Thread: Brian buys a chainsaw---

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I bought a new chainsaw yesterday-----twice!!! First saw I picked up at the new Lowes store--a nice light 16" Poulan for $201.00 including tax. I brought it home and started cleaning up the mess of fallen pines in my backyard that happened from that first heavy wet snow last November. It ran good for about 20 minutes, then it would start, but as soon as I tried to give it any gas it would die. After 30 minutes of yanking starter cord and cursing, I called the store and told them that their saw didn't work worth a shit. The salesman said "Well you probably have to adjust the carburetor a bit"---To which I answered "HorseShit---I am not going to start screwing around with a chainsaw thats only one hour old."---I may even have raised my voice a bit. So then he said "Well, we don't service the saws here, but don't worry, its brand new it will be under warranty---just find an authorized dealer in your area and have him look at it". At that point I really did raise my voice (I remember quite clearly) and said---"I'm going to be over at your store in 20 minutes with this saw, and if you don't give my money back, I'm going to pull your f#$&*g arms and legs off!!" Then I hung up and threw the new saw in my truck and raced over to Lowes. I calmed down a bit on my way over, and thought "Is this really worth going to jail for??? Of course, the answer was YES!!! Mr Rupnow is done with being screwed with at the hands of sales clerks. The decision was made. Money back, or wounded sales clerk!!! I screamed into the parking lot full of Saturday shoppers and stomped into the "returns" section of the store, and told the counter girl "Get Mike the chainsaw sales clerk up here right NOW!!!"
So---Up come Mike, all full of apologies, Gee, Poulan is one of their greatest saws, simply didn't know how this could have happened, yada, yada, yada.----Upshot of story is that I then left the store with a new 16" Husquevarna saw---which I paid $390.00 for.---And it worked like a charm when I got it home.
There is no moral to this story, other than the fact that I wish I would quit buying cheap things and expecting them to work like expensive things, and if you ever feel like you may have LOW blood pressure, I know what to do to get it HIGH again----Real HIGH.

Brian

Good story. I'm not sure of your age, but I'm in my mid 50's, and customer service seems to have a different definition now than when it used to. Sales are more important than service now a days. Keep that pressure low!

Originally Posted by brianrupnow

"---I may even have raised my voice a bit.
Brian

I'm not one of those big box haters, they have their place, but for some of the stuff they just don't offer equal or added value. Your story is one example. Personally I'm a Stihl fan for this kind of equipment. Year after year their stuff just keeps working. Another I wonder about is all the people I've seen buy a JD lawn tractor from HD. They seem to sell a lot of them. The irony is the JD dealer will sell the same model for the same price AND deliver it, which HD doesn't. Plus you have a "relationship" with the dealer should it ever need servicing. As an example, the seat cover on mine developed a split the second year I owned it. I carried it into the dealer, he punched my name into his computer and handed me a new seat no charge. Now, for good customer relations in general they may have done the same for a HD purchaser, but it sure wouldn't have gone as quickly or easily I would guess.

Probably the last thing they wanted was an angry customer who owns a chainsaw!

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Probably the last thing they wanted was an angry customer who owns a chainsaw!

Don

Actually no worries if it wouldn't start!

Yeah, it's more a club than a chainsaw........

cant go wrong with husky!!

I know that you must have been very aggravated but you gave me my smile for the day. How I wish i had the nerve to go off on some of the customer serive people i have encountered.

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

I'm not one of those big box haters, they have their place, but for some of the stuff they just don't offer equal or added value. Your story is one example. Personally I'm a Stihl fan for this kind of equipment. Year after year their stuff just keeps working. Another I wonder about is all the people I've seen buy a JD lawn tractor from HD. They seem to sell a lot of them. The irony is the JD dealer will sell the same model for the same price AND deliver it, which HD doesn't. Plus you have a "relationship" with the dealer should it ever need servicing. As an example, the seat cover on mine developed a split the second year I owned it. I carried it into the dealer, he punched my name into his computer and handed me a new seat no charge. Now, for good customer relations in general they may have done the same for a HD purchaser, but it sure wouldn't have gone as quickly or easily I would guess.

Bob, I couldn't agree more. My first reaction was, "That's why I buy Stihl." They keep running forever, and if not you have a "real" dealer that can fix what's wrong.

my dad has 1 of those Poulan POS's.. his does run, but hard to start and powerless, and it won't rev up till it's a little warm.. my grandfather has the " Wild thing " ( walmart version ) and it's the same deal.. he also has a Homelite Super XL 16" saw.. I have fixed it a few times ( 1 time the jug got loose, the other time it had a ground problem ), but it still runs like it should, and is 100% better than the Wild thing.. and it was purchased new in 1985

Chainsaws are tools. Buy the cheap crap and you get what you bought. Notice that professional people (who make their living with their tools) rarely have the el cheapo stuff?

I had a tour of a couple of the "low cost brand" chain saw plants. One told me that their design life for chain saws, string trimmers and blowers was 40 hours....one season. No wonder they are junk. But, we Americans demand low prices....whiz on quality, give me cheap!!

For me, I have two categories of tools. If I need it once, I might consider the junk and then throw it away. If I need it to last and to work, I buy the Stihl, the Snap On, the DeWalt, and such.

good for you dont take no shit off no one, when your right stand up and kick some butt.

You know, I'm usually a fairly mild-mannered guy yeah, I really am. But lately it seems like I've encountered a rash of inept, stupid clerks and salespeople. Actually, anyone you have to deal with in your daily routine is worthless anymore. I've adapted a new routine. I yell UNACCEPTABLE and demand to see their superior. If he/she can't help, I yell UNACCEPTABLE again and demand to see the ruler of whatever it is. If that doesn't work, I look up the name and phone number of the CEO and get on the horn and tell him/her that their way of doing business is UNACCEPTABLE. This usually gets results.

I would have done the same thing, but Poulan chain saws are worthless. I use to cut down trees on the side and I bought one years ago and it never worked right. To bad you couldn't get that saw started when you walked into the store. I bet that would have got everyones attention(plus the local police)

Brian - now I know why I like you!!

Several (well quite a few) years ago I bought a fancy Montgomery-Ward's garden tractor/snow blower. The first snow storm, the front suspension broke. Got it fixed - free. Then it wouldn't run. Got it fixed, again free. Then the front spindle broke. I loaded on the truck and returned it. Major argument with the store manager about returnability after 6 months - big error - he started waving his finger under my nose and spouting some expletives. In no uncertain terms I explained to him what might happen to that finger and the hand it was attached to then got out my Ward's President's Club card and made a phone call. There were only 10,000 of these cards in the entire US and it was based on purchases/credit score so immediate attention. He wasn't there the next time I was in the store - gone!!! I now have as a replacement an ISEKI diesel with a Woods 59" mower deck and a 48" snow blower that have always worked.

Last year my new leaf blower lasted 1.5 tanks of gas and quit. Absolutely no problem from Lowe's on the return. I repaired the old one (broken starter string and loose carb) and it runs fine.

Chain saws - after a junker McCulloch and a crummy Homelite, now have a midline $465 Stihl Farm Boss. It sits in the garage loft until I need it, then it gets some gas, 3-4 yanks on the starter rope and I'm off to cut wood.

Keep up your good work