I keep seeing people return tools that are just dirty, not broken

Was at the library yesterday checking in a drill someone returned and a guy came in complaining the circular saw he borrowed 'didn't work right.' The librarian took one look at it and pulled a chunk of wet sawdust out of the blade guard. That was the whole problem. I see this all the time at my job too people blame the tool when it just needs a basic cleaning. I spent 10 years pressure washing so I know gunk hides everywhere. How do you guys handle folks who bring stuff back saying it's broken but it's just clogged up?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.eva17d ago

My buddy Mike works at a Home Depot rental counter and he told me about a guy who stormed in with a tiller screaming it was "junk." Mike took one look and saw the air filter was caked with mud so bad you couldn't see through it. He popped it off, tapped it on the counter, and a whole clump of dirt fell out. Started right up after that. The guy just stood there looking embarrassed while Mike handed him a spare filter for free.

fisher.taylor17d ago

Saw a video on TikTok a while back where a guy returned a pressure washer that "wouldn't start" and it was literally just clogged with old gas and a dirty air filter. Blew my mind how often that happens. People don't seem to realize that tools need maintenance just like cars do. A little dirt or debris can completely mess up how something works, but it's not the tool's fault. If I borrowed something and it was acting up, I'd probably check for obvious stuff before bringing it back. Most of these problems would take like two minutes to fix with a can of compressed air or a quick rinse.