What a Rip Off... Mapp Gas Related

Dann757 · Post by **Dann757** » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 9:02 am

Quit your whining you whiney whiners. Just kidding, I'm a big baby according to my nephew. Expert whiner.

I think the USA and the good ole days are fading fast and even these little outrages annoy the hell out of us. Everybody is talking about the way it was. Maybe it was like this when the term "Made in Japan" had the same connotations. I go to Home Depot constantly for the convenience, where I am it's a big impersonal (impersonnel?) place. I got a 1/4 sheet sander there a while back for $16- unbelievable! The rocker switch failed very quickly, I bypassed it and now the sander comes on when I plug it in, one of my hillbilly solutions. They knew the switches were defective and moved to dump the inventory, I think.
Home Depot advice, go in with a battle plan (list). If I try to remember three things I'll get distracted and surely forget one of them. And check everything you can. People paw through everything there. Their lumber can be substandard that's for sure. 2x4's twist guaranteed. Even my local lumberyard is getting cheap Chinese 3/4 birch "cabinet grade" plywood that warped on me!

My self igniting Bernzomatic torch tip is great, but I wonder if the aluminum body was cast on a dirt floor by barefoot Chinese slave labor.

Talk about consumer ire, check out my Cella's Chocolate Covered Cherries thread! I complained, and got a letter back with a coupon for a free box. The letter stated that the cherries were "severly heat damaged" and "beyond our control". Bullshit. The free box was defective too. They aren't filled with the liquid centers anymore! I was going to make a video of opening a sealed box to show there is no way it's "heat damage, and put it on Utube. Also go around and see if they are like that from a few different supermarkets. And the thing is those cherries used to be great since I was a kid. I gotta make a living, no time now to be Ralph Nader Jr. Half-gallon cartons of Breyer's ice cream aren't that anymore, what are they going to do start selling it in the size of an Altoids box?

acesover · Post by **acesover** » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 9:11 am

What are we going to do 10 years from now, when there is only one big box and no others to chose from.
Ray

europachris · Post by **europachris** » Wed. Oct. 21, 2009 1:56 pm

acesover wrote:What are we going to do 10 years from now, when there is only one big box and no others to chose from.
Ray

Until Corporate America gets a clue and the banks stop running our country (along with Wall Street) in the almighty pursuit of the "easy buck", we will continue to see the USA errode into a 3rd world country.

Our society is so contaminated by the low price of cheap Chinese junk being sold everywhere that it's impossible to make a quality product in the USA anymore at a reasonable price that can compete with overseas (or even just Mexico).

I'm all for capitalism, free enterprise, and hard work. But with the mega-corporations we have today, there is just no way for the "little guy" to compete. The products they produce are secondary - the primary driving force is how to increase shareholder value and quarterly profits tomorrow - not looking 10 years down the road.

But, most people aren't educated enough to look beyond low price - hence why container sizes get smaller - they just see "cheaper". Until that stops (which will be never), the downward slide of our country will continue.

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Thu. Oct. 22, 2009 12:43 am

Just got another fine example of this today.....

My father brought over his 1.5 year old CRAFTSMAN rear-tine roto-tiller with a 8.5 horse Briggs. The Briggs starts first pull, as they normally do, but the TRANSMISSION is stuck in reverse, because something internally snapped off the shift shaft!!

I'll have to post pics after I tear this piece of *censored* apart. Have to take the ENTIRE unit apart to get inside the tranny -- it's part of the 2-piece frame -- so you have to remove EVERYTHING to separate the frame, & thus, the transmission!! Boy, I'll tell ya!!

I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I think the treehuggers had it right when they said RECYCLE. Don't buy new - just keep fixing old. You'll be better off!!

crazy4coal · Post by **crazy4coal** » Thu. Oct. 22, 2009 5:04 am

When you get in to that tiller you might find that the chain case has water in it. I have one that jamed in gear. your right you have to take the whole thing apart. It took a coulpe of hours to clean all the rust off and regrease the sprockets and chain. A peace of the gasket on the top of the case had been ripped off when they put it together. I used rtv to reseal it and it works great now. good luck

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Thu. Oct. 22, 2009 10:57 am

Actually the shaft spins around in circles instead of engaging gears.

My father is pretty meticulous about his equipment - the only way water could be in there is if he deliberately poured it in there himself -- so not very likely.

Too nice out there today to be working indoors. I've got some 2-stroke oil to burn!

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 1:15 pm

I was ripped off at Advanced Auto the other day. I hate that store but it is on my way home from work. I happenned to be there getting some vaccuum tubing and thought while I am here I would get my oil and filters for oil changes in my cars. I look at the Pennzoil large 5qt yellow containers that were 14.79 I thought it is a bit more expensive than Wal-Mart (the other store I hate) as theres is 11.50 but I was there and didn't want to make the trip to wally mart. When I get home I put the pennzoil beside another pennsoil container that I had bought at wally mart several weeks earlier. Later that evening I was enjoying a beverage in the basement and looking at the 2 oil containers side by side I could see one was smaller. The containers were the same shape in every way it is just the one from advanced was smaller. I looked at them and the advanced one was 4qt and the wally one was 5qt. Took it back to advanced and at first they wouldn't give my money back. I told them that was a little misleading with the smaller size and that even 4qts of oil on the counter would make one hell of a mess. The manager responded and gave my money back. So be careful of the quantity of oil in the 5qt containers. It is a shame that you have to look with a fine tooth comb anything you buy these days.

lowfog01 · Post by **lowfog01** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 2:30 pm

gambler wrote:So be careful of the quantity of oil in the 5qt containers. It is a shame that you have to look with a fine tooth comb anything you buy these days.

Boy, say that again! I just got back from the grocery store and it's amazing how small the boxes of cereal are getting for more money. Unfortunately, it's being reflected throughout the store. Check out the soup cans. There's not much you can do about it; it's not like complaining will do any good. I did check out the other national brand of cereal offered at our store - Ralston. It's about the half price and my kids don't notice a difference; Ralstons has good selection of favors. I think I'll check out some other "off brands" in the other products I need. Lisa

europachris · Post by **europachris** » Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 5:13 pm

lowfog01 wrote:Boy, say that again! I just got back from the grocery store and it's amazing how small the boxes of cereal are getting for more money. Unfortunately, it's being reflected throughout the store. Check out the soup cans. There's not much you can do about it; it's not like complaining will do any good. I did check out the other national brand of cereal offered at our store - Ralston. It's about the half price and my kids don't notice a difference; Ralstons has good selection of favors. I think I'll check out some other "off brands" in the other products I need. Lisa

Go figure - food container sizes are getting smaller but yet America just keeps getting fatter.

But I also purchase "off brand" cereal unless the national brands are on a really good sale. Malt-O-Meal cereals are usually good, and even the store brands are excellent quite often.

Chris