Enough of the Junk

Enough of the Junk!

     I fancy myself a Do-It-Yourselfer.  Consequently, I spend lots of time and money at the Elk Grove Home Depot.  Over the years, I’ve been relatively pleased with the quality of such products as lumber, paint, trees, vegetable seeds and seedlings.  But, it’s some of the other stuff that make me think I’m getting ripped off.

     Take for example the “Accessories” Zinc Faucet Adapter, Dual Outlet.  I live on five acres and have numerous water faucets on the property.  I use the adapters so more than one water line can be run from one source.  Well, over the years, at least a dozen of the adapters have cracked during the winter.  It’s not as though Sacramento’s winters are all that severe.  Makes me wonder what the adapters would do in a North Dakota January, EXPLODE!

     Then there’s the “Husky” Hard Cap Knee Pads I recently purchased to protect my knees as I laid a laminate floor.  When I got the pads out of the package, I discovered the unadjustable top strap was so long that it couldn’t possibly fit snuggly on the knee, rendering the pads useless.

     Speaking of laying laminate flooring!  I had a friend helping me, and we needed an additional tapping block.  So, down to Home Depot I went and purchased the “Roberts” Tongue and Groove Tapping Block.  About an hour into the project, it cracked. 

     None of those unpleasant experiences can bottom the experience I’ve had with the “Wands” Articulated 7 Pattern Long Handled Watering Wand.  Roughly a year ago, I was in the Home Depot garden department when I came upon what I thought was a great deal.  The wand was $9.97, so I bought six.  Within a month, one began leaking near the top.  There was no way to fix it, so, I did what I suppose most people do, I chalked it up to bad luck and tossed it in the garbage.  Then a couple months later, another wand began leaking in an entirely different place.  Tossed that one too. 

      A third wand began leaking shortly after the second, so I ruled out “bad luck.”  It had to be my wife.  She must not know how to use the darn things.  So, the next day when she was out watering her flowers, I spied on her from a bedroom window.    Nope, there was nothing unusual about the way she was watering.

     It was then I thought about taking the piece of junk back to Home Depot, but unfortunately the third wand was now part of a landfill.  Then, the 4^th one began leaking down by the handle, so I took it back.  I explained my wand ordeal to the Home Depot garden associate.  She was very sympathetic but told me there was nothing the store could do since my wand purchase occurred more than six month ago. 

     I asked to speak to a manager, and she too was sympathetic as I heard the Home Depot six-month return policy for a second time.  After further discussion, she offered to replace the broken ward with a new one.  I wanted to say, “Great, I’m exchanging a broken piece of junk for a new piece of junk yet to break!”  But I didn’t.   That wand, however, did break a few months later.  And so did wand number five.  I now have one wand left.

     It has not escaped my notice that most, if not all, of the less than mediocre products were made in China.  Seems to me that a culture capable of building, over two thousand years ago, a 5,500 mile-long Great Wall, a wall which still stands as a shining testament to their engineering greatness, would be capable of producing knee pads with straps that fit or a water wand that lasts more than a couple months.  Clearly, Chinese product quality control has taken a tremendous hit over the past two millennium.

     But what about Home Depot’s product quality control?  Doesn’t the corporation have a responsibility to its customers to check out products prior to putting them on the shelves?  Doesn’t it have an obligation to remove inferior products from the store?

POSTSCRIPT:   A couple days ago, I was in Home Depot gathering specific product information for this commentary and checked to see if the wands were still on the shelves.  Yep, I counted eight of them.  A garden associate approached me, thinking I needed help.  I had one of the wands in my hand, and she said something to the effect, “You don’t want to buy that one.  It’s no good!”   I shared my water wand experience with her and asked why Home Depot would continue selling such a product.  She promised to talk to the manager and get them removed.

     Yesterday, I was again in the store and checked on the wands.  I counted over thirty!