javyLSU
Well-known member
Last month I was fortunate enough to score an Icon 36” roll cab with the stainless top for $978 after all the discounts. It was a floor model, and according to managers at two different stores, is being discontinued.
When loading it up, I noticed the stainless top was loose - a quick glance underneath showed it was missing two of the four wing bolts that secure it to the cab - no sweat, I’ll fix that when I get home.
Being a floor model, it had the usual fingerprints and such, but no damage I could see - until I installed the two missing wing bolts under the stainless top, and noticed that the top was still loose. I removed the stainless top to examine it, and discovered it’s a 1-1/2” plyboard glued to the underneath of the stainless top. Apparently the glue failed on this top, allowing the stainless to move freely from the plyboard. No worries, lifetime warranty, right? Well…
First phone call to the phone number listed in the manual was answered by a rep who (of course) was not familiar with the Icon tool storage line, or how to support it. She told me to bring it back to the store, and they could order me a replacement. Ok…
I loaded the top in my truck and headed out to the store. None of the staff knew how to support anything Icon tool storage, and referred me to the manager. The manager then had to call the same number I called earlier, and endure the same wait to talk to someone (about 30 minutes). He was told that both the cabinet and the stainless top were being discontinued, and a replacement couldn’t be ordered. The rep told us that he was going to search through all of the distribution centers and stores to see if he could locate a replacement. With prospects looking dim, the store manager offered to refund me for the top, or give me an additional discount if I wanted to keep it. I took the discount, being pretty sure I could fix the top.
A week later, I got a call back from the HF rep with good news - he was able to find a new stainless top, and would be shipping it to the store for pickup. 3 days later I got the call from the local store that the top had arrived and was ready for pickup. I loaded the top into my truck (again) and exchanged it for the replacement without issue.
In the end, I wound up with an even better deal on the cabinet I wanted, in the color I wanted, and I’m very happy with the cabinet - the product is excellent. However my experience aligns with others I’ve read here and in other online groups that Harbor Freight, despite offering an impressive product at a good price, is not yet ready to properly sell or support their tool storage line in a way that offers a legitimate alternative to tool trucks for professionals. The hoops and self-service that the customer has to do is just unacceptable for a product line sold at such a price tier. If they simply had one person who was the “specialist” for Icon tool storage, I think most of those problems would go away. It just seems like every time I had to talk to an employee for Icon sales or support, they had to learn a whole new job first.
When loading it up, I noticed the stainless top was loose - a quick glance underneath showed it was missing two of the four wing bolts that secure it to the cab - no sweat, I’ll fix that when I get home.
Being a floor model, it had the usual fingerprints and such, but no damage I could see - until I installed the two missing wing bolts under the stainless top, and noticed that the top was still loose. I removed the stainless top to examine it, and discovered it’s a 1-1/2” plyboard glued to the underneath of the stainless top. Apparently the glue failed on this top, allowing the stainless to move freely from the plyboard. No worries, lifetime warranty, right? Well…
First phone call to the phone number listed in the manual was answered by a rep who (of course) was not familiar with the Icon tool storage line, or how to support it. She told me to bring it back to the store, and they could order me a replacement. Ok…
I loaded the top in my truck and headed out to the store. None of the staff knew how to support anything Icon tool storage, and referred me to the manager. The manager then had to call the same number I called earlier, and endure the same wait to talk to someone (about 30 minutes). He was told that both the cabinet and the stainless top were being discontinued, and a replacement couldn’t be ordered. The rep told us that he was going to search through all of the distribution centers and stores to see if he could locate a replacement. With prospects looking dim, the store manager offered to refund me for the top, or give me an additional discount if I wanted to keep it. I took the discount, being pretty sure I could fix the top.
A week later, I got a call back from the HF rep with good news - he was able to find a new stainless top, and would be shipping it to the store for pickup. 3 days later I got the call from the local store that the top had arrived and was ready for pickup. I loaded the top into my truck (again) and exchanged it for the replacement without issue.
In the end, I wound up with an even better deal on the cabinet I wanted, in the color I wanted, and I’m very happy with the cabinet - the product is excellent. However my experience aligns with others I’ve read here and in other online groups that Harbor Freight, despite offering an impressive product at a good price, is not yet ready to properly sell or support their tool storage line in a way that offers a legitimate alternative to tool trucks for professionals. The hoops and self-service that the customer has to do is just unacceptable for a product line sold at such a price tier. If they simply had one person who was the “specialist” for Icon tool storage, I think most of those problems would go away. It just seems like every time I had to talk to an employee for Icon sales or support, they had to learn a whole new job first.