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Business Profile

Hardware and Tools

Harbor Freight Tools

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Harbor Freight Tools's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Harbor Freight Tools has 273 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 333 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 81 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/03/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      purchased a sump pump on April 28,2024 took it back for a return april29,2024 for a refund because It wasnt the pump i needed. My fianc has bought the pump we needed now so im not interested in store credit. i paid in cash and want my refund in cash. called the hotline it will be 8 weeks to receive a refund check . this is outrageous and inconsiderate to the consumer.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/02/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I purchased a Predator 9500 Watt Super Quiet Inverter Generator with CO SECUREE from Harbor Freight in ********************* on April 6, 2022. It was new and delivered on a pallet. Order Number 113124951.I purchased this specifically for power outages during hurricane season, as I have a business in my home and could not be down due to power failures.In September of 2022 I ran the generator for 6.5 hours, as indicated on the generator.In July of 2023 I was testing the unit for the upcoming season and it would not turn on. I followed up with a call to Harbor Freight and was told because I did not purchase a warranty there was nothing they could do. I explained the unit only had 6.5 hours on it and surely a $2,299 generator was good for more than 6.5 hours. I was told it was my fault for not purchasing the warranty. As of now I have been told by an independent repair company it would cost $800 to fix. This entire scenario is outrageous. If a person spends close to $2300 for a generator surely the customer would have some recourse.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/02/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I purchased a 8750 Invertor generator at ****** location on August 27, 2023 I went to operate generator only to discover it had a manufacture defect with the inverter its not producing electricity I purchase a warranty for future issue with another company when I went to file claim the company advise me to reach out to manufacture being that I havent had for a year harbor isnt cooperating stated I had ********************************************************************************************* approaching hurricane season having a generator is time sensitive so I took it to two different shops for repair and both stated its a manufacture issue there is absolutely know solution the way it was built it cant be fixed bad wiring bad inverter I need help this company sold me a bad generator and wont assist in replacing

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/30/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I recently purchased a concrete mixer for $199 and spent hours putting it together and when i started the motor it would not move. I returned it right away and they took off twenty percent restocking fee. It was not right, they sold me a non working machine and charged me $40 restocking fee ? I want my $40 back from the Pennsaukin store.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/29/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Purchased utility trailer @ the reistertown MD. Store bc online it showed out of stock coming soon at all the PA stores. I purchased the trailer in MD & was given a cert. of origin on 4/13/24. Went home assembled trailer. Went to hardware store and purchased pressure treated lumber, hardware, & paint for an additional $300 to put a floor on trailer & to build sides. Cut, painted and assembled wood to the trailer. After this I went to my notary here in ** where I live. Which I showed my Id to the store manager in MD when purchasing trailer. But when going to PA notary I was told this trailer could not have a title prepared unless there was a notarized stamp on cert. of origin. I contacted the MD store was told they could not do this. I called cust. service & was told that the manager can get me a notar. stamp & was given the name of manager. I called back in & spoke w/ manager the manager told me they can not help me bc it was purchased in MD and MD don't require notarized stamp like the state of **. So I called back into customer service spoke w/ another lady that told me they will make this right. I was told to email *********************************** and leave them know the vin,item#,man.,man. Date, and if my state requires a notarized stamp. Which I did & I explained that my state was PA. 2 days later I get call from HF specialty services saying they can not get me a notar. stamp. Their option for me is to take trailer apart and return. I'm not taking the trailer apart. I already assembled and put 300 extra dollars into. I can not return cut painted lumber back to hardware store. There is no reason that they should not be able to send me a cert. of origin with a notar. stamp. If they can sale this trailer to a Pennsylvanian knowing they are from pa. They should have to notarize it if that's a PA requirement. Or state to customer that the state of PA requires stamp which they can not do rendering trailer useless so we know not to purchase something that can not be used.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/23/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I bought a floor **** from Harbor Freight and attempted to return it today. They turned me away because it was past the 90 day limit for their return policy. However, this seems a little ridiculous given that I only used the floor **** three times, after which it stopped working. I would like to be refunded the $200+ that I spent on this.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/23/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I entered the Harbor Freight Tools location on **************** today at or around 1955CST 04/18/2024 to return a mallet that was purchased 48 hours ago. I did not have a receipt, nor was my phone number collected at the point of sale. The customer service associate was very rude to me and refused to process an exchange. I returned the item to her possession at that time and left the store. i demand a refund for the returned item.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/18/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      3/27/24 - Purchased two Tool Boxes, and an Inside Track Membership only because it was required for the discount. The two boxes were "In-Stock" but would *********** weeks to get.4/1/24 - Email from Harbor Freight (HF) that it is on backorder (**). Called local HF store to find out if the ** is in addition to the normal wait time, they said no.4/2/24 - Called HF store to let them know order was cancelled by HF, and they said it was a mess up on their end and I could re-order or wait for a credit. 4/4/24 - Received two more emails from HF saying the order was cancelled.4/11/24 - Called HF to get status of credit to my CC, they said it was processed on 4/3/24. It was not.This began a series of calls to HF and **** of America (BoA) which has ended in a call to HF ****************.4/17/24 - HF **************** first stated that the refund was issued in cash. then they changed their minds saying they are not issuing refunds because their computer is not letting them... for the last two weeks? That was their final word. So they have essentially decided that they will take orders on charge, cancel the orders and refuse to refund the customer's money!There are many more calls that took place but they are just passing me around and will not let me talk to a manager or higher. Full transcript attached.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/16/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Yesterday 4/15/24. I purchased a workbench at Harbor Freight Tools in ***************. I drove an hour to get there. I got home and began assembly of the workbench, got 3/4 of the way done before realizing that there were 6 bolts and 6 nuts missing. I called the ***** number that was for missing parts only to be told that they don't supply missing parts. I was told that I'd have to return it. I checked the bad reviews on their site about this product and they have known about these workbenches missing parts for over a year but are still selling them. They won't give you the missing parts and expect you to disassemble it and return it to the store instead. I want the missing parts.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/16/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Today I reviewed my equifax credit report, and I found a report of a 30 late from harbor freight credit, which was recorded for the month of September, 2022.I called the contact number at **************.at 12:31pm, and the call last 11 minutes. I asked the representative to verify the accuracy of the late payment report. He told me that he could not find any report that I was late. I asked him if he could clean remove the report from my credit report as it is hurting my credit score. He asked why he should remove it if I was late. I said that he had just told me that I was not late according to his records. He promptly hng up on me.Look, Harbor Freight Credit has a reason for staining my credit rating nearly 2 years ago, I understand, however they have no business hanging up on a customer and refusing to return the call. It takes little effort for them to hurt a person's credit rating, and it cant take that much effort to correct it. Please help!

    Harbor Freight Tools is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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