When they try to push me too hard on the extended warranty I tell them thanks for the warning about the vehicle I was about to buy would be troublesome and then tell them I'm no longer interested in buying and walk out. Their look is priceless.
Dirty little secrets that big box stores don't want you to know about!!!!!
- Thread starter the ringo kid
- Start date
- Status
When they try to push me too hard on the extended warranty I tell them thanks for the warning about the vehicle I was about to buy would be troublesome and then tell them I'm no longer interested in buying and walk out. Their look is priceless.
Early on.....
When I was a kid I bought an item from a name brand store. It didn't work so I returned it. The guy said, "Just get another one." I asked, "How about this one that doesn't work." "Oh, just put it back on the shelf he said.
About extended warranties, I've found that a majority are of the, "So you are trying to collect on your warranty....Well good luck getting it out of us." Consequently I never buy any in store warranties.
When I was a kid I bought an item from a name brand store. It didn't work so I returned it. The guy said, "Just get another one." I asked, "How about this one that doesn't work." "Oh, just put it back on the shelf he said.
About extended warranties, I've found that a majority are of the, "So you are trying to collect on your warranty....Well good luck getting it out of us." Consequently I never buy any in store warranties.
nachogrande
Member
YOUR'E NOT ALONE.
My fear with pre opened boxes is that YOU JUST KNOW something is gonna be missing. Whether it's a defect or not??? Unfortunately I'll probly have to go to HD & L's bright & early. Go to one, you know you will most likely have to go to the other as well. Just happy, around here, they are usually across the street from each other. That sure saves time.
My fear with pre opened boxes is that YOU JUST KNOW something is gonna be missing. Whether it's a defect or not??? Unfortunately I'll probly have to go to HD & L's bright & early. Go to one, you know you will most likely have to go to the other as well. Just happy, around here, they are usually across the street from each other. That sure saves time.
amazingflapjack
US Veteran
I really like Northern Tool-and how they handle customers.
I've stopped going to HD because they have dropped the military discount on wood and lumber. Being a woodworker, I would buy the premium grade of wood for my projects. The last time I had a cart full of premium grade wood (about $150), the cashier won't give me my 10% military discount. She said store policy has change and HD no longer gives the military discount on wood and lumber. Being told that, I just left the cart at the cashier's desk and walked out of the store. I went to Lowes and bought the premium grade wood I wanted and received my discount.
daniel lawecki
Member
I never by anything that even looks like it's been opened. But I new that these practices where in affect. Every business tries this more money more money their not in the game to lose money.
Last edited:
pittpa
Member
I bought an extended warranty n a printer at a big box office supply store. When it stopped working I called. They told me to toss it, and sent me a store card for more than I paid for the printer.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A lot of people look down their nose at Harbor Freight. I use a lot of stuff from them. Twice i have had an item fail and I took it back. And both times they said go get another one and took the bad item(ususally boxless) back with no problems.
Caveat Emptor
Steve W
Steve W
These policies are in a large part due to the thieving so-called customers. Another example: I was at McD's (ok, my first mistake), a lady walks in with a 7-11 big gulp cup, refills it at the soda fountain, and leaves. I wonder how often that happens.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Best buy tried REAL hard to sell me one on a flat screen a while back. I got so pissed that I told the guy if he was so sure I was going to need the extended warranty, maybe I should pick another model-or even better just not buy and wait a while until they ironed out all the kinks. 
As far as damages boxes, I will NOT take anything in other than a pristine unopened box. I have also learned the hard way that products sold in big box stores are NOT the same products sold in small specialty stores. What you think is an identical produce is not (check the sku codes) but instead is built to a lower price point for the big stores which is why most shops will not work on anything originally purchased from a big box store like lawn mowers, electronics, etc. Learned that one the hard way as well. I'd rather pay 5% more from a smaller retailer to get a much better product.
As far as damages boxes, I will NOT take anything in other than a pristine unopened box. I have also learned the hard way that products sold in big box stores are NOT the same products sold in small specialty stores. What you think is an identical produce is not (check the sku codes) but instead is built to a lower price point for the big stores which is why most shops will not work on anything originally purchased from a big box store like lawn mowers, electronics, etc. Learned that one the hard way as well. I'd rather pay 5% more from a smaller retailer to get a much better product.
Last edited:
One of the subjects I studied in the Army was "reliability and maintainability".
The useful life of any device (blender, TV, attack helicopter) can be plotted by Weibull Analysis.
The result is a bathtub shaped curve:
Early life failures are covered by the manufacturer's warranty.
What they are selling is coverage for the item's useful life where the probability of failure is low.
Bottom line: NEVER purchase these extended warranties on consumer products.
The useful life of any device (blender, TV, attack helicopter) can be plotted by Weibull Analysis.
The result is a bathtub shaped curve:
Early life failures are covered by the manufacturer's warranty.
What they are selling is coverage for the item's useful life where the probability of failure is low.
Bottom line: NEVER purchase these extended warranties on consumer products.
Last edited:
I heard the same thing from a repair man. He said that on a particular appliance a major component was smaller on the model made for the big box store in order to make any money on the contract with the big box store.
That's why Stihl products are never sold in big box stores.
I beg to differ they are sold in a very big Runnings store only about 30 miles from where I live. I stopped in there to get a couple parts for my large string trimmer and chain saw. They have a certified tech that does repairs and warranty work on Stihl
FWIW they also have a decent gun department including handguns! there. Prices on guns and ammo so-so.
These kind of useful information posts are invaluable IMO. I bought some appliances there and the salesman actually told me some of the same things posted here, the stove we had installed by their installation crew was leaking gas after the install it was like pulling teeth to get them back to fix it and I contacted that same salesman who got it resolved quicker than contacting them by phone. Thank you for posting this
hoosierone
Member
Never knew about the big box store selling inferior product. Next time we need a large appliance, Ill go to the local guy.
Wife is always big on nice unmolested boxes. I didn't think much of it but I do now.
Wife is always big on nice unmolested boxes. I didn't think much of it but I do now.
Mainsail
Member
How about some anecdotes on this topic?
"Lifetime" memberships:
In the 80s I was living in the barracks at Travis AFB, and several of the guys ran out and bought "lifetime memberships" at the new video rental store that opened in Vacaville for a little over $100. You see, youngsters, that's how it all began; you paid for a membership that allowed you to rent VHS movies. The problem was that nobody asked whose lifetime. The company sold several thousand memberships and disappeared in the middle of the night, taking the VHS tapes they had in the store with them. I expect they reopened under a new name somewhere else.
Extended Warranties:
Some years ago I bought a Sony CD carousel player; it was the ES series with the fine wood side panels. Because this was Sony's top of the line player it came with a THREE year warranty instead of the typical two years. I bought it at the AAFES BX, and purchased the one year extended warranty as well. The extended warranty was a card that hung on the shelves all over the electronics department and you simply took the card and the cashier would ring it up with your purchase.
Just after the OEM warranty expired I noticed the player began to skip now and then, so I contacted the extended warranty company about getting the unit serviced. Their phone number was dead and after some research I discovered they'd gone out of business. Shortly after that I was in the BX and noticed the extended warranty cards were still hanging in the BX. They sure looked like the same cards; same type font, same graphics, almost everything was the same as the now defunct company, except the name. Scam. Sell extended warranties, honor the ones you've sold until you reach a certain point, then go belly up and reopen under a new name and start all over. The BX did refund my money on the extended warranty BTW.
You Cannot Beat This Deal:
When my son was born in the early 90s we went to the Thalhiemers store at the mall near Charleston AFB to buy an 8mm video camcorder. I was NOT impressed with their prices but the wife wanted one today and I caved. The salesman tried to relive my fear by informing me of the store's low-price-guarantee; if we could find the same camcorder anywhere else for less, even up to 90 days after the purchase, the store would beat the deal plus refund 10% of the difference. How can we lose? Only a few days later one of the local electronics stores had the same camera for a couple hundred dollars less, so I called the Thalhiemers store and was promptly informed that the camera I saw in the competitor's ad was NOT the same camera. You see, we purchased a Sony F56 camcorder, and the competitor was selling a Sony F55 camcorder. What's the difference you ask? Other than the color of the plastic on one of the sliding covers- NOTHING. Oh, you also cannot buy the F56 anywhere except Thalhiemers; that model number is exclusive to Thalhiemers, thus you will NEVER find the F56 in a competitor's store.
Selling It:
My wife wanted to take a class at a local college and decided to buy a cassette recorder to tape the lectures. We went to Circuit City to see what they had. She was looking at the display rack of recorders and I was lingering nearby as a salesman sidled up to her. She told him what she planned to do with the recorder and he, believing her to be an ignorant lone female, began to circle like a hungry shark. He chose the most expensive recorder and told her, "This one has VOX, which is voice activated recording. That means it will only record voices and ignores all other sounds." I turned around and confronted him, "It does WHAT?" (In case you didn't know, VOX just allows a threshold to be set, so the recorder does not begin recording until a level of volume above that set threshold is reached. Sort of an auto- recording feature that has nothing whatsoever to do with human voices.)
"Lifetime" memberships:
In the 80s I was living in the barracks at Travis AFB, and several of the guys ran out and bought "lifetime memberships" at the new video rental store that opened in Vacaville for a little over $100. You see, youngsters, that's how it all began; you paid for a membership that allowed you to rent VHS movies. The problem was that nobody asked whose lifetime. The company sold several thousand memberships and disappeared in the middle of the night, taking the VHS tapes they had in the store with them. I expect they reopened under a new name somewhere else.
Extended Warranties:
Some years ago I bought a Sony CD carousel player; it was the ES series with the fine wood side panels. Because this was Sony's top of the line player it came with a THREE year warranty instead of the typical two years. I bought it at the AAFES BX, and purchased the one year extended warranty as well. The extended warranty was a card that hung on the shelves all over the electronics department and you simply took the card and the cashier would ring it up with your purchase.
Just after the OEM warranty expired I noticed the player began to skip now and then, so I contacted the extended warranty company about getting the unit serviced. Their phone number was dead and after some research I discovered they'd gone out of business. Shortly after that I was in the BX and noticed the extended warranty cards were still hanging in the BX. They sure looked like the same cards; same type font, same graphics, almost everything was the same as the now defunct company, except the name. Scam. Sell extended warranties, honor the ones you've sold until you reach a certain point, then go belly up and reopen under a new name and start all over. The BX did refund my money on the extended warranty BTW.
You Cannot Beat This Deal:
When my son was born in the early 90s we went to the Thalhiemers store at the mall near Charleston AFB to buy an 8mm video camcorder. I was NOT impressed with their prices but the wife wanted one today and I caved. The salesman tried to relive my fear by informing me of the store's low-price-guarantee; if we could find the same camcorder anywhere else for less, even up to 90 days after the purchase, the store would beat the deal plus refund 10% of the difference. How can we lose? Only a few days later one of the local electronics stores had the same camera for a couple hundred dollars less, so I called the Thalhiemers store and was promptly informed that the camera I saw in the competitor's ad was NOT the same camera. You see, we purchased a Sony F56 camcorder, and the competitor was selling a Sony F55 camcorder. What's the difference you ask? Other than the color of the plastic on one of the sliding covers- NOTHING. Oh, you also cannot buy the F56 anywhere except Thalhiemers; that model number is exclusive to Thalhiemers, thus you will NEVER find the F56 in a competitor's store.
Selling It:
My wife wanted to take a class at a local college and decided to buy a cassette recorder to tape the lectures. We went to Circuit City to see what they had. She was looking at the display rack of recorders and I was lingering nearby as a salesman sidled up to her. She told him what she planned to do with the recorder and he, believing her to be an ignorant lone female, began to circle like a hungry shark. He chose the most expensive recorder and told her, "This one has VOX, which is voice activated recording. That means it will only record voices and ignores all other sounds." I turned around and confronted him, "It does WHAT?" (In case you didn't know, VOX just allows a threshold to be set, so the recorder does not begin recording until a level of volume above that set threshold is reached. Sort of an auto- recording feature that has nothing whatsoever to do with human voices.)
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
