Talk:Harbor Freight Tools/Archives/2014

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BetacommandBot (talk) 06:22, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Online Internet integration Problems Vs. their retail stores?
Quote: "...offers a large variety of tools through its Web site, mail order catalog, and retail stores.

"Harbor Freight has over 330 retail store locations in 43 out of 50 states." end quote

It seems systemic problems should be noted. The retail stores, (at least the one in Fresno, Blackstone Ave)are unaware of sales prices offered at harborfreight.com and thus will not honor them. But there is a seemingly unwritten/hidden "trick." The consumer must bring in a printed copy of the Web site's sale offer. (But I have no printer.) The Web informs that this is a typical, if not a 100% systemic problem.

For example, on July 13, 2010, http://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/pest-control/electronic-fly-swatter-40122.html has had $7.99 electronic fly swatters on sale for $2.00 for several days at least. The cashier refused to do that deal. The cashier claimed she had no Internet access. But I was informed to bring in the "item number" from the Web, they would honor that. The cashier also said; they (harborfreight.com) are one company, we are another. Her flippant attitude was all over this. I ended up paying full price.

(I was surprised to discover on the Web that the "item number" was already printed on my receipt.) Today, on my second trip, armed with the requested "item number," I was refused again, with a demand from the cashier for the internet page printed out, then from her manager, a demand for a coupon print-out. (Or vice versa, I forget who demanded which.) The cashier informed me those instructions were on the Web site, which I explained; no. The cashier (or her manager?) again claimed they had no Internet access.

Today, threatening to call the BBB, I talked to "the big" manager Mike on the phone. He seemed mildly surprised they had no internet access. He then printed a copy of the page out for me on his computer, and come back, they would do the deal. That would be my third trip there, after talking supposedly to two managers.

Besides the obvious store-to-Web "connection" problems above, there is utterly zero mention of these print-out requirements, (nor any other,) on their web site. What a burn! This smells like either systemic incompetence (yeah right) or bait-and-switch.

After researching this problem today, this problem seems typical, the sale price will be honored if one knows the "trick" and jumps through some hoops. It's an unconcealed secret. Why is that info not on the item's page as a standard instruction/disclaimer?

It seems to me that if indeed they are two companies, or (seemingly as is the case,) they are so not coordinated that they appear to be two companies, then the above article conveys the wrong impression. Given normal expectations, the failure to mention this characteristic would be misleading.

But if the purpose of this article is simply to list the company's self-description and perhaps some corporate-sponsored news media headlines, then disregard this info.

http://www.icwhen.com/hg-ol/projects/mobilitykit/index.html "We knew that Harbor Freight retail stores honor all Web Site sale prices if we simply show them a printed copy of the offer."

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134312&page=2 "what baffles me about HF is that they run their retial stores and web business as two separate businesses, so you get a sale flyer and get all lathered up and go to the store and they say "oh, that's the web flyer, we don't carry those," but they will match prices."

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/archive/index.php/t-7987.html "the retail stores are not the same corporate entity as the catalog company."  "...when they went on sale. The clerk went nuts on me. ...so I took the page printed off the internet, and they gave it to me, no questions asked." "...GET IT for that price. Tell the people you'll notify the FTC of their bait and switch tactics." "The local store would not sell me the welder for the catalog price. They wanted $50 more plus tax than the catalog price. They told me it was a retail store and not a Harbor Freight store. I left upset and empty handed. ... today a district manager called and apologized (Joey) ,... Policy such as this denote a dishonest nature...."

http://www.craftkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/woodworking/15558/A-Harbor-Freight-Workshop ">Just curious, what trick?? The only trick I know is if you find a deal online, you can print out the sale item and get it at the retail store for the online sale price."

http://weldingweb.com/archive/index.php/t-11596.html "I have many times printed out cheaper prices from their web site plus used the 15-20-25% off coupons along with the sale."

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg0305485830718.html " I told him that I had seen it for $599 on the web site. He asked me if I had a Print out, and I said no. He then asked one of his employees to go online and check the price. "

www.resellerratings.com/seller4585-p2-s1-d1.html "If items are on sale on the web  site I just print  the article page and go to the store. "

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller4585-p2-s1-d1.html "...is mailed instead of shipped. There was no notification on your web site of this so my order was ... I never received the order."

I doubt this is a typical "bait-and-switch unless they complain" scheme. Yet these multiple integration flaws suggest it does not operate as flawlessly as your description implies.

Doug Bashford--68.127.85.141 (talk) 01:27, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Hi Guys, I am a manager from HFT. Yes there is some issue with pricing from the net to the stores. It is all one big company, yet they do have separate divisions and thus run there own sales. There are specials deals online with any retailer, that are different than in their stores. But, all is changing, we have now merged many of our prices with the online, and catalog prices. Our policy has always been to take the customer at their word for it, if they have not brought in the print out of the different price. We have been experiencing extreme growth, due to the fact people just don't want to pay 12.99 for a screwdriver when they can get it from us for 99 cents. Since we are experiencing the growth, we are experiencing a large hiring wave. With the new hires they are not quite as familiar with our open policy that has been in place for 42 years. If you don't have a printer, pull it up on your phone, if you can't do that then get the store manager and like what happened to you, you will get taken care of. This was just a training issue, not something across the board. WE DO NOT TRICK customers, nor bait and switch. It's common sense. Again, all of this is not impotant now, because we have an all new POS system rolling out, new integrated web/catalog/retail functions, and a whole new corporate team devoted to making all this click together.

Thanks!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.104.217.68 (talk) 02:44, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

Reliable Information?
This article reads mostly like adcopy. Was it written by Harbor Freight? Regardless of who wrote it, the adcopy type of writing makes it seem untrustworthy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.171.22.185 (talk) 11:13, 17 March 2013 (UTC)

With someone from Harbor Freight responding on this page it is very likely it is modified by PR staff. One of the sources was a pr site. Hmm I wonder who would use PR sources. If it walks like a pr duck, writes like a pr duck it is probably a pr duck. Apply Occam's razor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.125.246.53 (talk) 02:12, 21 July 2013 (UTC)