Joe B.

So, from time to time I spend a bunch of money with Northern Tool. That ended today. I will no longer purchase anything from them again. Recently, I spent a little over a $1000 on some two engine stands and two screw jacks. I could have gotten them cheaper and faster from a different company, but norther tool had a promotion for "free" gift cards. I spent over a $500, so I got an email with the $100 gift card number and pin. The first time I went to use it, I got called away from the computer and never finished the order. The second time I went to use it the balance was $0. I called the company to find out that it had expired less than two weeks ago and they will not refund the money. She said the expiration date was in the email. When I checked, it was there like she said, but it was only good for exactly 90 days. I have never heard of a gift card only being good for three months. I suppose it is my fault for not reading the whole email. Anyway, when I told the lady on the phone that I only bought from them for the gift card and I would not spend any more money with them, she absolutely did not care. That is some great customer service, and headquarters must be proud. I told her I had a decision to make, and since she did not care neither will I. Maybe she thought I was bluffing, but if she would have spent a second to listen and understand she would have known I was serious. I own a home improvement company and am constantly buying tools I need to get my jobs done. I will definitely not buy anything else from this company, there are plenty of other places to get better equipment. Oh well, at least there will be less catalogs for me to throw away in the future.