Fear and Loathing at Harbor Freight

[S Dewitt]

I've found with Harbor Freight, you get what you pay for.
I'll purchase tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers etc, but when it comes to
anything requiring a plug, go to Sears!

Scott DeWitt
Advanced Automotion
817-939-6761
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Munro" <munrof at sympatico.ca>
To: "Mike Arman" <armanmik at earthlink.net>; <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2004 2:45 PM
Subject: RE: Fear and Loathing at Harbor Freight


> Well, Mike, welcome to the new wave of customer "service" at deep discount
> retailers. I was just reading an article on some new customer service
> software - it will prioritize incoming calls and move "preferred"
customers
> to the front of the call queue and leave "problem" customers at the end.
The
> reporter interviewed the president of Best Buy about the software and he
was
> expounding on the customers he didn't want - those low-lifes who returned
> items, wanted warranty service, took up too much of his service reps time
> with questions, bought stuff to claim the rebate and return it, etc. etc.
>
> Sounded kind of like insurance companies - they only want customers who
> don't make claims.
>
> Looks like a new approach to marketing. I guess when you get to be the
only
> game in town, you can choose who to sell to.
>
> So much for "the customer is always right".
>
> Hope you can find a better source for your tools!
>
> Fred Munro
> '94 S4
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Mike Arman
> Sent: July 25, 2004 9:41 AM
> To: quattro at audifans.com
> Subject: Fear and Loathing at Harbor Freight
>
>
>
>
> 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
>
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