A good friend and long time customer Jim called me Friday and asked if I could come over and fix his electric range wiring as it was direct wired instead of with a plug and cord he found this out in preparation for new range being delivered on Monday morning from Lowes . Sure no problem I told him some one being cheap doing it that way I would be over Saturday .So I picked up a 50 amp range plug and cord set and get there in the after noon what should have been a 20 minute job ended up a nightmare . Ends up not only had they wired the range with out a proper plug and cord the wiring was undersized. it was 10/3 good for 30 amps and wired improperly with ground and neutral wire together there was no connector allowing wire to rub and get abraded and it had been spliced under the floor some where. It appears this was the 30 amp electric dryer line the kitchen SLOB contractor reused instead of putting in proper wire .Thank God he is dead and not causing more dangerous situations .
This range should have had a minimum of a 8/3 wire for 40 amps and with the new range being even bigger it was imperative the wiring be changed. Well its Saturday all the supply houses are closed we go to Lowes knowing we would pay a little more for the wire but he needed it done. We go back the electrical aisle and see the big sign above the rotating rack with wire samples and locate 8/3 romex with little yellow tag next to it marked $1.18 per ft. OK about 50 cents higher than I pay a foot at supply house cut by foot so he buys 100ft of cable since I had to make a circuitous route around the solid tiled ceiling to get to range .
But when we get to the check out its $2.39 per ft. What the Fuck. I go back and with store clerk here on the actual rack where wire was stored there is a separate sticker of $2.39 you only get the $1.18 price when you buy the 500 ft roll.
needless to say because they did not clearly have this displayed and clerk who pulled wire for us did not advise us this big discrepancy it is clearly a violation of fair trade practices of Pa. consumer protection laws prices have to be clearly posted. I have contacted them and plan to follow thru what ever is needed to see this practice stops and wire is clearly marked. My customer agreed to buy the wire despite getting screwed on the price I told him to wait till Monday morning and I would do it but he needed the wiring ready for new range Monday because he was not going to be there just his wife and was worried they would not wait for me to Finnish it up so they could hook it up on Monday. Some supply house charge a cut fee for loose wire but known of them charges double per foot of wire to cut it this is a clear rip off . Needless to say Lowes will never again see a penny from me in sales. and I am no fan of home depot either having been ripped off several times by them but they did make it right.
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