Fear and Loathing at Harbor Freight

[Mike Arman]

Well I think Harbor Freight has lost themselves a pretty good customer - 
over less than $20.


I just ordered over $100 worth of "stuff" from them (as in "If you can't 
spend $50 at HF, you aren't trying."), and they took the complete order in 
less than five minutes.

The sales department found me in the computer in a few seconds (hold that 
thought), and they even had the credit card details.

Then when we were just about done, I was barraged with stuff along the 
lines of "do you want french fries with that?" - offers of magazine 
subscriptions (no thanks), join our clearance club for only XX a year 
(nope), upgraded freight for only XX (no again.) and something else I don't 
even remember (NO!).

At the beginning of the conversation, I said I had two warranty items, not 
a big deal, and the order taker said we would deal with those after the 
order was taken.

OK, the order is taken, now let's take care of the small warranty issues.

"Oh, you have to call customer service for that - I can't transfer you - 
1-800 something or other . . . "

And after I got done, I noticed that the "Free Freight if over $50" is GONE 
- now they ADD a flat fee, depending on order amount - and in this case it 
was almost 10% of the order amount! - A bit excessive, but what the hey, right?



So now I call the Customer Service line.

Or try to.

Busy for over half an hour, try, try, try, try.

Finally get through.


Spend ten minutes on hold listening to recorded blather about how great HF 
is, and how someone will be with me momentarily, and finally get connected.

Except she absolutely cannot find me in the computer. The number I gave the 
sales department, by which they found me in seconds, isn't any good in the 
customer service department. So she starts asking for phone numbers - and 
gets very snippy when the phone number matches and the area code doesn't. 
Well, m'am, the phone company changed the area code (five years ago, by the 
way) - and no, HF never notified me that I had to keep my area code up to 
date in the customer service department.

Then she demands to know which credit card I used. I said I didn't 
remember, that I have several cards, and use different ones from time to time.

Finally, she (thinks) she has found me - and says "You bought an item 
number 45934 drill." I said no, it is a 45935. She said no, the computer 
says it is a 45934. I said, no, the drill is on the desk in front of me and 
I am reading the number right off it, and the number is 45935. Well you 
didn't buy it from us. Yes, I did, it says "Harbor Freight, item 45935 
right on the tag." Well it is out of warranty. How long is the warranty? 30 
days.

I explained that I had never used the drill, that the battery was bad from 
day one, and that I had taken it to the Orlando store for exchange, only to 
be told it had to go back to the mail order source, they couldn't help me.

"Well you waited too long, I can't help you either - the drill is out of 
warranty."

"I'd like to talk with your supervisor, young lady, and I'd like to talk 
with your supervisor RIGHT NOW!"

Repeat same BS with the supervisor, who, finally, grudgingly decides to 
SELL me a battery for $8.99 plus shipping - I said that was pretty silly 
since the whole goddam drill only cost $11 on sale, and at last she says 
this -

"Well I'll send you a battery, but I'm going to put a note in your 
permanent customer record about making warranty claims in a more timely 
manner."

Holy **** Batman - I have a PERMANENT CUSTOMER RECORD at Harbor Freight. 
And THEY DON'T LIKE ME!!!!!

And I suppose they also have a hard wooden bench for me to sit on outside 
the principal's office, while I await punishment for the effrontery of 
actually asking that they stand behind their products . . .

And then, I have the unmitigated gall to ask for a pair of replacement 
wheels for a hand truck I bought in the Orlando store a few weeks ago - the 
hand truck is rated at 300 pounds, but placing a 50 pound box on it was too 
much for the plastic wheels, which promptly shattered.

"No, you gotta go see the Orlando store for that."

"Well, the Orlando store is an hour away, and an hour back. I don't feel 
like spending three hours chasing a pair of wheels for a $13 hand truck."

"We can't help you, you have to take it back to where you bought it."

Time elapsed, over 45 minutes - I should have just thrown the stuff out, it 
would have been more cost effective. And I am p*ssed, too.


E-mails to the "customer service" contact on the Harbor Freight website 
have been ignored.


So evidently these are the new Harbor Freight terms of business:

1) "We don't pay freight any more, you do now, and we arbitrarily determine 
the amount."

2) "If our product fails or never even works, too bad, you bought it, and 
you now own all the pieces."

3) "If you want to be cross-examined by retired East German border guards, 
call our "Customer Service" department. Beyond that, they will not help 
you, and will be obnoxious, obstructive, uncooperative, and rude. Be aware 
that we may enter derogatory information into your PERMANENT CUSTOMER 
RECORD, and if that doesn't make you dirty your underwear, well, it should!"


So here are Mike Arman's new terms for dealing with Harbor Freight.

1) All Harbor Freight catalogs go directly into the trash, unread.

2) All discussions of Harbor freight on this or any other internet 
newsgroups I subscribe to will be appropriately commented on.

3) All Harbor Freight retail outlets will be avoided in the future.


I'm *REALLY* disappointed in them - they used to be a good deal, but 
evidently not any more.


You have been warned!


Best Regards,
Mike Arman