Hi;
I had an experience with an electrical product I would like to share:
I purchased two weatherproof outlet covers. They were Red-Dot, made for any type of receptacle (or switch). There were of the vertical mounting type, and were being installed on a vertical mounted outlet.
I purchased these at Home Depot for under $4 each.
When I installed the first one, I found it to be defective. The "spring", which consists of nothing more than a bent piece of metal didn't have enough strength to keep the cover closed snugly. I opened the second of the two I had purchased, and found it to be a bit more acceptable, although not what I would have liked.
Yesterday, when it came time to install the second outdoor outlet, I had only that defective cover on hand, so I attempted to repair it.
I was able to remove the door from the frame, and pryed up the prongs of the metal "spring" I described previously.
I was not successful in repairing the product, so today, I went to a local hardware store and purchased one made by Bell for a lot more money ($8.50). This one looked like it was going to be much more reliable even before I opened the package.
I was not disappointed. The Bell cover is all metal (like the Red.Dot), but is built much more solid, and has a real spring to hold the door closed.
It is held on by it's own screws, not sharing the same screws that hold the outlet in place, as does the Red.Dot model.
Needless to say, I would have preferred to have purchased the Bell cover the first time, and am a bit off that HD doesn't have much of a selection in this area (unless I was looking in the wrong place; I'll check their online store to see if they have the Bell product).
So, it all comes down to the old addage "you get what you pay for". Especially in these days where everything is made in China, and it seems that a low price is more important than quality.
By selling inexpensive products, the company is probably betting on the consumer needing to replace it in a few years, so they sell two.
I could have returned the defective product to HD, but considering that I paid less than $4 for it, I wasn't going to spend a half hour on the customer service line to get my credit.
I am just happy that I was able to purchase a quality product, even though it cost me a lot more.
At least I won't have to worry about the outlet getting wet when it rains, causing more problems.
BTW, it is a GFCI receptacle.
FW
I had an experience with an electrical product I would like to share:
I purchased two weatherproof outlet covers. They were Red-Dot, made for any type of receptacle (or switch). There were of the vertical mounting type, and were being installed on a vertical mounted outlet.
I purchased these at Home Depot for under $4 each.
When I installed the first one, I found it to be defective. The "spring", which consists of nothing more than a bent piece of metal didn't have enough strength to keep the cover closed snugly. I opened the second of the two I had purchased, and found it to be a bit more acceptable, although not what I would have liked.
Yesterday, when it came time to install the second outdoor outlet, I had only that defective cover on hand, so I attempted to repair it.
I was able to remove the door from the frame, and pryed up the prongs of the metal "spring" I described previously.
I was not successful in repairing the product, so today, I went to a local hardware store and purchased one made by Bell for a lot more money ($8.50). This one looked like it was going to be much more reliable even before I opened the package.
I was not disappointed. The Bell cover is all metal (like the Red.Dot), but is built much more solid, and has a real spring to hold the door closed.
It is held on by it's own screws, not sharing the same screws that hold the outlet in place, as does the Red.Dot model.
Needless to say, I would have preferred to have purchased the Bell cover the first time, and am a bit off that HD doesn't have much of a selection in this area (unless I was looking in the wrong place; I'll check their online store to see if they have the Bell product).
So, it all comes down to the old addage "you get what you pay for". Especially in these days where everything is made in China, and it seems that a low price is more important than quality.
By selling inexpensive products, the company is probably betting on the consumer needing to replace it in a few years, so they sell two.
I could have returned the defective product to HD, but considering that I paid less than $4 for it, I wasn't going to spend a half hour on the customer service line to get my credit.
I am just happy that I was able to purchase a quality product, even though it cost me a lot more.
At least I won't have to worry about the outlet getting wet when it rains, causing more problems.
BTW, it is a GFCI receptacle.
FW