Dilemma?

[Terredax]

I just got back from picking up a new dust collector hose. We are moving some things around and need some extra length.

They had the 4" x 20' hose in black and clear. The black was priced at $24.99 and the clear at $48.99. Since clear isn't necessary, I opted for the black to save a few dollars.

I got home, opened the box, and the hose is clear. I checked the receipt to make sure I didn't grab the incorrect box and get charged the higher price. It shows I bought the black hose. So I was pulling the hose out of the box and I noticed the box says clear hose. I then looked at the sticker with the price, and it says 4" x 20' black vac hose $24.99.

Someone placed the incorrect sticker on it and placed it in the improper slot on the shelf.
I feel as if I stole something and should return it, but the store is about 25 miles away. That is a 50 mile round trip. I should return it, but at the same time, that is a lot of time and travel for something that wasn't my fault.

 

[skiprat]

I would call them and say if they bring the correct black and collect the clear stuff, you'd wait a day to install. Chances are they'd say keep it but your conscience would be clear.

 

[monophoto]

This is a tough situation - the RIGHT thing to do would be to return it, and if it were only a mile or two to the store, that might be appropriate. But 50 miles is a considerable distance, and doing the RIGHT thing would be a real inconvenience. If you were to make a special trip to return it, it would be very reasonable for you to expect that the store would offer you something to make up for you having to drive that distance. The official IRS reimbursement rate is 53.5 cents per mile, so 50 miles translates into $26.75 which is more than what this error cost the store (in lost sales).

You could call the store manager to explain what has happened, and ask him how he intends to resolve the problem. My guess is that he will thank you for letting him know about the error, and tell you that if you can use the clear hose, don't bother returning it. If he tells you that you have to bring it back, then bring up the 50 mile round trip and ask for price reduction to make up for the special trip - and then never go back to that store.

The situation could be worse - you could have gotten home to find that because of the mislabeling, you could not use the hose (for example, if the actual hose in the box were 3"x20'), or that it was defective. Been there, done that.

 

[Gwatson50]

As a professor of ethics I tend to agree with monophoto and skiprat. The store may have many mislabeled hoses so you are doing them a service by letting them know. Also there may be good reasons ( although I don't know of any) to want a black hose over a clear hose. So, as this mistake has randomly benefited you, you in turn may benefit others. I would try to make sure I speak with the store manager when calling as s/he is the person most effected by the mix up.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[maxwell_smart007]

If you call up the manager and tell them that you'll ship it back to them, on their dime, if they'll ship you the correct one - AND on the flipside that you'd be happy to keep the hose you received instead, then your conscience is clear, and you've done what you should - it'll also let them fix their stock error so that it doesn't affect others.

 

[Terredax]

I did do as suggested.
I called them and spoke with a very pleasant young lady. I explained to her what I had discovered and the long travel distance, but that I could send them the difference in price, since it would probably cost less in the long run, than to return it.

She was very happy that I brought this to their attention and she would check the remaining stock to be sure they have the correct stickers. She said that they place the stickers and someone most likely inadvertently mixed them up.

She also said that she was impressed that I called and even offered to pay the difference. She told me she wouldn't expect me to either return it, or to pay the difference, since it was their mistake.

I told her, that the next time I'm there, I will ask for her specifically and thank her properly, in person.

 

[Mortalis]

Well, there ya go
One good turn deserved another

 

[Terredax]

We got the hose hooked up today and it works great. We discovered a feature that was unknown to us until we was hooking it up. It is not only flexible, but when it's bent into a shape (90 degrees for instance), it makes a clicking sound and holds the shape it's positioned to. It works in any shape.

 

[leehljp]

John,

This speaks volumes on integrity. Thanks for posting it!

 

[sbwertz]

Make her a nice pen.

 

[robutacion]

I have read this thread/your question yesterday but I didn't reply so today I've though in give my thoughts without reading any of the other posts so, my thoughts are that in a situation like yours (has happened to me a few times...!) I would contact the seller immediately and let them make the decision unless you are willing to keep it and offer to pay the difference, in that case, the only decision to me made is yours and your conscience...!

Cheers
George

 

[Ed McDonnell]

I've been designing a new dust collection system for my shop and was surprised to find out that long runs of 4" flex hose was not a good solution in many cases. Of course it all depends on how much air you are trying to move. Here's a link to some info I found useful.

https://www.oneida-air.com/static.asp?htmltemplate=static/ductwork_tutorial01.html

Ed