Harbor Freight's Out of the Picture

[NathanL]

ORB , when I asked the HF manager here , they said “we don’t do that , you have to order that online “
I wonder how HF runs their stores , or are they just franchises , run pretty much the way they individually want to ... very frustrating that some will and some won’t ...
And although I was promised a trailer , at a good price (their rep) , “for my troubles “ , I‘ve yet to hear back from them , in almost a month now ...

I am guessing ( just a guess ) the stores are franchised. Cheaper and less liability to the parent company. Also the stores do not like to pay their help much, or spend much on training so we run into an unmotivated staff who do not know all of the policies or ways to do things and would be hard to care less for the customers. Also many help desks agents now days are told to get the customers off the phone quick and happy. So they have 2 minutes to tell the customers what ever they need to so they will hang up happy. Yes that is true.

Randy

Actually I believe it has more to do with the Harbor Freight retail stores being one division of the company and the online store another. In fact if you look closely there are separate websites for each.

I'll repeat what others have said. If you show up in person and ask them to get you one they will. They have done that for me multiple times for multiple big items.

A lot of retail stores won't ship items off their website to their store, they either ship them to you directly or you have to order it in store.

[GPW]

NL, certainly worth a try ....

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

Actually I believe it has more to do with the Harbor Freight retail stores being one division of the company and the online store another. In fact if you look closely there are separate websites for each.

I'll repeat what others have said. If you show up in person and ask them to get you one they will. They have done that for me multiple times for multiple big items.

A lot of retail stores won't ship items off their website to their store, they either ship them to you directly or you have to order it in store.

I appreciate what you are saying, however my personal experience is a little different. I worked at Sears for a short stint, my wife part-times at our local Penny's store, and a friend of mine works for Kohl's and all three are more than happy to get whatever it is you want either shipped directly to you (at your expense, which makes sense) or drop-shipped to the store (at the company's expense) for you to pick-up...

I hold that Customer Service is of greater value than immediate profits...Return bidniz is where one makes the real money...

Sadly, it appears that HF pays and trains poorly (echoing other's posts) much to HF's detriment.

If a person lives close enough to an HF store to make a quick trip out of it, then that's one thing...For those of us who're looking at a 100+ mile round trip its not a palatable option. I'll make the round trip to save the shipping, but otherwise, well, that's another thing entirely...

Calling, as has been pointed out earlier, seems a rather hit-and-miss option, depending upon that particular store manager. Late last week, I called the store again and the manager told me the same thing GPW's local manager told him; in essence, "The check's in the mail," I love you," etc...

I'll have to wait until Monday next to find out if the trailer magically appears at the HF store and if the manager will call me as promised.

It just irks me that we have grown to accept shoddy service as the American norm...

Bon chance et bon courage...

[Wolffarmer]

I will have to say though that my experience with having HF ship something to a local store to have gone very well. Early 2010 I found out that HF had their cabinet table saws on clearance. I called the local store. ( 75 miles away ) Talked to a guy that said I would have to come to the store and pay for it then they would ship it to the local store. Also said there was 3 left in the warehouse. I high tailed it there and payed for it, using a 20% off coupon also. A week later got a call from the store and it was in. I picked it up and was very pleased as the wrapping did not show a single divot. This is a table saw that is essential one that Grizzly sold for over $1000. I got it for $424.25 and 300 hundred miles of driving. I was a happy camper and although the TS is not the worlds fanciest it suits me just fine.

So sometimes things do come together.

Randy

[GPW]

Wolf , glad you had a positive experience !!!

Just thinking I’ll have to be a persistent PIA to HF , till they do right !!!

[GPW]

Just sent a polite e-mail to HF customer service telling them it’s been a month already with no word from their rep .... and No Trailer .... grrrrr!!!!!

[chartle]

ORB , when I asked the HF manager here , they said “we don’t do that , you have to order that online “
I wonder how HF runs their stores , or are they just franchises , run pretty much the way they individually want to ... very frustrating that some will and some won’t ...
And although I was promised a trailer , at a good price (their rep) , “for my troubles “ , I‘ve yet to hear back from them , in almost a month now ...

I am guessing ( just a guess ) the stores are franchised. Cheaper and less liability to the parent company. Also the stores do not like to pay their help much, or spend much on training so we run into an unmotivated staff who do not know all of the policies or ways to do things and would be hard to care less for the customers. Also many help desks agents now days are told to get the customers off the phone quick and happy. So they have 2 minutes to tell the customers what ever they need to so they will hang up happy. Yes that is true.

Randy

Actually I believe it has more to do with the Harbor Freight retail stores being one division of the company and the online store another. In fact if you look closely there are separate websites for each.

I'll repeat what others have said. If you show up in person and ask them to get you one they will. They have done that for me multiple times for multiple big items.

A lot of retail stores won't ship items off their website to their store, they either ship them to you directly or you have to order it in store.

Though I'm not totally sure if that's still the case, I remember there being two websites, something like harborfreight.com and harborfreightusa.com. At one you could order and get it shipped at the other you created a shopping list for the store.

As for them having good CS. I think of HF as the Dollar Tool Store, I don't expect too much from them and employees making minimum wage.

[crumbruiser]

I've had only good expierences with the stores in Columbus, Ohio.
I don't know if it will help but I e mailed them about the poor customer service that our members have been expierencing and I included the citys and states where the bad service has been comimg from.
If everyone sends them a letter, maybe they will look into it.


Frank

[8]

I actually DID get a rain-check for a trailer. The one they had in the stockroom was so beat up they didn't even attempt to sell it to me. In the end, I bought a different model later when it went on sale and I combined it with a 20% off coupon. I am not sure how they would have handled it if the model was not one they normally carried.

As for bait and switch, I am sure there is a disclaimer stating not all items available in every store. The advertising is most likely national. You would not expect all items everywhere. For example, a Florida store does not need space heaters. They may carry some, but not necessarily a complete selection.

I know it is annoying when a store does not carry things listed in the ad. I once worked a couple months at a Montgomery Ward and had a customer call up in advance asking if sale items were in stock because the store had a habit of doing it on a regular basis. I gave him two valid recourse options. Call the BBB or the store manager. (stating the managers phone #) It took less than 10 minutes for an assistant manager to show up in my area to check the schedule for possible replacements. The next day was my planned last day anyway. It turns out the customer chose option #2 but mentioned I suggested option #1. I don't think that store location made it another year.

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

I gave them a call week-before last...The manager only had one of the two required boxes for the trailer I wanted (HF 90154). He said one would be on this Monday's (today's) shipment and he would call me when it came in and said he would gladly hold it for a day for me...

The day's winding down and no call so far...I'm suspecting this is a similar run-around that it seems GPW's getting...

Not the way I'd run a business, but then again, I always thought the customer was what was needed...If business is good enough for them to blow off prospective customers, who am I to question the Corporate mentality?

We'll see if this one extra opportunity for HF to come through was worth the effort...

I suspect I'll be doing an over-winter used trailer search...Ho well, adds to the fun...

[GPW]

TOWM .... HF has finally given me the Big Red you know what !!! They didn’t even reply to the last TWO e-mails I sent customer service (yes, I was polite) Maybe they just figure they’re ‘too big to failâ€

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

[quote="GPW"]TOWM .... HF has finally given me the Big Red you know what !!! They didn’t even reply to the last TWO e-mails I sent customer service (yes, I was polite) Maybe they just figure they’re ‘too big to failâ€

[GPW]

TOWM , I’m now of the same mind as you .... used boat trailers , built better /stronger , and if you shop carefully you can find them cheap , as the boats wear out , but the trailers never seem to ...

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

... if you shop carefully you can find them cheap ...

Quite a few used boat trailers for sale around these parts, sadly, most are absent a title. Missouri requires a title and if you have a trailer without a title the only solution is to make an appearance in Circuit Court ($52.00 filing fee) so the judge can award the trailer to you (if the bill-of-sale and phase of the moon is right). At least that's what the folks at the DOR told me...

Ho well...The search continues...

[chorizon]

TOWM check out this thread.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43004

Do you have to register your trailer in Missouri?