As mentioned in the title, I made the mistake of ordering a Beta Tools SuperTank rolling cabinet from Wayfair.
Wayfair invited me numerous times to join their affiliate program, but I haven’t done so.
I was shopping for Beta tool cabinets recently, and Wayfair had the C28 SuperTank for less money than anywhere else.
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I have immediate use for this. I can’t find any reviews. I still have some tool sample funds for 2025. So, I ordered one.
I’ve also wanted to get my hands on a Beta SuperTank since it looked like this.
And then it looked like this before they switched to a dark grey frame.
I placed my order a week ago. It didn’t ship yet, presumably because of the holiday.
Last night, when determining if this was the right choice, I saw that the Beta C28 SuperTank is made in China.
The smaller RSC24 rolling cabinet I tested, and the 2 more I also recently ordered, are made in Italy.
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At this pricing I can buy USA-made or even a made-in-Germany rolling workbench. Or test a couple of other storage products from other brands.
It didn’t ship out yet.
So I requested cancellation.
Wayfair sent an automated message saying they couldn’t cancel it.
I called them up.
Wayfair says that “the seller rejected the cancellation.” Huh? Wayfair makes no mention of this on the product page, that they’re not the seller.
So who is the seller? Where is it shipping from? They either don’t know or cannot tell me.
Can they tell me where it’s manufactured? Nope.
They said that I could return it after it arrives. Nope. I’m not accepting a large freight delivery, leaving it in the driveway, and then waiting for return pickup in winter.
They ultimately said they’ll jot down the order number, follow up when it ships, reroute it, and then give me a refund.
I haven’t been charged yet, it hasn’t shipped yet, and yet they cannot cancel. They can’t tell me who the seller is, or where it’s shipping from.
As if that wasn’t enough, Wayfair has been inundating me with annoying marketing emails.
It would have cost me more to order from other sellers, but it might have been far less of a headache.
I changed my mind after 6 days, that’s on me. But as the tool cabinet hasn’t been loaded onto a truck yet, and hasn’t even been charged yet, they should just be able to cancel it.
There’s more.
I emailed a Beta Tools USA contact, asking if they were the seller/shipper. The email bounced back. I emailed someone else at Beta Tools USA, and that email bounced too.
It looks like everyone I communicated with at Beta Tools USA has left the company. That’s not a good sign.
I checked my Zoro order – the smaller cabinets haven’t shipped out either, and are “delayed.” So I requested cancellation there too, but it might take a day or two to hear back. Zoro said they’re scheduled to ship out tomorrow, and if that still happens then to accept delivery and then do a return. If they arrive safe and sound I’ll keep them because they are good cabinets.
At this time I’ve got very little faith in Beta Tools USA, which might not even exist anymore outside of a shipping warehouse somewhere, and even less in Wayfair.
Looking online, all I see are negative reviews about Wayfair, and so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.
I thought Beta Tools was expanding their USA footprint, but it seems they’re retracting, which isn’t good if you need parts or support in the future.
Further down my shopping list was Gedore, Homak, and Sunex.
Cancelling the Beta SuperTank allows – or would allow – me to give Gedore a try, or a larger Homak.
There’s so much feedback about Harbor Freight Icon and US general, Husky at Home Depot, and Craftsman and Kobalt at Lowe’s. Plus, you can visit those stores and check things out for yourself.
So I thought it’d be a good idea to further explore Beta and then maybe other brands. Unfortunately, this experience is proving that there are reasons to stick with popular retail stores and their house brands.
I’m still going to test out more brands of tool storage, but maybe I’ll slow down with my purchasing decisions.
Frankly, I can’t understand why an order that hasn’t been charged or loaded onto a truck yet cannot be cancelled. Really, how many people are ordering Beta tool cabinets these days?
But what I find unreasonable is how Wayfair can’t tell me 1) where the product is made (Zoro says China), and 2) where the product is shipping from.
I hate buying storage products online. Even without this hassle – which I know is my own doing – it’s so stressful. When will it be delivered? Will there be a lift gate? Is there a high likelihood for shipping damage? How easy will shipping damage or other issues be resolved?
Beta Tools USA has advertised that the SuperTank workbench has “Italian design, European quality.” How was I supposed to know it’s manufactured in China?
I thought I cancelled in time, but apparently not.
“The seller rejected the cancellation.” Wayfair said they can reroute it since I don’t want to deal with more phone calls, scheduled delivery, and then scheduled pickup.
But apparently the seller is still going to place it on a truck, it’s going to go on a ride, and then end up back at the seller. I’ll get charged and then get a full refund – according to Wayfair.
And all that is apparently better than just not putting it on a truck?
Buyer’s remorse is my mistake, but it’s the overall situation that really frustrates me.
I guess we’ll see how things work out. Maybe this will end up being a positive experience with Wayfair.
Bombast
Three countries/regions named in their branding and advertising, and none linked to manufacturing. That’s a red flag I think.
Al-another-Al
Sadly, any time I see a geographic location mentioned that is not “made in”, it’s a giant red flag for being made in a cheap part of the world, nowhere near you. Even Apple did this, as if ‘designed in California’ means anything for the average person needing a job.
Frank D.
Wayfair is not our first stop for online ordering; but they have been good to us, with a couple products that had issues and also with freight shipping damage. But then the products were either from their warehouse or direct from a manufacturer warehouse in the US. Issues were resolved favorably.
But I don’t like hearing that an unshipped order cannot be cancelled and that seemingly nobody has contact with the reseller or manufacturer.
Avi
For everytime we catch it there will always be one time we get bit. but in hindsight it should be obvious that anytime it says
Designed in location A
Or location B quality
It is anything but location A or B and it’s just legalese marketing hyperbole
And everything about it is the worst case scenario
I first remember seeing designed in USA on a motorcycle jacket in 2008
avi
*edit
And that doesn’t make it right or just. It just is the way of the world
Terry S
I have had mixed experience with Wayfair in the past, but I am talking about furniture and a big double vanity for a bathroom. I have seen the toolboxes advertised but was always skeptical of buying a toolbox from a company that specializes in other domestic hard goods.
But back to toolboxes. May I suggest the Tekton line of tool cabinets? The design is more conventional than the Beta, but they are made in Canada by Rousseau and the drawer carriers (they are not technically “slides”) are pretty clever.
I bought one a few years ago when I got a bonus from work (the good ole days, alas) and they Tekton was giving 20% back in cash to spend on their tools. I have the seven-drawer, 60-inch cabinet. The price has increased 25% (fun times with tariffs) but it is also three inches deeper than when I bought it.
I can’t afford or justify a Snap-On box, and the Waterloo/Craftsman boxes are just not that beefy. So, a Canadian-made box scratches that itch for me. The goal was to make this the last tool cabinet I ever purchase, and I think this one will do just that. I am very satisfied after spending a ridiculous amount of time researching and comparing boxes, including seemingly every name under the sun and used boxes from the tool truck guys.
Stuart
I still haven’t parted with my Tekton test sample – https://toolguyd.com/tekton-rolling-tool-cabinets-raise-the-bar/ .
I considered another Tekton, or a Rousseau Metal box from MSC Direct or elsewhere.
The Tekton has wheels but is not very mobile – it’s a massive heavy box. It’s also taller and not suitable for certain types of work.
The SuperTank has different mixed storage type options, and that always appealed to me.
“Will I work behind it?” If not, there are plenty of mobile cabinets with drawers on one face and solid back. Some have pegboard or similar on the sides.
As for the depth, Tekton has 27″ and 30″ depth cabinets.
In the past year and a half, the 60″ x 30″ split bank went from $4750 to $4950, which isn’t dramatic.
Tekton drawers can be divided, but I also like having smaller drawers for certain categories. They’re not soft-close and the depth doesn’t work well for certain things. That’s fine for most tools and supplies, but if I want a drawer for precision measuring tools, there might be no option but to have it shared with socket and wrench sets that can add a lot of mass to the opening and closing.
Ordering Rousseau cabinets – they make the Tekton boxes – is an option, but then I need to figure out leveling feet options or building a platform, custom ordering, and long waits.
I also know I can recommend Tekton without much reservation, and felt compelled to try something new.
I’ve been pining for a Beta Super Tank for more than 16 years, https://toolguyd.com/beta-tools-now-available-via-small-parts-amazon/ and that clouded my judgement a bit.
That said, I might order more Tekton cabinets in place of wall cabinets, as they can be moved if (seldomly) needed.
Terry S
Great points. My box lives next to a wall and only moves every couple of years when I get a new standing tool and need to rethink the single garage bay workshop, lest it get too crowded.
I bought the seven-drawer box because I so often found myself jammed up with a typical box’s one long, deep drawer and lots of smaller drawers. Wrenches, for instance, don’t require a deep drawer, but I like having, for instance, all of the different SAE or metric ones in the same drawer. Torque wrenches, breaker bars, long straight edges and the like require the long drawers. Trays and tool-specific organizers really help out in terms of organization.
I actually have one drawer dedicated to precision/measuring tools, which I’d also rather not get bounced around by the heavy weight of other tools or the non-soft close you mention. Compromise, I suppose.
I paid $2950 for the 60 x 24; the 60 x 27 is now $3975 five years later. It was a few hundred bucks cheaper last time I checked. Again, I am pleased with the 24-inch depth. I really wanted nothing more than 25 niches sticking into the space I use it in. So, no envy of the newer boxes from me.
There are multiple U.S.-based companies that sell storage solution using Rousseau cabinets, too. As I understand it, they have a lot of auto dealership customers, too.
Av
Stuart – I think it’s worth emphasizing here that Wayfair has it for MUCH cheaper — $1000 less than other retailers like Amazon. Because my first impression on the title was “why the heck would he order tools from Wayfair?” (immediately followed by “should I be ordering tools on Wayfair?”)
When you look at Wayfair’s title for the sister RSC24 cabinet, it says “Beta RSC24 Heavy Duty Rolling Tool Cabinet, 7 Drawers, Ball Bearing Slides, Rubber Mat Liners, 5″ Casters, Anti-Fall Edge Worktop, 1760 lbs Load Capacity, Made in , 29.13″ L x 17.52″ W x 38.15″ H” and it never completes the country of origin.
Finally, this tracks with the issues I have had with other retailers like eBay. Even when I select “North America only” for sellers on ebay, retailers from China still show up in my searches. And because of eBay’s draconian return policy to China, it becomes *critical* to identify the point of origin before I buy.
My point to all of this is that I am encountering that Amazon is quickly becoming the only major online-only retailer that has a return policy worth a damn, and it’s been driving a lot of my recent non-tool or fringe-tool purchases to either Amazon or brick and mortar stores.
Stuart
Zoro with 20% coupon ($500 max savings) almost came close, but the difference was still enough for me to take the risk with Wayfair.
The RSC24 is made in Italy – I was able to confirm this last year, and Zoro also advertises it as such.
For the tool cart sold at Tractor supply, “designed and manufactured in Italy.”
Amazon can also be difficult with returns. There were 2 instances last year where I had to do credit card disputes because they processed the return and wanted me to wait 30 days for a refund.
Julian Tracy
I had a Homak branded toolcart a few years ago and was very impressed. In fact, I took one of the drawers to a harbor freight to try and match up the orange color (not a match) and it was striking how much heavier gauge the Homak drawer was than a similar sized US General drawer. No doubt that Homak tool cart was made in China, but I didn’t care as I bought it used and I would also be ok with a US general box… having said that, my current box is 90’s vintage Snap On 51” double bank
David Z
Did I miss it, or did you only try communicating with Beta US via your contacts, versus more general methods? Saying they may not exist seems kind of a harsh leap unless you had a lot of contacts and you didn’t try other means.
David Z
Well, it seems betatoolsusa.com just redirects to their main site. That isn’t true for all the other countries.
Stuart
There are no other methods. I brought this up to them when we spoke a while ago.
The last time I contacted Beta Tools USA via public means, no one ever got back to me. So I contacted Beta Tools with a customer question, they rerouted me to Beta Tools USA, and I eventually heard back from the people I had been trying to contact directly.
There’s no Beta Tools USA website, it reroutes to the international Beta website.
And when I tried calling, nobody picked up. Maybe they have off, but then who rejected the cancellation request? It could have been some other seller, Wayfair can’t tell me who that could be.
Beta Tools USA has no website, every email now bounces.
So if you want to get in touch with them, there’s a phone number that kept ringing (I only tried today), or maybe social media messages.
A lot of brands are like this.
But with a brand like Homak, there’s a website where I find what’s available in the USA, and an easy way to get answers to questions (they responded fairly quickly and in depth).
I thought I’d give some attention to brands that no one else focuses on, and as a customer the process deeply frustrates me. I absolutely hate purchasing friction.
I could email Beta International, and they’ll forward my email to someone at Beta Tools USA. It was annoying when I had to do this 2 years ago.
Only now did I check and see that the 3 people I had previously been in contact with at Beta Tools USA ~2 years ago all have new jobs.
There’s no general email address, no USA website, and the only place to get a customer support number is from an image in one of their social media posts.
My frustration is that I thought things had changed for them.
J. Newell
That is all very frustrating, to say the least…
About the price difference noted above, I wonder if Wayfair is selling a bogus imitation?
I have a lot of better- and high-quality storage…a few years ago I purchased some Husky red storage. All three pieces are very badly overloaded. They’re holding up just great. Sometimes you get lucky? 🙂
If that thing actually shows up in your driveway, is it possible to tell the driver that you’re refusing to accept the delivery?
Stuart
Husky can be good for the money, but for that brand I won’t take the risk on anything I can’t check out in store. Their heavy duty garage storage products were great, but then they changed suppliers and the quality dropped and became extremely sloppy.
When I buy storage, it’s for 10+ years, and I’m okay spending a little more for better quality.
With Wayfair, I didn’t want to have to do that. Refusing can be messy, accepting and returning tends to be recommended. But this would be a very large pallet that I couldn’t move myself. In winter when we can get snow at any time.
With the smaller boxes from Zoro, if they show up and aren’t damaged, I’ll keep them.
Right now – as a customer – I feel very disenchanted with Beta USA and I regret thinking this would be as easy as ordering from Home Depot.
Yadda
Too bad, those Beta boxes look neat.