I decided to buy a small chest type freezer to put in the garage . On a whim , I looked at them online and a local Home Depot had what I wanted in stock . I placed the order and the wife and I headed up there . As I walked in the door I got an email saying that the order was ready to be picked up . That's when everything went South . The zombie at the Customer Service desk took her time locating the paperwork that was right in front of her and finally called another deadhead to go pull the order that was supposed to be ready . She goes to the back and rolls out a 5 cu.ft. freezer . Nope , I bought a 7 cu.ft . After some discussion with the zombie she goes and comes back with a 7cu.ft. refrigerator .Nope , try again . More discussion involving more unmotivated associates and eventually she brings out the correct item . She rolls the cart up to me and turns and walks off . My wife and I ended up loading it ourselves because nobody seemed interested in doing anything else . By the time we got home and unloaded it I had an email from HD asking me to fill out a survey of my experience . I blasted them ...

Interesting. I recently ordered online a shower head, also from HD. Went a picked it up from their locker and didn't pay attention until I got home. Lo and behold, they gave me a cheaper one. Looked almost identical, until you looked more closely. Bought it right back and exchanged. They should give a discount for wasting customer's time. I really wonder if they pulled the wrong (cheaper) items out deliberately, hoping most folks wouldn't notice.

I ordered a toilet from them once.

Took three tries to get one not broke.

I shit you not, on one, as they rolled it up, you could here the porcelain pieces clanking around in the box with each bump. I said, “really?” As the kid rolled it up.

Patriot: That's a little scary. I'm trying to order two toilets from HD, even as we speak. Order department customer NO-Service seems to be 182% staffed by incompetent morons.

Recent Lowes experience:
I needed a storage tub for gear I carry in the back of my new Jeep. Prior experience has taught me to make sure the lid fits properly and the latches open and close properly before buying. The tub I picked out had one latch that would not open and another that broke off the tub. I took it to the service desk. I told the Chick (fully masked) behind the counter the tub was broken. Things went downhill:
Lowes Chick: "Do you have a receipt"?
Me: "I have not bought it yet".
Chick: "I cant process a return unless you have a receipt".
Me: "I have not actually purchased this item yet, I am merely pointing out an issue with it so an unsuspecting customer does not buy it".
No response from her at this point and she turned to wait on someone else. So I left the tub and walked away.
No good deed goes unpunished!

This is actually a very good sign.

I use the customer service level at Home Depot as a barometer for the economy.

When the C.S. level is for shit I know the economy is doing great. When the C.S. is decent it means that many people are out of work.

When the C.S. level is for shit it means you have crappy employees and crappy management .

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
When the C.S. level is for shit it means you have crappy employees and crappy management .

Exactly. I live within a 15 minute drive of three different HD stores and the employees at each store are generally excellent. There have been a few outliers, but I've always been treated well and helped if needed. The local Lowe's on the other hand is like the aforementioned zombie wasteland.

I don't get how they can pull the wrong item. I'd assume they have to scan it to complete the order.

Stopped going to HD 5 years ago. Fortunately there is a Lowes 15 miles away and they have been excellent. Everyone I know around me is finished with Home Depot.

I've been buying a lot from HD lately. They are usually good. You did have the option of curbside loading and at worst, they'll ask you to drive to the pick up entrance where someone can help you load it. When you go to the customer service center, the assumption is you're just picking it up and taking it to your car yourself. You could have insisted having them get someone to help you load it.

Usually, they are pretty good. Late one evening, I go by to pick up something I ordered. I walk up and was ready to give my order number like I usually do. The woman instead asks if there's a phone number associated with the order. I give it to her. She goes I only see an order for XYZ. I say, I'm looking to pick up work tables. She starts scrolling through the different orders I had. I stopped her and said instead of going round and round, how about I give you the order number and you can look that up and we can be on the same page. She agreed and then admitted she doesn't usually work customer service.

It all comes down to the management. Two Lowe’s here within 12 miles. One is crap, one is great. HD local to me is a coin flip. The biggest issue is that the good employees can’t keep up with their jobs plus covering for the morons. The morons get cycled out every 6-12 weeks and a new set replaces them.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I don't get how they can pull the wrong item. I'd assume they have to scan it to complete the order.

They had a paper ticket in hand and pulled the wrong item twice . I didn't see any scanning going on and I have the paper that they took to the back to find it . Dimwits ..

When I moved into a new home a few years ago, I needed a washer and a dryer.

I went into two Home Depot stores and one Lowes store and nobody would wait on me.

Second Lowes store, several miles away, had a salesman who asked if he could help me and he got the $1500 sale.

Delivery was smooth as was the set up.

Man I was lucky I guess. Went to HD yesterday with the old valve and 20 year old tubing. Asked an employee working in an isle were parts were located. He told me, several isles over, and then proceeded to leave his isle and go with me to the isle I needed. He then took my old part and proceeded to match up and pull from stock the different valve and tubes I wanted.

I complimented him on his excellent service.

I don't know. It might be an Arizona thing. Were all happy here!

The older people (people in 40s-50s) roaming around the aisles of Home Depot by me always seem to know what they are doing. Usually pretty helpful. The younger kids are usually at CS and cashier stations and they are pretty much zombies.

I bought a new combination electronic lock thing for my front door recently. You grab the paper and take it to the front where they open a locked cabinet and give you the item on the paper. After getting handed 5 different items out of the cabinet I asked the lady if she just wanted my help finding it in there.

quote:

The younger kids are usually at CS and cashier stations and they are pretty much zombies.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
They however are helpful in loading fifty 100 pound bags of fertilizer in your vehicle. Never had a problem with them willing to help out.

The Lowes and HD near me are pretty good, employees change over time of course, lots of college kids since we have a University near and couple of high schools.

Biggest issue was finding someone to help for a short while that knew something about the issue, but that's changed back to better assistance.

You can find an incompetent, poorly trained or otherwise inefficient employee in any company or business.
Especially in today's economy that is affected by technology as well as governmental intervention by costly regulations and raising the minimum wage rates.
This all leads to the lack of experience and training of our younger workers and ultimately leads to the erosion of the work ethic.
So we should be surprised when it happens and note it is fruitless to complain about it.

Have 3 seperate Home Depots and 2 seperate Lowes within 15 miles of my house...My biggest complaint is finding a item on the computer that has multible quanities of said item in stock in the store (even giving shelf location) but when going into the store to purchase the item it cannot be found by either myself or the store employee with no good reason that is not in the store. .................. drill sgt.