This one is for Texas --IKE

[Bird]

The bad part is the people who just hoard the generators keeping those who need them from getting them. They will buy a generator before the storm and just leave it in the box and if they don't need it then they will return it in a couple of weeks after the storm for a refund when it is too late for others to use it.

Our local Home Depots have stopped issuing refunds on generators when the box has been unsealed but this does not stop the hoarders.

In Denton, yesterday, the Home Depot had a temporary sign taped to the front door stating that due to the hurricane . . . there's a temporary shortage of generators and that they're working with their suppliers to obtain more.

In Lewisville, this morning, the Northern Tool store has a temporary sign taped to the front door that "during the 2008 storm season all sales of generators and water pumps are final". It didn't further define dates for the storm season.

 

[EddieWalker]

Power is a beautiful thing.

Rob,

Congrats on getting your power back!!!!!!!!

Eddie

 

[RobJ]

The bad part is the people who just hoard the generators keeping those who need them from getting them. They will buy a generator before the storm and just leave it in the box and if they don't need it then they will return it in a couple of weeks after the storm for a refund when it is too late for others to use it.

Our local Home Depots have stopped issuing refunds on generators when the box has been unsealed but this does not stop the hoarders.

I just caught this post that Bird had responded to. I have to say I don't see this as hoarding or as a wrong thing to do. I see it as preparing for the storm. Generators were pretty easy to get before the storm. I saw them stacked up in several stores. Ok so no one wants to lay out 500-800 bucks for one that's their decision. you could say the same for water, we stocked on water ad we lost water and still are under a boil rule. But many around us stock up on water and never lost their water so is that hoarding water? I think its being prepared because again there was plenty of water in the days before the storm. I had tap water in coolers to drink if I needed.

During Rita my chainsaw was up at the other house so 3 days before Rita I bought a chainsaw. Rita didn't do any damage to our home but a few trees around the neighborhood had some trees down. Against my wishes (and some none working friends chainsaw), I opened up the box and we used it. No intention to take it back then. Well my neighbor wanted to use it at their mothers place in east Texas than had some damage. Sure no problem. He came back a few days later and said a limb fell on it and he would replace it(it still worked and he used it last weekend). Bought me a brand new one. After a couple days I thought, hmmm, and took it back to Lowes for a refund. Box never opened.

Now on Saturday I bought a little window unit because we were on the "after Thursday" list to get power(BTW, after Thursday does NOT mean Friday and that still only means 80% in that zip code with power). $114 for a 6000 btu. I took it out of the box, and install and ran it for 20 minutes before we were out to dinner. When we got back, power was on. Now some would box the now (IMO) used ac and get a refund from Lowes, and I'm sure they might still refund it. But I don't like to do this once I've opened the box. I'll keep it for the other house or a friend at work who is still without power and on generators is considering it.

I do think most of these big stores are to liberial with the return policies. I've talked with the people in the paint department and some folks will buy an airless painter on Friday and return it on Monday. Some might even clean it. Most done, they take them back.

Rob

 

[MossRoad]

I just caught this post that Bird had responded to. I have to say I don't see this as hoarding or as a wrong thing to do. I see it as preparing for the storm. Generators were pretty easy to get before the storm. I saw them stacked up in several stores. Ok so no one wants to lay out 500-800 bucks for one that's their decision. you could say the same for water, we stocked on water ad we lost water and still are under a boil rule. But many around us stock up on water and never lost their water so is that hoarding water? I think its being prepared because again there was plenty of water in the days before the storm. I had tap water in coolers to drink if I needed.

During Rita my chainsaw was up at the other house so 3 days before Rita I bought a chainsaw. Rita didn't do any damage to our home but a few trees around the neighborhood had some trees down. Against my wishes (and some none working friends chainsaw), I opened up the box and we used it. No intention to take it back then. Well my neighbor wanted to use it at their mothers place in east Texas than had some damage. Sure no problem. He came back a few days later and said a limb fell on it and he would replace it(it still worked and he used it last weekend). Bought me a brand new one. After a couple days I thought, hmmm, and took it back to Lowes for a refund. Box never opened.

Now on Saturday I bought a little window unit because we were on the "after Thursday" list to get power(BTW, after Thursday does NOT mean Friday and that still only means 80% in that zip code with power). $114 for a 6000 btu. I took it out of the box, and install and ran it for 20 minutes before we were out to dinner. When we got back, power was on. Now some would box the now (IMO) used ac and get a refund from Lowes, and I'm sure they might still refund it. But I don't like to do this once I've opened the box. I'll keep it for the other house or a friend at work who is still without power and on generators is considering it.

I do think most of these big stores are to liberial with the return policies. I've talked with the people in the paint department and some folks will buy an airless painter on Friday and return it on Monday. Some might even clean it. Most done, they take them back.

Rob

That's completely unethical. Just my opinion.

 

[RobJ]

That's completely unethical. Just my opinion.

Uhh, all of it.

If you lived on the gulf coast or in hurricane country, you might see it a different way. I still haven't been to the gas station since 9/12(for 2 of my cars, 1 we filled up while out of town on Monday), I guess I was hoarding gas to. But I didn't spend one second waiting in the long lines.

Also remember a lot of stores didn't/couldn't open for a few days. Most of the food has already gone bad.

 

[tallyho8]

I think it is wrong to purchase something with full intentions of returning it for a refund after the disaster if you do not use it thus denying others who need it the ability to use it. This denies the store the opportunity of a REAL sale.

There are plenty of rental places that you could rent a generator if you just wished to have it a few days then return it.

It is not fair to use a retail store to get out of paying rental charges on an item.

If you are going to have the item in your possession for a period of time with the ability to use it at your discretion then there should be some charge for that convenience. This is why rental companies are in business.

Retail stores are not in the business of buying 500 generators to lend to 500 people to "prepare for the storm" just so that they can return them later for a refund.

 

[RobJ]

I think it is wrong to purchase something with full intentions of returning it for a refund after the disaster if you do not use it thus denying others who need it the ability to use it. This denies the store the opportunity of a REAL sale.

We can agree to disagree, that's cool. But in the end, the people who bought that generator are using it. You also have to remember that Centerpoint Energy had something like 2.2 mil of their 2.3 mil customers without power for a least some time. And Entergy is another company that lost most of it's customers. So I don't think that many generators were returned. and people are still waiting for generators today because there were not 2 million of them in the city to begin with!!

While I agree if they open the box and run it...its theirs, buying something to return it happens all the time.

And I wouldn't defend the stores, my neighbor borrowed a friends generator he bought at Home Depot for $350 last winter. The same generator sells for $599 to $699 during the hurricane season. He plans to buy one during the off season. On the sort of flip side, I was in Lowes yesterday, the regular red 5 gallon gas jug was selling for about $5.80. Monday BEFORE Ike I passed on the same jug selling for about $10. Of course they had several hundred jugs they needed to get rid of. So I'm guessing there was plenty of markup on those jugs to begin with.

 

[MossRoad]

.. it happens all the time.

...

That doesn't make it right.

 

[RobJ]

That doesn't make it right.

Wife ever buy you 2 shirts knowing you'll only like one? hehe mine does. How about Christmas. Enough on that one....

Now guess who gets to pay to repair all the power lines. Good thing I have Dish Network. No wires to fix and my dish stayed put. My guess is the Comcast folks will pay to fix their cable system. My parents got power back in 10 hours (condo complex). But still no Comcast. I was watching Dish at 8:00am when the storm was finishing up.

Houstonians may have to help cover electricity grid repairs | Hurricane Central: Ike | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

 

[Bird]

Wife ever buy you 2 shirts knowing you'll only like one?

If she did, she'd know that she'd be giving one away to someone else, or to Goodwill. No way she or I would either one sanction buying something knowing at the time it would be returned for a refund.

But there have been times when I had some doubts about a product and the seller says, "Take it and try it. If you're not happy with it, you can bring it back." I bought a DR Trimmer/Mower because they advertised that they would take it back. The same is true of the Mantis tiller I bought, and the Select Comfort Sleep Number bed. I would not have bought any of them if they hadn't said I could send them back for a refund. But I did not buy them with the intention of returning them, and I did not return any of them.

But this started by talking about buying something that is in short supply; i.e., generators when a storm is forecast, thereby preventing other buyers from being able to obtain a generator, then returning it after the storm passed. So the person who does that cheats both the business that lost the sale and a customer who was unable to get a generator. It's just a little bit beyond my comprehension how anyone can do something like that, or how others can believe that it's OK. But then I never could understand how the thieves and burglars I arrested could think it was OK to steal from big companies.

But it does explain why Home Depot and Northern Tool made generator sales final with no refund. I guess if you have to deal with dishonest customers, you do what you have to do.