Palatine True Value - Palatine, Illinois

Steve C

It’s rare these days to be greeted by friendly staff in a hardware store. Instead of shopping at big box stores, I’ve started coming here more frequently because I truly feel valued as a customer. While the prices may not always be the lowest, they’re competitive enough, and the service more than makes up for it. The employees are always helpful, guiding me to exactly what I need. For projects I’m not completely sure about, they point me in the right direction every time. If you live in the neighborhood, I encourage you to support local businesses—it’s the right thing to do.

Chris Lucht

I have been very happy with True Value until the experience that I had today. I try to support the little stores so I brought my window screen to be fixed there in which they did a great job!

I found Yeti cups on sale for $17.50 as well. I was very excited and double checked the price tag to verify that it was written correctly which it was! I picked up a yellow one and took it to the register. The price came up as $19. I told the cashier that it was marked as $17.50 and he called the manager.

The manager was not personable and said it rang up as $19, so that's the price. I said that they should honor the price that it was marked. He said that they go by the price in the system. I suggested that it was false advertisement and he said I don't think you're going to get a lawyer over a $1.50. He was right. I'm not. I paid for the screen, and that was the last time I'll be helping this business out.

Overall, they do good work, but the manager needs improvement on customer service.

Jim Higginbotham

The best customer service I have ever seen. Great people to do business with. They treat you like family. I am really satisfied and will be a customer forever. Keep up the great work

Marian Soliman

This place should be called "Untrue Value"

Be prepared to be ripped off. I bought a circular saw blade for 22$ when every hardware store sells it at 10$ or less.
The greed of this store is ridiculous! Just a matter of time before they go out of business.

Ed Barbour

I will never go back there.

Until 5 Aug 23 I had been shopping at Palatine True Value because it is the closest hardware store to my home and their employees emphasize that the store is locally owned, despite a few previous bad experiences with their rental equipment.

Their prices aren’t competitive but I looked past that because I felt like I was helping a small business survive in the world of big stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot and Amazon but then Saturday 5 Aug happened. On that day, I asked the store manager if they would make key duplicates of a car key I had, using key blanks I bought on line. The manager said their store policy is to not make key duplicates using customer provided key blanks under any circumstances. It was Saturday and I wanted to get these keys taken care of and my usual key place (Henning Brother on NW Highway) is only open Mon-Fri, so I figured the folks at True Value could help me and if their policy didn’t allow it, my 15 years of loyalty might allow for a waiver in policy if I could make them whole on the revenue. I suggested various possible compromises that could make up for them not getting to sell me the key blank as part of the effort, but options like paying them the profit for a key blank I wasn’t buying and paying for the labor to cut the keys with profit on the labor were all rejected. The store manager stood by his position that the only thing they would do is sell me key duplicates made using their blanks for $75 a copy, and that a waiver to policy was within his authority to grant but he wouldn’t consider granting one under any circumstance. On Monday, 7 Aug 23 the nice locksmiths at Henning Brothers on NW Highway, made the duplicates I needed using the blanks I gave them for $8 total.

There are better locally owned hardware stores in Palatine that have a wider inventory of hardware in stock if you want to shop local, like Ace Hardware on NW Highway. Lowe’s on Golf Rd and Home Depot on Dundee have everything and better hours than this place. Amazon is also a viable low price option for most of what this place sells at inflated prices.

Bob K

True Value is one of the great hardware stores around. Great help from all the people there especially the owners. They are polite, friendly and knowledgeable. Usually don't get that at the big stores. I have been going here since they first opened. They have never disappointed me. This is a small hardware store located conveniently in the neighborhood. There product selection is amazingly diverse considering their size. Prices are also very fair. True Value has helped me many times with solutions throughout the years. I can see, feel, hold and examine things at the store with their help. Then buy it and bring it home right away. I cannot do that with Amazon. Great store.

Timothy Brannan

Great local hardware store that has always had what I needed. Prices might be *slightly* higher, but this more than offset by super helpful and friendly staff and convenient location. And they are a locally own business and if the last year or so (2020) has taught me anything it has been support your local businesses.
So yes. Great local hardware store.

Edited to add: 2022. The staff are still super helpful. If need something fast you can go here. However if you want to get the right thing the first time, let the staff help you and get the right thing.
Always very helpful.

Stephanie Bass

STAY AWAY! We bought a heater on Christmas Eve. The heater doesn’t work. We brought it back with the original packaging and receipt and the manager refused a return or exchange calling it “an emergency purchase” due to the extreme cold. Of COURSE it was an emergency purchase. But it should still work! I love supporting local but at least I know Home Depot will accept a return for a defective product. I’d rather drive farther and pay less and have the peace of mind I can return a faulty product than deal with this.