Home Depot is HORRIBLE!

[HeatherC]

They are so bad!

Today dh and I went to go purchase hardwood flooring. We get to the store and there are signs all over that they will double the tax free weekend here in Massachusetts. Great! We head to flooring and see signs all over there advertising double tax savings on hardwood floors and special orders.

We browse..no one comes to help. Spend about 30 minutes picking the floor we want. Take the sample to the table where they place the orders and wait another 20 minutes or so for them to finish with another customer.

Our turn comes and we show the woman the sample and say we would like to order the hardwood. She automatically says you cannot get the tax discount because you need to “order” the floor. I explain we know how much we need and just want to place the order and pay for it. She still argues about the tax free discount. I ask her to price out the flooring. She gets on the computer and proceeds to tell me it has to be ordered online (by her) for 20 cents more a square foot.

I show her the price on the sample and explain that you cannot simply charge me more when you advertise a price. Mind you, the flooring was not on any sale. She says well that’s what the computer does. So I asked to see a manager. None there.

We also mentioned we may buy a few boxes of tile. She tells us that even though they are advertising the tile for a certain price, because she needs to order it we can’t get the tax discount.

I tell her that people buying kitchens dont take home a kitchen the same day but the signs all over the store are saying double tax free on new kitchens.

We then ask her to please just give us a quote. She looks up the flooring and gives us a quote. I look at the computer screen and it was a quote for a different floor.

Needless to say, we left. Will not be buying anything from them!

It was so frustrating and a complete waste of time. They do t even train their employees in each department. No one could answer simple questions like whic underlayment do we need with this floor? What is the installation cost?

They are horrible! Thanks for listening! Just had to share!

 

[luvsJack]

I would have walked straight to customer service and asked for a manager. Sounds to me like you had a bad employee. I bet dollars to doughnuts there was a manager there.

The Home Depot here always has a manager or two around (they usually dress in suits so easy to distinguish from other employees). But then the one here is pretty good. Better than Lowe’s.

 

[wenrob]

I agree sounds like the employee. Do you have another Home Depot you can go to? We have several in town. 90% of the time we get stellar service but every once in awhile we will get someone like you described. I wouldn’t write off a whole store because of one bad employee.

 

[kaytieeldr]

So I asked to see a manager. None there.

Bullpuckey.

 

[Hikergirl]

Try Lowes, or better yet find a local floor dealer in your area.
Our HD is awful, it is a literal ghost town when trying to find an employee to help you. The quality of the products is **** and half the time they don't have what you need.

 

[ronandannette]

I agree sounds like the employee. Do you have another Home Depot you can go to? We have several in town. 90% of the time we get stellar service but every once in awhile we will get someone like you described. I wouldn’t write off a whole store because of one bad employee.

IDK, if there were other places I could get what I wanted, I'd absolutely take my business elsewhere - permanently, simply on the basis of one really bad encounter. The OP doesn't owe Home Depot another chance.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I don't believe that there was no manager of any kind in the store. Sorry that clerk was being such a pain in the rear!! I would send a message through their Facebook or website about what happened. We had a horrible experience at Lowe's trying to buy a washer and dryer with a know-it-all dept lead (or something like that was her "title"). We finally just left and ended up buying the set from HH Gregg. My husband called Lowe's after we had calmed down a little bit and spoke with the manager and he was really nice and complete appalled and even offered us a discount on the washer/dryer, but I had already ordered them from HH Gregg, so I couldn't take him up on his offer.

 

[Jafar30]

My hardware/home improvement rule? If need to know where something is I find the oldest employee male or female. Usually I’m good

 

[wenrob]

IDK, if there were other places I could get what I wanted, I'd absolutely take my business elsewhere - permanently, simply on the basis of one really bad encounter. The OP doesn't owe Home Depot another chance.

No she doesn’t but with double taxes off she’s punishing herself not them. I’m someone who doesn’t pay full price for anything if don’t have to so if I could find someone else to help me or go to another store and get the advertised price then that’s what I would do. While I was at it I’d let them know how unhelpful and inexcusably rude their employee was.

 

[Squirlz]

There's a Home Depot a 1/2 mile from my house. We've been there hundreds of times. Mostly good experiences, sometimes bad. That's just the way it goes at those kind of stores.

 

[pfp258]

I was actually pretty happy with my Home Depot experience this summer. We were working on a home landscaping project and I purchased 10 hanging flower baskets. (Along with mulch, potting soil and some other perennials). My husband paid and he gave me the receipt later that day. I noticed they charged me for 11 baskets and they charged me 24.99 for each when in fact only 5 were that price and the others were 16.99. I called Home Depot and offered to take a photo of the mistake or bring the plants backs to get the price corrected. The gal on the phone apologized and said no need to bring anything back. She would credit me the $8 difference on the 5 plants I was overcharged for and credit me the $24.99 for the extra plant. A receipt with the price adjusted was mailed to me and received in four days.

 

[ronandannette]

No she doesn’t but with double taxes off she’s punishing herself not them. I’m someone who doesn’t pay full price for anything if don’t have to so if I could find someone else to help me or go to another store and get the advertised price then that’s what I would do. While I was at it I’d let them know how unhelpful and inexcusably rude their employee was.

Not sure how it works there but here, Lowe's will match any advertised deal from Home Depot any time. And negotiating price is very often possible with smaller retailers that just sell flooring (or other building products and services).

 

[Summer2018]

I think a better way to phrase the title of this thread would be: “The Home Depot associate I dealt with is horrible.”

You could walk into any store and have a horrible experience because of a lousy employee. You could walk into the very same store and have a wonderful experience with a different employee. That doesn’t mean that the entire store is horrible.

I have had great, terrible, and just ordinary experiences at HD. Our most recent was quite extraordinary.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Sorry your experience sucked. Both Home Depot and Lowes are terrible with customer service. If I have a question about something I go to the local hardware store and they are always happy to talk to me, AND they have a kitty that I can pet and love on while they are helping Their prices are a bit higher than the big chain stores.

If a small, locally-owned hardware store isn't an option for you, I'd try going back a little later. Sounds like the employee you spoke with didn't know what they were doing.

 

[marthachick]

Ask friends and family for a recommendation for a local flooring store. We searched a big box store and the local store was so much better! We love our floors!

 

[HeatherC]

OP here. Let me clarify a little. HD is fine if you know exactly what you want and can go into the store and pick it up. If you need flowers, you can go get them and pay. A new grill? Same thing...pick it up and leave.

But out experience has been whenever you need something measured or ordered, there is a problem. And this is not just the store closest to us.

In the past we have ordered new carpet and new doors from them. Problem every single time. They would mess up the day they were measuring. With carpet they ordered the wrong one. With the doors they had a problem getting them delivered and then had no contractor to install them.

We have had friends and family that have had similar experiences. My parents went to choose carpeting last month for their new house. HD messed up the measurements (which my dad caught before anything was ordered), then told him it would be 12 weeks before it came in. After the original person he dealt with told him it would be in within a week. Needless to say he went elsewhere too.

It was our mistake even thinking of going there for something like hardwood flooring. No one could answer any questions, and they never have enough staffing to get any assistance.

I feel bad for the people who work there. The company does not train them enough for whatever department they are in and their computer system is ridiculous. The pricing does not match their stores and there is no way for the associates to over ride or correct things.

I’m sorry but it is bad customer service all around. But people keep goi g back so nothing will change.

We will still use them because they have what you need most times. But we have finally learned our lesson to go elsewhere for any sort of renovation project where something needs to be measured and ordered.

 

[wgeo]

I've found the customer service to be very hit or miss. Last year we gutted/remodeled 2 bathrooms ourselves. I think it was a good day if I only went to Home Depot twice during the day. There was an employee in plumbing that was invaluable to me. He offered so much helpful advice and went out of his way to help me figure out a problem, it was great. At the end of the month I had literally a shopping cart full of random returns and the customer service was incredible and fast on the returns.

But then last week I was in and couldn't remember where the work gloves were, and asked an employee that was walking past me. He gave me the oddest look and said "I'm not sure if we have them, I guess they'd probably be outside by the garden stuff" and walked away. Sigh

 

[wenrob]

OP here. Let me clarify a little. HD is fine if you know exactly what you want and can go into the store and pick it up. If you need flowers, you can go get them and pay. A new grill? Same thing...pick it up and leave.

But out experience has been whenever you need something measured or ordered, there is a problem. And this is not just the store closest to us.

In the past we have ordered new carpet and new doors from them. Problem every single time. They would mess up the day they were measuring. With carpet they ordered the wrong one. With the doors they had a problem getting them delivered and then had no contractor to install them.

We have had friends and family that have had similar experiences. My parents went to choose carpeting last month for their new house. HD messed up the measurements (which my dad caught before anything was ordered), then told him it would be 12 weeks before it came in. After the original person he dealt with told him it would be in within a week. Needless to say he went elsewhere too.

It was our mistake even thinking of going there for something like hardwood flooring. No one could answer any questions, and they never have enough staffing to get any assistance.

I feel bad for the people who work there. The company does not train them enough for whatever department they are in and their computer system is ridiculous. The pricing does not match their stores and there is no way for the associates to over ride or correct things.

I’m sorry but it is bad customer service all around. But people keep goi g back so nothing will change.

We will still use them because they have what you need most times. But we have finally learned our lesson to go elsewhere for any sort of renovation project where something needs to be measured and ordered.

I don’t know if the difference is doing the work yourself vs having them do it but I have ordered three custom kitchens, two sets of French doors, three bathrooms and two floors from them over the years. We did all install on our own though. The kitchen in this house they put the wrong stain on our cabinets. The girl we worked with caught it before the order was sent to us and gave us 10% off plus the current sale for our troubles. We got something like $8,000 back. Lowe’s on the other hand SOLD my flooring out from under me when it was delivered to their store and made no apologies.

Not trying to talk you into giving them another chance. At some point enough is enough so I can see why you’d call it quits with them. Everyone’s experience is different though.

 

[Squirlz]

My hardware/home improvement rule? If need to know where something is I find the oldest employee mail or female. Usually I’m good

I worked at Ace Hardware when I was in college. There was an old long-time employee, Bill, who knew most everything. One time I was stocking the plumbing department when a customer appeared holding some parts. I asked if I could help him and he no, I'm waiting for Bill, who was helping someone else. So he waits a while until Bill finishes up and he tells Bill he needs something to get from this piece to this piece. Bill looks at it, ponders a bit then says "Paul, what do you think?" I said "Oh yeah, you need this and this and this". Fixed it.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

They are so bad!

Today dh and I went to go purchase hardwood flooring. We get to the store and there are signs all over that they will double the tax free weekend here in Massachusetts. Great! We head to flooring and see signs all over there advertising double tax savings on hardwood floors and special orders.

We browse..no one comes to help. Spend about 30 minutes picking the floor we want. Take the sample to the table where they place the orders and wait another 20 minutes or so for them to finish with another customer.

Our turn comes and we show the woman the sample and say we would like to order the hardwood. She automatically says you cannot get the tax discount because you need to “order” the floor. I explain we know how much we need and just want to place the order and pay for it. She still argues about the tax free discount. I ask her to price out the flooring. She gets on the computer and proceeds to tell me it has to be ordered online (by her) for 20 cents more a square foot.

I show her the price on the sample and explain that you cannot simply charge me more when you advertise a price. Mind you, the flooring was not on any sale. She says well that’s what the computer does. So I asked to see a manager. None there.

We also mentioned we may buy a few boxes of tile. She tells us that even though they are advertising the tile for a certain price, because she needs to order it we can’t get the tax discount.

I tell her that people buying kitchens dont take home a kitchen the same day but the signs all over the store are saying double tax free on new kitchens.

We then ask her to please just give us a quote. She looks up the flooring and gives us a quote. I look at the computer screen and it was a quote for a different floor.

Needless to say, we left. Will not be buying anything from them!

It was so frustrating and a complete waste of time. They do t even train their employees in each department. No one could answer simple questions like whic underlayment do we need with this floor? What is the installation cost?

They are horrible! Thanks for listening! Just had to share!

I have good luck at Lowes and found that HD is horrible too but that is in relation to appliances. They took back a month old washer because I wanted a different one no questions asked. I live on North Shore in Ma and really the only reason I go to HD is to take the kids to the monthly craft which is very good.
My usual response to a horrible employee or manager is to call corporate. Usually the mention of corporate instills fear in the employee or manager but a store without a manager is just a bunch of bull in my opinion. I will say you dogged a bullet if you were going to have them do installation...they are more horrible than their store service installation quality. Try Floor and Decor one in Avon and one in Saugus. I found them to be more knowledgeable and helpful. They are a competitor new to the area in MA and in the flooring section they have MUCH more choice. Since they are new they are filled with customer good will so if you tell them about the sales tax thing they might accommodate you. Also, if you need flooring do your homework on the type you want and you might just hold your nose and go to Lumber Liquidators. They had the best quality tile when it came to porcelain (greatest mm ) at the least expensive price. But the service at the one I went to in Woburn MA made HD look like they were employees at the Ritz! I do not mean ordering etc just general demeanor and nastiness. But delivery and return were a breeze.

This is a booming economy and most retail is desperate for help ie: the Wendy's debacle in Wenham.