I guess there's no getting around the "you get what you pay for" axiom.
A couple of months ago I bought a desk from Office Max to use as a reloading bench. I needed something that looked better than a work bench or homemade 2"x4" bench, since it was going in my office and would be visible to company.
I finally decided that I'd get it assembled this weekend so I could reload for next weekend.
In the online reviews of the desk, people complained that it took them five hours to assemble it. Bah. I've rebuilt cars and motorcycles, knocked out walls, done all sorts of things. Shouldn't take long, right?
Wrong. It took me more than five hours to assemble on Saturday. Everything was in pieces. Nothing was even partially assembled. The only thing the factory did was cut the pieces, drill some holes, and apply the "ebony" finish. I'm surprised it didn't come with a template and a jig saw.
After getting it assembled, I found that the drawers wouldn't close. The pre-drilled holes for the drawer glides were way off. My back was screaming, so I put the drawers off until today.
It took me the better part of the day to get the drawers to fit. I probably drilled fifty new holes as I moved the glides around until everything was aligned properly.
Then I had to take a black sharpie and go over all of the edges of the "ebony" finish to hide the edges of the paper. I'm sure this finish won't last for more than two or three reloading sessions. I'll have to find a rubber or vinyl mat to cover the desktop.
The only thing I can say is that it was cheap, something I couldn't say about a special-order Anderson storm door that also came completely unassembled, and took an entire day to put together and hang.
I'd complain about Office Max but, as long as there's dolts like me trying to find something for nothing, what are they supposed to do?
