Cheap prices but beware of website
Written: Oct 29 '08 (Updated Nov 02 '08)
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Stores are what they are: ugly, harshly lit and crowded with cheap tools of relatively low quality.
Still, there are times when you don't need to spend a lot of money for a piece of hardware. If I use a tool only occasionally--a torque wrench or oil filter wrench for example--I may buy from a HF store. If I tend to use a tool a lot, I buy Stanley or Craftsman. You get what you pay for but sometimes you don't need to pay top dollar.
Most items here are no-brand, made-in-China knockoffs of other products. Instructions that come with tools often reflect a less-than-fluent grasp of the English language.
I'd avoid buying any bigger ticket items. I bought an electric garden shredder from them a few years ago, which was a big mistake. It turned out t be a $150 piece of junk...completely useless.
Employees at my local store certainly don't go out of their way to be helpful: they seem more interested in joking around with each other than helping you. In fact, I was at one of their stores today and the cashier spent the whole time I was checking out talking on her cell phone.
Think twice about ordering from their website. For one thing, they don't inform you if items are back-ordered. I ordered a pump for changing your car oil in mid-October. When it hadn't arrived in several weeks I contacted them and was told wouldn't be shipped until December 22 at the earliest. They hadn't charged my credit card but it seems only good business practice to let customers know that something they ordered won't be mailed for two months.
Unfortunately, the stores don't carry everything that's available through the website, so you may have to order from the catalog sometimes. I'd recommend using the website to choose what you want then ordering by phone so you can ask about availability.
Customer service hours are brief and they don't always answer emails right away. Further, while the website's opening pages say they accept PayPal payments there is no such option on the checkout page.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Tools
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