You get what you pay for (OT)

goldfishhh · 06-30-2005, 06:08 AM

For the past few months, the wife has been nagging me to buy a 2nd umbrella for the backyard patio. After looking at and rejecting many many many umbrellas/gazebos for various reasons (not big enough, green roof, flimsy feeling etc...), we gave ourselves a deadline of this Friday (tomorrow) to have one purchased and setup.

I was torn between a simple pop-up tent or a gazebo with a bug net. Ace hardware has the pop-up and Home Depot has the gazebo.

Fast forward to 2 nights ago.

A Big Lots commercial comes on and advertises a gazebo with a bug net for.... get this... $88.

$88?

Really?

****, I'm getting that one. C'mon wife, lets go!

We jump in the Passat and head into Round Lake Beach to the Big Lots.

I have to tell you, if you haven't ever been to one of these places, the best way to describe it is a controlled yard sale or off-brands. For example, in the personal hygiene isle, they had deoderant. Addidas deodorant. Not anti-persperant/deodorant, but just deodorant. Addidas? Huh? The rest of the store was filled with racks and racks of ****. Oh, I'm sorry, clothes. *rolls eyes*

Anyway.

We wander into the home furnishings isle (or big pile of **** - not quite sure how these stores are organized). We saw a 10x10 pop-up tent which I liked but the wife didn't like the green roof. We passed. Next to it was another pile of ****… err, wait. MERCHANDISE. This stack of boxes showed a picture of a 12x12 gazebo with bug netting but the price was $130. Nope. This wasn't the one advertised.

Tucked away under yet another pile of **** was the 10x12 gazebo which was advertised on TV. Yep. $88. Score! Being a very wary consumer, I looked over the package very carefully, read every last word and made the decision to buy it.

Now keep in mind, this gazebo was almost exactly the same thing as the Home Depot model but the price was 1/4 One quarter!

Last night I unpacked the box and laid all of the parts on the back patio and started to follow the directions. The directions were, well how should I say, vague and inaccurate at best? But who cares, they are directions which have been translated from one language to another and to another and finally to English. What do you expect.

There was one part of the directions which gave me a chuckle. The directions said to, "place piece A into B securing it with C. Then we stand the..."

We?

Where did we come from? The directions were written in the 3rd person and all of a sudden one sentence is in the 1st?

Ok, whatever.

Here is when the fun begins. After I have successfully made the top rectangle, the directions tell me to install the roof supports. Long sides here, short sides there and the shortest side there. Ok got it. One side down, one to go.

Long side here, short side there, shortest side…. PINK! WTF was that? SNAP! FUUUUUCK. The top support piece broke (which happens to be made from some substance that resembles corn flakes). Ok, I can fix this.

CRACK!

Another piece broke. I'm sure it must have been the leaf that gently blew on to the structure.

and

It gets better...

Spot welds anyone?

Look at the quality of the 24awg tubing.

Finally... Check out the carnage from this hunk of crap.

Needless to say, this was the worst piece of **** I have ever purchased.

Don't buy from Big Lots.

With some luck, they will take this thing back. Otherwise, does anyone want to buy $5 of scrap metal?

***UPDATE!***

Click on the link for part 2!

TonyPNS · 06-30-2005, 06:18 AM

DaveyKid · 06-30-2005, 06:30 AM

carbonLORD · 06-30-2005, 06:37 AM

PlainRuss · 06-30-2005, 06:38 AM

JeffK (B6S4) · 06-30-2005, 06:42 AM

I'm sorry . . . but this pic made me laugh - lots.

goldfishhh · 06-30-2005, 06:46 AM

thefaint · 06-30-2005, 06:53 AM

In the blink of an eye...You'll see some dude trying to fit it inside his shopping cart. Off to the scrappers!

BlueCarDude · 06-30-2005, 06:55 AM

WindyCityS4 · 06-30-2005, 07:01 AM

06-30-2005, 06:08 AM	#1
goldfishhh AudiWorld Super User Account #: 53999 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Current: 2005 Volvo XC90 & 1996 Corsica Posts: 3,932	You get what you pay for (OT) For the past few months, the wife has been nagging me to buy a 2nd umbrella for the backyard patio. After looking at and rejecting many many many umbrellas/gazebos for various reasons (not big enough, green roof, flimsy feeling etc...), we gave ourselves a deadline of this Friday (tomorrow) to have one purchased and setup. I was torn between a simple pop-up tent or a gazebo with a bug net. Ace hardware has the pop-up and Home Depot has the gazebo. Fast forward to 2 nights ago. A Big Lots commercial comes on and advertises a gazebo with a bug net for.... get this... $88. $88? Really? **, I'm getting that one. C'mon wife, lets go! We jump in the Passat and head into Round Lake Beach to the Big Lots. I have to tell you, if you haven't ever been to one of these places, the best way to describe it is a controlled yard sale or off-brands. For example, in the personal hygiene isle, they had deoderant. Addidas deodorant. Not anti-persperant/deodorant, but just deodorant. Addidas? Huh? The rest of the store was filled with racks and racks of *. Oh, I'm sorry, clothes. rolls eyes* Anyway. We wander into the home furnishings isle (or big pile of ** - not quite sure how these stores are organized). We saw a 10x10 pop-up tent which I liked but the wife didn't like the green roof. We passed. Next to it was another pile of … err, wait. MERCHANDISE. This stack of boxes showed a picture of a 12x12 gazebo with bug netting but the price was $130. Nope. This wasn't the one advertised. Tucked away under yet another pile of was the 10x12 gazebo which was advertised on TV. Yep. $88. Score! Being a very wary consumer, I looked over the package very carefully, read every last word and made the decision to buy it. Now keep in mind, this gazebo was almost exactly the same thing as the Home Depot model but the price was 1/4 One quarter! Last night I unpacked the box and laid all of the parts on the back patio and started to follow the directions. The directions were, well how should I say, vague and inaccurate at best? But who cares, they are directions which have been translated from one language to another and to another and finally to English. What do you expect. There was one part of the directions which gave me a chuckle. The directions said to, "place piece A into B securing it with C. Then we stand the..." We? Where did we come from? The directions were written in the 3rd person and all of a sudden one sentence is in the 1st? Ok, whatever. Here is when the fun begins. After I have successfully made the top rectangle, the directions tell me to install the roof supports. Long sides here, short sides there and the shortest side there. Ok got it. One side down, one to go. Long side here, short side there, shortest side…. PINK! WTF was that? SNAP! FUUUUUCK. The top support piece broke (which happens to be made from some substance that resembles corn flakes). Ok, I can fix this. CRACK! Another piece broke. I'm sure it must have been the leaf that gently blew on to the structure. and It gets better... Spot welds anyone? Look at the quality of the 24awg tubing. Finally... Check out the carnage from this hunk of crap. Needless to say, this was the worst piece of I have ever purchased. Don't buy from Big Lots. With some luck, they will take this thing back. Otherwise, does anyone want to buy $5 of scrap metal? UPDATE!** Click on the link for part 2! __________________ ============= Code:

06-30-2005, 06:18 AM	#2
TonyPNS Senior Member Account #: 30209 Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 5,755	It looks like Homer Simpson assembled it! ;-) __________________ 2008 Civic LX 2007 Jetta 1993 Saturn SC2

06-30-2005, 06:30 AM	#3
DaveyKid AudiWorld Super User Account #: 66235 Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 8,988	Looks like the framework for an ultralight plane! Go fly it!!! __________________ Autobahn, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Road America, VIR, Laguna Seca, Gingerman, Grattan, Blackhawk, Daytona Int'l Speedway and The Nurburgring! 2004 Porsche 996TT X50 Speed Yellow 2007 Porsche Cayman S Arctic Silver 1995 BMW M3 Dakar Yellow Euro (Evo) 3.2L 2005 Mercedes S600 Black 2004 VW R32 Tornado Red (My Track Slut) 2007 Yukon XL Denali Summit White 2006 Aprilia Scarabeo 500 "Scooter" "Setting the bar high enough so you all can walk under it"

06-30-2005, 06:37 AM	#4
carbonLORD AudiWorld Uber User Account #: 33185 Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 42,983	Heh, indeed you do. Good luck with the Home Depot purchase ;) __________________ [img src="http://www.carbonlord.com/matte.jpg"] carbonLORD is here, punching your chests. \| RS 6 Stuff \| www.carbonLORD.com \| 08 TT 2.0

06-30-2005, 06:38 AM	#5
PlainRuss Member Account #: 62716 Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 4,351	Being a CMF never pays off. __________________ <br />see famous look-a-like faces

06-30-2005, 06:42 AM	#6
JeffK (B6S4) Member Account #: 2023 Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 4,751	LOL. I'm sorry . . . but this pic made me laugh - lots. __________________

06-30-2005, 06:46 AM	#7
goldfishhh AudiWorld Super User Account #: 53999 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Current: 2005 Volvo XC90 & 1996 Corsica Posts: 3,932	When the whole thing collapsed, I was mad. After a beer or three, I had a chuckle. __________________ ============= Code:

06-30-2005, 06:53 AM	#8
thefaint New Member Account #: 84242 Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 105	Dude, if you want to scrap it, take it to the southside...it'll be gone in 2secs flat. In the blink of an eye...You'll see some dude trying to fit it inside his shopping cart. Off to the scrappers!

06-30-2005, 06:55 AM	#9
BlueCarDude AudiWorld Senior Member Account #: 56290 Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,632	if that artist kicks, those triangles could be worth a fortune! __________________

06-30-2005, 07:01 AM	#10
WindyCityS4 AudiWorld Super User Account #: 52314 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 7,552	Sorry, but I can't stop laughing......that last picture is too much. __________________ In a world of constant change, it is the learners that shall inherit the future. For the learned soon find themselves capable of living in a world that no longer exists. Autobahn Country Club (North, South, combined), Blackhawk Farms, Gingerman, Grattan, Mid-Ohio, Putnam Park, Road America, Sears Point, Thunderhill and "The Ring"

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