Larry,

I think you screwed up and let those old retirees or high school dropouts at Home Base sell you the wrong nails!

From your scans, it looks like they sold you 'left handed' nails instead of the standard 'right handed' nails.

These large home DIY centers order their nails in very trainload quanities and often end up with too many of the 'left handed' nails in their inventory. Rather than return them to the manufacturer for credit and have to eat the restocking charges, they sometimes try to pawn them off on 'weekend warriors' like yourself.

You have a few options....

Return them to the store TODAY - Walk up to the Customer Service counter and loudly announce that they sold you 'left-handed' nails and you are NO FOOL and want them replaced immediately!! Tell them it's getting hot as hell out there and you are NOT one to mess with when a heat stroke is coming on.. You are sure to get immediate attention.

*OR*

Contact the Consumers Affairs Reporter from your local CBS affiliate TV station and tell him/her your story on camera. (at the very least, the segment could end up on the David Letterman Show!)

*OR*

Go to your locally owned Tru-Value Hardware store and tell the owner/clerk that the folks down at the large, corporate goliath DIY place tried to stick it you you by selling you left-handed nails - ANY you want to purchase his MOST EXPENSIVE left-handed HAMMER!

You could just switch hands and complete the deck by hammering with your left hand rather than the right.

DON'T wait! Take action now!! POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

Hurry and finish that deck so you can attend the convention this year. Any truth to the rumor that the "Last Dance Swap session " might be moved to Reno and your new deck?

Steve in Albuquerque