Is the Boat Sinking ... at Harbor Freight?
Written: Sep 29 '09
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For years our family has shopped from Harbor Freight. Most of those experiences have been positive, but a recent purchase has us wondering if this online store is slipping (or should I say sinking).
Navigating the Website
http://www.harborfreight.com
The Harbor Freight website has a no-frills appearance. The pages have navigation text links across the top and along the left side. Across the top, the options are: Automotive, Shop Equipment, Hand Tools, Air Tools, Power Tools, Outdoor, Home Workshop, Metalworking, Welding, Woodworking. The left side of the page has links to request a catalog, print an order form, access your account, an About Us and Customer Service link, Sale Items, as well as Recall information.
The site also has an Auction and Clearance area. The auction area is partnered by eBay. If you wish, there is also a search feature.
The rest of the Home Page is a run-on vertical listing of product photos and links. It does not have a professional appearance.
Let's Go Shopping!
In the past, we have placed orders without incident. We have ordered a wide range of products, too. Everything from woodworking supplies, to power tools, and items to make yard work easier. This time the online order was for a wood splitter. Using the "search" feature, brought up a selection of wood splitters to choose from. The object was to obtain a decent wood splitter that wouldn't cost a fortune. We found a good one for $129.00. It wasn't top-of-the-line, but it wasn't the cheapest model either.
The product page showed a large photo of the wood splitter. Basic specifications were listed on the page. No in-depth information, though. The price $129.00 price was listed in bold print, and there were several links including: Email to a Friend, Add to Basket, and Review Basket. Adding the item to a Wish List was also available.
We selected the item and added it to the basket. The page changed to show a summary of the shopping cart. The item was clearly there including the quantity, item number, brief description and price. There is also a note saying that cookies may be enabled to save shopping cart information.
There is a link on the page that leads to a page that outlines shipping charges and conditions. The Guarantee plainly reads: "GUARANTEE All items are guaranteed to be as described and illustrated. If for any reason you are not satisfied with any item purchased, you may return the insured product within 30 days for a full refund or replacement, whichever you prefer. Shipping and handling are non-refundable." I strongly recommend reading all the fine print (and the print is small to read!).
Here are their shipping charges:
up to $14.99 -- $6.99
$15.00 to $34.99 -- $7.99
$35.00 to $69.99 -- $8.99
$70.00 to $99.99 -- $9.99
$100.00 to $129.99 -- $10.99
$130.00 and up -- $11.99
Note: Items marked "Overweight Item" are subject to a $75.00 additional Freight Charge, per Overweight Item.
Also Note: Orders delivered to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and Virgin Islands will be charged actual Freight Charges, and will be Emailed to you. Orders mailed to APO and FPO addresses will be charged actual 4th class postage.
Checking Out & Payment
Making the purchase is easy. Shipping and Billing information is required, as well as an email address. There is an option to apply a coupon code if you have one. Shipping prices do not appear until a few screens into the Checkout process.
Harbor Freight accepts these credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Harbor Freight Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Gift card information is also entered on this page. However, you must provide a valid credit card even if the gift card covers the entire amount.
Problems! & Customer Service
The order was placed and everything went well ... until a short time later we received an email from Harbor Freight that the wood splitter was not available and a substitution was being shipped. As it happened, we were okay with the substitution (not ideal, but we could live with it). However, Harbor Freight was being deceptive.
Turns out the substitution sold for less money, and they were still charging the higher $129.00 price. (We had a printout of both web pages since we had been comparing models.) We revisited the website and found that the model we had purchased was no longer listed. However, the lower-cost wood splitter was now being listed at the higher $129.00 price.
A call to Customer Service had us waiting on the phone. The person was unyielding about the price, too. Harbor Freight was adamant that the wood splitter was currently listed on their website at the $129.00 price and that's what we would be charged. We weren't bashful about informing them of the sleight-of-hand trick they had played regarding the items and pricing. They would not budge on price until we told them we had recent printouts of both product pages and emailed the pages to them. Then Harbor Freight grudgingly decided they could reduce the price.
Shipments from Harbor Freight have always been delivered on time. We have never had a problem with anything we have received. This was our first experience with customer service, and we aren't happy.
Summary
After this experience, we are leery of shopping at Harbor Freight. I'm not sure if we will in the future. The switching of merchandise and charging the higher price did not sit well with us. Customer Service was argumentative, and we know that if we did not have those printouts, we would be paying the higher price. I'll hesitantly recommend Harbor Freight based on our overall years of experience with them, but proceed with caution.
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy the day!
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Please read my other reviews:
UV Ray Protection Sun Hat
Scotts EZ Grass Seed
4-Way Shepherd's Hook
Black & Decker Cordless Mulching Mower
Rubbermaid Big Max Storage Shed
Copyright 2009 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? wood splitter
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