squirt can ban RANT:

[steamin10]

Went to Mantards recently, and in the auto section spied a nice shiny oil can pump squirter. First thing, it had some kind of plastic hose with a brass tip stuck on this thing for a spout. OK, several pumps on the lever, and the top fell off. I went to screw the top on, and it fell off again. (?) The formed threads did not engage enough to hold the top on let alone tight. Tag said made in China. I am insulted that Mantards will sell anything that is of this poor a quality, that is defective on the shelf, and charge $7 for something that will anger anyone that gets stuck with one.

It makes my old click bottom, and pump cans I have all the more precious.

Thanks for lookin, vote with your greenbacks.

[tornitore45]

The way I see it, is to return it for refund to fight back on two fronts:
a) Is a matter of principle "I shall NOT be screwed"
b) Unless some punitive cost is attached to bad quality, there is no incentive to improve.
Granted $7 is not much of a punishment but if every p----d off consumer returned shoddy stuff the Chinese and their American corporate accomplices will soon lean that an inexpensive, and therefore limited, product is a valid product but below a minimum level of quality even bare functionality is lost and the product is just a fraud, built to "look" like a useful thing but in effect the sole purpose is to swindle the buyer.

I bet you would have paid $9 for a functional one if that is what it takes to market a minimally serviceable oil can.

[reggie_obe]

The big retailers don't care. The department manager, the asst. mgr, the store mgr., doesn't care and also doesn't have the authority to choose what products are sold and where they come from. Since I can't by Eagle (USA made) oil cans locally, I'll buy them from McMasterCarr or just buy an old oil can at a garage,tag or estate sale.

[BadDog]

They will care if most folks quit putting up with it and it starts hurting the bottom line, and that is the ONLY way to make the MBAs care about anything.

I went through this with Home Depot just the last 2 weekends. Building an air distribution for my new compressor, I bought a bag full of short brass pipe nipples, T's, and sweep 90's. 2 out of 8 pipe nipples had one side oversize that wouldn't start more than 1 thread in any of the female fittings, and some they wouldn't start at all! And 3 of the female fittings had buggered improperly cut threads that wouldn't seal. Pissed me off that I had to drive back again, so I returned every fitting that had any problem I could identify. Showed the lady at return, and even waved over the manager to show him that over 30% of the fittings I got were in some way defective for the purpose intended. I then went to their brass isle with the guy from that area, and we opened several dozen packs until I found enough fittings that I judged acceptable, leaving more open and loose in a bucket than I took with me. The manager and the workers were perfectly polite with me, and didn't mind one bit what it took to get parts that would work, no skin off their noses. But if every guy that bought brass fittings in HD did that, I guarantee the MBAs would address the issue to stop the losses.

[spro]

A good rant and an acceptable one too. I was puzzled about a friend saying he couldn't find a "click bottom" oil can. I bought all kinds of those over the years and was sure I'd seen them at auto parts stores and HD. Gone. I checked around and mostly they are the same in inferior pump type with the flexible spout - which isn't really pointed where it can be ..and the crimp connections which are loose. Glad I picked them up at yard and other sales when they were plentiful.
Plumbing and unions: I have had a need for certain dielectric water pipe unions and checked the HD site before going there. There is an LDR brand which costs more but actually had some reviews. Terrible reviews on that product. Threads which were not fully formed , threads which were not deep enough. Someone says wrap multiple layers of tape to get a leakproof fit..etc. One may ask what it was being screwed into ? Which connector is out of spec ? The way it is becoming, NPT is only a theoretical target. Something unstandard, inserted into the chain of things, screws everything else up. Like we don't know that and after all; NPT means National Pipe Taper.

[reggie_obe]

There is an LDR brand which costs more but actually had some reviews. Terrible reviews on that product. Threads which were not fully formed , threads which were not deep enough. Someone says wrap multiple layers of tape to get a leakproof fit..etc. One may ask what it was being screwed into ? Which connector is out of spec ? The way it is becoming, NPT is only a theoretical target. Something unstandard, inserted into the chain of things, screws everything else up. Like we don't know that and after all; NPT means National Pipe Taper.

LDR, hmmm, talked to them and got yelled at by one of their Engineers when I called about the poor quality of their chinese pipe fitting. Casting pinholes, cracks, poorly formed threads, etc. LDR said, "No one is making cast or maliable pipe fittings in the US (or Canada) anymore. We're the worlds largest manufacturer and our facilities in china..bla bla bla." Funny they forgot Ward is still in business and you can get Ward USA made at a plumbing supply.

[reggie_obe]

They will care if most folks quit putting up with it and it starts hurting the bottom line, and that is the ONLY way to make the MBAs care about anything.

Showed the lady at return, and even waved over the manager to show him that over 30% of the fittings I got were in some way defective for the purpose intended. I then went to their brass isle with the guy from that area, and we opened several dozen packs until I found enough fittings that I judged acceptable, leaving more open and loose in a bucket than I took with me. The manager and the workers were perfectly polite with me, and didn't mind one bit what it took to get parts that would work, no skin off their noses. But if every guy that bought brass fittings in HD did that, I guarantee the MBAs would address the issue to stop the losses.

Was he the actual store manager, his face is posted near the door or the Manager on Duty which can be anything from an assistant manager to any department head or supervisor? They were polite? Of course, it's their job and from asst. mgr. on down, they can get written up for delivering poor customer service. They don't care about the returns or all the bags you opened, it's all marked down as defective and the vendor, in your case Watts, gives the store credit for each item. The open and defective items go where?? Down the compactor with the rest of the store trash. The only people affected were: you; "returns girl"; poor bugger in plumbing who had to scan and mark down all the defective items. No revenue loss, except "potential revenue".
This is how HomDee actually works.

[BadDog]

I didn't check his actual pedigree, but he was sure telling everyone else what to do.

And yes on the rest, but imagine if EVERY customer did the same thing. You can bet the MBAs (at HD and vendors) would pay attention when the loss knocks the bottom out of their margin. The problem is the 99% who "make do" and can't be troubled to make the return. In fact, I would guess that my one adventure cost them more than 10 people taking their business elsewhere. Sure, I regretted my first decision which was to make the purchase on the weekend where HD was as good as any other option (Ace, etc). They've all raced to the bottom.

[reggie_obe]

I didn't check his actual pedigree, but he was sure telling everyone else what to do.

And yes on the rest, but imagine if EVERY customer did the same thing. You can bet the MBAs (at HD and vendors) would pay attention when the loss knocks the bottom out of their margin. The problem is the 99% who "make do" and can't be troubled to make the return. In fact, I would guess that my one adventure cost them more than 10 people taking their business elsewhere. Sure, I regretted my first decision which was to make the purchase on the weekend where HD was as good as any other option (Ace, etc). They've all raced to the bottom.

Well at one time, "he" could have been "me" and I wasn't store manager. I did have the authority to direct over 100 associates. I've turned up and diffused more than a few customers, just like the bomb squad.

There was no loss due to you return and the parts subsequently being marked as defective and RTV'ed for credit. They count only #sales in a day and total dollars, not lost sales or lost customers for life because of poor; non-existent products; crappy service. Filling out the customer survey on-line is the only way to get through to Atlanta.

[spro]

So much and so little to add yet the alternate fittings at HD are "Everlast" and we will see. They are 2-3 dollars less and of course, made in dear China. What would it take to have another plant constructed and assembled to pump out basic fittings like these now? It is supposed to be better for the climate to have them made with no constrictions somewhere else and plowed across oceans with that loss and pollution. I'm talking threads when we are screwing ourselves.

[redneckalbertan]

The problem is the 99% who "make do" and can't be troubled to make the return.

That's not always the case. Town is 20 minutes away, the big city is a half hour to hour away if there is no traffic, depending where I'm going in the city. If it's just to town that I have to go, a trip to return a part costs me an hour of time and $10 of gas. So the the pros and cons get weighed to see what the best alternative is for me. If I don't need what I am working on right away and am planning a trip to town in the next week or so I love returning things, if it's easy to fix and is needed it immediately then I suck it up fix it and gripe and complain to almost anyone that will listen. The last time I had to return something that I had just bought and needed right away, I created a big stink and the manager finally told the returns girl to give me a full refund and just take the part I needed, no cost if I would shut up. I can't remember what it was but I don't remember it costing much, $15ish comes to mind. But it was still nice to be compensated a little bit for my gas and time, that was at the Home Depot... And it's bugging me that I can't remember what the part was...

[spro]

It's all bread and circus's and control. Fall of the Roman Empire. We are Not Roman and not an Empire but the baggage is taking us down in similar ways. They are sinking a great ship and think they have the magic drill to get the water out.
OR they flat don't give a flyin* .... .