I bought 2 Rigid generators from Home Depot 4 days before Hurricane Sandy hit New York. I was happy with my purchase because I did some research online and found the reviews helpful. After using both generators for 5 days, 1 of them did not work. It was running, but no power was coming out.
I called Home Depot customer service, and they connected me to Rigid. After troubleshooting on the phone, they advised me to visit a local service location. I visited the location the same day, as I had no power in my house. The person, upon inspection, told me the machine had a fault and needed to be returned at Home Depot.
I went straight to a local Home Depot, and they advised me to visit the Tool Center to get the machine checked. They did not believe my story. The Tool Center technician informed the manager there was a problem and the machine needed to be sent to the manufacturer. This machine is not even a week old.
I asked the manager for an exchange, a loaner or a refund. I was denied all of them and informed that I could either sit out 3 weeks for the machine to get repaired or buy a machine that was previously returned or used for the same price. I bought a Rigid, and they swapped it for a UST brand generator. Home Depot does not even sell it on their own website.
I was held hostage by Home Depot: either ride out the storm and wait for my generator to get repaired, or buy a used, inferior product for the same price I paid for a new one. This is not bad customer service, this is illegal. Shame on Home Depot. Rather than helping customers during a storm, they are making a profit off their misery.
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