I rented a carpet stretcher at Home Depot and returned it 30 minutes late.
The clerk assessed me a late fee and I, once again, became very angry at Home Depot.
I know there are Home Depot employees who read this board and I was wondering if they follow the same policy with late fees. Do you assess the late fee if the tool is returned a few minutes late?
I am a regular customer. In my opinion the tool rental fees are excessive anyway.
One more thing I’m mad about. Home Depot has been charging me an “Equipment Insurance Fee” whenever I rent anything. From this point forward I’m not paying that fee.
I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.
^^^^^^
“The Older We Get, The Better We Were”
Replies
30 minutes is not a few minutes. As much as that sucks, it's the rules.
Yes, and they put that rental fee on there anyway.
A while back I needed a CI pipe snapper. HD was closes to the job, by about 6 miles so I went there and what they had looked too big.
So I went to my local place. They had the same size unit, but I decided to try it anyway.
It was too big (not enough space between the pipe and the wall on the back for the chain). Returned it and just made the comment as I did that it was too big to work. They only charged me 1/2 the normal rental fee.
In many states they cannot require you to buy insurance. Read the fine print on the contract and it should say that in there if it is so. I had a clerk tell me otherwise (not at a Home Depot), so don't believe what they say, read the contract.
Its optional in my state. Still, 30-minutes late seems a bit hard to access the chanrge if you are one of their regulars. Just let them know that next time you will rent from someone else as the late+regular fee is syfficient for not being nickle & dimed.
"I know there are Home Depot employees who read this board and I was wondering if they follow the same policy with late fees. Do you assess the late fee if the tool is returned a few minutes late?"
Uh..........Why wouldn't they? It's their job. I'm sure there's a time written down that you checked it out and there's a time written down when you brought it back. Are they going to lie and write the wrong time down and loose their job for you because you don't want to pay a couple extra bucks because YOU brought the toll back LATE!
"I am a regular customer. In my opinion the tool rental fees are excessive anyway."
Then go somewhere else and stop complaining!
"One more thing I'm mad about. Home Depot has been charging me an "Equipment Insurance Fee" whenever I rent anything."
You and everyone else get charged. That’s their policy, so follow it or go somewhere else!
"From this point forward I'm not paying that fee."
What's that going to solve?
How about if one of your customers says that they won’t pay your fee when you’re done with the job after knowing what your fee was?
I don't get you people who constantly SHOP at HD and continue to complain about them. Stop going there!!!!!!!!
There's always a thread or two about "Another HD story" and they always crack me up when something happens to those who will sop there and then complain.
I go to HD sometimes and if something happens, I don’t complain because it’s expected to happen but at the time it’s convenient to go there. It’s like pi$$ing in the wind, don’t do it and then complain about the end result when you already know what the end result will be……..
You know their policy and yet you keep going there and now you say that you don't want to follow the rules and then you say that you won’t pay. Why would you even think like that?
The equipment insurance fee is optional. Just tell them you don't want it - I try to remember to tell them before they print out the paperwork so they don't have to re-print.
you ought to be supporting the local mom and pop rental co rather than feeding the big evil box .
I agree, but...
The local Mom & Pop expects me to have ALL equipment back on their lot by closing time at 5 pm. Should I wish to rent a rototiller to work my garden after work, too damn bad. It's got to be back at 5pm. Chatfield Time Rentals should one be interested.
Their rates are higher, service far worse than home desperate. The tools themselves are very well worn.
United Rentals are a bunch of arrogant overpaid chumps. I'm always having to inspect the rental agreement for the fine print. As well as the tool to be sure it functions at all. Should the tool not function as indicated, too bad. You rent it, you pay for it.
Another shop down the street is a bit more agreeable with their customers. They get my business.
Home Desperate only gets what is necessary - after hours. But their tools are a lot newer.
I've rented things from HD & returned them late, anywhere from 5 or 10 minutes to an hour + late.
Each time the clerk waived the late fees and didn't charge me anything extra. I guess it depends on where you are, how busy they are, and if they could have rented the item while you had it.
The insurance is optional. Probably the "default" is to take insurance, so it shows up unless you say you don't want it.
Also, all the equipment I've ever rented from a HD is in FAR better shape and better quality than anything at the local rental stores. And I've rented from probably a half a dozen HD stores in the area, and 3 or 4 local rental places. HD has better stuff for rent, and it's cheaper too.
I like reading the HD stories. I go there a lot, and have very few problems. I guess I'm just lucky in my region the stores are well managed.
I agree with the other poster. If you know a store is terrible, don't shop there, and if you do, then expect poor service. We have a Menards like that here. I hate shopping there, the service is terrible, people are slow, just a PITA. I do go there once in a while for an item or two when necessary, but I've learned not to expect anything but the worst.
And by keeping my visits there to the bare minimum, I accomplish 2 things:
I minimize my frustration so that it's not worth mentioning,
I don't financially support their poorly managed store ( I would love a Lowes to come in and shut them down)
Just my 2c.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
"From this point forward I'm not paying that fee.">>>>>>>
So that means you're going back again.
Doesn't all that complaining and then that line sound ludicrous to you?
If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
Charging you for 30 minutes late on a 24-hour rental would be borderline. But if you're 30 minutes late on a 4-hour rental then ya gotta pay the piper.
I think most places give you maybe ten minutes, figuring you were maybe loading/unloading about that long.
OK
Let's suppose you are the next customer in line. You want to rent a caarpet stretcher and you called in about it. They said they have one due back in at 3:30 PM. You think great, I can pick it up after work, get the kids at the baby sitter, go home and do that carpet tonight and return it the next day.
So you stop at HD and it is not there, you have to go pick up the kids. when you get back to HD for it, somebody else has now rented it. Do you get mad at HD or at the SOB who failed to return it on time in the first place???
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
The insurance thing is a can of worms and could come back and bite someone in the a z z..
If one sells insurance they are to be registered in that state to do so... even the clerk who writes it up.... very grey area
On ebay and net stores ... if you pay in full... they can not require you to purchase insurance on something you already own...
on rental things cars ect... they can require you to prove you have insurance and for them to be named... just like i can require people that rent from me to have insurance ... but thats not me selling it or brokering it...
p
Rules are rules.
How do you feel at the appointment you have scheduled with someone, and they are late? Kinda the same thing, isn't it?
That said, there is a lot of latitude with some of the HD add-on fees. All customers do not get charged all of the time for re-keying locks, cutting wood, threading pipe and so on. It depends on the attitude of the customer, how busy the store is, how little the customer (or the wife/gf) is wearing :) or management policy (charge everyone for everything- there is a big push to increase the store take, so fees=income).
Not to put too fine of a point on it, but the "regular customer" or "do you know how much money I have spent here" arguments don't really matter to me. If someone is shopping HD, they are looking for price and/or convenience. How much anger is worth how much in savings?
HD is in the business to make money, they can make money on late fee, the same reason movie rental make money on rewind fees. Who cares if the movie rewound or not. To watch it you going to rewind it.Its all about money thats all. not a penaty but money.
Yup.
But not all of the fees are charged equally, even though the policy is in place.
If I am not busy, I do not charge the cutting fee for threaded pipe. If the store is busy, and someone wants a bunch of little pieces cut, they will get charged. Same thing goes if the customer approaches me with an attitude.
Almost everything in life is about money at some point.
Why do you think the stores are pushing "installed for you", credit cards and "extended warranties"?
I've heard/read so many HD sob stories, even told some, that I'm mad as heck and I'm just not going to read them anymore!!! :-0
I do agree with your tag line tho, well said.
Edited 4/30/2006 11:55 am ET by chascomp
but you'll still shop there... right...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Good! Glad they made you pay. I am the guy that had to come back twice for the damn thing because you didn't return it on time and I needed it for my job. You cost us both money. Hope you are happy. DanT
Call me crazy : )~ but I like HD!! Ya just know how to shop it. I saved over FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS this week shopping there for 2x2 8' red cedar I'm using for fencing and railings. They were almost $2 less expensive than "any" Mom and Pop lumber yard and the stock looks really good too.
Anddddddddd I can return what i want for a full refund with no tude'!
If I'm late with something I'm more than happy to pay because they're at least upfront with me unlike a lot of people. Take the bad w/ the good.You wanna do the crime than ya gotta do the time!!!If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
TipiFest 06~~> Send me your email addy for a Paypal invoice to the greatest show on earth~~>[email protected]
Never said I wouldn't, I'll just not read the sob stories, I'm bored with that type of thread.In another vein I used your tag line on another thread about "How old are you?" Hope you don't mind.
I hate the place.. stay clear of it at all cost...
saw that... don't mind at all...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Before I comment, I need to know how much the late fee was.
Are we talking two dollars? Five? Twenty?
blue
I know there are Home Depot employees who read this board and .....
I cant comment on the charges but I'm shocked to hear that HD employees can read.
Doug
And construction workers can read prints? :)
"I can't perform manual labor, I am a legal American citizen"
Rally for citizen rights now!
"I am a regular customer. In my opinion the tool rental fees are excessive anyway."
maybe yer too regular a PITA customer ... and they remembered U from last time ...
bitching and moaning about the rules ... and the prices ...
and they decided to follow the rules?
just a thot.
next time ... don't be late.
and try to smile when U are.
wear a shorter skirt maybe?
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa