Caution Wal-Mart Shoppers

Went to Wally to see what was marked down. Trolling motors. Bought two.....a large and a small. Got home, no instructions in one, nor registration card, etc. The other had no transmon mount! Wally will take anything that has been returned and not even check it. I think someone needed a transom mount and bought this, took off the mount and then returned it. Wal-Mart will put anything on a shelf to sell. Like a flea market. Just because it is in a closed box that says Minn-Kota doesn't mean you just bought a brand new motor.....which is typical of what ones thinking is. Sometimes you buy by brand name and a sense of trust that it is a good product. I thought I was getting a good, brand new trolling motor in brand new unused condition, straight from the factory. Not so. Neither one of the trolling motors had never been touched. Boaf been out of the box, gawd knows what then, and put back in the box and sold. Someone else may have already had it and abused it. Check your expensive stuff closely before you leave the store.

You didn't say if you took them back and what was the stores reaction. In my experience Wal Mart has been really good about correcting things like this.

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Originally Posted by Gemrod

Went to Wally to see what was marked down. Trolling motors. Bought two.....a large and a small. Got home, no instructions in one, nor registration card, etc. The other had no transmon mount! Wally will take anything that has been returned and not even check it. I think someone needed a transom mount and bought this, took off the mount and then returned it. Wal-Mart will put anything on a shelf to sell. Like a flea market. Just because it is in a closed box that says Minn-Kota doesn't mean you just bought a brand new motor.....which is typical of what ones thinking is. Sometimes you buy by brand name and a sense of trust that it is a good product. I thought I was getting a good, brand new trolling motor in brand new unused condition, straight from the factory. Not so. Neither one of the trolling motors had never been touched. Boaf been out of the box, gawd knows what then, and put back in the box and sold. Someone else may have already had it and abused it. Check your expensive stuff closely before you leave the store.

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I can see walmart being somewhat at fault but didn't YOU open or check out the box/package that item was in before you bought it or took it home? Did you ask an associate to open the box for you? Seems to me you purchased something marked down and as is.

Just a thought!

Geeeze. What you guys jumping on ME for? ME was not the subject of the post. I was just trying to caution and help others. Thanks a lot for the zingers. Wow! You guys feel better now? Go smoke something. I won't be doing this again. All you get is shot at.

"I can see walmart being somewhat at fault but didn't YOU open or check out the box/package that item was in before you bought it or took it home? "

Gemrod bought two items sold as New at a retail establishment, He shouldnt have to open and check the boxs. Walmart isnt a damaged goods outlet or a seconds store." The Items you buy should be there in new working condition. I also have purchased equipment at walmart that was not on sale that had obviously been returned for reason.

Eric

Oh goodie! Now we can have a nice fight about whether or not to post warnings about places and products. If getting shot at is worth it or not. If trying to warn others so it doesn't happen to them is worth taking zingers for being a jerk and not checking everything at the store. Fun stuff! Lets get it on! Who wants to be next to rip somebody for something? Go for it.

A while back I went to W-M and bought a pair of sneakers. When I went to checkout the clerk opened the box and I jokenly said "afraid I might be trying to hide something in the box? Her reply was somewhat startling - - "No, not that, but we have a lot of people who switch sizes because one foot is bigger than the other".

Consider yourself warned :shock:

Tim

Your are correct Eric. They were displayed and sold as new items. They were not displayed and sold "as is". For example at Best Buy this item would have been sold at a discount as an "open item"....and still have a warranty....not even then as a product "as is". The Wal-Mart product was sold representing a brand new in the box item from Minn-Kota. I did not say do not shop at Wal-Mart. I obviously did and will continute to do so. I just warned others to check you box before you leave. Did I? No. I don't suppose any of you have had a very long long tiring day and have purchased your groceries and just have happened upoon a sale item...and trusted it to be as represented. purchased it along with your items and went home with it. Course not. You guys are all to smart for that.

JC...would you please just delete this thread? You don't need negatives like this on this great website.

Thanks

Doesn't help my morale today...to have had a wreck on the freeway last night coming home from a rod building class....and get a ticket. I think there are unavoidable accidents but won't go into detail. Let's just say I will be eating cereal with grape juice a bit longer cause I can't afford a quart of milk. I will have to pay a fine, $120 for a class, and damages or a deductible. There goes the cheapo treadmill I was going to buy at Wal Mart for my back re-hab from surgery and having metal put in. Perhaps I can get gas on credit to go up and see my ailing wife at our daughters house.

Gemrod sorry if my post looked negative I sure didn't mean it to be . I am on your side.
I was just asking if Walmart made it right for you. If a box has obviously been opened and re-taped I will check it at the store but if it looks untampered with I just take it home confident that everything in the box is as advertised. Missing parts even on sale items should be pointed out with a sticker or tag on the box saying exactly what is wrong.
Ps I PM'd You.

gemrod and others

My post was not intended to slam gemrod as others are accusing me of doing. It was worded in the form of a question as to whether or not he opened the box or had an associate open the box to ensure all the item that were supposed to be in the box were there. After all it is a somewhat large monetary purchase and I would expect that all things be right with the purchase before I got home and had to make return trips to get it rectified. You never mentioned the items as being "new" so I assumed they were marked down (because you said they were marked down) and "as is", just as you assumed that they were purchased by someone else and they stole the parts out of the box.

So for that I apologize and hope walmart makes good on your recent and future purchases.

Im sorry if my reply came across as harsh. This post hits a nerve with me. Walmart is the only place I shop that I have to keep the recepts for a couple of weeks beceause the merchandise fails so often. it seems that about half of the big ticket items I buy are returned. Added to this seams to be a policy of takeing returns and throwing them back on the shelves with out apperantly inspecting them to make sure they work or are all there.
for me it was an electric heater that I had to buy at 4 AM when my furnace failed. I grabed on off the shelf that had been retaped When I got it home and opend the box the stickers wern't on the heater they were on the inside of the box. When I pluged it in some of the elements didnt turn on. It went back that afternoon, they probably put it out a third time.

Eric

Personally, I wouldn't step foot in Walmart.

I'm just trying to figure out why any of y'all are still shopping there.

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Originally Posted by Panman

A while back I went to W-M and bought a pair of sneakers. When I went to checkout the clerk opened the box and I jokenly said "afraid I might be trying to hide something in the box? Her reply was somewhat startling - - "No, not that, but we have a lot of people who switch sizes because one foot is bigger than the other".

Consider yourself warned :shock:

Tim

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Now that right there is funny, I don't care who you are.

I wonder if they try that with the underwear, so that they have one that fits in the morning, one after a big lunch, one after a big lunch and dinner, etc. :lol:

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Originally Posted by Rawthumb

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Originally Posted by Panman

A while back I went to W-M and bought a pair of sneakers. When I went to checkout the clerk opened the box and I jokenly said "afraid I might be trying to hide something in the box? Her reply was somewhat startling - - "No, not that, but we have a lot of people who switch sizes because one foot is bigger than the other".

Consider yourself warned :shock:

Tim

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Now that right there is funny, I don't care who you are.

I wonder if they try that with the underwear, so that they have one that fits in the morning, one after a big lunch, one after a big lunch and dinner, etc. :lol:

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Well, folks do it with off-the-rack suits...men's and women's...to get the right pants and jacket that fit.

The real question is this: What do you need two trolling motors for? A silent and stealthy turbo float tube?

Regarding Walmart: I shop there occasionally, and have never had a problem like the one you describe. My only beef with them is the somewhat long lines at the customer service counter. Sorry you had a bad experience there (and I agree it is THEIR fault, and not yours) but I would guess they will make it right for you. Not really sure why you are posting this here, though.

I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because they sell stuff at really low prices. To me , it's an image thing.



Mark

This is not directed to anyone in particular, and may not be popular with some people, but here goes anyway. Wal-Mart fits a very basic need in our society for those without the means to ?Buy American? as their choice. A large segment of our population are basically one paycheck away from being thrown out on the street, and often only because they were born or otherwise forced into a particular socio-economic group. These good people make choices every day that many of us never had to make, nor would I wish for us to make. Their choices are: ?How cheaply can I buy food to feed my family TODAY.? ?How cheaply can I put warm clothing on my family and myself TODAY.? ?How am I going to feed and clothe my family and make the rent/house/utility payments so my family does not get thrown out on the street TODAY?? These are choices many people make every day, and the Wal-Marts of the world supply the cheaply made goods and groceries that help these people to meet those basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. I have a daughter in Florida who is able to stay afloat because of the prices at Wal-Mart. She won?t accept charity from anyone (including me), but rather makes economic choices each day to meet her needs. I?m very proud of her self-sufficiency as she puts herself through school and works full time, and Wal-Mart make a lot of things possible for her. She will graduate in May, and I will be there beaming with pride and a tear in my eye for her determination.

If your choice is to buy everything or nothing at Wal-Mart, that is your choice. Just remember that there are many others who do not have that choice, and I believe it would be sinful to deny them the opportunity to meet the basic needs for their families in a cost effective way, just because we do not agree with a business model. They meet a very basic need in our society TODAY.

We are a different society today than we were 20 or 30 years ago. Savy businesses have changed as times changed, and many who refused to change have faded away. In a world of constant change we must constantly be reinventing the way we do business or we will be trampled under. Small businesses can change if they choose to without losing the personal touch we all value, and they can prosper. Or, they can wait for the inevitable to happen. I own a small business and have changed the way I do business twice in the past three years to keep pace with my competition. I?m doing just fine, but I?m always looking for ways to make my business different and better than my competitors.

Just my 2 cents.

Joe

WalMart. What can you say?

Their prices on canned soup are good. But I sometimes have to look at 5-6 cans before I find one that isn't dented. I have come to expect this with everything I pick up there. The fact that they put stuff like that on the shelf and leave it there says something. I shop there all the time. That says something too.

At Wally's one must practice "buyer beware" from the time you walk in the door till you leave.

On the other hand they are great at taking care of stuff found defective. I guess they get a lot of practice :lol:

Well, this post isn't directed at anyone in particular either. But I'd bet dollars to donuts my income is in the bottom 20% on this website. And I don't HAVE to shop at Wal-Mart. In fact, I can find BETTER PRICES at a bunch of different places. And I can certainly find better service and products at a bunch of different places.

So please don't think Wal-Mart is some sort of moral imperative for modern America. That'd be hilarious if it weren't so sad than anyone believes it's true. In general, Wal-Mart sells JUNK for a few pennies less than Target and Best Buy and Bass Pro sell good stuff. Sometimes, the same items are cheaper at those and other stores.

And, for the sake of full disclosure, we shop at Sam's Club, but we try like crazy to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart. I have no anti-Wally World axe to grind. They just suck. I can pay an extra 5 cents for a Tshirt that is 90% less likely to fall apart or become misshapen after one washing. And I can pay an extra $5 for a trolling motor instead of having to return it 3-4 times before I actually get one that has all the parts I purchased included. And...yes...I have had to return the same make/model of a single item as much as 4 times to a Wal-Mart before I got one that was all there and worked properly. That's the main reason why we quit shopping there. That and the fact that the stores are filthy.

I don't know why people got off on the Wal-Mart thing. I only tried to warn people to check their expensive items they buy there very carefully before they leave the store. I did not say don't shop there. I just tried to give a heads up. Either I did a poor job of it or there are a lot of Wal-Mart employees that read on here....or have deep emotions about the place. I have no axe to grind. I got my money back and went back and got two other motors....obviously had been opened. One of the others the propeller wouldn't move. I think it was broken. Anyway, I got mine. I still go to Wally World. I just wanted to caution people to check closely and not assume as I did.

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Originally Posted by Gemrod

I don't know why people got off on the Wal-Mart thing. I only tried to warn people to check their expensive items they buy there very carefully before they leave the store. I did not say don't shop there. I just tried to give a heads up. Either I did a poor job of it or there are a lot of Wal-Mart employees that read on here....or have deep emotions about the place. I have no axe to grind. I got my money back and went back and got two other motors....obviously had been opened. One of the others the propeller wouldn't move. I think it was broken. Anyway, I got mine. I still go to Wally World. I just wanted to caution people to check closely and not assume as I did.

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Exactly why I won't shop there. I'll buy less stuff of better quality with better service instead of more broken, filthy, cheap junk. Interestingly, I can get most of the same items at Sam's Club just as cheap if not cheaper and it's clean, well-organized, and there's a friendly, knowledgeable staff. And I've NEVER had to return a single thing to a Sam's Club.

I think most of us realized what your point was. And I thought it was just a typical informative post about "buyer beware." I appreciate those regardless of what product, service, or retailer they are about. But some people seem to think they have to defend Wally World no matter what. Notice that nobody called you a liar or said that they have never had a similar problem with Wal-Mart? But they still attack you for telling the truth. :roll:

Thanks for the recommendation on Sam's Club. I joined "Price Club" too many years ago to mention. Along came Sam's and then Costco...or vice versa. Anyway I read a report that Costco had better products than Sam's. I have been living 3.5 hours away. Now I live in Phoenix metro and can visit a Sam's easily. Wince you recommend Sam's...I am pay their store a vist. Thanks for the info and recommendation. Haven't been in a Sam's in years. Will be good to take a look.

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Originally Posted by Gemrod

Thanks for the recommendation on Sam's Club. I joined "Price Club" too many years ago to mention. Along came Sam's and then Costco...or vice versa. Anyway I read a report that Costco had better products than Sam's. I have been living 3.5 hours away. Now I live in Phoenix metro and can visit a Sam's easily. Wince you recommend Sam's...I am pay their store a vist. Thanks for the info and recommendation. Haven't been in a Sam's in years. Will be good to take a look.

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Costco and Sam's are both good. Costco does carry some higher end merchandise than Sam's does in some categories...like electronics. BUT, on staple household items and groceries (the bulk of Sam's line), I believe Sam's has better pricing overall. And the membership fees are much cheaper.

You Wal*Mart haters who LOVE Sam's; you DO realize that the Sam in Sam's is Sam Walton don't you?

In other words, if you hate Wal*Mart, you should hate Sam's club too, just for consistency's sake. :wink:

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Originally Posted by Bamboozle

You Wal*Mart haters who LOVE Sam's; you DO realize that the Sam in Sam's is Sam Walton don't you?

In other words, if you hate Wal*Mart, you should hate Sam's club too, just for consistency's sake. :wink:

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Of course I know that. :roll: My wife makes stuffed peppers and fettucini alfredo. I hate stuffed peppers, but I love fettucini alfredo. Get the picture? :wink:

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Originally Posted by Gemrod

Doesn't help my morale today...to have had a wreck on the freeway last night coming home from a rod building class....and get a ticket. I think there are unavoidable accidents but won't go into detail. Let's just say I will be eating cereal with grape juice a bit longer cause I can't afford a quart of milk. I will have to pay a fine, $120 for a class, and damages or a deductible. There goes the cheapo treadmill I was going to buy at Wal Mart for my back re-hab from surgery and having metal put in. Perhaps I can get gas on credit to go up and see my ailing wife at our daughters house.

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The rod building class was that the DFC one. If it was then since you are in Mesa I have a treadmill you can store at your house for your rehab. Its just a clothing rack in my house right now. You can talk to me at the meeting.

Gemrod thanks for the advise took it to heart and made a purchase of a high dollar item today and made them check the box for all contends. First one didn't have all. Thanks again and I am for ever in your debt

Caveat emptor

It's always prudent to check that all of an expensive item are included in the delivery. It really doesn't matter how well the vendor services the problem.

It's really in the best interest of all that you inspect what you are buying. In your case, you don't have to go back to get what you thought you bought. In the vendors view he wants the transaction completed. After the sale service is expensive, and seldom makes friends.

The sad thing is Wal Mart employees can't afford to shop at Wal Mart! In the pacific nothwest the largest percentage of people recieving public assistence are Wal Mart employees. I know we don't live in a perfect world. If conumers don't say no to companies that operate unfairly then there is no one to blame but the consumers. :roll:

Let's blame Wal*Mart for global warming too while we're at it!

:roll:

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Originally Posted by Bamboozle

Let's blame Wal*Mart for global warming too while we're at it!

:roll:

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Works for me.