Hammacher Schlemmer

Don't buy from Hamnacher Schlemner use Amazon prime. I bought an item costing 79.85 the weight was probly one or two pounds. The shipping was 16.95. The item was a smart phone planetarium.
The item did not work with my Samsung note 8. I now have to pay 10.95 to ship the item back. That is a loss of 27.09 dollars. At Amazon prime I would have free shipping and free returns.

I always felt the prices were very inflated and that the same item could be purchased for much less but never bothered to check as I never wanted to purchased anything. In many instances they state, "only available at HS". Not true! Many are also available for less on Amazon and other sites to their dismay. They admit to brand secrecy but with some detective work and using their descriptions the same items can be found (for much less money) on other sites. Today I found a nail clipper for HALF PRICE on another site! It is identical and the same verbiage describes it!
Fortunately I have never had to deal with their customer service as I read the sad reviews of others who have been robbed by them! If you click on the BBB section of their site and read the reviews you would NEVER order from HS! They lie in their response to BBB and for some reason have gotten away with horrendous business practices for YEARS!
Best advice is caveat emptor! BUYER BEWARE!

I order a rubber alligator (Pool Guarding Gator) that you place in a swimming pool to scare away animals for Mother's Day 2021. My mom woulda love it... HOWEVER it was on back order immediately for EIGHT weeks. When it finally arrived it broke, LITETERALLY in 24 hours on first use. The eyes light up and the battery compartment had a leak and battery fluid dripped into my folks swimming pool. Lovely - right?

After all this BS they want ME to pay for return shipping and have to wait 3 weeks for a return. This company is disgusting.

These lights cost $50 per light (I bought 4 of them - what a waste of $), so I thought they would be of higher quality. To test the longevity of the product, you would have to test them for at least 2 summers, if not longer (I put them away in the winter). Customer service told me that because more than a year had passed, the lifetime guarantee could not be in the form of a refund (they do not state this on their website), but only in the form of a gift certificate to buy some low quality product from them again minus the cost of shipping ($14.95). I sent the lights back in mid July and even after talking to customer service multiple times have not yet received the promised gift card. I have given up. In any case, what would be the point of cluttering my house with another low quality product made in a Chinese factory? The point is, however, to point out that the company is disreputable, making promises they have no intention of keeping and that they sell low quality merchandise for pretty high prices. I cannot even write a review for the product and their appalling service on their website because the specific model that I purchased has been discontinued.

I purchased the 7 1/2 foot Douglas Fir Christmas Tree Prelit - $1100. 00. This has to be the worse tree ever. The limbs are flimsy and the tree limbs are barely covered with Douglas fir. The lights are strung so poorly you can't move the limbs without having to restring the lights. The lights are only on the tips of the limbs not all the way thru the tree. You can see the trunk thru the tree it is so bare even after you fluff it. I will not ever buy from Hammacher Schlemmer again their products haven't gotten cheap and they are deceitful in describing them. Worse tree ever. Money totally lost.

Spend $140.00 and returned item. They kept $30.00 and took a month to see the credit on my statement.
Will not buy from again. Stick with Amazon, Walmart or Target. All with great return policies

Ordered a gift several weeks ago. They now advise me the order won't even be shipped prior to our celebration. When asked about expedited shipping options they disconnected the call.

Hammacher Schlemmer pushes their "Guaranteed for life" mantra, endlessly. It's featured prominently on every item listing page. But the claim is purposely misleading. You have to click through to their "Lifetime Guarantee" page to find out the cost of shipping and a handling is on the customer: "Should any product fail to meet your expectations, we will replace it or refund the cost of the item less shipping and service fees." Shipping and service fees. So if your purchase breaks, is defective from the get-go, or just does not meet expectations, you will have to pay (currently HS's flat-rate return shipping fees are either $11 or $15 depending in weight, but they used to leave it to the customer to pay the full market rate, which could be as much if more than the cost of the item)) to send it back. Hammacher Schlemmer knows this, and they know many buyers won't bother returning items when they have to pay to do so. Furthermore, they do not allow every buyer to write a product review. No wonder most of the product reviews on their website are positive! Deceptive practices.

All of this is particularly galling because if the "honest, old-fashioned American company" image HS promotes. It's a false front. They are as cynical in their business practices as any company out there.

ASHEBA provided excellent customer care when I called in for help with a defected part of a Chirstmas decoration i purchased. Asheba went above and beyond in taking care of my concerns and resolved my issue in a timely matter. Nowadays this sort of Customer care is very hard to find anymore so, I wanted to take the time to share a positive review for Ashesba's exceptional customer care she provided to me.
Thank you Asheba!

I purchased a $230 golf mat for our pool from here in March & unfortunately it was too big for our pool. I immediately called and asked about the steps of returning. Receipt specifically states that you will be refunded via the payment method used as long as it is within a year. Once they received my item back, they sent me a voucher for my refund. I called and spoke with someone named Winston that told me there was nothing they could do about the refund & that I had to use the store credit voucher. I knew that was incorrect and asked if there was anyone else that I could speak with. After being on hold for 10 min, he came back and said the manager would refund my card like my receipts state and it would take 24-48 hours. After 10 days of not receiving it back on my card, called again, spoke with Sherry. She stated they no longer are allowed to give refunds back on cards and that they will mail a check. 2 mos since I originally asked for the refund & I still have not received anything. I definitely will never be purchasing anything else from this company.

So on black Friday I ordered a 18 foot Frosty the Snowman inflatable that came with a projector that played on his belly and I got a deal on another decoration. This was going to be the big wow of my decorations this year and I entered a contest because of it. Well it never came and i emailed them 7 times with no response, asking for my Frosty and then for my money back. They never even returned any emails from me and thank goodness I paid through PayPal so i got my money back but it makes me very mad that they ruined my decorations this year! I waited and waited for their 10 days shipping and had no wow this year. Totally sucks they did that and ty again PayPal. I looked just now and saw they still have it on the website in stock for sale.
BUYER BEWARE! DO NOT ORDER THROUGH THEM!

Be are the Hammacher Schlemmer has an auto sign-up for a rewards program that will charge your credit card 14.95 a month.

Just recently, I noticed this charge after going in to make full payment of my credit card. I thought this was fraud so, I called only to be advised I was in this program. I advised I bought one item in November 2020 for my son for Christmas and that I don't shop the site regularly to warrant rewards. I said this was a shady way of taking money from people without their knowledge, thus this review.

Now for those reading this review, you can say, why didn't you notice early? I agree I should have, and I own my $#*! on that point for not being diligent in reading my statement, but I am sharing this point with you, so you are not like me.

I have requested a full refund which the woman said would be for 6 months, and advised it was 9 months. I will follow up with the results.

Please be aware when you make a purchase here or on any site of the little check box that may be signing you up for something you don't want or need.

CAUTION! Wife ordered an item from this company. It was misrepresented in the catalog. When it arrived item did not work and was nothing like the picture in the catalog. Returned the item to company. Took forever to get the credit and was charged an additional $13.11 plus the returned postage as stated in catalog. BAD, DISHONEST, AND GREEDY COMPANY.

I would normally not spend over $600 on an artificial tree, but decided to based on the company's promise of a lifetime guarantee. I received my tree with the pole sticking out of the box and my first thoughts were that it was going to be too bent and damaged to even put together. The box was too small to hold the bottom part of the tree and I'm not sure why they didn't just put it in a larger box.

Luckily I was still able to get the tree put together and then I find out the speed and mode on the control box does not work. I contact their customer service to ask them to sed a replacement control box. Their response was that the tree is sold out and to ship it back to them. I replied asking if it was they can inspect to see if the tree is defective or if its for a return. They replied that it is for a return. I tried to inform them that I preferred to have a tree for Christmas and would like the option to exchange once they have the tree back in stock, however, my emails are no longer going through. So I called and was hung up on twice by their representative.

Purchased an $800 tree. It stopped working. Customer service sent me to the tech team. After multiple calls and email requests I have still not heard from anyone.

We purchased a phone sanitizer in Nov 2019. The product seemed to really kill the germs working by ultraviolet light rays. We then noticed a crack in the product near the aromatherapy area. We've called and emailed this company multiple times over a three month period. We returned the product over three weeks ago. We've tried to call only to be on hold for long periods and then they answer and disconnect the call. I wish I had done my homework research prior shopping with this company. While Hammacher Schlemmer does sell some of the most interesting items, if you make a purchase and are in need of a return, too much grief will be met to be worthy of purchasing items which may later fail. Do yourself a favor and shop a more reputable company. Hammacher Schlemmer may offer a lifetime warranty but they do not provide service after sale. Please do NOT purchase from this company!

After all this I look them up. Nearly every customer interaction is extremely poor. They are rob and scam people and you will only be added to their list of suckers.

https://www.hammacher.com/product/finnish-butterfly-oasis?promo=search&cmp=cel&trigger=ac&query=finnish

As someone who is concerned about saving Monarch butterflies, I have spent a lot of time researching how to create butterfly gardens which support the Monarch butterfly lifecycle (larvae, pupae, butterfly). The "Finnish Butterfly Oasis" in my opinion is a cash grab which incorporates marketing psychology to compel the innocent patron to purchase. First, Hammacher Schlemmer shows a picture of the product attracting the endangered Monarch butterfly, which exploits the inclination of those who care about the environment to purchase it. Second, Hammacher Schlemmer claims this product is well-established in Finland. Since Americans don't know whether the Finns actually use such a device, we just have to take Hammacher Schlemmer's word for this, don't we?! Third, Hammacher Schlemmer claims this item is "award-winning"... what award, and where?! Fourth, providing sugar water does not provide sustainable nutrition for Monarch butterflies... Most specialists even caution against planting "butterfly bush" weed, as not being sustaining to Monarchs in the long-term. In fact, male Monarchs prefer "salt licks" (pools of salted water) with landing surfaces for the purpose of baking in the sun. As the reviews on the site reflect, none of the people who actually purchased this product have actually *seen* butterflies land on this device, with some in those reviews having actually returned it. This product is a sham.

I have been ordering from H-S for years, and I have noticed a steep decline in all aspects of their business. The biggest problem is the poor quality of their products. Although they are sometimes novel, the design of these products show poor engineering, inferior parts and shoddy manufacturing. At best, their novel products are simply prototypes that require redesign. Their money back policy is a joke. Besides charging exorbitant shipping, they give you a store credit instead of a refund, and you have to pay equally exorbitant return shipping. Also the shipping time is unacceptably long. In carefully going through their catalog on a recent return, I couldn't find anything worth buying. Their so-called panel of experts who rate certain products as the best in the world is simply a fraud. Many of their products are grossly overpriced, and they hide the name of the manufacturer to make it difficult to buy a product elsewhere at a much cheaper price. They try to cater to snob appeal to sell their inferior products, which I find annoying. In short, it's time for this outmoded outfit to shutter its doors. The market will force them to do it eventually.

I was enticed by the lifetime warranty on the products. BUT 1. The products cost upwards of 25% more than buying it elsewhere. 2. You pay for shipping on buying and returning each time.
Example: Hammacher singing peek-a-boo pachyderm 39.95 +7.95 shipping = $. 47.90. To Return $10 ( more for heavier items). If u reorder the same product shipping is free, but if there is a price increase u have to pay for the difference.

If u don't order the same product or it is no longer available, on return the credit to your account is $39.95-$10= $29.95.
To buy another product using just the gift certificate, you would have to order something worth $22.00... and so on until there is no more credit.
On another website the Singing elephant is $29.99. Free shipping. So you paid $17.95 more for the exact same product. Plus if you return it, $10 is deducted for shipping.
In addition you have to deal with H & S customer service. They are very polite, which is great. However 17 emails and 14 phone calls later. My return has not been credited to my account. H&S received it 2 months ago.
I went to Costco the next time.

The handheld vacuum ORUVIO MODEL 8558. The ion 3 cell battery is not holding a charge.
I use in for 60 seconds, then the vacuum quits working, I have put it on the charger many, many, times
And the battery won't recharge.

Dealing with Hammacher Schlemmer was a very disappointing experience. I was very excited at first as so many of their products look lovely online. I subscribed as a new customer so that I could receive and use their $15 off coupon. I received the coupon and applied it to my purchase of a $100 Color Morphing Illuminated Orb, checked-out via paypal, and all was good. I immediately received an email from Hammacher Schlemmer showing the purchase with discount applied. A day later when they went to ship the product, they altered my paypal purchase amount and increased the amount charged to me by $15 (basically removed the coupon, sent me a new invoice and shipped the product). I didn't even realize that could be done! I did not approve the price increase. I consider this activity fraudulent.

I called to discuss the issue, it was extremely difficult dealing with foreign customer support staff. They repeatedly told me they did not see my original invoice. After several phone calls and my emailing them the original invoice, they said they would refund the up-charge. Three WEEKS later I received check in the mail reimbursing me for the unapproved increase to my bill.

I ended up returning the product as I do not wish to do business with companies like this.

The first Christmas tree I ordered was supposed to come in two days. Four days later, it hadn't arrived, so I called. The answer? "Oh, that's out of stock." I selected another tree. It came in two days--with the wrong color lights. On the next call, I was promised the correct tree would be there two days later. At the four day mark, no tree. I called again and was told, "it won't be delivered until Monday (four days later).

I specifically spoke with the rep that this tree should be again sent with second-day shipping at no cost to me and that was confirmed. This order should not have been a problem, yet here we are! In frustration, I told them to cancel the order and refund my money.

Initiating the refund wasn't a problem. What was a problem, is when I asked when the refund would appear on my statement. I was told "three weeks." When I said that was unacceptable, the response was, "that's policy."

My promise to the rep was to never do business with this company again and to give them bad reviews and comments whenever the company's name came up.

The attached photo is return info for the tree sent with the wrong color lights.

Ordered a pricey item online in September. Received email a couple of weeks later saying item backordered and they would ship when available. Finally called again when I saw the item was still being offered in the December catalog. Customer service said my card was declined, so mthey canceled the order. I asked if they tried to charge the card a second time. Answered NO. I asked if they had a record of notifying me of this problem. Answered NO. My card was never declined, because Citicard ALWAYS notifies you when a charge is declined. I got no communication from Citicard. So Hammacher did not contact me, did not try a second time, and simply killed my order. I asked for a supervisor, but of course "no one was available", so they said one would call me back. Of course no one ever called me back. Three days ago I received an email from them saying my card was declined so they canceled my order. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. THEY'RE A BAD JOKE.