Comments regarding Harbor Freight (HarborFreight.com)

Lousy return policy
I bought a hitch ball, but discovered it was the wrong shank size. Unfortunately I lost the receipt and when I took it back to Harbor Freight they would not accept the return, even though I wanted to make another purchase. The hitch was in the original packaging and in perfect condition. It was obvious I purchased it from them because it has Harbor Freight on the package. I realize it was my mistake, but I was not asking for cash, just a credit for what I needed to buy. As I walked out of the store I saw a sign stating “100% Satisfaction”, may be the sign should read “70% Satisfaction”.

I buy at Harbor Freight occasionally and am generally happy with the quality vs price compromises.

What I am upset about is my discovery that their website reviews may be dishonest. I found this out when I wrote a lengthy review... sent it in... and it never appeared on their site. I emailed customer service and asked why. The reply was that they "randomly" chose reviews to include on their site.

I post reviews on over a dozen sites. This is not normal... the only reason I can come up with is that they "cherry pick" reviews. I have done an internet search... and found that it is common knowledge that HF does this... and that their reviews are not to be trusted.

Where there is smoke there is usually fire. A company that is dishonest in one area... is probably dishonest in other areas.

I had to drive 75 miles to find a Harbor Freight store. Store employees were helpful and speedy in helping me locate, buy, and load the greenhouse on my trailer. The package it comes in is way too heavy for a single person, so I left it on the trailer and removed parts from the box as needed during assembly. The ridge pole had holes drilled in the wrong locations, and was a couple of inches too long. I cut it off with a hacksaw and redrilled the holes, and it still doesn't line up properly. The roof windows are flimsy and difficult to open and close because they don't align with the holes. More than once after a storm, I've had to walk around my neighborhood to retrieve blown-out panels. Instructions don't tell you how many clips to use to secure the panels. When you're finished, you probably should use every last one. There is no stop on the doors, and if you open them too wide, they'll jump track and that takes about 10 minutes to repair, very annoying. All things considered, I probably should have spent more money and gotten a decent greenhouse. It never pays to cut corners and cheap-out.

My husband ordered a 4' x 6' greenhouse for me for Christmas. He ordered it in November, 2007. The item was backordered and did not arrive until Jnuary 16, 2008. The item was damaged, The 70 lb. box had been dropped and torn open. The Yellow Transportation delivery person noted on the bill of lading the damage. I call Harbor Freight. Their policy is such that they will not send a replacement until they have the original back, so they scheduled a pick-up of my damaged item. Two weeks passed and nothing. I called back. Oops! The info was accidintly sent to the wrong location. They would reschedule the pick-up. I waited another week and Yellow Transportation just showed up (no scheduling with me) to pick up the item. Luckily I was here. My new item arrived here on Feburary 18, 2008. (Four months after the original order). It was the same box, taped together and sent back. I called customer service. They were willing to repeat the whole process, but I had plants in the basement that were needing to go in the greenhouse so I told customer service I would unpack the greenhouse and try to put it together. Some of the aluminum studs were bent, but I'm hoping, with a little silicon, I can make it work. I got about half-way through the assembly when I realized that a part was missing. The bottom frame for one of the vent windows. I called customer service again, and was informed that it will take ANOTHER 6-8 WEEKS to get the replacement part (from overseas). Wonderful. To add a little topping to the cake, that night I received a bill from Yellow Transportation for $369.32 for the return shipping. I called customer service again and spoke to Delhi, India; California, and South Carolina. The people in South Carolina are the only ones who seem to have any sense, but as of now I am still on a phone trail to try to get the shipping charges removed. Who knows when I will get the part for my greenhouse window. It is 'on order'. My husband is going to try to make a part just so we can seal the opening. I will NEVER order from Harbor Freight again.

I ordered the large greenhouse from HF. Directions made no sense, and sequence of directions not right. When I discovered that I was missing some parts, I was told that it would take six weeks to get them! Customer service nasty and no help. We ended up making our own clips to hold panels in. The clips they did provide did not hold panels in well, and in the middle of winter, we had to go out and repair the greenhouse where the side panels had failed. shoddy product, worse customer service.