# More free advice from Home Depot



## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

I was at HD today (Saturday - which is translated to "the amateur hour") getting pricing on a bunch of electrical for some projects, along with refilling my on board truck stock. 

There is this older guy ( I am 57 and he is older than me) who works the elec dept. So far, this guy is a "master electrician" for 20-30-40 years depending on the day you run into him. Master means he's ex-union - since he continues to use this term. 

What he does to avoid actual work ( like stocking, organizing the shelves, moving stuff around ) is to give out volumes of "free" advice on anything electrical -- using as many electrical terms as possible to impress the hordes of "cheap asses" who don't want to pay a licensed contractor ( or maybe they don't even want to pay handymen ). 

Nonetheless, this Saturday was no different from others, tons of Volvos, Lexus, Subarus and other passenger cars in the lot, with all the DIY's trying to load in 2 x 4 x 12's, sacks of cement and whatever goodies are on sale this weekend. 

I was in the aisle, pricing and picking out my parts when this old fart comes up to the "master electrician" to get advice on replacing his old service panel (with cartridge fuses ) with a new 100amp service. Based on overheard information, knob and tube wiring throughout. 

The "master" was in top form, asking unanswerable questions of a "cheap ass" moron, while extolling his own command of electrical terms and experience. This went on for over 20 minutes. 

While this was going on, another cheap old fart and a DIY couple were standing in line to garner valuable direction and advice from the "master".

Two things crossed my mind ( as I have seen the master at work on many other occasions ): 
1. Should I ask the old DIY'er for his address - being somewhat low on entertainment lately, I wanted to park outside his house and watch him fry himself or at least burn the house down. 
2. Making a comment during the "master's" oratory, questioning whether or not HD insurance would cover the cost of burial and/or fire damage. --- I actually thought twice about this since I was wearing a company shirt and hat, and, and figured the "master" would exact revenge on me by bad mouthing my company. 

As it was, I kept my thoughts to myself, and merely daydreamed of summer barbecues and bonfires.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

cwatbay said:


> .............As it was, I kept my thoughts to myself, and merely daydreamed of summer barbecues and bonfires.



Is the bonfire gonna be at the 'old farts' house? :laughing:








​


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

There is one last little part to the story that I forgot: 

After the "old fart" got religion from the "master", he went down the aisle to one of the "master's" toadies (another HD electrical dept pro) and started asking the same questions he asked the master. 

Damn, the longer I stayed there, the better it got !


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## JonM (Nov 1, 2007)

Our "Master" had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for _Cold weather ballasts...:w00t:_


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

this is like going to the local strip club on dollar draft days and telling the deadbeat next to you that the strippers lying about working her way through med school...

if you're offended by it, stay out of the strip club...


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## JonM (Nov 1, 2007)

mahlere said:


> this is like going to the local strip club on dollar draft days and telling the deadbeat next to you that the strippers lying about working her way through med school...
> 
> if you're offended by it, stay out of the strip club...



That's alright...I told them I was there to do homework as I was in Med school also to be a gynecologist...:clap:


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## J F (Dec 3, 2005)

:w00t:

:laughing:


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## Irishslave (Jun 20, 2010)

I would never take any advice from these guys. Why would you work for 8 or 10 dollars an hour when you could make at least 30 as an Electrician? It seems I heard of a women who was sueing HD for some bad advice she got. I don't believe it was electrical though, Stucco maybe? May have even been posted on CT. My whole point is just as cwatbay's, these cheapskate HO's think if they get in over their head, just ask the pro's at Home Depot, I think they even imply it in their commercial----"you can do it, we can help" I not aware of ane disclaimer either. Most of us on here are professionals and are aware of the risks but even here at CT there is a disclaimer regarding advice taken or given


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Irishslave said:


> ..........Why would you work for 8 or 10 dollars an hour when you could make at least 30 as an Electrician?.............


Have you read a newspaper or watched the news lately?


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## Irishslave (Jun 20, 2010)

480sparky said:


> Have you read a newspaper or watched the news lately?


 OK point taken you will see in the other thread I mention that work is slow here too. So Home Depot is recruiting out of work Electricians and Plumbers? I hope not. This would have an even more devastating effect on an already crippled industry


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## Irishslave (Jun 20, 2010)

Hard to boycott the Home Centers. Where they get you is on the convenience. But if they keep up their political correctness and their monopolizing, I think a boycott is in order, your local supply house and lumberyard would appreciate it too. Let them cater to the HO's, Handyman, and weekend warriors


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Irishslave said:


> ...Hard to boycott the Home Centers. Where they get you is on the convenience.


Not sure what convenience you get. Park in the lower 40. Find a cart. Load material. Wait in line. Wait for price check because there is no bar code. Wheel cart out. Load on truck.

Or, pull in to local yard. Hand yard guy a list. He loads truck. Go inside get other items & coffee. BS with guys I know. Get in truck & leave.

Or call/drop off list to local yard. Gets delivered for free.


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## Jimmy Cabinet (Jan 22, 2010)

griz said:


> Not sure what convenience you get. Park in the lower 40. Find a cart. Load material. Wait in line. Wait for price check because there is no bar code. Wheel cart out. Load on truck.
> 
> Or, pull in to local yard. Hand yard guy a list. He loads truck. Go inside get other items & coffee. BS with guys I know. Get in truck & leave.
> 
> Or call/drop off list to local yard. Gets delivered for free.


Wait in line? What line? All 2 of them.....the 2 lines that have customers standing with fists clenched and teeth gritted stacked up half way to the back of the store? The 2 lines with no human being working the registers? 

Oh those 2 lines.


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## Irishslave (Jun 20, 2010)

griz said:


> Not sure what convenience you get. Park in the lower 40. Find a cart. Load material. Wait in line. Wait for price check because there is no bar code. Wheel cart out. Load on truck.
> 
> Or, pull in to local yard. Hand yard guy a list. He loads truck. Go inside get other items & coffee. BS with guys I know. Get in truck & leave.
> 
> Or call/drop off list to local yard. Gets delivered for free.


 I mention convenience because they are placed in strategic areas so there is always one within so many miles like Walgreens. we used to have Hill-Behan lumberyards that were like that until they closed and they carried Electrical and Plumbing items. The home centers have tile.windows and doors roofing, siding, paint, fertilizer, wide selection of imported tools, you name it, big box has it all


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

I am glad some folks like 480 got my sarcasm. The electrical aisle always gets me with what I overhear. 

To me its like the forum here where HO's get on to get some free advice on DIY projects. Frankly, my advice is not free, it took too much work and sweat to give out no charge. Free advice is worth exactly what it costs. 

Nonetheless, I really don't care if the "pros at HD" give out direction to those folks, cus chances are none of them work ever call a legitimate contractor to do the work anyway. 

The other thing is, at this point, I am turning away work. I have hired two new installers, five projects in the works, and more private and public projects coming up----- sorry, no brag just fact ----- so to be honest, not having to deal with nit picky cheap ass HO's and others is a blessing.


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## Proby (Aug 22, 2010)

Wow, you have some serious hatred of home owners looking to work on their houses themselves.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

Proby said:


> Wow, you have some serious hatred of home owners looking to work on their houses themselves.


Well, hate is a pretty strong word. As a homeowner, I have done a lot of my own work, other than electrical, myself. But here is the thing: 

1. I don't hire cheap handymen to do the job of a legitimate contractor
2. I don't use Service Magic or some other so called contractor bidding service to find the cheapest guy and then complain about how contractors do lousy work
3. I don't call up four or five contractors and soak them for info, and, never intending to hire any of them, just to do the work myself
4. I don't hire a contractor,have them do the work, then bicker and complain about the price I originally agreed to, just to get a better deal. 

NO, I don't hate HOs that do their own work. After all, how would they learn what the great Clint Eastwood said as Dirty Harry in Magnum Force: " a man's got to know his limitations".


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## Proby (Aug 22, 2010)

I only said that because A) you seem to have lumped all homeowners looking to do work together with the people that make up your 4 part list and B) you used many insults when talking about them. I just sensed a lot of anger, I'd hate to be in the electrical aisle at Home Depot while you're there, you might confuse me for a _" hordes of "cheap asses", old fart, a "cheap ass" moron, cheap old fart, old fart, nit picky cheap ass HO's_. :whistling:clap:


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

And a Contractor Talk "Proby" as well.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly1al4K3u2M&feature=related


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Irishslave said:


> ....... So Home Depot is recruiting out of work Electricians and Plumbers? ..........


They have, do, and always will.


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