (2bucks), the drive belt (30 bucks), the miter gauge assembly (12 bucks) and the rip fence assembly (16 bucks). I mean, without these parts, the saws just a big paper weight. 

Before I had even realized that the miter gauge and rip fence assembly was missing (daaah), I called HD and explained the situation, that I had just bought this saw off the floor and that when I got it home I found that the drive belt and switch key was missing. And I understand I bought a clearance item, but without these two parts, I can't even turn the saw on. I went through a couple of people to see if they would work with me on getting these parts. They pretty much told me where to look for them online, and I'd have to buy them myself. Well, the belt being 30 bucks and the key 2 bucks, I was all set to just buy them myself and keep the saw. I figured, 80 with my original investment, plus 30 to get it running, 110 is still a little savings from the 129 for a new, in the box, one. And it would save me a little trip from bringing it back. But after looking at the website, I realized that I was also missing the miter gauge and the rip fence. Bringing my total parts cost to 60. Now with investment of 80 plus 60 for the parts I would need, I would pay the same price for a brand new saw, with the box, book and warranty. 

So anyway, I packed it up and went to Home Depot. I get to the return counter and I tell the lady that I would like to talk to either a dept manager or the store manager and see if they would work with me either getting me the parts I needed, or give me some money back. She didn't think they would, but I said I'd like to try. So she got me the dept manager, since the store manager had left for the night. I had in my hand, a copy of my shopping cart from Ryobi of the parts that I would need, and also a copy of the cost of a new saw like this, from them, to show that I would have to spend the same amount of money as a brand new saw. He didn't even bother to look at my papers, he told me "sorry, that's the best we can do." So rather then give me another 30-40 dollars, they will just be stuck with this paper weight, for more years to come, as I left it right there and got a refund! Unbelievable!!


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

Unbelievable? Perhaps! 

Uncommon? NO! 

Actually HD would probably come out ahead taking the full markdown and trashing it. Sad, really. Unless someone just needs it for parts, it's really useless to anyone!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

On the bright side, Lee, they _did_ give you your money back. A lot of places wouldn't have; 'clearance' is another word for 'Buyer Beware'.
HD gives me the heebie-jeebies. I've had a couple of nasty surprises with them.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Knowing how Home Depot operates they are out nothing they charge it back to vendor and run it thru the compactor (vendors have no argument it that or no business with Home Depot all the big box stores do it and people believe they are so great for taking returns)They are out nothing,


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Either way it was of no consequence to HD. The saw had already been marked off their inventory as a display and if they sell it "as is" it's all profit to them. It's not even a loss if they trash it.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

...but they sure did "MAKE THEIR MARK" on this community of Wood Workers! Unfortunately, many of the "Big Box Stores" have employees that would rather be somewhere else - doing something else. It looks like their customer relations could do for a bit of improvement! It should have (if it wasn't) been clearly and boldly labeled, "AS-IS SALE IS FINAL". If it had been labeled in that way - you would be out your money, but *any business should always put their customer's needs first!* Often Home Depot drops the ball, as do most of the big box retailers!

I'm glad you didn't get "ripped-off"...

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> HD gives me the heebie-jeebies. I've had a couple of nasty surprises with them.


I'm pretty much of the same mind, I do not deal with HD. LOWES is still a Borg store, but ever so much better, and easier, to deal with than HD, in my experience.


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

Well I still like my HD and Lowes (they almost next door to each other), just thought that they would rather make me a better deal then take it back. I'm really wanted to wait and find room for the 14" Craftman saw. Just now, I don't have the room for it, and really don't see how I'm going to make room for it. Actually I'd really like a bigger and better table saw. All pipe dreams though.... ;o)


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

My HD Clearance story... Bought a RIGID tool that was on clearance. All the parts were there and it works fine so far... But Rigid will only give me a 3 year warranty instead of it's Lifetime warranty, because it was sold without a "box/carton" and I couldn't mail in the original UPC code from it...

I still shop there. 4 Home Depots within 30 miles. 1 Lowes at 35 miles away.

One thing I did learn though. They told me they don't hire employees anymore... They hired temps for a time period of 90 days. Those that make it through the 90 days get eval'ed to see if they want them for longer... (such as full-time) <-- That explains a lot.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

MAFoElffen said:


> One thing I did learn though. They told me they don't hire employees anymore... They hired temps for a time period of 90 days. Those that make it through the 90 days get eval'ed to see if they want them for longer... (such as full-time) <-- That explains a lot.


That very definitely explains a lot. Like when I did go to Home Depot, none of the clerks could every tell me where anything was located. When I go to Lowes, even the girl clerks can tell me where whatever is, right to the aisle, and not only that, they usually walk me to wherever it is I'm looking for. If it was me, I'd be willing to drive the extra five miles and shop at Lowes.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Lee getting rid of it was a good idea as the 9inch saws are little, next time spend a bit more and get something new around 14inches as it will be a far better tool to work with. NGM


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## IC31 (Nov 16, 2012)

Our local HD went to a very warm place while Bob Nardelli (my boss when we were both at GE) was CEO and I ended up doing 99% of that kind of business at Lowe's. Spring ahead a few years, our local HD is back, and now better then the local Lowe's - and luckily, they are across the road from each other and both about 5 miles from me. 

I digress. That little 9" band saw would have disappointed you. I have a Craftsman and for all intents, the same size. It does OK, but would never try resawing anything bigger then 3" and then only soft woods. I do use it to cut curved wood pieces but better, it runs slow enough to cut aluminum even with the wood blade though the metal chips imbed in the drive tire and have to be dug out occasionally.


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## WurliTzerwilly (Jun 9, 2013)

Sometimes you need to approach head office and raise hell. If you can get someone high enough, you could also suggest that they take part in an "Under Cover Boss" show. You see the good people and the potential in those shows, but you can bet there's also a lot of ass-kicking and firing that goes on, due to plain bad attitudes.


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## GRLevel3 (Apr 4, 2012)

Hello All,

I would just like to say this, HD is not a store I go to any more, I have had so many stories i could tell on the service, people and price changes, stock is there when you call but gone when you get there, so much more than that, lol

I live lets say out of town, nearest town of say more than 10K people is like 40 miles, so I find what I want online from the stores then call to make sure they have it and what the price is for sure, HD has always, lets say, mis informed me on everything, even when you go to the store and take the paper with you to get plants in the spring, they still try to charge you more than what is in the ad's,

HD stands behind all ad's, sales, and everything until you walk out the door, then all bets are off, Now you might say I am unfair or not given HD a chance, I did for over 8 years as its the only close large hardware store near me, in that time I have not had one sale go right for me or sale paper be correct in pricing or item, I have better luck ordering online from some place I don't know than walking into HD for the same thing, lol

SO in short, save yourself time and money and dealing with people that are even worst than Wal-Mart, Just me Bi*chen/ranting,

Poppa Rob/GRLevel3


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## Shortslvs (Jan 13, 2013)

I live in an area where all we really have is HD and Lowes. I drive down into Los Angeles to get anything decent and none of that is found in the same place.

What strikes me is the terrible difference in experience from company to company. I recently bought a Triton Router Used off CL. It was missing a few parts. I found out on this forum that Kreg handled Triton in the U.S. and contacted them with my list over the phone. Twelve hours later the same lad I had spoken to called me back to say they were shipping out what I needed. I asked him what it all rang up to and he said it was on the house. Remember I never even bought anything from them and they treated me like a valued costumer. Well I own a few things that say Kreg on them now!

Thanks for sharing the story


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## frankr4ever (Jan 12, 2012)

I wonder if they would sell it for what it is REALLY worth now?


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## tvman44 (Jun 25, 2013)

Guess I am lucky on the end of town where we shop Lowe's & Home Depot are across the street from each other, Lowe's is my first choice.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I always thought of Lowes as a "ladies" store, but in the last few years they've really upped the service. Their tool section still has a lot of choices in tools and accessories. Their special order dept. is not bad to work with. Their wood selection isn't as good as HD's however. My local HD also has several very experienced guys in plumbing, electrical and paint/finishing depts that are really helpful, expertise that's a little thin on the Lowes team. But Lowes is my first go to for many items, including fasteners--better selection that HD. However, more and more often I wind up on Amazon, which has really earned my business on anything I can wait a couple of days for. Their Prime membership with two day free shipping has saved me hundreds in shipping charges, and returns are easy--without question they replaced my wife's Kindle Fire a couple of days ago. Sent the new one, with a return label by email. I think Amazon is really putting the pressure on many conventional stores to improve service and returns. I've also had bad experiences with their clearance tool items being missing parts and no longer buy them. Exception was a clearance on Delta 10 inch table saw, still in unopened box and about $300. Same deal for a Delta 14 inch band saw. I guess you just learn who to trust after awhile.


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## IC31 (Nov 16, 2012)

DesertRatTom said:


> I always thought of Lowes as a "ladies" store, but in the last few years they've really upped the service. Their tool section still has a lot of choices in tools and accessories. Their special order dept. is not bad to work with. Their wood selection isn't as good as HD's however. My local HD also has several very experienced guys in plumbing, electrical and paint/finishing depts that are really helpful, expertise that's a little thin on the Lowes team. But Lowes is my first go to for many items, including fasteners--better selection that HD.


I'll agree with everything you say but about the wood. Locally, HD has wood that, IMO, is one step above the pulp wood processor while Lowe's has been excellent plus more choices. I would venture a guess that suppliers in different parts of the country determine that. Also, the HD tool department here is pretty poor (lousy is a better word) but I have seen other areas where it is great.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Shortslvs said:


> I live in an area where all we really have is HD and Lowes. I drive down into Los Angeles to get anything decent and none of that is found in the same place.


Fortunately I am on the other coast, well away from California. There is a home builder supply in town, about 1 1/2 - 2 miles from me, with probably any grade plywood you would want. But, even so, I am pretty much stuck with dealing with Lowes for my plywood needs. Reason being, the builder supply does not cut plywood, only sells the whole sheets, and Lowes does cu t. My joints are way too bad anymore to even wrestle a half sheet of plywood around, let alone a half sheet, so I have Lowes slice and dice them for me, and on the whole they do a pretty darn good job of it. But, I'm willing to bet that if you check your local phone book you can find some builder supply dealers, probably NOT on the beaten path, but still in the area.


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## luxlarry (Dec 28, 2011)

My HD experience was the reverse. I saw a Toro lawnmower on clearance. Talked to a salesman about a missing gas cap, etc. He found everything before I checked out. Great mower. But tough to figure why they would burn any customer.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I don't think any of the stores intend to burn customers, but display items are set up for show, not use, by people who don't necessarily know much about tools. The display unit box is often lost or stored out of reach and out of memory. Fresh out of school, I worked in retail a long time ago and recall that it was hard to keep so many near empty boxes around. They had a way of disappearing. I live in the desert and the nearest reliable quality wood source is 60 miles away, costs 8-9 gallons of gas to get there and back so i sometimes settle for big box materials. Nearest decent woodworking supplier is the same distance, so Amazon looms large as a supplier.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Tom, has a good point! 

HD, Lowes, Sears, WoodCraft, Ace Hardware, etc. do not plan to "rip people off", but unfortunately - it does sometime happen. Home Depot is based in Atlanta, Georgia and I remember when my Dad and I visited the first day of the first store opening - there were two initial stores that opened on the same day, the one we visited was on Memorial Drive in Decatur, GA and Bernie Marcus (one of the owners) was our cashier! The other store was on Buford Highway in Doraville, GA. Both of these stores were at the expressway exit blocks along I-285, which is the "perimeter route". Arthur Blank was the opening day cashier at the Doraville Store. Both of these stores were recycled "Zayre's Store" locations that had been sitting empty. My Dad bought HD Stock on the IPO and it matured nicely for him. Home Depot has thousands of great employees! But, unfortunately they also have some "duds". I shop regularly at several HD Stores around my area and I've been a customer for many years. 

I treat shopping there like a garage sale - because you can get perfect merchandise or you can get stuff that is damaged - you simply must inspect what you're buying! I go there quite frequently and load-up with what they call "Handy Panels". They usually have many types and thicknesses on-hand. For prototyping and other small projects, MDF of serves my needs, and at other times plain or veneered plywood is ideal for me to use. You have to go through these panels individually and inspect both sides before you take them to the register! If you do not take the time to do this you could get home or to your shop and find that you have some damages.

I've bought a lot of Power Tools and some hand tools from HD, as well. I never buy demo or floor model Power Tools - I only want things with full manufacturer warranties. I have the same policies with Power Tools regardless of where I buy them - for me the benefit is worth the "extra few bucks".

Lowe's is another Big Box Store that I frequently buy from. There are 4- Lowe's Stores close to me (within 20 minutes) and another one in Athens, GA - about 35 minutes away. Both of these chains gladly accept exchanges or offer refunds, but ANY big store chain is going to have damaged merchandise from time-to-time and sell items that are missing parts, boxes, warranty paperwork, etc. You just have to be very smart with your shopping! The weakness with all of the huge store chains is INVENTORY CONTROL - and this is difficult for anyone that has big volumes of merchandise coming-in the back door and going-out the front door. Bar coding was supposed to take care of this, but all it takes is for one employee to be errant or a procrastinator and the "wheels fall off very quickly"! Management has a lot to do with how big of a problem this mushrooms-into and certainly it can never be resolved EVERY TIME.

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, GA


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Otis- Glad you mentioned "Sears"...

I always had a good experience shopping with them. When I was in college, all my tools I ordered through Sears Industrial. Had good experiences until I moved "here". The Olympia Store was... well you would get kids that knew nothing about tools and you really had to find things for them. They wouldn't give out rain checks. They were there, getting paid, but I don't think they had any incentive to actually sell anything. Nor do I think they treated anyone as a customer, let alone knew anything about customer service. I went... but it was s struggle.

Last time I went, I say a few boxes of scroll saws that they had on clearance. I thought about it. Went home, thought about it more. A week later, while in town, thought, why not. It was a great price.

Went. 50% off. Got the box. The only cash register in the whole tool section was stacked up with display items and no-one around. (That section is almost 1/4 of the store.) Someone 2 sections over, almost across the store said they would help me. (By then I noticed none of the cash registers were open.) I asked them about their cash registers. They said that they cut everything down to a few employees wandering around the store with specially equiped IPads... to help customers, answer questions... and to ring them up with/through those IPads... Unfortunately, his IPad wouldn't work while ringing me out. It kept ringing it up as full price. He had to find, open and used one of the vacant registers to ring me out. He had to get 2 other employes to help him with that. I told him to pass on that I thought they just turned what I thought was lacking service before... into inadequate dismal service.

I thought to myself, Olympia is a major city... Is this what it's coming to? Really?


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Mike, My "Sears thoughts" progressed in a similar manner. Used to be Sears Stores provided great service, great products, and fine employees. Even my underwear progressed through Ted Williams, then on to Craftsman and now Kenmore! They have changed so much, I hardly ever go there. The Ace Hardware Stores (at least around here) now sell Craftsman Hand Tools - I really like their wrenches and many other of the hand tools, but it is such a pain in my (Kenmore-enclosed butt) to go there anymore, I just don't even consider them now for very much. I was disappointed to learn that many of the Craftsman-branded items are now outsourced to foreign countries.

Since this is the Router Forums, I think it is fair to say that numerous very skilled router users utilize their routers. I also frequently see someone making a plea for help in trying to find parts for some of their items. I guess I am just being old-fashioned, but I still like to go in stores where they know and respect me!

Otis Guillebeau


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