Would you do this?

[buckeyefarmer]

I know no one would ever confess to doing this one.

I bought some shop lights many months ago to put in my barn, and never got them up. They've been sitting unopened in the boxes on a shelf in the barn. Three of my basement shop lights stopped working, was down to only one working, so I pulled a couple off the shelf in the barn to install in my basement. Got the first one hung, open the 2nd one, and it was destroyed beyond repair. Apparently had been dropped on the floor, the ends were busted, but you couldn't tell before opening the box. Well, it's been so long, I haven't even bothered looking for the receipt, I figured this one is toast, so I stopped at HD on monday and bought 3 new shop lights (different model, more expensive). First one, no problem. Opened the 2nd one (why is it the 2nd one again?), took it out of the plastic wrapping, felt something on the bottom, turned it over, and the whole ballast part is covered in bird poop. I knew right away what someone did, their light stopped working, so they bought the same kind, swapped the ballast part, and returned it. Just to check, I went ahead a tried a couple bulbs, didn't work. That's when I also noticed the cord wasn't wrapped up like the other new one was, and the cord was dirty. So the obvious question is, what kind of low life would steal like this? Guess I just answered my question. Well, tomorrow I will return it to HD and tell them what happened and see what they say.

 

[schmism]

instead of buying a $20 light

buy the 2 pack of replacement plastic ends for $2 and be done with it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

on the busted one, it's not the plastic ends that are busted, its the metal they go into is so bent out of shape it won;t hold the plastic ends. these are made really really cheap compared to the any other ones I have ever had, but are a brand name. I will try to bend things into shape, but I don't think it will ever hold together.

the new busted light doesn't bother me like the "new" bird poop covered one.

 

[Cap-n-Cray]

It happens to me all the time. I bought a new kitchen faucet for a client with sealed straps around it. Got to the client's house to install it and the faucet was used. I am returning a door lock set that someone re-keyed and returned without the correct keys and damaged. I try to open everything at the store before I buy it.

Home Depot has a great return policy. If you bought it with a credit card you do not need a receipt, just the credit card. But if it is over six months old it will fall off their system. I think it happens more than we think. They return a lot to their venders. Just make sure they mark the returns broken so I don't buy it.

Cary

 

[RonMar]

Had the same thing happen to me the other day. Stopped by the auto parts store to get a new coolant sensor for my truck. Popped the box open an the counter and out rolls a greasey sensor with sealant on the threads... The guy behind the counter looked in the computer to see who returned one(or which clerkaccepted a return of one), and no one had at that store, that part box came in from the wharehouse like that(returned at another store) after one was sold...

 

[DIRTROAD]

This kind of junk is always happening to me!!!! I thought that I was just very unfortunate in choosing packages, guess I was wrong. I have gotten better over the years though and I check very good before I leave the store.

 

[Bedlam]

Retail stores seem to quite often place things back onto the shelves.That have been returned. So it doesn't always mean its the customer thats to fault.But your right im sure most times it is.One thing I always do now is open and inspect things right away.
Most places around here have a 'no return policy on electrical products 'for auto.(only return as defective for same replacement).
Because people rip HD off on returns thats why they keep records now to tell who's returning large amounts.Makes it more difficult for the legitimate returns people.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

HD took it back. I explained what I think happened, they marked the box with a red sticker.

 

[Western]

So now while shopping at HD I will watch out for little red stickers...

 

[AMR]

We met some folks when we moved to our house who would do something like this. They would regularly order stuff online, claim they never received it and then they would be shipped a second order. My wife was beside herself, she made a good point, people lose their jobs over stuff like this, maybe the UPS driver or the poor dude who packed the box, who knows. I think that there is a general moral erosion in society, it is the old grape in the grocery store thing that leads to stuff like this.

Stuff like this gets me a little fired up. Speaking of the grocery store, shopping the other day we watched a woman, who could clearly afford it, pick up a banana, peel it and give it to her kid while they shopped. Grocery stores already operate on paper thin margins and people think that they are entitled to do this.