You know, I like Home Depot. But after reading this article, I don’t like them so much any more.
When a Home Depot executive was told inventor Michael Powell might have a claim against the hardware giant for stealing an invention that keeps store employees safe, his reaction was swift and vulgar.
“(Expletive) Michael Powell,” the executive said. “Let him sue us.”
Nice.
The roughly $25 million judgment could have been avoided had the company agreed in 2004 to pay Powell the $2,000 he offered to charge for each device. That bill would have come to $4 million.
Instead, Hurley said, the firm dispatched workers to duplicate the saw guards Powell allowed them to test in eight stores in Georgia and California.
“It’s sad to say, but Home Depot literally organized a theft of the Powell invention,” he said.
So they flat out stole his invention, because they figured they were so big, their pockets so deep, that they could just steal it and “the little guy” would have no recourse.
What arrogance.
And boy did it cost them, and frankly it sounds like they deserve it.
Of course to pay for it, Home Depot is just going to pass along the costs to their customers by raising prices or other such things. I don’t feel like taking part in that, so I guess Lowes it is. Yes, sometimes I may still have to go to Home Depot… but maybe their execs will learn from this, I can always hope.
Stuff From Hsoi 
Home Depot was, at one time, on the list of companies NRA flagged as “anti-gun” due to policies or donations to anti-gun groups. I don’t shop there.
Lowe’s also lets people bring their dogs in the stores.
Well, that’s one more reason.
The hard part is the 2 Home Depot’s near me, there are a few really good people working at them. At one of the stores there’s this old guy working there who is just awesome. I hate to lose him. Any time I go to Lowes, it’s rare to find anyone to help me, and when I do they’re usually clueless. But back when I lived up in north Austin, I always went to the local Lowes because they had good people. So for me, it’s never really been about the store, it’s been the people and if I can get good help when I need it.
But now, it’s becoming more about the store….
Used to work for a HD, I pretty much never shop there any more, though before I worked there that was my store of choice for general repair supplies.
A similar thing happened to the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper. His efforts to regain his control of his invention even made it into a movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054588/plotsummary
Was talking with my neighbor today and he mentioned the same story. Crazy.
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