Rant: HF employee wouldn't sell me a "Hemi" predator

[Justin9]

So I'm strolling through the local HF about two days ago and I find they have five 60363 Hemi predators on the back shelf mixed in with the new style 730...

Luckily, they left the little rolling steps nearby so I helped myself to one with my 20% coupon, and I knew I would be back in town again two days later so I would come back and use another 20%... because I really only want two for my projects...

Anyway, I go back tonight and the steps are across the store... so I ask one of the sales associates if he will help me get one of the engines at the end of the shelf because they are different... he responded by telling me they are the same. I then politely started explaining that the cylinder head was different and the valves were bigger... before I can finish pointing out that the picture and part number are different he snaps back at me and says no, they are the same as all the other engines... At this point, I just said fine, then I don't need one and walked out the store.

I am not a happy camper... I work in local government, if I talked to a taxpayer like that guy spoke to me I would be explaining why I shouldn't be suspended. I'm trying to decide if I want to try and sneak back over in a day or so or just say screw it...

I figured it was one of two things... either the guys knows those 60363 engines are different and is trying to keep them for him or someone else or didn't care enough to simply help me get the engine I wanted that a sale walked out the door...

Anyway, I could understand if I walk in there and I was asking for a 12" ruler or something and they are the same as the ones on the floor, but when you know that what you are asking for is not the same, and the sale person doesn't give you the time of day... whatever happened to the customer is always right...?

 

[KartFab]

Go in there and ask for the part number. If they give you the wrong one, say oh no I want the xxxxx part # engine.

Chances are the overworked/underpaid employee probably had reached his threshold of BS for the day who knows. Just be persistent and kind, then escalate To higher mgmt if you need to.

Plus, it's not like harbor freight is in the business of not selling stuff, seems counterintuitive to read too much into this.

 

[machinist@large]

Go to the manager. If you've checked to see if the inventory is there, just tell the manager that that's the P/N you came in for, and you refuse to be handed anything else.

If that doesn't work, make sure you have the manager's name, the store #,and call corporate. HF is in the process of raising all of their standards, and are totally all over that kind of BS. I've had that confirmed by shift manager's in both of the local store's. They just won't tolerate that kind of crap any more.

 

[Justin9]

Thanks, I think I will go back in a day or so and use the part number route... or I'll just take the rolling steps and get it myself...

 

[OzFab]

Although this thread is in regards to an engine, it's not about an engine issue so, I'm moving it to the off topic forum

 

[machinist@large]

Sorry Tony, all I caught was the thread title, not where he had listed it......

 

[OzFab]

Not your fauly Pat, you didn't start the thread & it's not like you could do anything about it

 

[Justin9]

Update:

I went back tonight, walked to the back, grabbed the rolling stairs, moved them over the the shelf, got me another 60363 off the top. As I was grabbing the box and heading back down, the employee from the previous trip came up and asked me if I needed any help. I just politely declined and headed to the register.

I'm just going to let it go and pretend the guy was having a bad night the first time around...

 

[Poboy kartman]

WOW.....Every now and then mods do that for me here!!!!

 

[afremont]

So which model is better to get for performance building? What is this RTC-6 head I read about? Sorry for being stupid, but I'd like to know what the differences are before committing to buying one or the other.

 

[Poboy kartman]

So which model is better to get for performance building? What is this RTC-6 head I read about? Sorry for being stupid, but I'd like to know what the differences are before committing to buying one or the other.

It would be better to start your own thread....rather than hijack this one.....and we appreciate it when people fill out a profile location....

---------- Post added at 07:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------

Update:

I went back tonight, walked to the back, grabbed the rolling stairs, moved them over the the shelf, got me another 60363 off the top. As I was grabbing the box and heading back down, the employee from the previous trip came up and asked me if I needed any help. I just politely declined and headed to the register.

I'm just going to let it go and pretend the guy was having a bad night the first time around...

You should have just walked out with it....when they stopped you....you could say that a certain employee told you they were all the same....."Why should I pay for the same engine twice?"

 

[Justin9]

So which model is better to get for performance building? What is this RTC-6 head I read about? Sorry for being stupid, but I'd like to know what the differences are before committing to buying one or the other.

The Hemi predator engine (model 60363) have a hemispherical head design (like dodge hemi engines) and have larger valves...

The new (2015) Predator #XX730 engines have the old head design but with big valves...

Most of all the other GX200 clones have basically the same head design with slightly smaller valves....

Depending on what you to accomplish, each has its strengths and weakness....

But for what I'm hoping to build, I just wanted to say it has a hemi... (but I got two...)

 

[afremont]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to hijack the thread. My intention was to find why people prefer one model over the other. Profile created.

 

[supermanotorious]

I spent some time chattin with a HF manager and we hit it off pretty good. What a smart decision, he's hooked me up countless times with scratch and dent / open box / and manager coupons. Chat the employees up, the dividends are well worth it!

 

[Justin9]

Well, considering that I run the entire County government that purchases air compressors and generators pretty regularly... I think it was just that one guy, the rest of the folks in there know us it seems when we walk in...