Re: 5 ft. long drill bits at Home Depot!

["Robert L Bass" <robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> The discouraging thing about Home Depot is that
> the employees don't know what they have in the
> store so you're pretty much on your own...

It seems to vary from store to store.  There was one in Manchester, CT that
was excellent.  They hired retired electricians, plumbers, etc., to work the
aisles.  Most were knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.  Another store in a
nearby town was more like what you described.

> That's why I like the electrical supply houses. You
> walk up to the counter and tell them what you want.

They're generally useful for contractors who know what they need.  DIYers
can often get better help from HD.

> If you're after price alone and you can live with
> the frustration of not being able to find what you
> want, standing in long lines, inept customer
> service, and rude cashiers, then HD is the place
> to be.

On that we disagree.  In the years since they've been around I think I've
met two rude HD employees.  All the rest have been polite and at least tried
to be helpful.  Once when I was preparing to install a new transformer for
the lighting system in my church I stopped in HD to get some odds and ends
from the electrical dept.  Chatting with the salesman I mentioned what the
project was.  He told me he was a retired electrician and that he happened
to have some used transformers he'd removed during upgrades stored in his
garage.  He gave us a 440/208 WYE model for the church's use, saving us
several hundred dollars.

Another experience I had at HD made me believe the company's customer
service policy is beyond excellent.  I bought a 5-horsepower snow thrower
there one year.  It worked OK at first but needed service (I forget what the
problem was) before the first season was out.  It was fixed under warranty.
The following year I had to bring it in twice more.  Just before the start
of the third winter (more than two years after buying it) I was at HD
getting something else and I mentioned the problems to customer service.
They called the manager over and he said to bring the unit in so he could
look it over.  The next day I brought the machine in.  He asked me a few
questions and said, "OK, this is a lemon.  We'll replace it."

We then went into the department to look for a new 5-horse model but those
were all sold out.  He selected a much bigger, more costly 8-horse unit and
asked if this would fit in my 4-Runner.  I said yes but asked how much extra
it would cost me.  They didn't charge me one cent for the upgrade.  Needless
to say, I invariably shop HD when I need any major appliance, lawn mower (I
stopped doing that when I moved to FL), etc.  You may well have had bad luck
with them but I've had almost entirely good experience with the company.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

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