HTG...Buyer BEWARE!!!!!

A PACK OF LIES?? It sounds more like ONE simple misunderstanding. TONY said that he would send you a LABEL to send the unit back. This is the same thing that happened to me for a different product. I was given the same choices you were, they would either send me a UPS label and I could send it back and they would replace it upon receipt of the defective unit, OR, I could "buy" a new unit and they would refund me when the bad unit arrived back. Now I can see when you need a ballast, you would be forced to BUY a new one......This is NOT at all unreasonable. I think what most likely happened is that you misunderstood that they were going to send you a new unit, before you sent the old unit back. When I asked them, they told me that this policy had been in place since the beginning of the year because too many JACKASSES ruined their old policy of actually being able to trust the customer to send it back. I had heard they were just getting burned too bad by dishonest people that ruin it for the rest of us.
LOOK, it would have been the same exact situation buying from any local hydro shop, you would have had to return the bad unit before you got a new unit. It is well within your right to try to burn HTG because you had a problem, but the amount of hate you got going on now just seems a bit overboard. You should step back and look at things from the big picture. Is it good business policy to "lie" to a customer - NO - so I would tend to think that it was a misunderstanding and not a "pack of lies".
 

demonic1

Well-Known Member
I do not agree that most house brand stuff is shit. I have always found most house brand stuff to be of decent quality. Most companies that stamp there name on stuff, usually research and test the quality of the stuff they put there name on before they put there name on it. In addition, to the person who said they would only buy a Lumatek, what makes you think they are any better? Is it just the name? I have heard just as many stories of Lumatek ballast going bad as other brands. I am sure Lumatek does not manufacture there own ballast but just stamp there name on it too.
 

Rocky Top High

Well-Known Member
A PACK OF LIES?? It sounds more like ONE simple misunderstanding. TONY said that he would send you a LABEL to send the unit back. This is the same thing that happened to me for a different product. I was given the same choices you were, they would either send me a UPS label and I could send it back and they would replace it upon receipt of the defective unit, OR, I could "buy" a new unit and they would refund me when the bad unit arrived back. Now I can see when you need a ballast, you would be forced to BUY a new one......This is NOT at all unreasonable. I think what most likely happened is that you misunderstood that they were going to send you a new unit, before you sent the old unit back. When I asked them, they told me that this policy had been in place since the beginning of the year because too many JACKASSES ruined their old policy of actually being able to trust the customer to send it back. I had heard they were just getting burned too bad by dishonest people that ruin it for the rest of us.
LOOK, it would have been the same exact situation buying from any local hydro shop, you would have had to return the bad unit before you got a new unit. It is well within your right to try to burn HTG because you had a problem, but the amount of hate you got going on now just seems a bit overboard. You should step back and look at things from the big picture. Is it good business policy to "lie" to a customer - NO - so I would tend to think that it was a misunderstanding and not a "pack of lies".
Look, as I have said, IF they would of told me that in order to get the ballast I would need to either send the old one back FIRST or buy a replacement and get reimbursed, I would of paid for the new ballast and moved on. Again, I have NO problem with that policy. However, the truth of the matter is I was TOLD that they would send a new ballast out and I could use the box and new lable to send the old one back. I was TOLD this TWICE, by 2 different workers. The second actually apologized for the delay and said it was going to be shipped on that Friday (May 15).

After 2 weeks of being promised a new ballast was "on it's way" I find out that their policy changed and that there was a new set of rules to play by. When I offered my card number to assure payment, I was told they was afraid I would cancel the card and they would NOT be paid. What the fuck does that mean?

Hey, maybe you are reading "hate" in my post. I promise, aint no hate here. Only disappointment. I don't want to go find another supply house for my growing needs but thats the way it is. As a matter of fact, I have already decided to spend all my money locally. HTG Supply will be fine without my business. They actually said so. I just want everyone on this forum to be very wary of HTG aand the lies they tell their customers. There was no need for the lies but they made their bed so now they can sleep in it. Unless they change the way they treat customers, they will be out of business in no time.
 

doktordoris

Active Member
A PACK OF LIES?? It sounds more like ONE simple misunderstanding. TONY said that he would send you a LABEL to send the unit back. This is the same thing that happened to me for a different product. I was given the same choices you were, they would either send me a UPS label and I could send it back and they would replace it upon receipt of the defective unit, OR, I could "buy" a new unit and they would refund me when the bad unit arrived back. Now I can see when you need a ballast, you would be forced to BUY a new one......This is NOT at all unreasonable. I think what most likely happened is that you misunderstood that they were going to send you a new unit, before you sent the old unit back. When I asked them, they told me that this policy had been in place since the beginning of the year because too many JACKASSES ruined their old policy of actually being able to trust the customer to send it back. I had heard they were just getting burned too bad by dishonest people that ruin it for the rest of us.
LOOK, it would have been the same exact situation buying from any local hydro shop, you would have had to return the bad unit before you got a new unit. It is well within your right to try to burn HTG because you had a problem, but the amount of hate you got going on now just seems a bit overboard. You should step back and look at things from the big picture. Is it good business policy to "lie" to a customer - NO - so I would tend to think that it was a misunderstanding and not a "pack of lies".

Hmmmmm.

Does anyone else find it odd that someone started posting here just to defend HTG?

This chaps first 3 posts were posts saying that HTG are great.

Smells a bit dodgy to me.

And after the OP had spent 5K USD with HTG I would expect that they would post him a new unit before they recieved the old one.

I dont live in the US but if I did I would never buy from HTG after reading how they treated the OP.
 

DownOnWax

Well-Known Member
The problem I have had with HTG Supply was the slow shipping and lack of customer service.

Sometimes it is hard to get through to that company on the phone and they do not answer your emails AT ALL!!! I got a little irritated that it took them a over 2 weeks to ship my package but I was more irritated by the fact they did Nothing to let me know what was going on.

All in all a brief message, email, etc. would have made the situation 100% better. And I agree that all companies make mistakes but what seperates the good ones from the bad is how they correct their mistakes.

I don't think you are expressing hate RTH, I react the same way when a person or company tells me one thing and does not do it. It seems that some companies don't have enough sense of urgency to realize that time is money.
 

Rocky Top High

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys and Ladies for the support. I have no agenda other than trying to get the information about vendors we all use. This forum is awesome for info, both good and bad, and I just want to make sure this community is kept up to date on these vendors. Thanks again for the supprt and understanding.
 

laserbrn

Well-Known Member
This thread is nine months old...
As a follow up to this. I placed an order with them last Tues and according to my UPS tracking it's out for delivery already today.

Considering what I just paid for 2x 600w lamps, ballasts and reflector I have no complaints. It was going to cost me almost double to go through the local hydro shop and get a shitty magnetic ballast! I ordered mine from HTG with Lumatek digitals! I also called them twice over the phone and both times they were very helpful and I didn't have any trouble getting through.

I know it isn't everyones experience, but I've found that those with bad experiences tend to write about them, and those that have good experiences often forget to share.
 
As a follow up to this. I placed an order with them last Tues and according to my UPS tracking it's out for delivery already today.

Considering what I just paid for 2x 600w lamps, ballasts and reflector I have no complaints. It was going to cost me almost double to go through the local hydro shop and get a shitty magnetic ballast! I ordered mine from HTG with Lumatek digitals! I also called them twice over the phone and both times they were very helpful and I didn't have any trouble getting through.

I know it isn't everyones experience, but I've found that those with bad experiences tend to write about them, and those that have good experiences often forget to share.
Been hearing alot of negative things about HTGs digi ballasts and HTG said Lumateks are worse. I heard the cable co. WILL come knocking. Any thoughts on this?
 

Banditt

Well-Known Member
Is it possible someone could please help me, ive read the problems with root and nutrient burn from using mg and all the possible cures but theres so many i dont know which one to choose, ive got 4 plants in mg, their about 600mm tall and 1 week away from the 7 weeks to flowering quote. About 2 weeks ago the bottom leafs of each plant started to yellow around the edges, i was told to flush plants through and up the humidity. The bottom leafs have turned yellow now and its starting on the next leafs up the root, ive been flushing each plant with 4 pints of lukewarm water per day for over a week from the tap, no adatives, the waters soft up north. The plants seem to be growing at a rapid rate since giving them 4 pints per day, they are in 7litre 10"pots, got drainage, got fresh air, got the table fan, their under a 600w hid lamp and its 25c. Only got 4 and their feminised, dont want to loose them, please help me if you can. P.S. Dont know what the PH is. Cheers, st200
lol off topic much? :-o


EDIT: haha I just noticed how old this thread is :P
 

rudy.racoon

Well-Known Member
I am not sure who dug up this thread, but I have had nothing but good luck with HTG and dealing with them. But I do know, some of the products that are passed off as a HTG brand are made by a different company. Take for instance there fan controller, Its badged as HTG, but can get the same one at Harbor Freight.

But I was not on the phone, so i am not sure what or what was not said, but any company i have dealt with fualty items have always required me to A. Sent the product back, or B. they send me one right away with a credit card hold. If they dont receive it x days they charge.

So I dont know what type of business you expect, but if I owned one i will never ship any product with some type of payment to cover my ass. It sounds like you talked to more than one person, so who knows if there a communciation error or not.
 

DillWeed

Well-Known Member
Been hearing alot of negative things about HTGs digi ballasts and HTG said Lumateks are worse. I heard the cable co. WILL come knocking. Any thoughts on this?
What the fuck are you talking about? What the hell does the cable company have to do with ballasts? Unless you mean the electric company, in which case they, themselves will never directly knock on your door.
 

laserbrn

Well-Known Member
Been hearing alot of negative things about HTGs digi ballasts and HTG said Lumateks are worse. I heard the cable co. WILL come knocking. Any thoughts on this?
I haven't heard many negative things about either one of them, but I would rather go with the Lumatek (who's trying to make a place for themselves in the market) over HTG's (who appears to be some guy named Tony working out of his garage from the way he presents the company). It's a matter of which I would put more faith in, but either one of them could equally be junk. I've read lots of people's reviews of lumateks and other than problem 3 or 4 years ago it's been pretty good reviews and the price point is hard to beat.
 
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