Sears Rant

My neighbor was getting a free vinyl siding estimate from Sears. Free? Can I get one too?

The contractor representing Sears had lots of credentials and experience but is $10,000 estimate was just too high for me at the time. A few years later, after pumping heat out the walls and watching the curtains blow in the winter (with the windows closed) I called the guy.

Same contractor, same workmanship but cost was $6000.

????

He said "No Sears sign". Sears gets $4k for the sign?

I'm smarter now.

wbjones wrote: any way to use an outside , regulated 12v power supply and patch it in..?

nope-the motherboard is more complicated than learning Latin in Japanese...I already looked. I have an old PC power supply, but the OEM unit on the TV is soldered in place on the board with no wires, and the connections are effing tiny - I dont trust myself working on connections that small.

If anyone is interested, its an Olevia brand

You guys sure pay a lot for fridges.

We buy all our appliances from a local hardware store that somehow morphed into the appliance supplier for the whole area. Service is great, delivery is free, and the prices are better than any big box store.

I learned a big box store lesson lately. I'm redoing my kitchen, and replacing the windows. I measured up the first one, found one really close at HD, and grabbed it. I ripped the old one out, rebuilt the frame and installed the new one. I didn't know what to do with the other one, because it was an odball size, so I called a local window guy. He told me that you can buy windows in any size, in 1/16" incrememnts (remove the old glass, slide the new window in on the old frame, and call it a day), and that he can supply me with a better quality window, at about 75% of the HD price.

Just like stereo equipment, the big box lumber stores get cheaper models, but charge the same prices. I'll buy my nails, and screws at the big box stores, but nothing else.

914Driver wrote: My neighbor was getting a free vinyl siding estimate from Sears. Free? Can I get one too? The contractor representing Sears had lots of credentials and experience but is $10,000 estimate was just too high for me at the time. A few years later, after pumping heat out the walls and watching the curtains blow in the winter (with the windows closed) I called the guy. Same contractor, same workmanship but cost was $6000. ???? He said "No Sears sign". Sears gets $4k for the sign? I'm smarter now.

Pretty much same as me. I called Sears and the quote was 10K 18 years ago. I called a couple of others and it was $6K.

I didn't even waste my time when we went for high efficency windows.

Sidings' easy enough I discovered when a friend of mine decided it was time to reside his house. A couple of circular saws, a really trick jig made from the packing crates for the siding, and some hammers and throwing things off the roof later, we had siding.

SW Ontario, is a little bit far for me to go to get my appliances