Reconditioned saws. Why so many?

[67L36Driver]

Sears store near me has reconditioned Poulon and Craftsman 16" & 18" saws stacked up like cord-wood. Why so many?

Also on Fleabay you see all brands of reconditioned saws frequently.

 

[100 Watt]

I would assume people buy them, run them and return them. Probably too hard to start for them. Or maybe they won't cut anymore.(could have something to do with cutting a stump off in the dirt). "This saw is brand new and won't cut anymore!" Or some other excuses. Take your pick. Sears is forced to sell them as reconditioned.

 

[Scandy14]

I've known of folks buying a saw from Sears, using it for a project, and returning just because thaty didn't need it. That is just wrong. It's cost everyone more in the long run.

 

[2stroked2smoke]

Don't know why there are so many, but they are a great deal. Bought a recon husky 445. When I received it , it looked brand new and ran like a new one for a 1/3 off the cost of a new one.

 

[GlenM]

I've known of folks buying a saw from Sears, using it for a project, and returning just because thaty didn't need it. That is just wrong. It's cost everyone more in the long run.

IMHO, a lot of saws are purchased at Sears due to economical price, bought by people like above, and have no business owning a saw, don't know or have any inclination of maintaing the saw, don't know how to run a saw.
When they run it in dirt or rock, or tighten chain too tight, straight gas it, they call it a POS and return it.
They breed and walk among us.....
(off my soapbox now..)
:bang:

 

[Swamp Yankee]

WAF

When I was in the winch industry we used to call a lot of our returns, WAF.
Wife Acceptance Factor

Most had never been run. a lot never out of the box, but because they were sold we had to go through them to be sure parts were not missing or the motor or solenoids fried. (You would be surprised how many people think 120 VAC is 10 times better than 12 VDC.) These units after evaluation and repackaging were sold as factory refurbs.

It would not surprise me, especially with retail chains with liberal return policies, that a lot are returned under similar circumstances.

Take Care

 

[spike60]

People who probably have no business owning a saw in the first place, buy these things at various box stores and that's how they take them home: in the box. They put the chain on backwards, or it gets thrown. They flood the saw and can't start it. Put the mix and oil in the wrong holes. Don't know how the chain brake works. On and on. No fault of the saw, but they bring it back to the store to get their money back. Person at the return desk knows even less about saws, so they cheerfully issue a return credit. Those saws have to end up somewhere, and they make great buys as refurbed units.

 

[hybridkarpower]

WAF plus Buyer's Remorse !!

You'll find that most weren't even run & even it it did, very little at all. Make sure you pick ones that still has factory warranty of some sort to safe guard operator errors from previous owner.

 

[THALL10326]

I've known of folks buying a saw from Sears, using it for a project, and returning just because thaty didn't need it. That is just wrong. It's cost everyone more in the long run.

Its not just Sears where they try that, they do that everywhere but rest assured they don't get by with it here. I get the ole "what if I use it for a day or week and then decide I don't like it", can I bring it back for a full refund. My reply is always the same, Nope. Acutally had one guy admit he wanted a Stihl tiller to till up his wife's flowerbed and then bring it back for full refund. He got a ear full and still bought the tiller, he still has it too,LOL

Those refurb saws are mostly due to people that should have never bought them in the first and retailers that for whatever reason don't have the gonads to say no, you screwed it up and you can't return it. Never understood that. I have no problem saying no, hell no, are you crazy and even worse if need be to people that really need to be told. Some take it well knowing they were trying to pull a fast one, some get mad and leave, some frown and say well I didn't know you had to put oil in the gas or I didn't know the tree would crush it, my reply, you do now. Had one ole boy drop a brand new 390 out the back of his pickup truck going over a speed bump. Truck had no tailgate. The saw bounced out, hit the blacktop and snapped off the rear handle. He comes to me hollering its still under warranty. I go yup but warranty doesn't cover stupid. Haven't seen him since, oh well, I think about him from time to time wondering if he's put a tailgate on that truck yet or is he still stupid, probably the latter I figure,:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[gemniii]

Small engine equipment at a local Sears was being operated like a "free loan for minorities" business. Every time I went in there would be a few people returning lawn mowers. Overhearing their conversations, admittedly hampered by my limited grasp of Spanish, they bought them on sale, used them for a few jobs, then returned them - no restocking fee or anything. Sears would then sell them as used/reconditioned.

The mowers were usually in fair to good condition, but I never understood why a policy that was being abused would continue.

 

[J.W Younger]

I bought a 4000 watt generac from sears that was returned because the buyer said it didnt work.That was in 94 and i am still using it today.
400 bucks for a 700 dollar gen with less than a tank of fuel ran thu it is a pretty good deal.

 

[spike60]

I bought a 4000 watt generac from sears that was returned because the buyer said it didnt work.That was in 94 and i am still using it today.
400 bucks for a 700 dollar gen with less than a tank of fuel ran thu it is a pretty good deal.

The reason it "didn't work" is because the power came back on. :hmm3grin2orange:

I think these return policies are set up so that they invite abuse. Just like THALL, I have people come in my store and try some of this silliness with me. I don't budge at all. Just tell them that they have to pay for their mistakes, and the OEM only pays for their own. The more recent the purchase, the harder a time they have comprehending it; even when it's clear that they broke the thing. One idiot broke the trigger latch on a 350. He didn't mearly expect to get the latch fixed for free, he actually wanted to "swap it out" for a whole new saw.

I also have people ask if they can bring it back if they don't like it. No way; never happen. If it breaks, I'll repair it. But you can't just change your mind after you've used it, or after you've completed the job for which it was purchased. That's the big distinction between a "satisfaction guarantee" and a "warranty". Some schmuck can buy a log splitter and split wood with it all weekend. Then return it saying that it makes too much noise, or is too slow, and he's "not satisfied".

 

[THALL10326]

The reason it "didn't work" is because the power came back on. :hmm3grin2orange:

I think these return policies are set up so that they invite abuse. Just like THALL, I have people come in my store and try some of this silliness with me. I don't budge at all. Just tell them that they have to pay for their mistakes, and the OEM only pays for their own. The more recent the purchase, the harder a time they have comprehending it; even when it's clear that they broke the thing. One idiot broke the trigger latch on a 350. He didn't mearly expect to get the latch fixed for free, he actually wanted to "swap it out" for a whole new saw.

I also have people ask if they can bring it back if they don't like it. No way; never happen. If it breaks, I'll repair it. But you can't just change your mind after you've used it, or after you've completed the job for which it was purchased. That's the big distinction between a "satisfaction guarantee" and a "warranty". Some schmuck can buy a log splitter and split wood with it all weekend. Then return it saying that it makes too much noise, or is too slow, and he's "not satisfied".

Exactly, 100% on da money. Every spring here comes weed trimmers, won't start they say and oh its under warranty btw. I'll sniff the fuel tank, yes always new fuel in it but that foul smell from the old fuel they dumped out still lingers. I'll go well if the inside of that carb is clean you got warranty, if its slimy and corroded up warranty doesn't cover that. Oh you should see the reactions, too funny. 9 times out of 10 the carb is fouled beyond repair and yes they gotsa pay for their own mistakes.

Got in a big scrap one day here over that. The guy was livid and wanted to talk to Stihl. I said no problem, let me getem on the phone. I told Stihl I had a fouled up carb on a unit under warranty. They said the same as me, thats not warranty. I handed the phone to the man and said have at it. I went out in the shop and overheard the conversation. He finally goes so you guy aren't going to do anything for me and he hung up. He came out in the shop and I asked do you want me to replace the carb on your dime or do you want to take it. He grumbled fix it. I did and the last thing I said to him was don't leave fuel in for months on it again. He hasn't been back, hmmm, must be keeping his fuel fresh now,LOLOL

Serious note, yes we hear oh those dealers will screw you coming and going, some may but the same applies some of the customers. I have no time to screw customers, I'm too busy trying not to get screwed,:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Eccentric]

I would assume people buy them, run them and return them. Probably too hard to start for them. Or maybe they won't cut anymore.(could have something to do with cutting a stump off in the dirt). "This saw is brand new and won't cut anymore!" Or some other excuses. Take your pick. Sears is forced to sell them as reconditioned.

I've known of folks buying a saw from Sears, using it for a project, and returning just because thaty didn't need it. That is just wrong. It's cost everyone more in the long run.

IMHO, a lot of saws are purchased at Sears due to economical price, bought by people like above, and have no business owning a saw, don't know or have any inclination of maintaing the saw, don't know how to run a saw.
When they run it in dirt or rock, or tighten chain too tight, straight gas it, they call it a POS and return it.
They breed and walk among us.....
(off my soapbox now..)
:bang:

Small engine equipment at a local Sears was being operated like a "free loan for minorities" business. Every time I went in there would be a few people returning lawn mowers. Overhearing their conversations, admittedly hampered by my limited grasp of Spanish, they bought them on sale, used them for a few jobs, then returned them - no restocking fee or anything. Sears would then sell them as used/reconditioned.

The mowers were usually in fair to good condition, but I never understood why a policy that was being abused would continue.

Exactly, 100% on da money. Every spring here comes weed trimmers, won't start they say and oh its under warranty btw. I'll sniff the fuel tank, yes always new fuel in it but that foul smell from the old fuel they dumped out still lingers. I'll go well if the inside of that carb is clean you got warranty, if its slimy and corroded up warranty doesn't cover that. Oh you should see the reactions, too funny. 9 times out of 10 the carb is fouled beyond repair and yes they gotsa pay for their own mistakes.

Got in a big scrap one day here over that. The guy was livid and wanted to talk to Stihl. I said no problem, let me getem on the phone. I told Stihl I had a fouled up carb on a unit under warranty. They said the same as me, thats not warranty. I handed the phone to the man and said have at it. I went out in the shop and overheard the conversation. He finally goes so you guy aren't going to do anything for me and he hung up. He came out in the shop and I asked do you want me to replace the carb on your dime or do you want to take it. He grumbled fix it. I did and the last thing I said to him was don't leave fuel in for months on it again. He hasn't been back, hmmm, must be keeping his fuel fresh now,LOLOL

Serious note, yes we hear oh those dealers will screw you coming and going, some may but the same applies some of the customers. I have no time to screw customers, I'm too busy trying not to get screwed,:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

That's the whole story fellas.:bang:


When I worked for Sears Service through the '90s, I saw all of the above. Folks bought equipment all the time, often with credit cards. They'd use it for one job, then take it back. We had to 'repair' the equipment so it could be sold as reconditioned. The retail squids that took the equipment back were required to put a "problem code" in the computer at the time of return/refund. "Hard Starting" was the code use approximately 99.9999999997% of the time. Most of the time, there wasn't anything at all wrong with the equipment. Of course, there was that one shredder I was assigned to fix with the "hard starting" code that had a CONROD sticking out the side of the block! "Hard Starting", not "broken", "damaged", or "will not start".............

On the repair side of things, customers would bring their lawnmowers in for repair beacause "suddenly it wouldn't start for no reason". I'd flip the mower on its side and check the crankshaft for runout. Sure enough, the idiot had hit a pipe or something else substantial, bending the crank and shearing the flywheel key (and often bending the blade and/or breaking the blade adaptor). We used to keep a mower owners manual with the "be sure to inspect the area for pipes and other objects that the blade could stike before mowing as they can cause serious injury. Striking such objects will also cause damage to your mower that will void the warranty" wording highlighted.

The moron would then say something insulting and stomp off with their damaged equipment to talk to the manager. About 20 minutes later, I would recieve a phone call from the manager just as a very smug ####### of a customer would come swaggering back to the shop. I'd be told to repair the equipment (and we would either eat the labor, or eat the whole job depending on how effective the customer was at being an #######). Same type of scenario would play out with 2-stroke equipment with fouled carbs and/or burned up P/C's due to garbage-gas. Would have been nice if the Sears management had backed us up as well as Stihl backs up Tom......

 

[Coloradobum]

I picked up a saw off eBay recently, used one time and the guy managed to bend the bar. He bought a new bar but evidently couldn't figure out how to put it on so he sold it. Brand new 350$ saw for 125. I for one LOVE people like this :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[eyolf]

There's days when I think Romans 3:23 has a slightly different meaning. We all seem to run into guys (and gals) that know, down deep, that some things are just plain wrong. But they try anyway.

Sometimes we can empathize a little with them...I know a young guy that bought a pretty good pressure painting setup to paint his house, and then his dad's. Busted their butts all one Memorial day weekend to get 'er done, cleaned the unit up really well, and took it back. Even willingly paid a restock fee at the lumberyard.

The 5% was less $$$ than renting a similar unit.

I've never had the guts to try that, but I think I'm the kind of guy that likes to have an inventory of my own tools. Its a little hard to understand other guys that don't want to own their own stuff...I feel more comfortable, maybe even wealthier when I can use my own stuff.

 

[BobL]

One of my favorite return and get ya money backs was this guy I knew who stayed with us in SD on his way to South America. Before he left he bought a pair of very expensive hiking boots and the wore them every day for 3 months walking the Inca Trail and a whole bunch of other serious hiking. When he returned via SD he took those by now well worn boots back to the store and said they were a bit uncomfortable! I could not believe it, they gave him his money back!

 

[67L36Driver]

The real reason I started this post.

I am lusting after a reconditioned Husky 235E w/14" on Ebay.:drool:

 

[Eccentric]

I am lusting after a reconditioned Husky 235E w/14" on Ebay.:drool:

If you're going for a recon Husky on feebay, then skip the 235 and go with a 435...

 

[67L36Driver]

If you're going for a recon Husky on feebay, then skip the 235 and go with a 435...

I'm still studying on that. Tractor Supply has the 435's for $200 and the place in Lincoln has the 235's for $138 w/free shipping.