California Home Depot rental damage waiver

[kr0]

Apparently there is an issue in California with Home Depot automatically
adding optional rental charges and not informing the customer of this. It
fee seems to be added as a 10% damage waiver to tool and equipment rentals.
If you go to
https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/home_depot_equipment_rental they
have the information on this as well as what can be done about it. There is
a free case evaluation provided for those who might have rented such Home
Depot equipment. I hope that this may be of some help.

kr0

[Sawney Beane]

kr0 wrote:
>
> Apparently there is an issue in California with Home Depot automatically
> adding optional rental charges and not informing the customer of this. It
> fee seems to be added as a 10% damage waiver to tool and equipment rentals.
> If you go to
> https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/home_depot_equipment_rental they
> have the information on this as well as what can be done about it. There is
> a free case evaluation provided for those who might have rented such Home
> Depot equipment. I hope that this may be of some help.
>
> kr0

Isn't the fee simpler than waiting for a tool to be inspected and
being charged for alleged damage? Who avoids paying the fee?

A tree man once quoted me a price for cutting some high branches.
I said I hadn't expected it to be so high. He said it would
include hauling them away. I offered to dispose of them and he
gave me a 20% discount. If I hadn't asked for a no-frills price,
could I have sued him?

It's not often that a Canadian takes the trouble to warn
tidy-toilet specialists about ambulance chasers in California.

[Vox Humana]

"Sawney Beane" <beadleXX@qwickconnect.net> wrote in message
news:43E0E197.E6DDFFBD@qwickconnect.net...
> kr0 wrote:
>>
>> Apparently there is an issue in California with Home Depot automatically
>> adding optional rental charges and not informing the customer of this. It
>> fee seems to be added as a 10% damage waiver to tool and equipment
>> rentals.
>> If you go to
>> https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/home_depot_equipment_rental
>> they
>> have the information on this as well as what can be done about it. There
>> is
>> a free case evaluation provided for those who might have rented such Home
>> Depot equipment. I hope that this may be of some help.
>>
>> kr0
>
> Isn't the fee simpler than waiting for a tool to be inspected and
> being charged for alleged damage? Who avoids paying the fee?

I don't pay the fee. There are two issues. First, when the sign says "$25
for 4 hours/$45 for 24 hours," that is what I expect to be charged. If they
offer additional services like insurance, then they need to tell you about
it instead of just adding the fee to your bill. People often buy supplies
to go with the rental item. I bet most of the time people never figure out
that they paid for insurance because the fee is obscured in the total cost
of the rental and supplies. That is what consumers expect. Second, I have
rented from a number of independent rental shops, and NEVER did they add an
insurance charge. They didn't even offer that feature. That tells me that
they don't get burned enough from people damaging their rental equipment.
Furthermore, most people have homeowners insurance that will cover that kind
of liability. The Home Depot ploy of advertising low fees and then sticking
you with additional insurance is just a form of bait-and-switch.

I also don't buy the fact that you are saving any time. I see them spend
the same 30 seconds inspecting the returned items no matter who is returning
them. The damage waiver doesn't cover theft or intentional misuse.
Therefore, if you rent a carpet cleaner with all the tools, they will check
to see that you returned the machine with all the parts. Even if you buy
the insurance, you should also check the item before you leave the store.
That assures that you got what you needed, all the parts are there, and that
there is no obvious damage. If the machine doesn't work when you get it
home, then you need to call immediately and return the item. No rental shop
is going to try to sue you if you report a broken machine immediately. If
you want to buy insurance from Home Depot, of course that is your business.

[Sawney Beane]

Vox Humana wrote:
>
> "Sawney Beane" <beadleXX@qwickconnect.net> wrote in message
> news:43E0E197.E6DDFFBD@qwickconnect.net...
> > kr0 wrote:
> >>
> >> Apparently there is an issue in California with Home Depot automatically
> >> adding optional rental charges and not informing the customer of this. It
> >> fee seems to be added as a 10% damage waiver to tool and equipment
> >> rentals.
> >> If you go to
> >> https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/home_depot_equipment_rental
> >> they
> >> have the information on this as well as what can be done about it. There
> >> is
> >> a free case evaluation provided for those who might have rented such Home
> >> Depot equipment. I hope that this may be of some help.
> >>
> >> kr0
> >
> > Isn't the fee simpler than waiting for a tool to be inspected and
> > being charged for alleged damage? Who avoids paying the fee?
>
> I don't pay the fee. There are two issues. First, when the sign says "$25
> for 4 hours/$45 for 24 hours," that is what I expect to be charged. If they
> offer additional services like insurance, then they need to tell you about
> it instead of just adding the fee to your bill. People often buy supplies
> to go with the rental item. I bet most of the time people never figure out
> that they paid for insurance because the fee is obscured in the total cost
> of the rental and supplies. That is what consumers expect. Second, I have
> rented from a number of independent rental shops, and NEVER did they add an
> insurance charge. They didn't even offer that feature. That tells me that
> they don't get burned enough from people damaging their rental equipment.
> Furthermore, most people have homeowners insurance that will cover that kind
> of liability. The Home Depot ploy of advertising low fees and then sticking
> you with additional insurance is just a form of bait-and-switch.
>
> I also don't buy the fact that you are saving any time. I see them spend
> the same 30 seconds inspecting the returned items no matter who is returning
> them. The damage waiver doesn't cover theft or intentional misuse.
> Therefore, if you rent a carpet cleaner with all the tools, they will check
> to see that you returned the machine with all the parts. Even if you buy
> the insurance, you should also check the item before you leave the store.
> That assures that you got what you needed, all the parts are there, and that
> there is no obvious damage. If the machine doesn't work when you get it
> home, then you need to call immediately and return the item. No rental shop
> is going to try to sue you if you report a broken machine immediately. If
> you want to buy insurance from Home Depot, of course that is your business.

You win. If they advertise a price, they shouldn't add a charge
without telling you. Years ago, a stereo dealer advertised
speakers at a certain price and at the last minute convinced me to
buy an in-store warranty. When I got home I found that, contrary
to what I'd been told, the manufacturer's warranty gave the same
coverage. I went on TV. The station interviewed a former
salesman, who substantiated what I'd said. The stereo chain went
out of business.

Around here a competitor of Home Depot advertises low prices, but
if you need a particular item, you may pay two to six times what
others charge. A neighbor bought on credit and has been paying
what amounts to 47% APR for years.

[Vox Humana]

"Sawney Beane" <beadleXX@qwickconnect.net> wrote in message
news:43E151A6.D602CAFB@qwickconnect.net...

>
> You win. If they advertise a price, they shouldn't add a charge
> without telling you. Years ago, a stereo dealer advertised
> speakers at a certain price and at the last minute convinced me to
> buy an in-store warranty. When I got home I found that, contrary
> to what I'd been told, the manufacturer's warranty gave the same
> coverage. I went on TV. The station interviewed a former
> salesman, who substantiated what I'd said. The stereo chain went
> out of business.

Yes, those extended warranties and service contracts are often a rip-off.
Stores often make much more on the warranty than they do on the item. Sales
people often get as much as half of the price of the warranty, so they
really push them. Some retailers have their registers set up to prompt
sales people to suggest the warranty. If the warranties were more in line
with the cost of the item and the likelihood of it breaking, it would be one
matter. The problem is that they want to sell you a $35 extended warranty
on a $65 dollar item.

As you have found, the extended warranty usually just duplicates the
manufacturer's warranty. Sometimes they will offer a lot of services that
you will never use, like yearly head cleaning on your VCR, or a yearly
"tune-up" on your vacuum cleaner. They know that 99% of the customers will
never remember to bring the item in for preventive service. Most people are
too busy and too unorganized to track the periodic maintenance needs of
all their appliances. Also, they count on the fact that most of us don't
keep our receipts. So if you do need to get warranty work, you are
out-of-luck.

My washer broke a couple years ago. I drug out the owner's manual and read
the warranty. I called the service department of the store where I bought
it and asked for a service call. Of course, the part that broke (a plastic
gear that connected the motor to the transmission) wasn't covered because
they said it wasn't considered part of the transmission (which was a covered
item.) When they pull out the tub, I noticed that it was rusting around all
of the perforations. I pointed that out to the service man and told him
that the drum WAS covered against rust. Even though the store had all the
details of the sale in their computer, he insisted that I not only produce a
receipt, but that I show him the owner's manual and warranty. Luckily, I
keep all my manuals in file folders and staple the receipts to them. He was
sort of pissed-off when I was able to show them to him. I pointed out that
the store had a copy of the sales transaction and knew the exact model and
serial number of my washer. He made some lame excuse about how warranties
are not all the same for the same machine. He replaced the drum at no
charge, but I had to pay for the $8 plastic part, $27 for a service call,
and another $90 for labor to replace the broken part. My next washer will
be a direct-drive, horizontal axis model and it WON'T be a Whirlpool brand
washer!