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Update: The hardware store that banned me for 'unauthorized wiring advice'

I popped into the Ace Hardware on Elm Street last Saturday to grab some 12/2 Romex, figuring I'd just be in and out. But then I saw they had a whole display of those cheap push-in wire connectors, the ones I've been telling people to avoid for years because they fail on high-load circuits. A guy was standing there comparing them to the older screw-type connectors, and he looked pretty confused. So I just walked over and told him, 'Hey man, for a ceiling fan or a microwave circuit, you really want the screw kind, those push-ins can loosen up over time and cause a fire hazard.' Didn't think anything of it, friendly advice, right? Well, the store manager overheard me, came over and said I was giving out 'unauthorized electrical advice' on their floor and asked me to leave. They actually banned me for 90 days. I get that they don't want liability, but it's just honest talk between two guys in an aisle. Has anyone else been kicked out of a store for just helping someone out?

3 comments

3 Comments

burns.ruby2d ago

Think about the liability from the other direction. What happens if that guy buys the push-in connectors, his microwave circuit overheats, his house catches fire, and his insurance finds out he was advised by an off-duty contractor on Ace's floor? They could sue Ace for letting a non employee give dangerous advice on their property. So banning you is weirdly fair, but it also means Ace should have a policy of letting customers know why their product display is set up that way. Instead they just bank on people not knowing better and buying the cheap stuff.

harperwright2d ago

Ugh that's a solid point actually, and now I'm just picturing myself getting sued by some dude's insurance company while holding a wire nut like "please sir I was just trying to help." lmao. Really makes you wonder if Ace even has any kind of training for their actual employees on stuff like this, or if they just let everyone wing it until someone gets banned or burned. The whole situation is such a mess that it's almost funny, but then you remember houses and fires and suddenly it's not so funny anymore.

brookerobinson2d ago

Wait, hold on - "non-employee giving dangerous advice on their property" changes everything I thought about this. So Ace is basically saying "we don't want to be responsible for what you say" but they're also not training their own people to say the right thing either? That's just wild to me (and honestly kind of backwards). It's like they're protecting themselves from one lawsuit while leaving the door wide open for another one, you know? And the craziest part is that the guy with the push-in connectors walked away thinking he got good advice from a "pro" (even though you were off the clock and not even working there). Someone's definitely going to get burned eventually, and it won't be the house.