Electric start snowblower sold with no chord to plug in.

[iono1]

I had to buy a new snowblower this week and I got quite a surprise when it was delivered.  The snowblower with an electric start came with no extension cord to plug in.  so basically, the manufacturer doesn't include the attachment needed to operate the machine. Worse, when I bought it nobody at Lowes told me I had to buy an extension cord separately if I wanted to use the electric starter.  My last snowblower came with the cord.  In fact, I ended up putting my old one out on the street with a free sign & since I didn't know I needed to buy a new cord for the new one, I put the cord that came with the old snowblower out with it (it was taken away 2 hours later-I hope the new owner is a tinkerer who can use it or sell it & make some $)   

While it wasn't the worst thing in the world it was a hassle.  1st I was kind of annoyed at the delivery men who called me up and told me they'd be there in 10 minutes, then showed up 50 minutes after their call. I tried to explain that I was expecting a cord to plug in but there was a language barrier, and they had no idea what I was talking about.  I finally signed the delivery slip after writing down on the slip it was delivered with no cord.  I then called up Lowes & the 1st person I spoke to said I should bring the unit there.  At that point I was pretty upset & told them that I just paid them to deliver it & how do they expect me to get it there.  We agreed I had to come into the store to straighten it out, sans snowblower.  I got there and after talking to the manager of the department was told that none of their electric start snowblowers come with the extension cords necessary to start them.  After that it got better, she helped me pick out an extension cord & for around another $13 I could now go home & start my snowblower. 

The annoying thing is if they just told me up front that the snowblower didn't come with a cord, I would have known not to get rid of the one I had with the old machine, or I could have just bought another one when I was at the store the 1st time.  

This taught me a lesson that the manufacturers are now nickle and diming their customers.  Next time I buy a laptop I'll have to make sure that it comes with a cord to recharge it/plug it in while using it.  I feel an electric start snowblower sold with no cord is pretty much like a laptop sold with no cord to recharge it & then being told I have to buy one separately.  

[MN-Investor]

Uh-oh. Hate to tell you... not all toys and electronics which require batteries come with batteries.

Frankly, I would have been shocked if the electric start snowblower I bought two years ago had come with an extension cord! My snowblower can also be started manually with a pull cord, so an extension cord is not absolutely required in order to start it. In fact, if my husband was still alive, I know that he would prefer to start any outdoor product by its pull cord. The electric start would be for my benefit if I ever needed to start that piece of equipment.

[TheOtherMe]

I was surprised that my garage door opener didn't come with a light bulb.

[minnesotapaintlady]

I've had electric start snowblowers for a long, long time and they've never come with an extension cord.

[haapai]

Buying a new (electric) stove is even worse.  The new cord was recommended but I couldn't figure out why I would need it.  Luckily, the (very large) guys delivering it were gentlemen.  They waited while I disconnected the old cord from the old stove and allowed me to connect it to the new stove.  They couldn't help me remove the old cord or connect it to the new stove, but they'd obviously done the same dance done many times.

I was so furious about the entire experience that I never got around to examining the sales materials and figuring out whether the non-inclusion of the necessary cord was disclosed anywhere. 

[bean29]

Gas stove is the same too, you need the pipe fitting between the stove and the gas line.

Washer - you need the water lines.

They also tell you they recommend you replace them rather than re-using the old ones.  Why not just include them then?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Neighbor's electric start snowblower didn’t come with a cord either.  He bought it about 6 years ago.

[MN-Investor]

I have at least a half dozen very good outdoor extension cords. I can't imagine why I would need one provided with every piece of electric outdoor power equipment I buy. Moreover, my husband was very fussy about things like outdoor power cords and I trust his judgment over whatever low bid power cord might be included with a piece of power equipment I buy. And one excellent outdoor power extension cord works for all of the outdoor electric power tools/equipment I own. I don't need a separate power cord for my snowblower, my lawnmower, etc.

[Value Buy]

Jan 20, 2022 13:18:14 GMT -5 haapai said:

Buying a new (electric) stove is even worse.  The new cord was recommended but I couldn't figure out why I would need it.  Luckily, the (very large) guys delivering it were gentlemen.  They waited while I disconnected the old cord from the old stove and allowed me to connect it to the new stove.  They couldn't help me remove the old cord or connect it to the new stove, but they'd obviously done the same dance done many times.

I was so furious about the entire experience that I never got around to examining the sales materials and figuring out whether the non-inclusion of the necessary cord was disclosed anywhere. 

When we bought new appliances for the house we were told we should replace all the attachments for everything. I considered it an up sell but whatever. I figured a new cord after the electric stove was 16 years old was a sound investment. Paid for all hookups and connections too.
Did not want to play with the water connection on the refrigerator, etc, so luckily the guy knew and did everything correctly last year.

I bought my first power washer last year on line and it was supposed to come with an attachment of a different nozzle.
After I received it, I called to complained that I did not receive the extra nazzle attachment. The person on the phone asked if I could go look at the power washer as we talked.
He then asked, please look at the top of the unit on the very right edge. I said I am looking where you said to. He said look down and see if something is sticking up from the unit. Yep, there it was safely attached to the outside of the unit. That is why I pay to have things done correctly!

[CCL]

As far as appliances go, outlets to plug them in can vary. Some have 3 prongs. Some have 4. I've had both in my houses and apartments. Appliance manufacturers have no way to know which type of outlet everyone needs. I agree, though, manufacturers are being cheap.

Quick Google search gave me this:

www.google.com/amp/s/fredsappliance.com/service/3-prong-vs-4-prong-dryer-outlets-whats-the-difference/amp/

[Deleted]

I had a real ordeal with my new oven- the first time I ever had an experience with Costco that wasn't seamless.  Delivery was included but installation was not if the electrical connection was hard-wired or over a certain voltage.  Naturally the old one WAS hard-wired (easier and cheaper for the builder) and of course it was over that voltage- ovens pull a lot of current.  So, all the delivery guys could do was put the new one in the garage.  Fortunately I found a guy who was willing to pull the old one,  disconnect it, and then connect and install the new one- but it cost me $400.   The Costco guys then hauled away the old one.  

As for power cords- I have quite a few devices that came without them and have no problem using a single one for all of them.  I was pleasantly surprised when I bought an expensive, made-in-USA vacuum (brand was Cirrus) and it had a REAL cord- heavy-duty, 3-pronged, very long.  I love that thing- I'm not running around unplugging and then plugging into another outlet and can get a very large area done at once.

Most things now are made for price-sensitive consumers so they look for ways to cut manufacturing costs. 

[Tiny]

This taught me a lesson that the manufacturers are now nickle and diming their customers.

I get what you are saying. But, part of me is like if I have the "part" at home do I really need another one and why do I have to pay for a "part" when I already have one at home.

I think the better lesson/take away is to really know what parts you need and then make sure what you are buying comes with the parts you need  OR realize that it might not be a "one and done" with a new purchase - you may need to buy some additional stuff to make it work/keep it working.  ::sigh::

I have this problem often with technology - I never seem to have the right cable or plug or adapter on hand and the thing I bought didn't come with it either.

AFter a couple of annoying rounds of "why doesn't this geegaw have the right adapter for my set up the package lists 3 'adapter things'... WTF!!! " I got better at reading what came with what I was buying and also with adding in some extra "hassle time" if I needed to buy the right part separately.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my new cell phone can use the same charger cords  I bought for the old phone.   I did buy 1 additional cord when I got the phone just to get me thru if I had to buy new cords to replace all the old ones (at work, at my home desk, on my night stand, in the living room, in the car and in the basement) 

Glad you got your snowblower working and all the required "equipment" to go with it.

[tallguy]

Jan 20, 2022 14:25:29 GMT -5 CCL said:

As far as appliances go, outlets to plug them in can vary. Some have 3 prongs. Some have 4. I've had both in my houses and apartments. Appliance manufacturers have no way to know which type of outlet everyone needs. I agree, though, manufacturers are being cheap.

Quick Google search gave me this:

www.google.com/amp/s/fredsappliance.com/service/3-prong-vs-4-prong-dryer-outlets-whats-the-difference/amp/

I bought a range at a garage sale to replace the one in my downstairs (second) kitchen.  Pulled the old one out, moved the new one in, and realized the plugs were different.  I think it was more of a hassle to disconnect the old cord and attach it to the new range than it was to move the ranges in and out.  Didn't have to buy a new one though, so that was good.   

[buystoys]

Our laundry closet is just off the kitchen.  When we had the walls open for re-wiring, we had them install the new four prong cord onto our dryer.  You have to purchase it separately from what I understand.  We wouldn't use the power cord from our old stove as we weren't certain what was causing it to stay on all the time.  DH purchased a new cord for the new stove.

[finnime]

I bought a laptop 3 years ago that came with a charge cord, except that it was a European charge cord, no alternating current. It was bizarre how difficult it was to get the correct one sent. The company could not understand that I received the wrong type.

[Ryan]

They use a standard extension cord, so that wouldn't strike me as odd at all.

[Tennesseer]

This taught me a lesson that the manufacturers are now nickle and diming their customers.

Last year I accidentally broke off the top rack upper plastic 'sprayer' of my dishwasher. I went to an appliance store parts store to buy a new snap-in sprayer. The appliance manufacturer wanted $96 for the part.

Another time the plastic cup covering the light bulb in the over the stove fan appliance needed to be replaced. Went to the same appliance parts store and the appliance manufacturer wanted $32 for the plastic cup.

I went on-line as I had the parts numbers for both items and the prices were the same on other sites as quoted by the parts store I visited. So the parts store wasn't trying to gouge me.

Didn't buy either replacement. I can hand wash anything needing to be dishwasher cleaned on the upper rack. And the stove top fan works just fine without the plastic cup over the light bulb.