Hoppe - ing mad

I had a locksmith to the house today to look at our Hoppe patio door lock that is broken -- again.  We had a new door installed 10 or 12 years ago, and it came with a Hoppe lever handled door lock.  Within a few weeks of the installation, the large brass screw that runs through the middle of the lockset broke off and rendered the lock unworkable.  We went out and found another screw and fixed it ourselves.  Two years ago, the lock broke and this time the handle was unworkable.  We ordered a replacement lock mechanism (not the handles or face plates) online at a cost of $100.00.  A couple of weeks ago, the lock broke again.  The handle is again unworkable.  I tried to get a replacement from the online company, but their warranty is a year and they wouldn't even consider it.  I asked what the warranty from the lock company would be, and they said 10 years.  But that was only if the lock mechanism had not been opened and I had already done that, trying to fix it on a weekend prior to hosting 30 people in our house who would be going in and out of that door.  By the way, no where on the lock does it say to not open it.  And I never got a copy of the warranty from either the original purchase or the replacement.  I have all of my paperwork, but no warranty.

The gear is stripped which is inexplicable because we rarely use the patio door.  It must have been made out of aluminum foil or something less sturdy.  Maybe it was carved from a bar of soap.  We can lock the door, but that's about it.  We simply can't open it.

I called the Hoppe lock company directly and they wouldn't talk to me.  They put me in customer service voice mail twice but then wouldn't return my calls.  I wanted to work with them on this and perhaps meet them halfway, but they would not come to the table.  I finally grew frustrated enough to give up and call a locksmith, only to find out he can't help me.  The lock is too cheap, a weird size, and there are no replacement parts manufactured.  It's made in China, where apparently they do not have the technology to manufacture a decent lock.  My options are few and far between, but I don't intend to improve the Hoppe bottom line by purchasing another one, especially when it will just need replacing in another two years.

We can:
a) call a carpenter and have our door rebuilt and a new lockset installed,
b) remove the offending part and just let the handle swing wild,
c) that's it. 

The locksmith was very nice and didn't charge me anything.  He lamented the cheap locks and parts that have flooded our market, and I commiserated because my husband deals with that at his shop.  Quality costs money but most always lasts and can be repaired when needed.  We had no idea what kind of lock and handle we were getting when we bought the door, it just came with it.  I tried to call the door company today but they are no longer around.  We used them on the recommendation of a carpenter we knew but never used.  That was a mistake but we didn't know it at the time.  I even tried to call a competing door company to see if they could retrofit one of their locks (a suggestion from the locksmith) and they all but hung up on me. 

So Hoppe, if you are tracking your name out there, here's to you.  I'll never recommend you because of your poor track record on quality, customer service, and warranty honoring.  And I will not improve your bottom line with a THIRD purchase of one of your crappy locks.  I hope you are ashamed, but I doubt it.  And ranting about your product does not  make me feel better, just sad because there are people who work for you knowing that is nothing to be proud of.