&%*$ing True Value

[ChshreCat]

So, I go into True Value last week to pick up a few things and they have a "110-Pc. Drill/Driver Set" on sale for 8.97. Nice deal. Nothing fancy, but a good selection of bits and drivers. I take the flyer and ask the guy at the counter where they were and he pointed me to the shelf. I walk over and find them. Looked just like on the flyer. Said "110-Pc. Drill/Driver Set" on the box and all. So I take it up with my other stuff, get rung up, pay and head out.

Then I get to checking my receipt the other day and I was charged over 20 bucks! Well, I figured they hadn't updated the price in the computer or something and I could go in and get the balance refunded, so I headed back to the store today.

I get there and the woman at the counter says "Oh, that's not the item that was on sale."

I tell her it sure as hell looks like the one on sale.

She goes to the shelf and gets one down and shows me where, on the identical boxes, the stock numbers are different. Then shows me how a couple of the bits in the set are different if you open them up and look inside.

Then she smiles and refuses to refund my money. Even though they put it on the shelf and put the sale tag on it.

Well, I won't be going back to that store. And even if I wanted to, I don't think they'd allow me back after the tirade I cut loose in front of all the other customers in line.

That's bait & switch! If I remember right, it's ILLEGAL! Thieving bastards!

I sent a long email to True Value and we'll see if I get anything back. If I don't, or don't like what I get, then True Value has lost my business altogether.

The thing is... I'm in escrow right now, buying my first house. I'm going to need a BUTTLOAD of hardware, lawn and garden stuff and whatnot. So, they gave up hundreds of dollars I'd have spent there in the near future in order to steal a little over eleven dollars from me.

 

[jpc]

Screw 'em... Their attitude sucks and they don't deserve your business.

One thing, though... you should always check the receipt before you leave the store. A lot of this could have been avoided if you had done so. I'm a good one to talk, though, since the only time I look at the receipt is at restaurants so I can figure the tip.

 

[ChshreCat]

Yeah. I'm just too trusting. I don't usually assume that they're going to rip me off. Sucks that you have to keep on people like that.

 

[lamarguy]

Their responsibility is to properly present prices for sale items. Your responsibility is to check your purchases before you leave the store. I always look at register as they ring them up and/or look at my receipt on the way out checking for obvious errors.

The reality is, employees make mistakes all of the time, especially on sale items. In reality, it's just an $11 difference. But, I understand why you're upset - it's the principal of the matter, not the amount of money.

I experienced a pricing discrepancy with AHS a while back. In reality, they misquoted the cost of a couple of items by about $25. But, I was pissed since I made a special trip to Austin to purchase those items. I felt the same way as you, so I don't shop there anymore.

 

[weirdboy]

Why didn't you just return the expensive one? I'm sure it must have been within the return period.

 

[SporkD2]

I agree with you, although if the upper management does something about it then you'd have to respect that.

 

[ChshreCat]

I didn't return it because I didn't bring the whole set with me and I don't want to go back. Besides... I needed it! If I took it back, then I'd end up buying another set elsewhere, and if I didn't find a sale, it'd be the same price or more anyway.

 

[weirdboy]

Well if you want satisfaction you can just find her car and throw a bunch of drill bits into her gearbox.

 

[adx]

If it makes you feel any better the bits will probably strip or be dull the third time you use them. That kits are terrible.

 

[Selfsufficient]

For those of you in the midwest, Menards in my book is famous for this!!!! Garage Doors, Exterior Doors, fixtures and many other instances. I got tired of this 10 years ago, however, they did have SS washers I needed at .49 each so I bought them. Hmmm, $1.49 with tax outta me in 10 years. Should have seen the Lowes Bill.....LOL

 

[ChshreCat]

Weirdboy: Not gonna go that far. I'd rather just steer all the business in town away from them and watch the business go under.

adx: I wouldn't be surprised. I just needed something to put some holes in my drywall until I can start massing some real tools. The bits will probably last almost as long as the 19.95 sale cordless drill I bought along with 'em. At least they gave me the sale price on that!

 

[srm775]

For those of you in the midwest, Menards in my book is famous for this!!!! Garage Doors, Exterior Doors, fixtures and many other instances. I got tired of this 10 years ago, however, they did have SS washers I needed at .49 each so I bought them. Hmmm, $1.49 with tax outta me in 10 years. Should have seen the Lowes Bill.....LOL

Yeah, Menards does do this quite a bit, I think. I also feel they are more of a bottom-of-the-line carrier. If you need some thing really cheap for one-time use, go there, otherwise, their super cheap crap is just that. I bought a cheap cordless drill from them expecting it to only last a short time, well, it didn't even last that long. The battary dies within 5 min. of use, even on the flashlight. Complete waste of $18

 

[IrregularPulse]

For those of you in the midwest, Menards in my book is famous for this!!!! Garage Doors, Exterior Doors, fixtures and many other instances. I got tired of this 10 years ago, however, they did have SS washers I needed at .49 each so I bought them. Hmmm, $1.49 with tax outta me in 10 years. Should have seen the Lowes Bill.....LOL

Yeah, Menards does do this quite a bit, I think. I also feel they are more of a bottom-of-the-line carrier. If you need some thing really cheap for one-time use, go there, otherwise, their super cheap crap is just that. I bought a cheap cordless drill from them expecting it to only last a short time, well, it didn't even last that long. The battary dies within 5 min. of use, even on the flashlight. Complete waste of $18

I have to disagree about menards. On their sales they've had here They've always given and honored rain checks on sale items that were out of stock when I went to get one up to 3 months later even once.
It's not the stores fault you grabbed the wrong set and then didn't pay attention to what you were paying for.

 

[ChshreCat]

It's not the stores fault you grabbed the wrong set and then didn't pay attention to what you were paying for.

I'm supposed to bring a magnifying glass and compare the stock numbers. This was the same brand, same name for the product, same packaging, same size, everything. And they put in on the shelf and put the sale tag on it. I shouldn't have to go THAT far. I didn't just pick something up off the shelf thinking it was the same item. It was on the sale shelf where they put it!

You shouldn't HAVE to compare stock numbers and/or stand there looking over the shoulder of the cashier to make sure they're not stealing from you. There should be some level of trust you can depend on, but that's too much to expect in this day.

 

[brrman]

I have to disagree about menards. On their sales they've had here They've always given and honored rain checks on sale items that were out of stock when I went to get one up to 3 months later even once.
It's not the stores fault you grabbed the wrong set and then didn't pay attention to what you were paying for.

There should be some level of trust you can depend on, but that's too much to expect in this day.

I have to agree with IrregularPulse - Menards has always been a great store to me. If you simply double check what you are buying, and read over the receipt as you walk away from the cash register, you will avoid problems like these. How hard is it to do that... Trusting complete strangers who work behind a cash register is a sure way to get yourself ripped off eventually...

 

[ChshreCat]

I'll stop going to a store if I have to constantly double check to see if they're stealing from you.

 

[the_bird]

****ty sales practices. Must have been trying to blow out their last of the "old" set, but they should have taken down the other ones until they were gone.

Still, you should have brought the set back with you if you expected a refund, the clerk's not going to be (or at least feel like she is) authorized to give you the difference back in cash, but I bet you could have returned the old set, "bought" the new one, and pocketed the difference.

 

[ChshreCat]

I never thought they'd have done the bait and switch. I assumed that I bought the one on sale and they just didn't have the right price in the computer. I've had that happen so many times I can't guess how many and when you point it out, they just refund the difference. By the time I was done there, I wasn't going to have anything else to do with them other than turn them in to the parent company, and maybe the BBB.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I'm supposed to bring a magnifying glass and compare the stock numbers. This was the same brand, same name for the product, same packaging, same size, everything. And they put in on the shelf and put the sale tag on it. I shouldn't have to go THAT far. I didn't just pick something up off the shelf thinking it was the same item. It was on the sale shelf where they put it!

You shouldn't HAVE to compare stock numbers and/or stand there looking over the shoulder of the cashier to make sure they're not stealing from you. There should be some level of trust you can depend on, but that's too much to expect in this day.

I agree the near identical sets was a scam, but you should always pay attention to the person ringing you up and check your receipt. Not because they may be trying to "steal" from you, but sometimes sales don't always register in the computer and let's face it. It's a human interaction. Humans make mistakes. I don't know how many times I've seen my wife say at the grocery store, "um that was supposed to be one sale", oh, so it was.

 

[ChshreCat]

See, that's what I thought had happened so I wasn't upset at all. I just checked the receipt and thought "Oops, they got the price wrong" and went back to have it fixed. I didn't get mad until they try to claim I made the mistake and that they didn't have the set I bought on the sale shelf.

I got an email back from the company. All they're going to do is "let the store know about the complaint". Oh well, I like Ace Hardware and Home Depot just fine. They can have my money.

 

[mrk305]

If I was the merchant I would have cheerfully refunded the difference, but they didn't. Now you entitled to bad mouth them for the rest of your life.

If I make a customer happy they might tell one or two people. If I piss off a customer they will tell everybody they know, forever.

 

[Zul'jin]

I'm with the cat on this one. Yes, he could have done the job of the store manager and supervised the cashier more closely. Yes, he could have noticed right away that his bill was $11 too high. None of that makes it right to put two nearly identical items right next to each other and then point him to them, flyer in hand, let him get the one he did not ask for, pay for it and then act like it was all his fault. True Value should have offered an exchange or refund.

Go to ACE. The one here is helpful almost to the point of annoying. They'll actually pick the item off the shelf and hand it to me. Not a service I require but, one of the nice gestures that has me driving past closer stores now days.

 

[jpc]

I got an email back from the company. All they're going to do is "let the store know about the complaint". Oh well, I like Ace Hardware and Home Depot just fine. They can have my money.

...and you likewise sent these sentiments in an e-mail back to them?

 

[onthekeg]

Its not called "True Screw" for a reason! Same crap goes on around here.

Menards is a place where you get what you pay for. They have quality and they have dirt cheap. Quality costs me the same price as my local lumberyard, so thats where I go.

I don't like chain stores much.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Found a photo of CshsreCat returning to the store a second time for his refund.

 

[EuBrew]

While the Ace down the street is more convenient, I don't go there unless I absolutely have to. I have plenty of construction experience so 9 times out of 10 I know exactly what I'm looking for anyway so I go to Lowes or Depot since I know I'll save money. The Ace and True Value's of the world are consistently 10% higher on almost everything in my experience.

 

[ChshreCat]

Yeah, I'd rather go to Home Despot, but that adds another 40 miles round trip. So, if I just need one cheap simple item, I'll go to Ace. If I'm picking up a whole project or something pricey, I wait until I'm going to be heading into town anyway and stop while I'm there.

Sacc... that's actually a pretty good visual metaphor for what I did verbally the first time!

 

[pulpfiction32]

Shop Smart Shop S-mart

 

[homebrewer_99]

20+ years shopping Menards...never had a problem with them or their products/service...of course you have to know which products to stay away from...

 

[ChshreCat]

Never heard of Menards or S-Mart, so they must be an eastern or southern thing.

 

[jpc]

Never heard of Menards or S-Mart, so they must be an eastern or southern thing.

Menards (affectionately known as "my-nards" in my household) is an upper Midwest thing. Had them locally when I lived in Minneapolis, but they are all throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, etc.

 

[Domminigan]

A local Sears store has been having issues for at least the last twenty five years. That was when my Dad went in to buy a table saw. It was special order and was supposed to "Be in on Wednesday" for a month. Dad finally got loud in the middle of the store. Got the store manager pretty soon as other customers started canceling their special orders. Guy asked my dad what would make him happy. Dad pointed to the top-o-the-line tablesaw on the floor and said "Give me that one. Not one from the back, That one." It still works great!
They pull that crap all the time. anything larger than a couple cubic feet or more than $200 has to come from the back. I have yet to get one thing brought out correctly. Buy a 2 horse jet pump? Get a ¼ horse sump pump. Red 3-section Tool chest with ball bearing drawers? No, you get a dented up two section off brand.

 

[Dwain]

Paul Harvey probably rolled over in his grave. "That's True......Value. And now for page 2". - Dwain

 

[FreakinA]

I'll stop going to a store if I have to constantly double check to see if they're stealing from you.

Stealing from you? Really? Idk how closesly the products were but I do think you stood at the cash register and were present when they charged you 20.00 versus 10.00. I would have asked them then, and cleared an discepancy.

 

[david_42]

Ran into a very different problem a Lowe's. They had a chainsaw in two different packages, one with a carrying case, one without. They had the same SKID, same price! Turned out the one in the case was a promotional item by the manufacturer and they had a different number on it, but Lowe's didn't.

I'm in the barcoding business and I always check the numbers. I got the saw with the case.

 

[vtchuck]

stores are locally owned and your experience will be different from place to place. My local True Value is great.... the owner lives nearby and is almost always at the store. I agree with their prices being higher than HD, but they have a store card and after you spend a certain amount, you get a $10 coupon in the mail.... and they have email specials as well.

That being said, I still go to HD for big orders for the price / selection.

 

[Nova5]

I'm supposed to bring a magnifying glass and compare the stock numbers. This was the same brand, same name for the product, same packaging, same size, everything. And they put in on the shelf and put the sale tag on it. I shouldn't have to go THAT far. I didn't just pick something up off the shelf thinking it was the same item. It was on the sale shelf where they put it!

You shouldn't HAVE to compare stock numbers and/or stand there looking over the shoulder of the cashier to make sure they're not stealing from you. There should be some level of trust you can depend on, but that's too much to expect in this day.

FHO's... FHO's. I hate them. they mix **** up and lowes, grab 10 of an item and you really get 9 plus a similar one.

Fing Home Owners.. they pick up and item and put it back in the wrong place but where it looks like a similar bunch are at. You fell victim to an FHO. Not the stores fault, not yours. its the damn FHO.

 

[northernlad]

Shop Smart Shop S-mart

Next time he'll take his Boom-Stick to True Value

 

[babalu87]

I'm supposed to bring a magnifying glass and compare the stock numbers.

No but looking at your receipt before leaving the store might be a good idea.

I gotta get a job near where you are as a barkeep.:fro:

 

[ChshreCat]

No but looking at your receipt before leaving the store might be a good idea.

I gotta get a job near where you are as a barkeep.:fro:

Yeah, but I just feel that I shouldn't HAVE to do that. People should be more honest and fair. Yeah... I know... I'm dreamin'. :cross: