Another Home Depot story

[Ernesto]

I bought a new 20' Homelite chain saw last winter. I used it for a few hours & the bar siezed up. I called the 800 number & they told me to take it back for exchange so I did. The new saw worked fine for a few hours, then I put it away for months. Last week I tried to put fuel in it but the fuel leaked right through it, so I again called the 800 number & was given the name of a repair shop to do the warranty work. When I got there they told me to go away, that they would not touch a Homelight... So I called the 800 number again, they gave me another shop name: I went there and was told that ever since Home Depot bought Homelite & sent the manufacturing work to China, the saws are crap. They also refused to work on it.... Finaly I found a guy in the next city that agreed to work on it, but he made no promises about when or if it could be fixed....... This is just latest reason for me to be a Lowe's man.

[aquart]

1. Thanks for the warning.

I'll pass it on. My sister's been using Home Depot a lot lately.

[TheSuaveOne]

2. just went there last night...

...to make some returns. I had no problem, they even gave me cash back rather than Home Depot credit, which I figured I was going to get...la

[madrchsod]

3. just another shining example

of how FUCKING GREEDY AND HORRIBLE THE AMERICAN WORKER IS! after all if we,the American workers, were not so greedy in expecting a decent pay and benefits and expect modern tooling and intelligent management then the company would have stayed in america..they had no other option but to move to where they could get all the things we,the American workers, won`t give them-slave labor

[flvegan]

4. My bad Home Depot experience

I bought a weedeater trimmer thing there a couple weeks ago. Got it home. Opened the box, and guess what? It had been used and major parts were missing. Figured somebody had bought it, looted it for what they needed and brought it back. Pretty lame, but even lamer is that the HD folks just stuck the box back on the floor for someone else to buy, w/out checking the contents. So, I megataped the box so that anyone would know this was a rewrap and took it back. Told them how upset I was and that I didn't want an exchange, but my money back. After my cash was in hand, I told them it was a questionable practice and that I'd not be back.

[skygazer]

5. Husqvarna

I don't know where they're made but IMO they're the best chain saws in the business. Stihl used to be okay but I'm not so thrilled with them anymore. You don't want a cheap chain saw - too dangerous.

[Ernesto]

10. Husqvarna is a Swedish product

However they are NOT secretly made in China for Home Depot.

[RubyDuby in GA]

6. Do Not Ever Shop At Home Depot!!!!!!!!!!

They give all political donations to Republicans.
Freakin' Robert Nardelli hosted a high dollar fundraiser that was attended by Bush earlier this year (I proudly protested in the "free speech zone").

NO MORE HOME DEPOT SHOPPING!!!!!!

[Ernesto]

11. When that story broke last spring

I sent HD my credit card with my (last) $1500 payment. Also sent a little note protesting their secretive fund raisers for the chimp. Hope I got their attention.

[DancingBear]

7. Jonsereds

Swedish saw - 20" bar.

I've had it for almost 20(!) years - all I ever do is change/re-gap the plug, sharpen/replace the chain when needed, and feed it the right gas/oil mixture.

What a great saw.

[Radius]

8. Husqvarna or Stihl

Make quality tools. I have used one, a stihl029 for years and never had problems. They cost more but are worth the money.

I bought a genset from HD and had no problems with it.

[LibertyLover]

9. Lowe's v. Home Depot

To be honest, I really don't like either one. The Home Depots (there are two within 2 miles of each other) in the city I live in are geared to contractors and not the general public. You generally can't find "house" type things there, like bath stuff or cleaning supplies.

The nearest Lowe's is about 12 miles away. Generally we prefer to shop at Lowe's and in fact four years ago when we were renovating our kitchen and master bath, spent much money at Lowe's. However, that will probably change. A couple of days ago my husband and I went to Lowe's to get a new toilet and sink for our powder room. We waited in the plumbing section for help with 4 or 5 other people for a good half an hour before 2 employees came along. But they weren't there to help customers - they were putting stock on the shelves and in fact refused to help anyone once they were done. So my husband went to get the store manager. He was on vacation. OK said husband - any manager. Who shows up but one of the people who had already refused to help customers. He was busy he said and couldn't help and the store was short staffed. To top it off, he told us all that if we didn't like it we were welcomed to go "across the street" to a Home Depot store. Most of us did. That particular Home Depot does have some "home" type stuff, more than the ones in our city. We found a toilet and sink there that we actually liked better than the ones on display at Lowe's so it did work out, but I wish we had another choice or two for building and home repair supplies.

[WoodrowFan]

12. damn

there are no Lowes near me. I go to a surviving small family store in my town first, then Home Depot if I don't have a choice.

[Qanisqineq]

13. I went to Home Depot a few weeks ago

simply because it was closer to home. My husband and I were backing out of a parking spot, a big jacked-up pickup came roaring around the corner and almost hit us. Then, once we were driving away, the guy pulled up alongside us (in those narrow parking lot aisles) to flip us off and try to push our smaller car (Grand Am) over. Then, a few days later, shopped at Home Depot again (same reason) and were pushed around in the store by illiterate-appearing people and treated rudely by the employees.

I have a Lowe's card and won't be going back to Home Depot, no matter how much closer it is to home.

[jmowreader]

14. When were Homelites ever any good?

I'm confused. Homelites have suddenly become shitty because they're made in China? Yeah, right. Homelite made crap saws in the US fifty years ago, they make crap saws in China today and they have maintained that sacred tradition all those many years.

Y'all are aware that John Deere owns Homelite now, right? I was talking to our outside garden head a while back, and he explained that buying Homelite has to have been the one dumbest thing John Deere ever did. Homelite stuff sucks, man, and there ain't nothin' that will change that outside of quitting making it.

Stay the fuck away from Homelite and stick to Stihls. If you gotta get a saw from us, get an Echo--at least they run.

[Ernesto]

15. Interesting>>> No one told me

By the way IMHO John Deere is the most over-rated & over-priced lawn tractor that I can imagine. Since MTD builds the chasis for just about all lawn tractors, I find it amazing that Deere can charge such huge $$$$$ for products that are virtually (except paint & sheet metal) identical to their substantially lower priced competition.

[jmowreader]

16. What drives me nuts about JD lawn tractors

We have five tractor models: L100, L110, L130, G110 and the Gator. The Gator is really a little dump truck and won't cut grass, so we'll say no more about it.

JD uses two brands of engines in their mowers: Briggs & Stratton and Kohler. Kohler is the better of the two--the oiling system is better. Which would make it logical to put B&S in the bottom one or two mowers and Kohler in the top two, right? Wrong. The order from smallest to largest is B&S, Kohler, B&S, Kohler. And it isn't a power issue because the middle two mowers have the same number of horses.

If I was going to buy a riding mower right now, I would get the Deere L110 for one reason: the location of the gas hole. On just about everyone else's mower, the gas hole is under the hood--that's where MTD puts it. To refill the mower, you open the hood, unscrew the gas cap and put in the fuel. All well and good until you run out of gas halfway through cutting your yard, and then you go in and have a beer and a nice big cigar while you wait for the engine to cool down enough to fuel the machine without setting yourself on fire. On a Deere--all Deeres are this way--the gas hole is between the back wheels. With it there, you can wait until after the job is complete before you have your cigar.