A letter I sent to Home depot:
Home Depot:
Why you don't want to support the Home Depot brand and Rigid!
I took the advise of a woodworking magazine, even before the magazine figured out how problematic the Rigid brand could be.
While technically live in anchorage, Alaska, I predominantly use my tools elsewhere, Seldovia, Bethel, and other remote locations. ( read: a long drive, or flight, inconveniently distanced from a Home Depot)
I purchased an orbital disk sander and a shop vac, both Rigid.
I went to Z---, manager at the Tudor Road Home Depot, with disappointing results:
I explained:
While the orbital disc sander worked as advertised. I soon discovered in seldovia that the local hardware store does not sell a disc that would fit. The next time I flew to Homer, I discovered that both Spenards and True Value don't sell discs that will fit.
Welcome to your Home Depot experience.
You have to travel all the way to Kenai to get discs that will fit, thats a 1.5 hour boat ride and a 70 mile drive.
Had I purchase any other brand of orbital disc sander, I could have continued my project after a 1 mile walk, or 2 minute drive.
My Shop Vac: Same story.
Not only did the shop vac only use filters obtainable by Home Depot. I now have a shop vac that is useless to me. While I could probably find a filter online, I can't even purchase from my local Home Depot a filter available only a few years ago.
I complained nicely, " at first" to the anchorage Tudor Home depot manager, Z---. Sunday morning April 9th, at around 8:15 am.
I explained why I didn't like my purchases. I explained that if I needed new tires for my Ford, I didn't have to drive all the way to a ford dealership to get tires, any tire shop carries your size.
He argued that if I needed a ford part, I had to get it from ford,
Arguing was his mental go to: trying to make my day better was not.
He is incorrect, as I explained:
Consumables a car uses: Gas, Oil, Anti-freeze, Windshield fluid,Power steering fluid, brake pads. He even argued that I'd need to get brake pads from ford. How absolutely WRONG
can you be. I purchase off brands from Shucks, Napa, and Bosch.
Consumables of products are virtually always designed in such a way to keep your customer using the product.
examples:
My Kenmore Vacuum cleaner. I can get bags for my vac. at Target, Walmart, Fred Meyers, etc...
Ford Car. I can get starters, tires, belts, fluids, etc from any auto parts store, ANY!
I'm looking at a Signature brand stapler on my desk. I can use any staple brand out there.
H.P. printer here in front of me. I can use any brand of paper, even OFF BRAND INK!
I have told, and will continue to tell any any one I run into about the marketing practices of Home Depot.
Making a tool such that you have to return to a Home Depot, to refill your consumables is,
well, frankly,
Buii$#it! Get a DeWalt or something, stay working with local consumables!
I realize that swearing in a letter lends less credit to the author. But it is only mildly descriptive of the frustration, and anger one feels when you are in the middle of a project, and unexpectedly run through quickly your consumables on hand and the nearest hardware store can't help you.
Z---,
The store manager in the Tudor Store, had a perfect opportunity to provide outrageously positive customer service, that would have guaranteed my return.
While I had used it, He might have offered to take the vacuum back.
He was inappropriately condescending,
Condescending in that his arguments about comparing consumables of cars were the save as Rigid, I mean, he actually said that I'd have to get a starter or brake pads from ford.
Z---, is not the kind of person you want managing one of your stores.
Not one time did he agree with anything I said, an important element of customer service.
Not one time did he offer a solution, other than ordering consumables online?
( would you be satisfied ordering power steering fluid online if all of the cars in your town were on the road using any generic brand)
Ask the struggling "Best Buy" brand, do you really want your customers surfing for products online.
Best Buy is having a hard time marketing because the internet is a vicious competitor.
If the managers suggestion is that I get support for my product from online:
Then why in the world would I purchase anything Rigid ever again?
When I could get a Porter Cable, or Craftsman, or...etc. product from amazon, and then get consumables from a local hardware store.
Whenever I see the Rigid brand vac in my garage I get angry.
I have a solution now.
I am throwing it away.
Your store manager Z---, suggesting that I use online sales to support my product will hurt Home Depot.
Seriously:
Answer me this?
Why purchase the Home Depot brand when I could get a skill saw, or Dewalt, and get better consumables support from anyone else?
Answer me this?
Why support a store that wont supply consumables for a Shop Vac purchased just a read more