Dan Antion

Where Credit is Due – #1LinerWeds

Long may she wave.
On the way to work.

I have been known to give the big-box hardware stores a rough ride here at No Facilities. I prefer my local hardware store, but there are some things they don’t carry. Last summer, the things they didn’t carry were two motion sensing outdoor floodlights.

If you’re anywhere near my age, you remember a limited variety of light fixtures that had two articulating light sockets. Each socket held a 150-Watt floodlight bulb. You’d likely pay $19 – $29 here in the US for a fixture and about $3.50 for each of the two bulbs that the box clearly indicated were not included. Some of these fixtures had a small module hanging down that sensed motion and the ambient light level. Walk in the fixtures field of “vision” at night and “bink” the lamps came on, and stayed on for about 10 minutes. Easy-peasy.

Today, the lamps are LEDs and integrated with the fixtures. There are a seemingly endless variety of lamp sizes, shapes, brightness and colors. The prices for these fixtures run from $59 to $149 at my local big-box store. When I bought new lamps last summer, one was $59 and one was $89.

Recently, the $59 lamp stopped working. It turns on at the first sign of motion, but it never shuts off.

I stopped into the big-box store on my way to work, to buy a replacement. I noticed that the box indicated that the lamp has a “Five-Year Warranty.” I stopped at the Customer Service desk. I was fully expecting to be told to contact the manufacturer. I further assumed they would tell me to send the unit back – in its original packaging which I don’t have. I asked the Customer Service rep if he had any advice. His answer:

“After you install the new lamp, bring the old lamp, the old receipt and this receipt back here. We’ll refund the original amount.”

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

“Could I have a peanut?”
“Special-K ? I would rather have a peanut.”
“How am I supposed to eat this thing?”
“Oh for crying out loud.”
For those of you that were wondering if the little mom squirrel got a peanut.
Long may she wave.
Ready for fall sports.
Hartford’s Candy Cane building.
MuMu wasn’t in a mood to be photographed.
I am not riding Maddie.
I did not wake MiMi. I’m learning.
Rise and shine!
Hey, buddy. The sign says “No Fishing.”

63 comments

  1. Now, that is pretty impressive customer service. I have one of the LED lights on the barn that I hope works as long as I’m alive because I can’t imagine finding someone to come fix it. The old style one is on the side of the garage, and we keep it turned off because of the same reason – can’t find an electrician to do a small job although one lives right across the road. I know you still do all your own work, but one day the Editor will suggest you not climb ladders any more and then the issue is finding a person to do it.

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    • I am well aware of that day’s approach, Judy. Actually, the Editor already spoke. When I raised the roof, I was going to just continue the wood shingles up. She saw me on the ladder near the peak of the new gable end and declared “vinyl siding that looks like shingles.” because she didn’t want me trying to paint. I am working hard to get the place down to very little painting involved.

      I bought these fixtures because I thought they would last forever. They are low to the ground, but you don’t have to fall very far to get hurt.

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  3. Sometimes the big box stores can be nice like that. Really, they should be nice like that all the time and not rely on the local little guy to be the voice of reason and easy returns. I’m glad they took care of you. Technology is great when it works and doesn’t cost and arm and a leg. I guess that’s the way of the world…we pay the price for advancement and all of our techno gadgets.

    MuMu is too funny. I get that same response or the “leave me alone or I’ll bite your head off” look when Ziva doesn’t want to be petted. On the other hand, she’s turned into a photo wench in her older age and seems to know when mom wants her to vogue. Tell MuMu it’s okay, she can go back to yelling for brushes and commiserating with MiMi at any time.

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    • MuMu wasn’t at her doorway when I got up today. I went into the bathroom, but she started screaming so loud, I had to go back out and brush her.

      The sad thing about the light is that the old one worked for over 20 years, The other sad part is that if it had been the other fixture, it wouldn’t matter, because it’s on a switch with the other outside lights. We don’t rely on it to shut itself off. I would have swapped them if they had been the same. I guess it’s what I get for buying the “cheaper” lamp, but I really don’t consider $59 cheap.

      Keep taking those glamor shots of Z-girl.

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  4. Check the number of hours the LED lamp will work. Usually it’s around 50,000 hours. Then check whether it’s L50, L70, L80, or L90. The figure after L is a subscript. If it’s 50, it means that after 50,000 hours, the LED lamp will produce 50% of its current brightness. 50,000 hours is about about 5.7 years in a 24 hour cycle. I think that’s why they gave you a warranty of 5 years. It expires when the lamp lumens have reduced to the minimum. But of course, you will not be using the light for 24 hours a day everyday.

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    • Thanks for that, Peter!. That makes sense. It’s like the way they lease solar panels here. They advertise this “great deal” where yo ulease it for 20 years and then you can buy it. But I read that after 20 years, the output can drop by as much as 40%. I got into an argument with a salesman over that. He called it a theory and said he wasn’t sure I should put much stock in it.

      The really odd thing is that they are replacing the lamp, but they offer to sell you a 2-year “free replacement” warranty when you buy these (which I did not purchase).

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      • They do that a lot. Apart from politicians, the other group I don’t trust are salespeople. Both groups sell us hope based on our fears, but the hope they sell quickly vanishes, leaving only our fears. It’s terrible. I once bought a cellphone that stopped working in the same month the warranty was ending. It just stopped working suddenly while I was in the middle of writing a reply to a message I received, and it never worked again.

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    • We had chronic problems with the light on the side of our garage, but I figured it was due to it being more exposed to the weather. I eventually put it on a switch with the other outside lights This one is under a fairly deep overhang, and it’s on the shed, so I can’t put it on a switch. I did think it might be the bunnies who munch in the area under this light’s sensor, but once it comes on, it won’t even turn off after the sun rises.

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  6. I used to run early in the morning–on the sidewalk, well away from someone’s house. Invariably a motion sensor light would go on and scare the heck out of me! The Special-K series is a riot–great captions, Dan. Oh dear, MuMu–we’re putting down the camera and walking away….

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    • I had put the remnants of my box of Special-K out in hopes that I’d get pictures of birds. The chipmunk really didn’t seem to know how to eat it.

      I have had those lights come on early when riding my bike, they do scare you.

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  7. WOW – that’s amazing. The question remains, did you still have the receipt so you could return it? ;-) I love MuMu’s grin. A nice touch for a flash of the flag today. Your post brightened my day!

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    • Thanks Shelley. I have been getting eReceipts from Home Depot for years, so I do have it. There might be more about that on Saturday. MuMu’s grin didn’t seem like a grin to me, it seemed like a warning.

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  8. We have a motion sensor light on the front porch. Problem is it goes on if a moth flies by!! We’re not crazy about big box stores, but sometimes there’s no choice. I do have to give them points for giving us no hassle when we’ve had to return something. Hope you have the original receipt!

    Still laughing over the Special-K pictures/captions!! 😂😂 Love the shadow shot of you and Maddie…..looks like you’re pretending she’s your horse!

    Apparently MuMu wanted to be brushed BEFORE the photography session. After all Dan, the girl wants to look her best.

    I’m glad you didn’t disturb MiMi. When the cats head, tail and all four feet are in the same place, better to just leave her alone!

    Nice shot of the flag. Thank you.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Thanks Ginger. Usually, when MiMi is tucked up like that, I grab one paw and ask “which foot is this, MiMi?” I was nice to her that day.

      The flag seemed to be playing hide and seek with me. I have two pictures where you can’t even see it.

      The chipmunk really didn’t seem to know how to eat the cereal. The birds make short work of it (that’s what I was hoping to get pictures of) but this guy was so confused.

      MuMu doesn’t like to be photographed. I settled for action shots because it was all she was going to give me. It’s a shame, because she really is a cutie.

      At first, when the light was staying on, I thought it was the bunnies tripping it.

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  10. I’m sorry about the lamp, Dan. Even if all is not lost, it is such a huge hassle, and triple extra work… On a similar note, my Internet problems have never been resolved. Just commiserating.
    Thanks for the chipmunk photos. Those little guys are the only thing I miss about DC. Hugs on the wing.

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    • Thanks Teagan. Failed/failing electrical equipment is always a pain. You can’t easily take it down, buy a replacement and replace it in the same day. I’m lucky in that there is a Home Depot across the highway from where I work, and they open at 6:00 am. I can make the two trips by leaving a little early for work twice.

      That chipmunk was so funny, He simply could not figure out how to eat that flake. I don’t know how it didn’t break into a million pieces.

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  13. Hubby recently decided we needed an additional light on the front of the garage because the back of the driveway isn’t lit up well enough by the side porch light on the house (really long driveway). We didn’t want the cost and hassle of installing a wired light, so he went to Walmart and got a solar powered, motion activated LED spotlight for $15.99. It works so well that we’re thinking of getting one for the back of the garage to light up the rear of the yard so we can see Cody at night. The lights are so reasonably priced and easily installed that we can simply replace them when they die in a couple of years.

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    • We have a couple battery operated motion security lights that do work pretty well, but we bought these to cover a broad section of the yard. Unfortunately, even though our yard is fully fenced in the back, we have to go out with Maddie. The light is more for us to avoid falling on the ice or snow or stepping something we don’t want to step in. We bought two solar powered ones, but we found that they have a small “accent” feature that can’t be turned off.

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  21. That was some story of customer service. I have one from Costco. We had an espresso maker that we bought from Costco at least seven years ago. The thing quit working so we brought it back to the store. They took it no questions (Our purchase was on record under our account.) The second one also quit so we brought it back. They took it and gave us full credit. We bought a different model and so far all is good. There was never a question about time in service, warranty, or anything like that.

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  23. Don’t ask me which LED lights for the motion detector we bought in 2014. Oh, Hubs thought $40. They’re still working! Am not worrrying about it, who keeps receipts for 5 years? If it were an item of more than 1K, we might….

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  25. “I am not riding Maddie” LOL! It sure looked like it! That poor chipmunk, and his inedible cereal flake. I feel the same way about Special K, although it was my mom’s favorite. I’m a toasted oats (off-brand Cheerios) girl, even though I still have strong memories of my cousin flicking them at me every morning. Soggy ones.

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    • He finally figured it our, Marian, but he was perplexed for a while. I don’t necessarily love Special-K, it works for me. I would prefer Frosted Flakes, but my doctor wouldn’t approve.

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