“I bought a 12 volt cordless tire inflator whose battery failed in less than a year. They agreed to send a replacement battery, then advised it was no longer available. They offered to replace the unit with an improved version and better battery but instead sent another old unreliable model after saying in writing a new version was to be sent. Now they want me to pay the difference in cost for the new version despite acknowledging their original error and promise. BTW, each process takes close to two months which is likely how long the refund will now take. This company lacks integrity and has no respect for loyal customers. Shop elsewhere as others on this review thread have said.”
“I cannot warn anyone enough to stay away from HS. First, you are paying A LOT more for things that you can often get from other companies. You are paying a premium for their "lifetime guarantee", which is not worth the paper it is written on. I have had two, or maybe three, instances now where they screwed me over on their bogus guarantee. They will use any excuse to get out of honoring it, so BE WARNED.
If you doubt me, look at their reviews on Google. 3.8 on Google itself, but 1.5 on sitejabber, and 1.6 on Trustpilot (with 80% being 1-star reviews).”
“BEWARE! Use Amazon instead.
Ordered the World's Best Tabletop Prelit Fraser Fir. Item: 56440 WHI for a gift. The retail price was $84.96 on November 6, 2023. That evening, I cancelled the order, spoke to a rep. They shipped it anyway! I complained. No problem they claimed, just refuse the package or take it to UPS to return for a refund. That's what I did. My checking account indicates that they charged me $110 keeping $18.90 for themselves. Now they are refusing to refund the total amount. Not acceptable! I will continue to complain until this is resolved. The package was never opened, although I did reinforce the tape that was coming off the package.
Date of experience: November 06, 2023 THIS IS A RIP-OFF COMPANY!”
“Hammacher Schlemmer is a complete rip off. They say 100% satisfaction guaranteed and life time warranty which is a complete lie. I bought a rechargeable fan so I did not have to use the cord. It stopped working so I contacted them for a replacement and I found a $59 fee on by charge card. I have called customer service 2 times and each time they say there is a fee for postage which is fine and that the rest of the fee is part of the swap. They will not let me talk to a manager and at this point I have paid 50% of the replacement cost for something that should have been free. All I can say is "unbelievable" and this has got to be illegal. For saying 100% satisfaction guarantee and all they have made me is furious!!”
“BE WEARY! Don't trust them with your returns - they will tell you to send it. They keep it and do not refund or exchange.
I bought an item from Hammacher Schlemmer on 12/20 for $127.33. They shipped the product to me. On 7/23 one of the parts cracked. I sent them an email and made a phone call wanting to purchase a replacement part. They found my order and told me that I had to return the item and they would issue me a new one, because they do not have replacement parts. There would be no problem. They pulled up an order number and sent an email with a link for this order to get a return shipping label. I followed the instructions; they received the item for exchange on 7/28/23. I contacted them to check the status on 8/23/23. They told me that the order was cancelled, never sent, there was no payment. The Visa they had on record card they had on record for the order was not mine. Yet I had received the merchandise that I paid for and used until it broke and sent back to them.
After several phone calls & emails telling them that I never had the card they said was declined and cancelled to process the exchange. All they wanted was that card as proof of purchase.
They confirmed that they would not send an item if the credit card was declined and, I need the correct number of the credit card that did pay for the item that was sent to me.
They now have the item back and are holding it hostage, even though I paid for it completely No other company or place that I know of sells this product besides Hamacher Schlemmer. They need to make this right and give me back the item I purchased.”
“I ordered an item which was never shipped to me. When I contacted customer service, I was informed that the item is on backorder until mid-June. The order was placed in mid-April, but Hammacher Schlemmer did not have the professionalism to notify me of any delay. I am very disappointed in this company.”
