1/31/2007

Home Depot Vs. Lowes and Best Buy

Here is my experience.

Lowes:

Have been shopping for a new stove for the past week or two since our oven died (but our range top still works). We want stainless, solid grill across the top, not a lot more. Not so easy to find in our price range of up to $1,000.00. But we were considering a Bosch and Frigidaire at Lowes late one evening when the salesman came up to us and asked if he could help. At first we said we were just looking and he said "absolutely fine" and gave us no pressure. But then we asked questions and he was so knowledgeable about brands, quality, features, etc. He even looked up products that they didn't have on the floor. It was a good experience.

Home Depot (HD):

By contrast - not so great at this place. H called Home Depot first to ask about the process for a couple of returns. One was a chandelier light fixture for which we had the receipt, it was within 90 days, but we no longer had the box. It was defective and had two shorts and hummed when operating. They said no problem. The other was a high end Kohler kitchen faucet with a lifetime guarantee that said the guarantee should be handled by the vendor (HD). We had the box and all the papers, but not the receipt and we just wanted to do an even exchange because it stopped working -no problem they said.

So we go to the store and to the return counter. There we waited between 15 and 20 minutes for the return guy to try to do a transaction that involved taking back three empty water cooler bottles and charging the guy for three new full ones. Three attempts and three staff people, including calling in a supervisor, later the poor guy finally gets out of there. Meanwhile there are now about 5 more people in line behind us.

The supervisor begins to help us and says no way is it their policy to even exchange a faucet like that, but she will because we took the time to call "somebody." But first she has to call the plumbing dept. guy to come and look at it and ok it. He comes and we volunteer that two small parts, attached to our sink, are not in the box. He says no problem, we'll just take those two parts out of the new box and you can be on your way. Very fair.

Meanwhile supervisor is giving the lady behind a bit of difficulty because she wants to return three metal shelf brackets without a receipt and doesn't have her drivers license. What is that, $6 at the most? Give the woman a break - she just stood in line for 20 minutes to do this.

OH - and although the water cooler customer apologized, needlessly, to everyone behind him - the store employees never acknowledged the wait or apologized at all. They did send the clerk away who couldn't manage the transaction though.

So I run off and pick up the new kohler faucet from in back. H stays and tries to handle the light fixture return. I come back to find that they will only allow an even exchange because we don't have the box. I question that because their policy, printed right there on a sign, says return within 90 days with receipt is policy - says nothing about having the box. I explain that the light fixture was faulty, it buzzed, it shorted out, and I don't want another unsafe light fixture. Doesn't matter - "there's nothing I can do without the box" says the supervisor. I explain that I will accept a store credit as we want to buy a better light fixture. No. The end. Clearly this was a power struggle for her and had completely left the realm of customer service.

Oddly enough the Electronics clerk comes along takes our unboxed light fixture and marks it defective with a peice of paper taped to it. She gives us a brand new fixture of the same make and model, sealed in it's box, and does not change out any missing parts (chain and wire extension).

Even more oddly the supervisor insists that rather than just walking out with this exact same fixture, we must do a complete return and credit to our card. Then we must repurchase the new fixture - which is $2 more. We question the $2 more and they roll their eyes at us. The supervisor then leaves us and lets someone else finish the transaction she started.

So we left there - 45 minutes after arriving - with a new, fully boxed light fixture, and a brand new purchase receipt. So we took it to the next Home Depot and returned it for a full refund - no questions asked.

I sent an e-mail to Home Depot and they sent us an apology and a $10 gift card.

Best Buy:

Thankfully right after Home Depot, after H and I vented about them non-stop, we went to Best Buy to get a new router. We were greeted at the door and asked if we needed any direction - nice touch. Stopped at the Geek Squad and were greeted with a very knowledgeable and very helpful person who told us all we needed. When we got to the aisle with the routers there was another helpful and infinitely knowledgeable staffer who closed the deal. Hooray for Best Buy. They rescued us from our Home Depot Hell.

That's my story. I'll be shopping at Lowe's from now on.

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