Harbor Freight Tools that don't suck

[NHmitch]

I just ordered an 8000lb cable winch puller. (Come along). I had a much smaller 1500lb version that I had from tractor supply, and it broke this summer after a hay truck became very stuck in front of our barn. They grabbed the winch before I could say anything, and the truck weighted close to 5 tons. You can imagine what happened, and what could have happened. I know the cable winch probably wont come close to that, but I really only need it for work around the farm. Does any one have one of these from HF? It was a great price @ about $21 after a 20% off coupon. I am hopeful that it holds up.

I am also looking at buying one of the 6.5hp predator engines to repower a Troy Bilt Horse. I have heard really good this about these engines and I have the smaller 3HP engine on my water pump, and a small generator. The old motor is an 8hp Briggs. I am just wondering if anyone has repowered anything with one of the motors, and hoe it turned out?

Thanks! And Ina side note, I bought two of the US flags that are sewn, and the are very well made and have survived high blizzard winds so far!

 

[EMB5530]

I just ordered an 8000lb cable winch puller. (Come along). I had a much smaller 1500lb version that I had from tractor supply, and it broke this summer after a hay truck became very stuck in front of our barn. They grabbed the winch before I could say anything, and the truck weighted close to 5 tons. You can imagine what happened, and what could have happened. I know the cable winch probably wont come close to that, but I really only need it for work around the farm. Does any one have one of these from HF? It was a great price @ about $21 after a 20% off coupon. I am hopeful that it holds up.

I am also looking at buying one of the 6.5hp predator engines to repower a Troy Bilt Horse. I have heard really good this about these engines and I have the smaller 3HP engine on my water pump, and a small generator. The old motor is an 8hp Briggs. I am just wondering if anyone has repowered anything with one of the motors, and hoe it turned out?

Thanks! And Ina side note, I bought two of the US flags that are sewn, and the are very well made and have survived high blizzard winds so far!

I have re-powered an old monkey wards tiller with a 6.5hp predator. The first motor was no good out of the box as something was wrong with the valves, they did not close completely so it would not run but the second engine has run well without fail. So I give a thumbs up as long as the store is close enough that you can easily return the motor without too much trouble.

 

[caver]

I bought a plate compactor for pouring a concrete floor in my shed. Added oil and fuel, it started on the first pull. I've ran it for at least an hour and works fine. With a 25% coupon I got it for around 400$ and tax. I looked into renting one .....well I'm in the wrong business.

 

[Travelover]

I bought a plate compactor for pouring a concrete floor in my shed. Added oil and fuel, it started on the first pull. I've ran it for at least an hour and works fine. With a 25% coupon I got it for around 400$ and tax. I looked into renting one .....well I'm in the wrong business.

Plus you can sell it when you are done.

 

[therd3]

In the past I purchased knowing that the tools are of low quality. And if it breaks or did not work it had a 30 day return policy. Now they have a 20% restocking Fee (as they call it) for anything you return. Even if its dead out of the box!

Before this you knew they sold crap that it may or may not work but you could always return it. Not any more. Harbor Fright calls it a rental tax. I will be buying from Home Depot from now on. I'm boycotting Harbor Fright until they remove this policy. I hope you do also.

 

[daugen]

Welcome aboard therd3. Kinda surprised to hear this, is it a new policy? Many others here have written about "the second one" working fine.
Was it electrical equipment or something with a funny restriction? Any company that doesn't take something back that was DOA within the first 30 days
is pretty risky to do business with. I can see where they can say to get it fixed if it ran and then broke, but DOA? Full refund or exchange. Nothing less is acceptable unless it's a huge item with shipping issues.

I see a bigger problem in dissatisfaction with poor performance, and then try and take that concrete cutter back after you've used it for a couple of hours.
But again, I don't think your experience has been wide spread, certainly not if you read this entire thread. If this is a new policy, then this is a real take away.

 

[Midniteoyl]

In the past I purchased knowing that the tools are of low quality. And if it breaks or did not work it had a 30 day return policy. Now they have a 20% restocking Fee (as they call it) for anything you return. Even if its dead out of the box!

Before this you knew they sold crap that it may or may not work but you could always return it. Not any more. Harbor Fright calls it a rental tax. I will be buying from Home Depot from now on. I'm boycotting Harbor Fright until they remove this policy. I hope you do also.

No they dont.. I have returned DoA stuff, no problem. Called and had stuff missing resent, no problem. Replaced under warranty, no problem.

Now, if you went there way too many times just to buy something to use once and return, then ya, I can see them doing something like this - for you.

 

[Travelover]

Welcome aboard therd3. Kinda surprised to hear this, is it a new policy? Many others here have written about "the second one" working fine...............

I'm curious, too. Each HF location seems to have its own interpretation of the rules. For example, some won't let you use a % off coupon on a sale item, some will. Some don't like photocopies of coupons, others don't care.

If I was charged a restocking fee on a DOA item, I'd introduce the manager to Mr. Grumpy. :laughing:

 

[California]

if it breaks or did not work it had a 30 day return policy. Now they have a 20% restocking Fee (as they call it) for anything you return. Even if its dead out of the box!

Before this ... it may or may not work but you could always return it. Not any more. Harbor Fright calls it a rental tax.

Which store? That sounds like you have a renegade local store manager. Or else you made a real impression on him.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I am sure that HF like a lot of others have their share of those who buy a tool for a job, use it and bring it back for refund claiming its bad. Way cheaper than going to a tool rental. It's these guys that make it harder on honest people.

 

[sixdogs]

There does appear to be a restocking fee on items that are returned for no reason but this fee apparently does not apply to items replaced that are defective or exchanged. I searched this and it appears to be somewhat in flux since some stores apparently charged this fee while others did not. The main corporate site only mentions a return fee on generators.

Beats me. I have always avoided the high risk items like anything electrical. On tools I would just have things replaced if they broke. As long as any fee is restricted to items flat out returned, I am OK with it. Any wider than that or applied to defective stuff, which there is a lot of, is a game changer.

As I mentioned in an earlier post #3895, I have seen many of the same tools that HF sells for less or the same money elsewhere. Probably a better quality but I'm not sure on that.

 

[timster2]

I can see a restocking fee for those that pick up a generator just prior to a storm and return it the day after using the store as an insurance policy. I have seen this a few times at Costco and HF, a day or two after a storm people are lined up returning new unused generators that it turns out they did not need.

 

[therd3]

In the past I purchased knowing that the tools are of low quality. And if it breaks or did not work it had a 30 day return policy. Now they have a 20% restocking Fee (as they call it) for anything you return. Even if its dead out of the box!

Before this you knew they sold crap that it may or may not work but you could always return it. Not any more. Harbor Fright calls it a rental tax. I will be buying from Home Depot from now on. I'm boycotting Harbor Fright until they remove this policy. I hope you do also.

Let me add something here. The 20% restocking fee is only printed on the cash register receipt and it was on both stores I went to. There are also people mad about this in the HF product reviews. I talk to both store managers not wanting a refund but in the hypothetical and they both said it was new and actively in use.

I got a $250 - 50 Ft. Compact Electric Drain Cleaner plus $49 for extended warranty and the motor quit working after 3 minutes under no load. The motor just hummed. I went back same day and wanted another one but they were out. If I wanted my money back it was fifty bucks for restocking fee. It fifty miles to my HF. I called the HF in a different city and they had one. I went there to exchange it, same day. 150 to the other store and back home. This one lasted about twenty minutes before the foot switch lost its air and quit working. I read the manual and it states if the foot switch quit working replace. Called HF and there is no replacement part. Back to harbor fright. Asked again if I could get a refund. Sure, with a restocking fee. I was irate! Got my third unit and went home. At least they have to replace it since I have the extended warranty.

This seems to be a Harbor Freight store policy not a web site policy. I asked the store manager if the online had the same policy and he said he did not know, and that the stores and the online split years ago. But he had to be lying because stores take back the online items so he must know.

I called the online HF and they said they have no such restocking fee its only the retail stores.
So look at your receipt next time you buy something.
They did say it was to stop the renter as they put it. But that's not fair to us that buy a piece of junk.
They also told me the only reason there was no restocking fee for the exchange was because I bought the extended warranty, I did not under stand this because I returned it the same day I bought it.

 

[therd3]

I also have returned things. But as I said is a NEW POLICY! A really bad one. And it looks like its only the retail stores.

 

[therd3]

No. I went to two different stores in two different city's. Salem, Oregon and Eugene Oregon. And and told both I would not be buying there any more.

 

[therd3]

I told them plug it in and try it. It does not work but they did not care. see post #3933

 

[therd3]

See post #3933

The restocking fee is real. Here is what others are saying:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189162

http://www.homeownershub.com/woodworking/harbor-frieght-now-charging-a-restocking-fee-542083-.htm

http://www.pissedconsumer.com/revie...t-register-after-purchase-20130606415297.html

http://www.pissedconsumer.com/revie...t-register-after-purchase-20130606415297.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/harbo...ive-air-compressor-when-returned-45-mi-897874

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.woodworking/2012-06/msg00519.html

https://www.facebook.com/harbor.f.tools/posts/10151390403622569

http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1,1538985,1538985

 

[chopped]

I dont see how they could charge you for something that was bad right out of the box.I know Id use a credit card and then I could contest the charges long enough to where I could file a case against them .

Let me add something here. The 20% restocking fee is only printed on the cash register receipt and it was on both stores I went to. There are also people mad about this in the HF product reviews. I talk to both store managers not wanting a refund but in the hypothetical and they both said it was new and actively in use.

I got a $250 - 50 Ft. Compact Electric Drain Cleaner plus $49 for extended warranty and the motor quit working after 3 minutes under no load. The motor just hummed. I went back same day and wanted another one but they were out. If I wanted my money back it was fifty bucks for restocking fee. It fifty miles to my HF. I called the HF in a different city and they had one. I went there to exchange it, same day. 150 to the other store and back home. This one lasted about twenty minutes before the foot switch lost its air and quit working. I read the manual and it states if the foot switch quit working replace. Called HF and there is no replacement part. Back to harbor fright. Asked again if I could get a refund. Sure, with a restocking fee. I was irate! Got my third unit and went home. At least they have to replace it since I have the extended warranty.

This seems to be a Harbor Freight store policy not a web site policy. I asked the store manager if the online had the same policy and he said he did not know, and that the stores and the online split years ago. But he had to be lying because stores take back the online items so he must know.

I called the online HF and they said they have no such restocking fee its only the retail stores.
So look at your receipt next time you buy something.
They did say it was to stop the renter as they put it. But that's not fair to us that buy a piece of junk.
They also told me the only reason there was no restocking fee for the exchange was because I bought the extended warranty, I did not under stand this because I returned it the same day I bought it.

 

[therd3]

I know. There are no signs any where showing the restocking fee. But they do put it on the recite. And I never look at the recite. But when you want to return the item there it is in black and white. You lose. With all the driving, gas and hassles I may have been able to buy one at Home depot.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Let me add something here. The 20% restocking fee is only printed on the cash register receipt and it was on both stores I went to. There are also people mad about this in the HF product reviews. I talk to both store managers not wanting a refund but in the hypothetical and they both said it was new and actively in use.

I got a $250 - 50 Ft. Compact Electric Drain Cleaner plus $49 for extended warranty and the motor quit working after 3 minutes under no load. The motor just hummed. I went back same day and wanted another one but they were out. If I wanted my money back it was fifty bucks for restocking fee. It fifty miles to my HF. I called the HF in a different city and they had one. I went there to exchange it, same day. 150 to the other store and back home. This one lasted about twenty minutes before the foot switch lost its air and quit working. I read the manual and it states if the foot switch quit working replace. Called HF and there is no replacement part. Back to harbor fright. Asked again if I could get a refund. Sure, with a restocking fee. I was irate! Got my third unit and went home. At least they have to replace it since I have the extended warranty.

This seems to be a Harbor Freight store policy not a web site policy. I asked the store manager if the online had the same policy and he said he did not know, and that the stores and the online split years ago. But he had to be lying because stores take back the online items so he must know.

I called the online HF and they said they have no such restocking fee its only the retail stores.
So look at your receipt next time you buy something.
They did say it was to stop the renter as they put it. But that's not fair to us that buy a piece of junk.
They also told me the only reason there was no restocking fee for the exchange was because I bought the extended warranty, I did not under stand this because I returned it the same day I bought it.

So, only if you wanted to return it then? Ok.. seems fairly fair.. But, the problem would be with it being broken then returned. But, then, i could see people 'renting' it as they said and mis-treating it then trying to return it. In fact, happens all the time.

As for you not getting the fee for an exchange, thats just normal. Whoever told you it was 'cause of the extended warranty was wrong.. unless it was past its original warranty.