Getting pretty sick of the Depot

[cheesefood]

I'm getting tired of Home Depot. Seems that lately, more often than not they don't have what I'm trying to find. Case in point:

Lost the key to my storm-door lock, so I removed the lock and brought it there to either buy a new lock or get it re-keyed. They don't sell the locks. They don't even sell a mortise set to replace mine with. So I went to the service counter to talk about a re-key. They tell me that only two people in the store do them, that one of them is working another store, it'll be a week at the earliest, and they don't re-key locks that aren't new.

I'm calling BS on this. Let me explain why: When I was 17, I worked at Menards in the hardware department. We ALL knew how to re-key a lock. It's not difficult, and we charged $10 per lock. Now if Menards can pay for a 17 year old to go through the whole hour and a half training to re-key a lock, why can't HD? They don't even sell re-key sets!

This is just another in a long line of times HD has failed me in terms of getting what I need.

 

[inspectorD]

I stay away from the box depots. That way when something goes wrong, I know the locals and who has what I need, or can point me in the right direction. The local stores will always know more than the Box store. They are just not as cheap.
Probably because they have to pay for all that training.

 

[phreaq]

I try and stay away from HD and stick with the Canadian stores (i.e. HH), but I find their selection is even worse, and I have no choice but to go to the big faceless corporation

 

[glennjanie]

Hey Cheesefood:
I feel your pain; now make sure you get the message to the Home Depot management. Not the store manager but as high up the corporate ladder as you can reach. These large stores as well as the small ones want to serve you in a way that you keep spending with them and they will make changes because of a customer complaint. At least give them the chance.
Glenn

 

[Hack]

I try to stay away from the big box stores as well, but it's getting more difficult every day.

We had a small chain of hardware stores here in NorCal called YardBirds. It was an awesome place. Great service, great people, everything I needed, but only one of everything...

Last year, they sold out to HD. HD has now turned it into a sort of "boutique" kind of store. They still sell paint, hardware, etc. but no longer carry lumber, plywood, drywall, etc. They still have the same people (hired the old YardBirds employees as HD employees), and the service is still like it used to be. It is the smallest HD store in operation, but they no longer have what I need half of the time

In fact, there is not a store in my smallish town that has those things anymore. I have to drive half an hour just to get to a big box store that carries the stuff...OR, I can drive an extra 10 minutes to go to an independent, which I do whenever I can.

 

[glennjanie]

Well, our refrigerator compressor went out a few days ago. I just got serious about checking it out today. To have a service man come out from Owensboro, KY and replace the compressor was $550.
I looked at Consumer Reports who said the best buy was a G E. Sam's Club showed one in stock for $962. Their young sales person in appliances said no we don't have those any more, just the single wide job, sorry.
Home Depot was next door so I went in, picked out the very model number and asked the sales lady if they did price matching and showed her the print out from Sam's. She had to look it up herself and found Sam's price to be $950 which she gladly met. HD price was $999
We plunked the money down on the spot. She knew her department and exactly how to get the permission and complete the sale. I was so impressed that I gave her the savings back for an extended warranty (first time I have ever bought the extended warranty). The new Energy Star refrigerators have a PTC (part time compressor) it kicks in and out about every minute. What burns a compressor out? short cycle restarts.
We are very happy with the purchase and I will contact Sam's and Home Depot with this story. The Sam's kid needs a replacement and the HD lady needs a raise. That is how my experience goes with the big box stores.
Glenn

 

[phreaq]

Lowes is coming to Canada (already here in some places) and their big dales pitch it "not just home improvements, but service improvements too" or something like that. The commercials claim that if more than 3 people are in checkout, they will open another one. I can say that's not the case for HD.

perhaps this is a big box with personality?

 

[cheesefood]

Sam's Club showed one in stock for $962...
Home Depot was next door ... HD price was $999

What kind of store doesn't know the price their neighbor is selling the same product?

 

[Quattro]

I've had mixed results at HD. Most of the time, I'd prefer NOT to have anyone "help" me find something, as I worked in a nice ACE Hardware all through high school, so I know my way around a hardware store. But, for the times I need help, it can be hard to find. I typically try to "learn" from online and personal references before heading to the store, because the variability of knowledge of HD employees is too great to take the risk on their advice.

 

[booft]

I feel the pain too, I went to HD and tried to find a small room heater for my office here and it was a huge pain. They have lovely lights and big appliances, but trying to find a person that finally told me 1/2 past later they were out, was a pain.

 

[glennjanie]

You guys who have complaints about Home Depot should go to their website and contact the highest management person possible to register your complaints. They do not operate that way and a bum or two in the whole store should not reflect on the whole corporation.
I have always gotten good service and prices from H D and prefer them over Lowe's. I am reporting a recent fiasco with Sam's Club.
You've heard the saying "Its hard to find good help these days". Well it is getting worse now than when you first heard the saying. The kids you can hire today are lazy, unkempt, and can't even make change; not to mention the fact they don't even care what you have to sell. Let's help the company by letting them know how their low-wage earners are representing them.
Glenn

 

[travelover]

Not to pile on to HD, but.........

I had them install carpet in my finished basement a few years back and it was a disaster. My letters to the local store and HD headquarters were unanswered. No more home service contracts for them for me.

 

[glennjanie]

I had mentioned the 'dropped ball' at Sam's Club. At 5:00 yesterday I sent them an email about their problem. At 5:08 a response came in my email saying they were sorry for the confusion and were escalating the complaint to the local store manager. I suspect the bearded young man doesn't have a job this morning. Thanks for the 'instant action, Sam's!
Glenn

 

[inspectorD]

I agree with the work logic in today's era to be lacking something. But I remember our elders saying the same things to us kids way back when. There is a bunch of bad apples in every generation. It just seems like they are all at the big box stores now. It also reminds me they do not have that same mentor-ship we grew up with in my generation. The folks in business today are to fast...we all need to slow down and learn one thing at a time, to many folks have to much going on to soak it all in. That's my opinion anyway.
Now for my Depot story....I had to go get 10 2x4s yesterday, Sunday, to finish a roof on my shed. I was waiting in line when 2 employees arrived with 15 Lolly columns for a customer. The Customer then asked the question of how to cut the concrete filled 4 inch steel columns. The employee closest to me looked him in the face and said, it is pretty easy with a grinder from our tool section. The other guy just nodded in agreement.
Now before the guy went to go get himself a new grinder, I just happened to mention that a large pipe cutter and a plumbers pipe wrench to hold the pipes them selves ,are the ONLY way to get a good clean accurate cut and not have to be there for three days.

The employees then remembered that was the way to go and apologized for forgetting.

Then they went to help the gentleman buy the much more expensive tools he would actually need for the project at hand. Although I have never seen a pipe cutter that big at the box stores, only plumbing supply houses.
I suspect the gentleman will be coming back to get the jack he will need to lift the beam to install the posts.

You will not have that problem at my lumberyard, in fact you can borrow the tools with a deposit.
If I find that guy again I'm sure he will be willing to sell those tools ...if he does not just return them after use.
Now if I could just get them to open Sunday's.

 

[guyod]

What’s up with HD only carrying up to 1 1/4 inch pipe cutters the other week I got 1 1/2 copper pipes and my fittings there and needed a larger cutter. They carry 10 different pipe cutters but nothing to cut my pipes. They carry too much of the same thing in different brand and not enough variety.

It is definitely a love hate relationship with big box stores. It’s hard to resist there variety of selection, long hours, good prices. I Sub work for a company that flips properties so i needs everything you can imagine. But you have to work for your saved money. It takes soo long to get anything there and I still end up not getting a couple things I need and have to go some where else. I waste so much time getting supplies. I have so many stories I could write a book.

Local supply store aren’t much better. Trying to explain what you need is a head ache because every thing they carry is in the back which you’re not allowed in. then it takes till noon the next day to get some supplies.

Lumber yards are that bad except for their high prices. At 84 lumber I get a different price every time I go there. If my sales rep isn't there the price goes up by 20%.

 

[Hack]

Coincidentally, I just wrote a post on our blog that will be published in a few days about the Home Hardware in our neighbourhood. They are very friendly, it doesn't take me a shuttle bus to get from one end of the store to the other, if they are out, they can call to check and then tell me when the next shipment it, when I call them back later it doesn't take me 4 or 5 buttons on a call management system to get to the person who can tell me if the stock is in, and so on.

We have a local shop like that, too. It's an Ace Hardware that has been in town almost 100 years. Rex Tomassini Ace Hardware. It's burned down twice since it opened.

The owner is a really nice guy, and he carries most hardware, but doesn't have things like lumber, drywall, hardwoods, etc. And, since his store is small, he usually only has ONE of anything (maybe two or three depending on what it is). But, if you need more, he can get it by the following Thursday

I would shop there more if he had building materials.

 

[guyod]

I have an Ace hardware right by my house. Its in the same building as a convieniant store, gas station and my bank, works out great when they have what i want. Ace hardware must be a franchise store.

 

[knewshound]

We have a local shop like that, too. It's an Ace Hardware that has been in town almost 100 years. Rex Tomassini Ace Hardware. It's burned down twice since it opened.

My wife, the long suffering Mrs knewshound is also from "luma and agreed. We used to live across the street from PPP and would occasionally find chickens in the yard.

I am in the process of a 10K DIY remodel and have bought only lumber and pipe from HD and even that only because it is a mere 5 blocks from my house. Lowes has taken the majority of my money but I have been careful to spend it on local specialty suppliers and wholesalers as well.

I have had numerous bad experiences with HD including installing the wrong carpet in 4 rooms, losing orders, bad delivery dates and on and on.

Cheers,

knewshound

 

[daniel2229]

I guess I am really blessed and didn't realize it. I have a Lowes, a Home Depot, and an Ace Hardware all within two miles of my home.

I naturally go to Lowes because they are closest. They DO have more than one name brand of each item, maybe three or four; it's my choice what to buy. Home Depot may have one or two choices of the same item. They both go through inventory reductions. I bought an sturdy offset tailpipe plumbing part two years ago at HD, and went back to get the same thing -- it had been removed from inventory, and I had to buy some flimsy accordian part to do the job. I don't like that, and I told the guy in the plumbing department.

I only go to Ace when all else fails, and then they usually do have it but at a much higher price. Now here is something odd; this Ace used to be a family owned hardware business in our community for more than 75 years, and they seemed to have kept their own hardware suppliers in addition to the Ace brand items. How Ace lets them get away with this, I don't know.

I also like Lowes for their great installers! I know each Lowes store has a list of installers, but our store is the best we have seen in years! The last three carpet installs came from Lowes, and the Weavers are the best installers in Dayton. We also had a new entry door installed and a young fellow from here in Bellbrook did the job quickly and neatly. Man, that is great just to know the installer you are having to come into your house is trusted to do the job right! I would and have recommended to friends both of these gentlemen as good installers.

In contrast, we went to a local carpet store that is very popular in the Dayton/Cinci area and bought carpet. The installer came with his helper and five-year-old child, who by the way, wanted to wander around our house. My wife had to ask them to leave the boy home when they returned to do the job right. They had placed the carpet in the wrong orientation and had a seam in a high traffic area. The carpet had to be re-ordered and reinstalled.

My hats off the our local Lowes. I am not so naive to think that there are not horror stories about other Lowes and HD's around the country, but we seem to be lucky here in SW Dayton. Lowes and HD are within a half a mile of each other and do often have price wars on installs and especially tools, where HD will frequently undercut Lowes. I like Lowes.com. It is easy to find items unlike HomeDepot.com, which has in my opinion, a clunky mess -- can't locate anything there quickly.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant.