Home Depot is a shitty store!

[Raven]

I am planning to renovate the kitchen in my cabin. It is about 60 years old so it's time. I went to Home Depot on Saturday to polk around and look at cabinets and countertops. I ended up with this guy who said he was a "kitchen designer" who took about 8 phone calls and 12 pages while he was talking to me and then tried to get me to deposit money (non-refundable) before I had even seen anything...something about a "measuring charge". It annoys me because stores like HD and Walmart have driven all the competition in my area out of business. Today I did find another kitchen place, a small business, where the folks were very nice. Needless to say, I'll do my business with them. I also think that some of these guys at HD see a woman coming and think they can con them. Just my opinion.:-)

[Squatch]

1. Yes, they are. Customer service is the worst.

And, for that reason, I take my dollars elsewhere.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[Lautremont]

2. Home Despot, I calls it.

It's not just your opinion!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. They're also Republican fund raisers.

http://www.buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=83

[jswordy]

9. HD has nice no interest for 12 months deals on buys of $299 and more...

...and Lowe's runs those, too, except you have to actually ask for the deal at Lowe's. I buy from both, whichever is cheaper on what I need or has what I need. Those no interest deals sure helped me out in finishing up the 40x40 shop building I am almost done with putting up. My HD bill isn't due until April 2006!

I pay down the total little by little as I have the money, and it gets done in time. I have a small $150 payment left on my Lowe's bill by 4/29, and I will have gotten to use their money for another project for a year with no interest.

Yep, I have an old fashioned lumberyard and electrical supply house just up the road, with prices averaging a whopping 20-25% higher than Lowe's or Home Depot. Nuff said. I buy odds and ends to get a certain job finished at those high priced places. The bulk of the stuff I need comes from the big boxes.

[DancingBear]

20. Talk to your local lumber people - they'll usually match prices

or at least come very close. I would be shocked, for example, if a piece of 3/4" sheathing that costs $30 at HD costs $33 at the local yard. If it did, the local builders would never buy from them, and most if not all of the really good builders I know RUN from places like HD and Lowes. Besides, you'll be keeping the little guy in business, and he/she will be there when you need him/her.

Plus, it's nice to go to a lumberyard where there is at least SOME care taken to assure the quality of the lumber.

As for zero interest, well, we won't even talk about buying stuff on the "hope I can pay for it later " plan... :)

[7th_Sephiroth]

4. best buy was worse

i went there for a comp. table, stayed there for 3 hours asking for 3 different desks, gave him all 3 desk model numbers in priority, nope, all out

[Squatch]

7. Best buy is awful

Bought a TV there only to find out that it was a piece of shit, had a broken case, picture was horrible, etc.

I brought it back _the_next_day_ and waited in the refund line for about 45 minutes.

When it was my turn, they told me to wait in the service line. I told them I wanted my money back.

They said that they had to check it to determine how to fix it, first.

I told them that I could give a shit how they fixed it, I wanted my money back.

Anyways, I lost.

They made me wait in that line for 1/2 hour, then back in the refund line, to finally get my money back. That's the last time I'm shopping there.

[7th_Sephiroth]

12. they overcharge for thier TV's too

900 for a 32 inch regular tv, i can get a decent 52 inch HDTV for that

[Trillo]

5. Since Home Depot changed ownership several years ago,

they've apparently decreased their full-time employees and made most floor positions part-time.

As a result, much of their help that the customer has contact with doesn't even know what the store stocks, even when it's restricted to their area of specialty. Trying to get competent sales help at HomeDepot is now an exercise in futility. It didn't used to be that way.

[brainshrub]

33. I know some ex-employees of HD.

They said that working there used to be great, but then they changed CEOs and the management is mimicking the Wal-Mart business plan.

Over the past few years I've noticed a significant drop in the quality and helpfulness of HD employees. Thankfully here in Asheville there are several locally-owned hardware stores that the chains haven't crushed, they are wonderful.

[gulfcoastliberal]

6. Lowe's charges $70 for the "detail" (measuring)

And I am a 29 year old male. However, this money is refunded if you opt to buy the cabinets. I know what you mean about the "service", though.

But the detail charge is pretty standard, FWIW.

[Raven]

28. You are right, that charge is refundable but

only if you buy the stuff. I was annoyed that the guy tried to sign me up for that before I even had a look at the cabinets. I think the idea is to reel you in up front.

[madrchsod]

8. i went shopping for a new counter top

i went to a box walked away from that mess and went to a local regional lumber yard..the manager came to my home , measured the counter, ordered it, delivered it, then checked by to see if everything went ok...

[radwriter0555]

27. YEP. My contractor wanted to get a butcher block top from Ikea or HD

and I wouldn't have it... I knew the quality of their crap, etc.

So I went on my own to the local lumber yard, got precisely what I needed at half the price and 10X the quality AND got a discount from the cute guy 'cause I TOLD him I'd rather spend my money in a local shop than some giant corporation...

BTW, 8 foot of butcher block @ 1 1/2" thickness, nice maple, tight grain, $219.00. SUCHA deal.

[yvr girl]

10. How rude!

I can't believe he took all those calls and answered all those pages. That's terrible customer service. Especially since you were 'the bird in the hand' - and kitchen renovations aren't cheap. Idiot.

You should write them a letter and tell them that you won't be dealing with them. (And that you told 65,000 friends.)

So, what are you going to do to your kitchen?

[Raven]

29. 65,000 friends! I love it! The power of DU!

Today I found a local small business that does kitchen stuff. The difference was like day and night! So I will go with them. As to the kitchen, it's small as this is a cabin. I'm going to gut it, put in some larger windows, new cabinets and new counters. Nothing fancy as the kitchen is open to the living room and the place is very rustic (it's a log cabin). As I have gotten older I've realized that a smaller kitchen is most efficient. I am also getting rid of an old dishwasher that is there and the stove which doesn't seem to want to bake. I think that if you have a log cabin in the woods you can manage to wash your own dishes!

[yvr girl]

34. Every year I ask for kitchen elves for Christmas

Instead, my mom gave me a blow torch. Go figure.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Tektonik]

13. Wow, just wow

:crazy:

[Raven]

32. What is that all about???

I never expected a deleted message on this innocent post. Did you see it? What was it about?

[NoPasaran]

15. Welcome to Burger King

Have it your way!

[Ron Green]

14. There is the occasional knowledgeable and helpful person at HD,

but it's DESPITE the company culture, rather than because of it. You're lucky if you've got a large, well-established builders' store in your area, such as Elliott's Hardware in Dallas-Fort Worth or Jerry's in Eugene, Oregon. Otherwise, it's hard for a locally-owned outfit to go up against the big boxes.

[jswordy]

18. Oh, I dunno...

There is a great woman in plumbing at my HD, who I have seen more than once help guys out with vexing plumbing repair stuff. There is a great guy in lumber who knows the store like the back of his hand, who has helped me a bunch finding obscure stuff.

At Lowe's a really helpful woman special ordered some high-tech insulation for me, and then called me back with price quotes on garage doors. Another time, a guy helped me find patch concrete and additive to flow out a low spot in a floor.

All in all, I have had pretty good luck at both HD and Lowe's. Whenever I go in either, I seldom get back out without someone at least asking me if I need any help. But then I know the trades and usually know what I am looking for when I walk in the door, or at least know what ballpark I am looking for it in.

I think the degree of service is pretty remarkable, though I may run into trouble when lots of staff are at lunch or dinner. I mean, these folks are not commissioned salespeople, like most of the sharks cruising kitchen and bath showrooms at other places. They get paid the same. But I always can find help when I need it.

I will, however, agree about Best Buy...that place is awful, and I never go there. Same with Circuit City, which refused to honor one of its rebate offers AFTER I had bought and installed the stuff. No more biz from me for them.

[Ron Green]

21. That's my point. There are anecdotes about people who help, but the

overall experience (including my own) over time is that the policies of the big boxes are to keep it stacked up and moving out the door, rather than invest valuable employee time in solving customers' problems. If you compare the level of service at HD or Lowe's with either of the examples I mentioned in my post above, the difference is clear. I believe that the employees at Elliott's in Dallas, Texas average something like 20 years' experience at the store, and more in the building and hardware business. A mega outfit like HD just can't put that sort of workforce together. Most of the time at HD I've been waited on by a very young and inexperienced person, which is OK in and of itself, but it's been often accompanied by a slacker attitude as well.

[Bouncy Ball]

16. Yes it is.

Once I was trying to find the Liquid Nails. Not an exotic object, but I looked everywhere to no avail. I tried to find someone to help me. When I don't need help, that place is crawling with orange-aproned people, but when I need help, they are gone!

Finally I found a guy walking very quickly past me and I said, as he was still walking, "Excuse me, do you know where the Liquid Nails are?" he didn't miss a step, turned around so that now he is walking backwards away from me and yelled "DUNNO! NOT MY DEPARTMENT!"

So I got the lady working in the tool area to page someone to help me.

I stood there. And stood there. And stood there. I timed it. 18 minutes. I wanted to see how freaking long it took.

Finally, at 20 minutes, I just yelled. "WHERE ARE THE LIQUID NAILS? WHERE ARE THE LIQUID NAILS? WHERE ARE THE LIQUID NAILS?"

I don't mean little yelling, BIG yelling. I decided to see how many times I could yell it before someone helped me, as I was NOT going to search every aisle of that store one more time (I had already done it three times). I yelled it four times before an orange-apron scurried over to me and said "Is there something I can help you with?"

:eyes: uh, yah think?

[DancingBear]

22. Heh-heh

Try asking them for "Loctite" - they have NO IDEA what it is...

[NoPasaran]

24. So where are the Liquid Nails anyway?

[Bouncy Ball]

26. They were tucked over in a corner near the

ant killer. They told me they "we don't normally keep it here, we're moving stuff around."

Ok. That was a few months ago, who knows where they keep it now.

[montanacowboy]

19. OMG, let me add my horror story

Tried for 2 hrs to get someone to wait on me - wanted to order a solid surface bathroom vanity top and sink....2 hrs and being jacked around by idiots....finally went to Loew's

After waiting there for 45 mins to get some attention the guy gave me a price that made me get a migrane, at least two times what it should have been..

I went home, took two aspirin and went to bed

[fudge stripe cookays]

23. Don't shop at Home Depot!

You might as well just hand your money to the Republican party, fer fuck's sakes.

FSC

[Raven]

31. I know, I know but

it is difficult to find alternatives. As I posted above, I was able to find an alternative small kitchen store today and they were very helpful. I'll do business with them. It will cost me more but I am betting that the quality and service will be much better. This has been a bit of a lesson to me to not take the nearest, most convenient thing but to look around for alternatives to the big boxes.

[WI_DEM]

25. let them know how you feel

it might not make any difference but it might make you feel better.

[AlCzervik]

30. i used to work for HD, back when i started there

they used to hire actual plumbers and electricians to work in those departments, they paid a better wage and the service was good and then came Nardelli with his corporate 1st mentality and ruined it. I worked for HD and Expo for 7 seven years in 3 states and i can tell you that i never shop there.