Good, Bad & Ugly reviews for Online X-mas Shopping
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5 years ago
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Snowblower Engines...Good, Bad, or Ugly
Comments (45)If you're buying a new snowblower the only company in the USA that both engineers and builds the engines is Honda and of course they are primarily for commercial use. I'm based in Canada and we can get them at local dealers only, for about $2,600 - $8,000. Much more than you would pay for a Toro or Ariens. There's a good article here explaining who makes what - https://movingsnow.com/2020/2020-snow-blowers-who-makes-each-brand/ Also for OEM Engines like many products there is a design, build and test component. I've seen many people complain about LCT Engines, yes they are "built" in China, no they are not designed or tested there. LCT is very clear on their website - the Corporate Office is in Travelers Rest, SC. "Operations Management, Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Assurance, Production Control, Warranty / Technical Services, Logistics and other Administrative functions are solely based in South Carolina, USA." LCT also has a Shanghai Office - "LCT has a dedicated staff of professional Engineers, Quality Assurance Teams, and Logistics/Sourcing Personnel based in our downtown Shanghai, China offices." So yes, LCT has Chinese Engines, but that doesn't mean that Ariens is using an engine that was designed, built and tested in China because it's 10-20x cheaper for them to do that so they can increase profit margins. Not at all. I don't get the feeling that products made outside of USA or Canada are "cheap". I've been in both mechanical, medical and software engineering and this was never the case. A good example is Loncin, they were known as a Honda clone at one point but they're known globally for their quality engines so much that they sell about 3 Million engines per year - "It has annual production capacity of 2,500,000 motorcycles, 3,000,000 motorcycle engines, and 150,000 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)." Loncin builds engines for Toro that rival anything Honda or LCT make and there are other brands such as PowerMore that are good quality as well - you will find these on Cub Cadet and Troy-Bilt. Briggs & Stratton? Tecumseh? Yep, built in China too, Briggs owns it's facility there and Tecumseh is part of LCT now. In reality USA companies are using facilities in China to build engines, not necessarily designing them there except in the case of Toro and Loncin. At the very minimum the design spec comes from the brand company and they are doing their own quality assurance. The engine doesn't just show up at the assembly plant and they slap a sticker on it, there's a little more to it than that. Overall I think it's a good thing, product manufacturers in every market are getting sub-components from niche market companies that specialize in them. Think companies like Toyota or Honda are manufacturing every component in their products? They don't make their own steel, aluminum, plastic or crude oil do they? Ever seen a Toyota Oil rig? At some point it must be OK to buy a component from somebody else, and they don't need to be your next door neighbour. I mean... do you ever go to the produce section of the grocery store and think hey, how long has this fruit been in season? It's OK to get your fruit 12 months per year from somewhere but it's not OK to build an engine outside of the border?...See MoreGood dealers/Bad dealers NYC area
Comments (24)Hi just wanted to update you NYC dwellers on my experience with Plessers in LI. I ordered an undercounter refridgerator and a DW on 11/29. I cancelled the delivery once because I wasn't ready to receive and rescheduled for Dec 27. On Dec.23 I had to leave the country (2 months)because of a death in the family. When I returned I rescheduled for Mar 1. Plessers delivery called the night before the delivery to tell me a time frame of 6-7am(never had anyone do that before, usually it's "sometime between 8-5")and called that morning to tell me a more exact time 7:15am. They were on time ! I paid for gold delivery since I'm in a walkup(2nd fl)and curbside wouldn't work. I found all of the customer service staff(Patrick, Anthony, Jessica) helpful and pleasant to deal with. Also they provide their own 10year part warranty. I'm not sure how it works with other dealers but I was very happy that I was not penalized for delaying my delivery....See MoreBad reviews: BuildDirect, LL, Home Depot Where do I Buy Hardwood?
Comments (25)While remodeling, ran out of hardwood flooring. Purchased cheap untreated flooring & tried to match paint to no avail. Called Hosking to get pricing on hardwood I needed. Sales rep gave price quote & explained since I didn't purchase my previous flooring from them, might be slight color variation. I understood as I knew it wasn't from same "paint batch." She told me to check on invoice that hardwood brand, color, size is correct & then respond acknowledging there’s no returns. Got invoice emailed which stated description of my order, “LAUZON (brand) SOLID MAPLE (wood type) TRAVERTINE (color)” & confirmed. Two weeks later I opened box to see different size, wood type, & colored flooring. Enclosed shipping package shows these are not Lauzon. It looked the same as my initial failed attempt. Called Hosking about the MISTAKE but was told that since Lauzon is so EXPENSIVE, they use CHEAPER 3rd party lumber molding company that uses GENERIC hardwood & ATTEMPTS to paint match. I asked “Why wasn’t I told this BEFORE?” Rep responds “I don’t know what I may or may not have said…” I ASKED for Lauzon, PAID for Lauzon, I should be GETTING Lauzon. Why would I agree to pay for GENERIC, SUBSTITUTED product & be charged same price as the authentic? She was unapologetic & connects me to the owner. He doesn’t answer & unsurprisingly doesn’t return my voice message. I was willing to return INACCURATE order & have correct one sent. Now its been a month so had to resort to disputing charge & informing others about this UNSCRUPULOUS company & their blatant BAIT & SWITCH. I had to order again from QUALITY FLOORING 4 LESS, paid same price & got correct item. Would you buy a FAKE Rolex that is the same cost as the real one? If your answer is no, then AVOID ordering from Hosking!!! The pics of the invoice of what I expected, the packing slip of what came, and image of Lauzon Solid Maple Travertine & the "generic":...See MoreCoffee Shop
Comments (98)Yes, I called the police even before the person (people) got completely off the property. By the time the police arrived the vehicle was no where to be seen. The police also came back after daylight to see if they had missed anything in the dark. I think they took some tire casts, they took a lot of pictures, and they are checking repair shops. The damage to my fence is below my homeowner's deductible, so I won't be filing a claim for that. In fact, I don't think I will even report it in case it makes my premium go up. (They don't have to pay out, you know - all they need is to know there was a potential claim) There is always so much crime this time of year - criminals wanting to do their Christmas shopping, I suppose. And some of them have the mistaken idea that old people tend to be wealthy and stuff their money in old socks under the bed. Bah! Humbug! If they only knew how little money most of us have, and what we do have is not hanging around in the house anywhere. I always write checks or use my bank card - seldom have over $20.00 in cash. I asked the police about doing drive-by, and they said they would whenever possible. It's a large county and each officer has as lot of territory to cover. So I've done what I can: made sure my guns are loaded and where I can get to them quickly, have posted those tacky Beware of Dog and NO Trespassing signs, have added another outdoor flood light, and have had a relative park his old beat-up pick-up truck in the back yard. I will continue keeping all dogs inside at night - am afraid they might get some poisoned hamburger tossed to them at night if they were outside. Having them inside would likely be a deterrent to someone attempting entry since my male collie weights about 75 pounds - he's huge and very protective. They seem to have been patrolling the house more than usual last night and the night before. Listening to their nails clicking on the wood floor, it seems they are taking turns making the rounds I guess Saturday night was a wake-up call for them, too. Anyway, I need to quit obsessing over it. I need to send a few cards out this week. My list is always short. I just can't get into the sending of cards to people you don't really care about just so you can get a bunch back. I only send cards to people I really care about and won't see or talk to over the holidays...See MoreUser
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