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 Disappointing Experience with Home Depot
Posted Thu January 10, 2008 12:00 pm, by Beth R. written to Home Depot, Inc.
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On December 16th, my husband ordered via the Home Depot internet website a Maytag Epic washer and dryer, total cost including delivery was $1858.18. This unit was to be shipped to us from the Home Depot store on Lima Road in Fort Wayne Indiana.
On December 17th we received a phone call from a Home Depot representative verify our order. On December 18th we received a phone call from the trucking company who was to be delivering our washer and dryer on Thursday December 20th (4 days after ordering it). The washer and dryer arrived to us on Thursday morning but only the dryer could be installed because we live in a very old home where the laundry area is in the basement and the drain lines are in the floor. My husband was at work and therefore was not available to connect the drain line. That evening he did connect the drain lines but we had basketball games to attend (our boys are involved in sports).
The next evening, Friday December 21st, we decided to try out the new washer. We loaded it with the clothes, put the laundry soap and fabric softner in the little drawer and turned the machine on when water started pouring out of the bottom of it! We quickly turned it off, checked the hoses and tightened them just a little..turned the washer back on...water started pouring out again! We got a level out and checked the levelness of the washer, turned out very level. At this point it was late and the Home Depot store was closed.
On Saturday, December 22nd, I called Maytag at 9am but couldn't get thru to a live person, so I thought I would call the Home Depot store. I called and spoke with someone who said he would call Maytag and get back with me. Two hours later he called back and said that Maytag told him we needed to have it serviced, after asking him why on earth we were servicing a brand new machine that had never been run I had no choice but to call a repairman. The repairman came later that day and discovered a huge crack in the housing compartment that holds the laundry soap drawer. I called back Home Depot to give him the information. He said he would call Maytag and get back with me. True to his word he did get back with me and said that Maytag would not authorize a return of the unit until they (Maytag) spoke with the repairman but that nobody would be in the office at Maytag until Wednesday December 26th.
Come Wednesday, December 26th we received another phone call from him. saying that he spoke with Maytag again and they said no return on the unit because we didn't have it serviced. My husband said he was not going to service a brand new unit but that we would load it up into his truck and bring it back to Home Depot for either a full refund or an exchange. He said we couldn't return it unless we have a managers approval but that the manager would not be available until the next day, December 27th.
On December 27th, my husband called Maytag to verify that they said no return on it but what he found out was that Maytag never ever said that! They said the only time they would require a service is if we had the unit for awhile and had actually used it. Maytag further said we shouldn't even be calling them because it's covered by Home Depot for 30 days and then after that it would be covered under Maytag's warranty. Maytag said it is Home Depots responsibility to make it right and then get the refund from Maytag. With this information my husband called the Home Depot store and spoke with the store manager. He said he would take the washer back, though he shouldn't have to, and he would call us back with the date of the new washer.
Three hours later, the Home Depot store calls to say that the trucking company only comes to our town on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which day works out best for us? I said Tuesday would be great because my husband would be home that day and he could hook the drain line up so that we could run the washer to make sure it would work. He offered us a 10% discount on the washer for the trouble.
Now come Tuesday, January 1st, we had not received any phone call to verify the delivery of the washer so my husband calls the Home Depot store where he talks with someone who says we aren't supposed to get the new washer until January 8th, another full week. My husband then asks to speak with the store manager concerning why we were told it would be coming on the 1st. The store manager responded to the call and said he had no idea why we were told that but he find out and get back with us. Two hours go by and we receive a call saying she can't get thru to the trucking company because it's a holiday but she will try the next day and get back with us. January 2nd comes and she calls us back and says that the trucking company doesn't have the unit but that she's going to have someone call us the next day about it. January 3rd comes and she calls and says that the trucking company can't get the washer to us sooner than the 8th. Almost 3 weeks since we received the broken washer!
At this point I have spent $122 at the laundry mat ( we got rid our old washer and dryer because never did we think we would receive a broken set), PLUS both laundry mats in the town we live in allows smoking: we have 1 child with asthma who we had to take the doctors office for a checkup and to get another inhaler. We had no choice but to go to the laundry mat, but we went with the intentions of coming home with clean smelling clothes, not clean clothes that reek like smoke. We have 4 teenage boys all of whom play sports, all of whom received clothes for Christmas, we cannot go 3 weeks without doing laundry. I gave all this information to a person who was very understanding and said she would see what she could do and get back with me. An hour later she calls to say they are bringing me a washer they have sitting around to use until our new washer comes. Two men from the Home Depot store brought the washer, hooked it up and left.
This washer that was brought to me was a return! It was a return because it only washes in gentle cycle. While I truly appreciate the thought, anyone with teenage boys, 4 of them at that, can understand that gentle cycle just doesn't cut it. But again, what else am I going to do? January 8th, almost 3 weeks later after receiving the broken washer, the new one arrives and works perfectly.
Sincerely,
Robert and Beth R.
I would like for Home Depot to reimburse us for our cost at the laundry mat ($122), the cost at the doctors office ($40), the cost of the inhaler ($10), plus we would like to be compensated for our time and gas expense for the 3 weeks we waited for the washer.
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by Rhet Canter Posted Mon January 14, 2008 @ 7:15 PM
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You could have cut this by more than half and still made your point.
Good letter I might add, but way too long.
At the very least Home Depot attmepted to give you something that
works until the new one showed up. A little late on the offer, but
your series of events is written like a television show. No one could
see any of this coming. Moral of the story? Don't shop at Home
Depot. Bad experience. I sure hope other locations have better
service than your town. It sounds like you live out a ways, that
might be part of the problem. Been there in the past and it sucks!
BTW.....why would you take a child with asthma into a laundry facility
where people are smoking? No other options? You could have left that
part of out your letter. Your problem, not theirs. Don't be the
victim!
Peace!
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by Marty5223 Posted Mon January 14, 2008 @ 5:47 PM
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Oh how I feel your pain. I don't know if my post from last year is
still on here or not...But Home Depot + washer and dryer + Maytag +
Delivery = pain.
It is an experience I will not ever forget. Good Luck with
everything.
I kept getting damaged units and the delivery company disconnected the
old washer and flooded the laundry room without telling me. The first
time the delivery guys bounced one of the items off the back of the
truck on the street pavement on its side, and tried to brush it off
and give it to me scratched/dented up.
I ended up waiting after more delivery problems about a month. My old
units worked and I had donated them to a charity.
The delivery company was TERRIBLE!
I can say I finally did get everything taken care of. Delivery
companies Insurance replaced the damaged carpet and Home Depot
refunded the delivery and gave me a gift card for all the problems.
Turned out the delivery company was not even the one Home Depot
contracted with they had subcontracted with another carrier.
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by FreedomRider Posted Sun January 13, 2008 @ 9:49 PM
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The horror stories about Home Depot and Lowe's are never ending. I am
amazed at all the apologists here for these stores. I agree with the
one poster that said go to a local appliance store if you have one.
It may cost a few bucks more but it's well worth not dealing with the
big box stores, they are terrible at doing anything other than retail.
They are fine if you are just going in to buy a tool or some
hardware. But to have them install kitchen cabinets or doors, or in
your case, appliances? Go elsewhere, you'll be happier.
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From what I can tell, this is another (rare) exchange of (mostly)
constructive criticism or polite disagreement (one responder
excepted), and the OP responding in a reasonable way to people's
responses. Not everyone is in agreement, but other than the one
responder who seems, um, cranky or PMSing, people are being pretty
cool/respectful with one another.
I love that! Kudos all around, especially to the letter writer!
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by ST Posted Fri January 11, 2008 @ 4:04 PM
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I'm not going to repeat the comments that everyone else has left,
though they do have a lot of good points.
I bought my dryer (and my upcoming washer) from a local appliance
store that has been around longer than I've been alive. If you have
one nearby, it's definitely something to look into. For half of what
Lowes/Home Depot/etc. charge for installation, I got delivery,
installation, and hauling-away of my old units. Plus, they test the
new ones, to ensure they are working. They were also willing to work
with my schedule for delivery, since they see the delivery guys daily.
They also include the hoses/plugs/vents in the delivery charge,
something that Lowes/Home Depot charge extra for. And for all that,
their price was within $20 of the big chains.
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I had a very similar situation with the Home Depot this year in
Langhorne, PA.
The washing machine was delivered and the men who did the installation
didn't speak English and left after installing it. I asked repeatedly
for them to please test it, but they didn't understand. It was dead on
arrival and would just fill with water but do nothing else. It took a
week and a half for this to be resolved and I couldn't do laundry. The
Home Depot pushed this off onto Maytag who came out and repaired it
twice before it worked appropriately. I will never shop with the Home
Depot for appliances ever again - I'll just go to Lowes.
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Smoking in a LAUNDROMAT? Thank Flying Spaghetti Monster for
state-wide smoking bans. Thank you, Minnesota legislature!
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by Gino Posted Fri January 11, 2008 @ 2:17 AM
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I can't understand how this eperience equals disappointment with Home
Depot. They were generous enough to refund 10 percent, something they
didn't have to do. And then loan you a machine. Genitle Cycle works
fine in a pinch, even if you have to run it a few times extra. Another
gesture Home Depot didn't have to do.
The holiday issue others brought up is valid as well.
Instead of saying "Thanks, Home Depot, for helping us through a
difficult situation", you're asking them for frivolous compensation
because your house is old, the drain needs work, you have a child
who's ill, you had to go to a laundry mat etc.
How is your decision to go to a smoking laundry mat Home Depot's
fault? As a born again breather, I now have an acute sense of smell,
and I've used a laundry mat with smokers and can't smell a trace of
smoke on the clothes I washed.
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by geekgirl00 Posted Thu January 10, 2008 @ 10:36 PM
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You say you had no choice but to use a laundromat. I have a hard time
believing there was no other option. If I were in your position, I
would have knocked on a friends door and asked if I could borrow their
washer for the time being. Makes more sense than endangering your
child in an environment that could potentially make them sick.
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by Chris&RyansMama Posted Thu January 10, 2008 @ 9:17 PM
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It sounds to me like Home Depot had very good communication with you
and even gave you a loaner. I think that they went above and beyond
what they needed to do and asking for laundry and medical reimbursment
is just absurd.
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by Evil N Posted Thu January 10, 2008 @ 7:56 PM
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Get real you money hungry you know what. Sheesh. It was your fault
too that you threw away the old crap. God forbid you have to wash
your clothes at a laundromat, I guess you are "too good" to do that.
PUHLEEZE! Home Depot doesn't owe you anything for you to wash clothes
at the laundromat because you choose to throw away the old set. And I
really don't see how it costs $122 to wash clothes. (How are you going
to prove that anyways, even with your litter?) Laundromats don't give
receipts! Plus if you are spending nearly $2,000 on a new
washer/dryer I'm sure $122 is nothing. Come off your pedestool. Your
aren't special.
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Who..
by Wolf Thu January 10, 2008 @ 8:14 PM
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by donno Posted Thu January 10, 2008 @ 6:57 PM
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Why would you think they would deliver an appliance on New Year's Day?
At the time you had the discussion that a Tuesday would be great for
delivery, you should have known full well you wouldn't get it on the
following Tuesday. You had just had Christmas, and everyone knows
that New Year's Day is exactly one week from Christmas. Your
expectation should have immediately been it would be more than a week
before you would have a washing machine.
So Home Depot was nice enough to send you a loaner washing machine,
and you express outrage that it was a return (I guess you expected a
brand new machine as a loaner) and you can't deal with it working only
on gentle cycle. I am sure they appreciate your gratitude for their
gesture.
I think this whole complaint is overblown and unjustified. If you
hadn't ordered your appliances the week before Christmas, don't you
think this would have gone a lot smoother? For certain, you would
have had your replacement machine over a week earlier. You have no
one but yourself to blame for poor scheduling.
You would have ahd to wash your clothes with your own machine (which
costs money for soap and water and electricity) or someone else's -
they don't own you anything for that. The doctor's bill and inhaler
is just ridiculous. Your time and gas expense? Now you are just
being absurd. This whole complaint should be discarded, in my
opinion.
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by JohnF225 Posted Thu January 10, 2008 @ 6:53 PM
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When you spoke to Home Depot on Thursday December 27, and they
informed you that deliveries were made on Tuesdays and Thursdays and
you choose a Tuesday, did the person you were speaking with
specifically state to you that they were going to deliver on Tuesday
January 1, or did you just assume that? I mean, that was a holiday,
and probably the reason that your husband was home, so why would a
delivery company be making deliveries that day?
As to the rest of it, you might have a point, other than taking your
child to the laundromat with you. Why not leave him home with one of
your older children, thereby avoiding the situation that happened?
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