Calling Home Depot….

June 20 2008 by Ellen Roseman

This Atlanta-based home improvement chain likes to promote its friendly customer service. But I get a steady stream of complaints, particularly about installations, that suggest the image is just skin-deep.

Dick Smyth, a well-known Toronto CHUM radio personality who has retired to cottage country, still rants about controversial issues that cross his path. His latest email to me was about his unhappy dealings with “Big Orange.” I’ve posted it as a comment below.

He’s annoyed about the lack of access to contact information for complaints.

The front office is unable even to provide either an e-mail or postal address at which I can complain. A dissatisfied customer apparently is a new experience for them.

That made me dig up an email I got from a former Home Depot employee. He spilled the beans on how to get head office to pay attention.

Any customer of the Home Depot who is not getting the service or attention they deserve can call the “Ben Hill” line (the toll-free number is posted in every store at the customer service desk). When the rep from “Ben Hill” calls the store manager back, things start to happen in a hurry! Trust me on this!

I worked at the phone order desk at three Home Depots for 6 years and I know that store managers live in healthy fear of “Ben Hill”. These calls are monitored at head office and figure prominently in managers’ performance evaluations.

So, I had to ask: why Ben Hill? Here’s what my whistle blower said:

In the Home Depot context, it’s an invention. But there WAS a historical “Ben Hill”.

Somebody from Home Depot liked the name, which is also the name of a county in northern Georgia. They thought it conveyed an image of a wise old uncle who could soothe ruffled feathers and right wrongs.

The Home Depot gave the Ben Hill department a lot of autonomy and the authority to make pro-customer decisions without being under the thumb of some desk jockey manager at head office. Ben Hill reported only to the company president.

Their office was not at company headquarters (but it was in the Atlanta area) and no one at head office except the CEO knew who worked there.

When a Ben Hill rep calls a store manager and tells that manager to do some particular thing, the store manager can do what Ben Hill says without getting permission from either the district manager or from head office.

Finally, I asked Tiziana Baccega, a spokeswoman for Home Depot Canada, if this was true.

Hi Ellen, this is true. It is our Customer Service phone number and anyone can call 1-800-668-2266 to reach the Canadian call centre.

Here’s the response from Dick Smyth:

They sure as heck didn’t have “Ben Hill’s” number at the Bracebridge store. But if nothing else, it provided grist for my radio comment.

June 14, 2008
It’s a question of bang for a buck.

I’m currently jumping through hoops with one of the big stores over a stove warranty. Never mind… it would take much longer than my sixty seconds to explain.

Quite coincidentally, my pressure washer expired of old age. I decided to buy a new one… not at Big Orange (as I’ll call it) — who needs another hassle? — but at Canadian Tire.

A week later, the same washer went on sale for seventy bucks less. CTC has a policy of refunding the difference but I was one day past the deadline. No problem…zip…swish… click…and my card was credited with the difference.

Bottom line? I’m PO’d with Big Orange. They lost one sale already and many more in the future. And guess who we badmouthed at our Saturday bar-b-que with several friends.

But I have a fuzzy warm feeling about Canadian Tire. I may have cost them seventy bucks. But that bought a really happy customer who will spend that several times over in coming months.

And who praised them to the sky at that same bar-b-que.

Category: Finance | 62 comments

62 comments

Dick Smyth

Jun 20 2008

Hi Ellen, here’s a tale of woe that amuses and saddens me more than it angers me.

We bought a Moffat range at Home Depot just under a year ago. Two weeks ago, the bottom element in the oven shorted out. So I removed it — not really rocket science — you just undo two screws and pull it out.

I drove to Home Depot (at $1.28 a litre) and they cheerfully gave me a new element, which I installed. Click click. It worked fine.

But then a couple of days later, the top element stopped working. So obviously, there is a challenge here that exceeds my handyman skills.

Another trip to Home Depot (about a buck thirty a litre by now). They again are very helpful and give me the number of their service contractor in Gravenhurst. I call, repeating the multi digited model and serial numbers I already had given Home Depot.

Next day I get a call. Because I had replaced the element myself, I’m told the warranty is void and I will have to pay for the service call.

The woman I dealt with totally lacks people skills and rather gives the term “inflexible bitch” new depth.

Oh… There’s still lots more…

Three more trips to Home Depot! (up to a buck thirty-five a litre). They promise someone will call me. Nobody does.

In the meantime, both my pressure washer and my power mower, long out of warranty, break down and I have to buy new ones. I purchase both items at Canadian Tire, which is farther away but, in my experience, more accommodating.

My final visit to Home Depot was Friday. We go round and round without settling anything. The front office is unable even to provide either an e-mail or postal address at which I can complain. A dissatisfied customer apparently is a new experience for them.

However, after about ten uneasy minutes on the phone to some loftier level of the corporate hierarchy, they do scrawl an 800 phone number on a scrap of paper.

I call it and after enduring the press-one-for-this-press-two-for-that routine, I tell my story yet again. I now pretty well have it down by rote.

I am told to call Moffat, which I do. Moffat seem almost resentful that I’m bothering them, tell me Home Depot should never have given me their number and tell me to call GE Canada. This one is not a toll-free number but is in area code 506 (New Brunswick.)

I decline — I’ve already spent enough on gas without adding long distance — and decide that I will call my trusty local appliance guy in Bracebridge, with whom I’ve never had a problem, and absorb the cost.

I’d send Home Depot his bill, but the address of their head office remains classified information.

I also resolve that in future I never will buy anything more
sophisticated than a tube of glue from Home Depot. I think they may be good at sticky stuff.

Then there is the still unresolved matter of the installed “Lazy Susan” in our new kitchen a year and a half ago. But that’s for another day.

The Home Depot “associates” — ahh, so wonderful to bear a flattering title without having to assume any responsibility — are pleasant enough (although their cheery and oft repeated “hello, how are you” in every aisle, at every turn, seems a bit contrived.) But they obviously are the bottom rung of a rigid bureaucracy where unbending adherence to rules and procedures trumps common sense every time.

Home Despot, like Sears, another Kafka-esque organization, has been suffering financial reverses in recent months. I wonder whether experiences like this and the inevitable bad word of mouth (and yes, this will be a hot topic over many drinks and at many bar-b-ques this summer) are the reason.
Doug Pilkey

Jun 21 2008

I have a similar experience. Having purchased a replacement window at Home Depot in Bracebridge (minor screwup but fixed in the store), I ordered two large replacement windows & installation last September.

The installer supervisor came and measured and asked me to sign a contract. I explained that I wanted a week to consider his offer, so he left the paperwork for me to submit. I submitted the paperwork within the week.

He told me that the windows would take 6 weeks to order, so everything was moving. About 5 weeks into the 6-week period, I started emailing him about specifics but received no reply.

After 3 weeks had passed, someone else called and said that the windows hadn’t even been ordered and that they would be there to install in early December. I explained that since it was a seasonal residence, both the cottage and road were closed and it would not happen till spring.

They called in mid-April and taking into account the previous conversation, I was told that the windows would arrive the first week of June and they could be installed then.

After sending an email asking for an update on Monday, I got a call on Wed from Jason asking if they could set up a time. But when I called Jason back, all I got was an answering machine. I left 2 possible dates, but have so far heard nothing.

I will contact Ben Hill this weekend and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the article.
Will Ashworth

Jun 23 2008

Hey Ellen:

You had to write about Home Depot and bad customer service. That’s like waving a red cape in front of a bull. Here’s my latest story from Home Depot:

My wife and I took three trips to Home Depot to buy a $700 BBQ. Finally, when we were able to get someone to help us, they said it would take 15 minutes to get one down. My wife said that wasn’t good enough (it probably wouldn’t have fit in our car) so they said they’d deliver it for free. When it was delivered, pieces of the BBQ were missing and the giant price tag was still hanging off one of the knobs. They’d sent us the floor model. Back to Home Depot we go (fourth time) and finally we got $100 for our trouble. That took at least two hours.

I’ve read many articles in the press about what a great CEO Home Depot Canada’s Annette Verschuren is. Totally poppycock. Home Depot hasn’t been the same since Stephen Bebis left. He now runs Golftown.

HD is hopeless. I’ll go to Lowe’s as soon as the get closer to my home.

P.S. I don’t usually agree with Dick Smyth’s views but on this one he’s bang on. They’re dreadful.
Chris Luchka

Jun 25 2008

We are in a similar situation as Dick Smyth. We purchased a GE stove last August and the sensor has been replaced 3 times… This is the top of the line model… I think 3 strikes you’re out.

I have heard from a colleague about the Ben Hill call line and how it works. Any chance you can provide that wonderful magic number?
Dave Davis

Jun 28 2008

So, what the heck is the Ben Hill phone number?

I just spent 30 minutes listening to the same repeat message, as I could not dial the #5 needed to stop the repeat message. I’m a disabled person who uses pre-programed numbers and the operator to dial numbers, thus their customer service is unavailable to many disabled.

Also, my sis went down to order something for me and this is what she emailed me:

“Well, going to Home Depot wasn’t my usual pleasant experience . . . First of all, they didn’t have any of the lighting we were looking at.

“I found some vinyl, wide slat blinds for a good price, but could I find anyone to cut them? Not so much.

“So, I decided to at least buy the vanity and book the delivery — an hour out of my life I’ll never get back.

“Well, the pricks charge $60 to bring it to the curb. The f——’ curb. What are we supposed to do with it at the f——’ curb? F— I was mad. I left.

“Your mission is to find someone in your ‘hood who picks up things and/or hauls things away cuz delivery, to me, doesn’t mean leaving it on the curb!”

Here’s their stated delivery policy:

“What are the shipping policies?

“Delivery is Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 5 pm local time. If you are not home to accept delivery, a delivery notification card with further details will be issued. In some cases, smaller shipments made by courier may be left at your door. Please note that larger shipments made by common carrier require a signed acknowledgement of receipt. If your order is shipped by common carrier, the carrier will call you in advance to arrange a delivery time.

“Delivery is typically to the front door of houses and the ground floor lobby of apartment and condominium buildings. Delivery vehicles and equipment are not permitted on private property.

“Multiple items may be shipped separately due to size and may arrive at different times. If any single package in your order exceeds 31.8 kg (70 lbs), assistance to unload your order may be required when it arrives.”

So, as you can see, their delivery policies are exclusionary, as well.

Hell, I can order $50 worth of stationery from Staples and Office Depot, not to mention pizzeria’s worldwide deliver to one’s door.
Stephen

Jun 28 2008

Unfortunately, I had two very bad experiences with Homedepot.ca.

One involved ordering a garden shed. While I was filling out the order form, I was told that the delivery was about 2 to 3 days. Then as soon as I hit the complete button, I received an email that said that delivery could not be for at least 10 days.

My second fun phone tag incident was trying to get missing parts for what I had ordered.

Needless to say, I never planning on using Homedepot.ca again and I’m not totally sure about using their stores either, because it seems now that they never have anything in stock nor are their staff very helpful.

I was extremely frustrated in dealing with customer service. I think I may have actually got the Ben Hill number when I was trying to figure things out with my garden shed. But that didn’t help since the American staff couldn’t understand why I had to have my garden shed delivered to me before mid-October. I’m guessing in Atlanta, frost and snow really aren’t on the radar.

Anyway, in my search to actually find out where I could send my letter of complaint. I found this address:

Home Depot Canada
Head Office
1 Concorde Gate
Suite 900
Toronto, Ontario
M3C 4H9

Feel free to send your complaints there. I did and someone actually got back to me and offered a bit of compensation for my time. Of course, it still wasn’t enough to have me to ever use them again. I had to find this address myself, because no one at Home Depot provided it to me, even though I had explictly asked for it.

Maybe if they start receiving physical correspondence, rather than phone messages, it may actually dawn on management that their operations are terrible when it comes to customer service and that is the main reason they are losing market share.
Bob Bujic

Jun 29 2008

First, my beef with HD. I used to work there (Aurora, ON) and at the end of May 2008 I decided to join the competition for more money. Nothing unusual.

Well, at first we sat down to determine when would be my last day of work in the store (two-week notice) until I blurted out why I was jumping the ship.

I was told to leave the store immediately — and I mean immediately — but their part of a moral obligation to pay me for two weeks will seemingly not come.

To your readers, I can add that you can get assistance in special cases, but not from floor employees who are willing to assist but without authority…. except when they have to tell you ‘No.’

Ask for a manager and be friendly but assertive. Works 95% of the time. Why the HD set it up that way is still a mystery to me.
Ellen Roseman

Jun 30 2008

I don’t have the Ben Hill number and I doubt it would help if I gave it out anyway.

You need to have someone at Home Depot call that number to resolve your customer issues.

It’s effective because it’s known only to key Home Depot staff members.
Andrew Wills

Jul 1 2008

Hello from Calgary. I hate to say it but Home Depot has got to be the worst for service of any kind in our great city.

This past week, the sales flyer offered 3 ryobi power tools for the price of 2. Great deal…But only if they’re available.

Six trips to the store in 4 days, 3 promises the tools would be in tomorrow, 2 promises “we have them we just ca’nt find them right now come back later.”

Well, the sale ended today and I have no power tools.

Also, it seems that Home Depot has no managers. When I was asking for a manager, they were UNAVAILABLE or NOT IN THE STORE. How convenient.

Come on, LOWES, the market is ready for you.
John Neal

Jul 3 2008

I disagree, i have found Home Depot to be very helpful and I have never had a problem with them. On the other hand Canadian Tire has been just plain bad and Rona is even worse.
LK

Jul 9 2008

I am an associate at a Home Depot store that is getting a runaround for a mistake they made. It’s taken months to get any help that is actually helpful and I wish I had that Ben Hill number.

It’s not just the customers that have issues, believe me. I’m probably going to be fired anyway so I really have nothing to lose by posting on here.

Everything that I have read is fairly accurate. They break corporate rules in the store I work at and I’m sure it’s not the only one. No one listens to me when I have brought up safety issues. They fired our store manager, as well as other management types, and things have only gotten worse since then.

This store is convenient for me, but believe me when I tell you, with the few associates that do care about the customer, there are many more who could care less. I wish corporate would really take a long look at what is going on in all of their stores.

Surprise visits would be nice if they actually reprimanded people for problems within the store. The monthly InFocus, which tells employees the right and wrong way things should be done, is a joke. NO ONE in management gives a damn about what it says, or at least they don’t do anything to correct it.

When I have brought up things that it says are safety hazards, I have been shot down with an excuse ‘oh that’s for bigger stores’ or ‘that doesn’t pertain to our store’ (my favorites). If they don’t do that, they simply ignore me, which is even nicer.

My Opinion — find another home improvement store that cares and will listen. And unless you like being treated like the ground you walk on — don’t get a job there!
DC

Jul 11 2008

With the economy tightening up and the resulting slowdown in the home improvement business, you’d think companies would be eager to provide good service. We’re ready to spend $1,000 on blinds. But, no. Here’s what happened.

We need to have a measurement done to determine if the blinds can fit inside the window frame (our preference) or if they must hang outside. First, we tried Blinds to go on Keele at St. Clair. We paid the installation contractor to come in and take the measurements.

He spent most of an hour arguing with me, refused to take the inside measurement and took only the outside measurement. So, we didn’t place the order.

Next, we tried Home Depot. They contract it out to a decorating firm. Their sales representative signed a contract with us and promised to have the independent measurement contractor visit within the 10 day cancellation period.

You can’t get the measurement person separately - you need to sign a contact and give a 50% deposit.

After a week had passed with no phone call from a contractor, I called Home Depot and discovered that it had taken them most of that time to get the contract entered into their computer. As we were entering the busy season, it would be impossible to get the contractor in within 10 days. So, we cancelled.

Three weeks later, I called up to ask where my refund on my deposit was. They said that my cancellation had not been entered into their computer.

Fortunately, I had not depended upon a phone call to cancel. Despite their verbal reassurances, I had insisted on faxing in my cancellation. So, they gave up and entered my cancellation into their computer.

Another three weeks went by; still no refund. I called them, they referred me to accounting, accounting referred me to the store and, you guessed it, the store referred me to the main office again to complete the circle.

Finally, after nearly seven weeks, they called to ask for my credit card to process my refund (as they retain it in their computer for only 30 days).

If all goes well, I’ll have my refund after a seven week wait.
SM

Jul 15 2008

You have been reporting on cases of Home Depot’s mismanagement of its At Home Services and the troubles that their customers have endured. I was one of those unlucky people.

I took my situation to court and now it is all finished. Home Depot Stockyards, Trane Canada, Trane Canada DSO and A Plus Air Systems (Stainway Blvd., Toronto) have admitted their responsibility and the courts issued their ruling. This process lasted almost two years and in the end I was very exhausted and I thought that I would forget everything as a bad dream.

However, after hearing about yet another unfortunate neighbour who recently had the same companies, Home Depot Stockyards and its trusted installer, A Plus Air Systems, in their home, I thought that I had to contact you and ask you to further raise the awareness of these kinds of practices.

Our court case was about a breach of contract and damages for a terrible summer in 2006 that was inflicted on us. My family and I had to endure sleepless nights, exhaustion during the day due to unbearable heat and humidity, although we had a newly installed Central air-conditioning system.

From June through August, there were 40 days with a humidex between 30-40 degrees Celsius. That summer was marked with physical and emotional stress, as we were falsely led to believe that everything was fine with the new installation.

Home Depot Stockyards Toronto knew all about it, but left the matter to its installer. A Plus Air Systems visited seven times after the initial installation, but could not or (in my opinion) did not want to admit what was wrong.

The manufacturer Trane Canada came only in mid-September to investigate and finally found that the installation was not proper. We asked that the contract be rescinded and the AC removed. We also wanted compensation for all that we went through. After the company didn’t respond to any of our reasonable expectations, we decided to seek justice.

During the period of gathering evidence, the law firm representing Home Depot, Trane and A Plus hired a third-party HVAC engineer to assess the house. We hired an HVAC specialist too.

Both concluded that there was an improper installation. However, even if the installation was proper, they concluded that the Central AC was the wrong system for our old house.

The house has no insulation in the walls or the ceiling and, with a flat roof covered with tar, is just a big heat trap. The biggest problem were the old 4 inch round ducts, which couldn’t deliver cool air.

Clearly the installer, A Plus Air Systems, chosen by Home Depot and Trane Canada as a superior installer, did not take these factors into consideration when assessing my 100 year old house.

Now that Home Depot was found liable in a court case, and after it has heard many other complaints about the same installer, is it not mystifying that Home Depot Stockyards still keeps A Plus Air Systems as the exclusive HVAC installer for its customers?

Although Home Depot and Trane speak of their exclusive installers as North America’s best, when there are complaints Home Depot conveniently hides behind its indemnity agreement, where the installer is responsible for all the issues regarding a faulty installation, including the court costs.

So every time you call Home Depot to talk about an installation gone bad, it sends you the same installers back and you end up in a loop until you give up or take it to court.

The installer would not deal with the true reasons for the failed installation, but spared no money for the court case. A Plus Air Systems had hired 2 law firms and some 5 tough lawyers who didn’t understand the air-conditioning business but were happy to pursue any avenue the law presented in order to prolong the case and exhaust us. We also had to deal with Home Depot and Trane legal departments in Georgia and Texas.

Many times it is hard for the average person to take a case to court. This is not a simple process and one needs to hire a lawyer who will do everything right. Some people don’t have the means to hire a lawyer and they can’t get through the rules of the small court proceedings and finally give up.

In these unfortunate situations, Home Depot and its trusted wrongdoers get away with it. What is worse, they continue with their inadequate work that for some customers creates disasters, traumas and financial loss.

From what we know just in our neighbourhood, a lady purchased a tankless water heater at Home Depot. The installer A Plus, being too busy, sent another installer who was not licensed to do the job. This installation resulted in a flood and damage to the interior of the house. This lady was a witness for my court case.

Another lady bought a furnace at Home Depot and A Plus Air Systems installed it without checking her ducts. She complained many times all winter, while freezing with her two children.

A Plus Air Systems will also mislead people in order to get a contract. Just recently, A Plus told yet another neighbour they would get a $1,500 government rebate. After the installation, the neighbours found out that they did not qualify. A Plus misled me on the same matter.

Ontario Power Authority tells us that this is a frequent problem with installers misleading the customers in order to get the installation job.

The court proceedings that we started involved much work and preparation. There was a settlement conference, one postponed trial and two actual trials. The whole process was very complex, time consuming, financially demanding, emotionally stressful. However, I believed that the suffering my family and I were put through should not pass without being exposed to the public and be judged by the court.

The overall court decision was the justice that we expected. However, the judge, Hon. Mungovan, acknowledged only the liability of Home Depot and Trane Canada. The installer was not liable because the installer has no contract with the homeowner. However, the installer was liable to Home Depot and Trane Canada through its indemnity agreement and in the end had to cover all the lawyer costs and damages awarded to us.

The judge awarded us damages based on the breach of our “peace of mind” contract, meaning that we had a contract with Home Deport and Trane for a worry-free installation by experts, and instead were left in hands of incompetents.

Although A Plus admitted its wrongdoings, the judge wouldn’t award us damages against them because we had no contract with the installer. The judge stated that the law doesn’t give damages for mental suffering short of a mental breakdown (without showing it was intentional) unless there is a “peace of mind” contract.

Although we didn’t end up in the mental hospital, we still wonder what is intentional? Are not the repeated visits that failed to address the problem an example of intent, not wanting to help?

The expert witness needed only one visit to conclude what was wrong. A Plus knew what the problem was all along, as well as how we suffered because we told them. However, it intended to continue with the status quo on the installation that directly caused our suffering. We were not happy with this part of the judgment, but we were not planning any further legal action.

So the courts’ message is that our laws are weak in this regard and do not acknowledge our unnecessary stress, that we as customers and innocent people who pay for everything, have to also endure the consequences of stress and only if we completely go mental will they assess us for damages, if we are still sane enough to file the claim. If this is the truth of the state of our laws, then we need to talk to our lawmakers and legislative representatives to look into protecting us better.

I am sure that no individual, whether a politician, judge, CEOs of Home Depot and Trane Canada, owner of A Plus Air Systems, would go through the same experience as my family and I and many other families have, and for their money put up with the kind of unprofessionalism that certain Home Depot, Trane and A Plus employees have displayed.

We hope our case can inspire other people wronged by big box retailers and installation companies. They can take these companies to court and use our case as an example. We think this could provide the basis for a class action suit for people who were affected in this way in the past.

Thank you so much for your help in the past, thank you for covering these issues which help many people being heard and their problems addressed.

You interviewed the CEO, Annette Verschuren, a long time ago, when she promised all kinds of changes with Home Depot’s At Home Services. However, unprofessional installations are still happening at peoples’ homes and Home Depot is not standing behind them.

Ms Verschuren is responsible just as much for not tightening the policies of Home Depot branches, which give the whole company and many good people who work there a bad reputation. Perhaps she should come to investigate some complaints herself and put herself in the situation of the installation going terribly wrong. If the installation is the product Home Depot wants to sell, the customers deserve a 100% refund of their money.

Will Home Depot restructure its own complaints department? Will Home Depot establish its own quick, independent team for the assessment of complaints and its OWN response team?

How about changing an installer after a complaint is made and verified by an independent assessment? How about a Home Depot follow-up with the customer after the installation? After a verified complaint why not give an immediate refund and compensation to those who Home Depot led into a nightmare? Why don’t they treat people the way they would like to be treated?
Over Worked

Jul 25 2008

Complain to management and complain loud. Employees of Home Depot are underpaid ($10 per hour) and understaffed within their departments.

It’s impossible to maintain a healthy customer relationship and high level of service if you have a 20:1 ratio of customers per hour. Home Depot speaks of customer service in their management meetings but does very little to improve the numbers. It breaks down like this daily (lumber and building material department).

7am to 9am, 1 employee

-get returns back on the shelves, this is ongoing, 60 lbs. bags of cement, 65 lbs. bundles of shingles, 45 lbs 4×4X12 posts, this is ongoing throughout the day, doesn’t stop at least 15 times or more per day and not one item, lots.

-wood cutting, all day, and heavy sheets 5/8 or 3/4 mdf 50 to 65 lbs. No help and demanding projects, you have to be good with imperial measurements and the metric system. Cutting lumber is on average 10 customers per hour, in the summer double that.

- answer customer questions and you better know the answers. How much cement do I need? How do I build a deck? How do I install a drop ceiling or install drywall? What insulation do i need for my attic and how many bags? How many 2×4 studs do i need to finish my 450 sq. ft basement? What type of screws or length of screws do I need for my fence? What is vapor barrier? How long a ladder do I need to reach my roof? After you give a solid answers to these types of questions, the customer replies, “got anything cheaper?” Remember the customer ratio that I mentioned earlier 20:1 per hour.

-Now answer the incoming phone calls from customers who want pricing or building information and remain calm, even though you’re falling behind with returns or being waved at by a customer at the saw, maybe not a wave but a “hey lumber guy, come on I’m in a hurry cut my wood.” You reply, “Sir, I’ll be right with you as soon as I finish with this customer on the phone.” Another customer, “excuse me can you load my drywall?” You say, “I’m sorry I’m just finishing with this phone call, then I have to cut wood and afterwards I can help you sir.” Customer replies, “this is bullshit poor service. I’ve been waiting here 10 minutes.”

My reply: everywhere in every business we wait, doctor or dentist appointments, takeout food or dining out, movie lineups, gas stations, government offices, driver’s licensing renewals, health cards,and even your morning cup of Tim Hortons coffee, but for some reason Home Depot shoppers feel that service is slow and not fast enough. But the actual fact is that based on customers vs Home Depot employee ratio, it’s not slow.

Maybe as shoppers we have an advantage. We can complain and yell and make disrespectful comments to an HD employee and get away with it because the HD employee is not to respond to aggressive comments from a shopper. Talk about feeling low and unsatisfied at the end of a long day. Well, that’s me, but because of my family I have to keep working at Home Depot until I find other employment.

-Finally, 9 am, second associate shows up.

-OK, sweep and clean and straighten the wood, every spot, every lift must be flat and straight, this does not stop throughout the day, one customer within 20 minutes can mess up the 60 minutes that you spent straightening all the wood, because they throw it all over the floor looking for the straightest piece. You must continually fix or other customers will complain that it’s a mess. Remember it’s not plastic, it’s heavy.

-OK, sweep and clean, especially in the cement aisle and straighten and organize the other 6 aisles that you’re responsible for and continually give high level service and cutting and returns.

-Now respond to the manager requests.

-Management tells you not to rip cut dimensional lumber for safety reasons, but refuses to post a statement. Would rather have you tell the customer, as well as tell the customers that we no longer cut pressure-treated lumber, but still won’t post information for the shopper.

My occupation before Home Depot was Plant Manager and a Production Manager within the automotive manufacturing industry, combined years 20. I lost my job due to poor sales and the rising cost of fuel.

There are a lot of lazy HD employees, management included, but that’s everywhere in every business not just Home Depot. I’ll also say that there are a lot of good and honest hard-working employees as well. So why do we get disrespected from shoppers?

Maybe it’s because most people can’t ever be happy or satisfied and if they don’t complain at Home Depot, they will complain about some other business. I would love to be a customer of yours in your place of work.

One other item, why do shoppers feel that Home Depot employees should not ever be on break or take a lunch? The Ontario labor law states that all employees are entitled to unrestricted work breaks. So once again, if you show up at a Home Depot and that single department employee is on break, don’t complain to that employee. Complain to the store manager for not supplying sufficient coverage.

IF YOU’RE GOING TO COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN OF THE FACT THAT HOME DEPOT UNDERSTAFFS THEIR DEPARTMENTS, WHICH IS THE REASON FOR SLOW AND POOR SERVICE.
DIANNE TATTA

Sep 12 2008

Home Depot is not removing the promotional item once the item is returned. The interest accrues over six months or over a year, then hits your billing statement!

The item returned is supposedly credited from your revolving balance, but remains on the promotion and I just noticed, as several items just hit my bill (all returned in same billing period of thirty days).

I was even told when I called in to customer service that it was my fault I did not notice! I’m still fighting this way of doing business and need help!

When caught only recent bill, some items credited as of today and apparently this is a common practice! Someone has not been able to stop this! Investigation of authority is needed somewhere!
PC

Sep 12 2008

We have had a horrible experience with Home Depot in Bracebridge, involving the police.

They sent the wrong material to our building site (not the first time) and when my husband went to the store to see what happened, one of the workers called the police and made up a story that he had been drinking!

The police came and spoke to my husband and the police left satisfied that he was alright. My husband had not been drinking. Head office in Atlanta has done nothing and neither has the store manager at Bracebridge. Other employees present at the time spoke to my husband and knew he was not drinking and the security cameras would also back him up.

I think that the only way to make sure that this does not happen to anyone else is to launch a lawsuit against them.

Anyone interested in joining us in a suit against Home Depot, Bracebridge, or have any other ideas?
Angie

Sep 15 2008

It’s a very long story. Last May, they started to install my kitchen. It is now September 15th and my kitchen is still not complete.

I have called Atlanta 3 times to no avail. I will try again and I think I may just have them tear it out and start over at Lowe’s.
Ellen Roseman

Oct 8 2008

The Dick Smyth complaint was resolved, after I sent it to Home Depot twice. (The first emails got lost.)

A new manager at the Bracebridge store compensated him for his inconvenience.

Here’s Dick’s email from Sept. 4:

Hi Ellen…

I am writing (by snail mail) to Home Depot about our stove. Turns out the problem was compounded by the fact that when they gave me the new element, it was the wrong one!

I sent a copy of the bill for the stove for $208 and change.
I suggested that they should reimburse me. The long lapse was due to the fact the local guy had to order the part and it took about a month to get here.

I don’t really expect to get anywhere. But one should finish the game.
Michael D

Nov 2 2008

My wife and I had a counter top installed by Home Depot on August 29. When the estimator came, he told us there was a chance that HD may not warranty the counter install as we have a corner sink and that is where the seam will be. He would take pictures and HD will let us know if there will be a warranty.

When HD called us with the quote, we paid for it over the phone. No mention of warranty issues. The installers finished and about a week to ten days later we noticed the seam lifting. I began the phone calls.

When finally I reached someone at the store, they told us this is not covered under warranty. The invoice that was supposed to be mailed to us had never arrived and no one had told us that we would have no warranty when we paid for it.

I have had 3 other contractors tell me that it was a result of not being installed properly and that they do corner sink installs all the time with full warranties. The HD installer says they did a good job. Trust me, it’s not.

My wife and I want to finish our kitchen, but have to wait until we can resove this issue.
Home Depot has said that they will cover the cost of the counter but not the install. (At least it’s something.) But this will still leave us out close to a thousand dollars.

I am attempting to write a letter and send it to their head office, something I see after reading this blog may be more difficult than I thought. It seems to me that this is a non-transparent company. Who or what are they trying to protect I don’t know.

I know when we are done with this issue we will no longer be going back to Home Depot. I have spent about $10,000 there in the past four years on home improvements. I only wish now I had not. I will be returning about $1,500 in material before this is over and letting them know that we will no longer shop there and WILL share our experience with as many people as we can.

We are not done yet with this issue and can only hope that we will receive a full refund. But let me say this, they make you feel like you’re trying to gain something through all this. All we want is a counter top installed properly, value for our money.
Michael D

Nov 7 2008

I wanted to follow up with my last report. Home Depot, after a few visits to my home, was able to assess that the counter was installed improperly.

They told me tonight that they would re-order and install a new counter or provide us with a full credit toward a granite top if we so wish. I am very grateful to them for doing this.

I believed it happened for a few reasons. Number one, I did not lose my cool with Home Depot. I wanted to, but restrained myself. Also, I persevered in this matter when at the beginning they told me there was nothing they could do.

I also need to thank, Adam, Karry and the Home Depot Manager for their efforts. They were truly wonderful.

My wife and I are now pleased with the outcome and knowing that there are situations sometimes that can be overcome.
TS

Nov 9 2008

My husband and I went to Home Depot today. We asked a saleperson for assistance. His answer? “I can’t. I’m having a conversation.”

I went and reported this to a manager in one of the departments. Then I went and spoke with the store manager. I was asked to go get the guy’s name. I tried, but he refused to give me his name.

I had to get the Store Manager to follow me so I could point out who this staff member was. I asked for the Head Office phone number on my way out and will be following up.

So many people I know are looking for jobs, it sickens me that someone can be so rude and still be employed by a company that “prides” itself on friendly service. There are many rude staff, too busy to help, if you are lucky enough to find one!
Jon Towers

Jan 3 2009

Go to Lowe’s. Friendly people, know what they’re doing most of the time and if not, they’ll find another person with the proper info.

I am a contractor and went to Home Depot for years until Lowes moved into Newmarket. I haven’t been back to Home Depot since. Trust me, when Home Depot says the person in the floor or paint section is a specialist in that area, they are nowhere near being slightly qualified to give advice.

Use Lowe’s or somewhere else that knows their products and appreciates your businesss.
ttd

Feb 4 2009

We submitted a rebate in November as part of the Bathroom promotion. We spend at least $1600 and were due to get back $250 in gift cards. When the card arrived just after Christmas, I was quite pleased, but the rebate was for not enough ($140 short). I called the rebate telephone number to be informed that the company that process the rebates had filed for bankruptcy and to call another number. We called them and were informed by the new company eventually that they had not received any information on our submission from the previous processing company and to call back in a couple of weeks. I have probably called back about 3 times now, all with the same response. I have spoken to customer service, the person was very polite, but seemed as frustrated as I was, but could not anything. I called the rebate people back again today and they said I had to resubmit everything and post it to an address in Miami…Needless to say I am first going to try to contact the Corporate Office in Toronto (now I have the address).

In general after shopping at various Home Depot stores, the service has been ok. Have had carpet installed and the installers have been very polite and competent. The problem I have is that there are never enough true experts about. When you are able to speak to one they are usually very good and happy to help. Occasionally though, there are some that are quick to say they cannot help you at all. I do have some sympathy for the Employees who have written in, some customers obviously have no manners at all. I always make a point of thanking someone who helps me.
Wasted My Time

Feb 14 2009

Dear Overworked,

I don’t mind waiting when it is for a valid reason. I do mind when I am waiting for a HOME DEPOT associate who can’t be bothered to acknowledge me while I’ve waited 25+ mins in his department while he helps other “customers”, one of whom another associate confirms is also an associate at the store.

So yeah, I don’t like waiting around for help when a staff member is talking to his buddy about dinner and other social plans. Do it on your own time. Not mine.
B Stirling

Mar 8 2009

I have just been through it with Home Depot. Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve been putting together a kitchen. First it was $50 for proper measurements. They even screwed that up, as they had cabinets over electrical switch.

Then we had an appointment to see what cabinets we wanted. It was down to 2 types. We were told to hold off as they were having a 15% off sale so we did. When we got there, the lady was busy with a walk-in. (So much for making appointment.)

We picked out the cabinet we wanted, as it was in flyer for $190 per liner ft. She said she was to draw it up and we were to return Sunday to sign for it.

Well here we are and we have been told the price isn’t $190 per liner ft, it’s $220 per ft. Now I’m upset and have talked to manager on the floor. He said if I had paid for it on Thursday when I was in, that would have been the price but they messed up on the flyer ad.

Any ideas what I should do ???
Sandra Gray

Mar 16 2009

After many years of dealing with Home Depot in Los Angeles and Victoria, I made the mistake of recommending them to do some tiling for clients in Kelowna.

To this day, these elderly folks have had nothing but problems with getting HD to stand behind the firms they refer customers to.

I blame management for incompetence. Home Depot has given themselves a lot of very bad publicity. Hail to Lowe’s and Rona!
L H

Apr 23 2009

My complaint is an ongoing battle for over two years now.

I am a single mother and live with my senior citizen parents who have a Granny suite on lower level of our house. We decided in winter of 2007 that it would be really nice to have a Sun Room put on the back of our two story house, so a double sunroom.

We were fooled in the belief that choosing a big company name like Home Depot to do the job would be a safe choice against any kind of construction problems you hear so much about with smaller independent contractors. Well the joke was on us!

Home Depot’s Kanata store had this nice big posted sign as we walked into their store on these beautiful sun rooms by Temo Sunrooms, installed by their service department. Excited, I got home and called the phone number right away.

They sent out a service contractor, basically a salesman, to take measurements and sell us on the project. We agreed and were fooled in thinking we would be enjoying our sunrooms by that summer. This was February 22, 2007!!

The Service provider contractor was Mr. Denis Walker of Vue Solariums, which I have been told is no longer operating by that name.

Construction was still not started by June of 2007 and we were getting impatient. We had given a deposit but kept getting the run around from Mr. Walker.

Finally in June 7/07, my Dad and I went into the Home Depot store ready to break our contract with them because nothing was being done. Had a meeting with Mr. Walker and the Store manager at the time.

We were given a signed proposal and agreement for start dates of June 7/8 and promised arrival of the room product by June 12 or 13 and one week of construction to build. By the end of the month, things should have been completed.

This never happened and they kept telling us that the delay was with the City of Ottawa on building permits. However, once I verified with the city that Mr. Walker had not even put the application in for permits, it was mid August.

Actually, I was finally convinced by Mr Walker to go ahead with construction on July 17/07 without any City building permits. He gave me a letter to say that Vue Solariums would take all responsibilities for going ahead with construction without city permits and the city inspector would be notified, which I found out later was not the case. Home Depot were not aware of this as well!

The original plans we were sold on and given just kept getting changed. One of the most important changes was that they constructed the second level first on the existing deck, then built the lower level.

However, they were told by engineers that they needed a Steel I – Beam to support the second story, so instead of putting that in the floor, they fit it under, now blocking the beautiful view and blocking light from the more expensive upper transits window that we chose.

The biggest problem is they had the beam size wrong, 10 ft instead of 12 ft, so instead of waiting for the correct size they assembled ugly posts on the outside and welded the beam to these support posts.

The original drawings showed the attachment to roof with metal flashings of three feet, then an ice and water shield, and replaced with roofing shingles to match my existing roof.

To date this is not done, and I am having leaking issues so bad on Dec. 24th/08 that a bucket was filling in the lower level room. The leak went all the way down.

I constantly complained to Home Depot, both in Kanata and in Atlanta. They would come back out and apply caulk or try and find a quick fix solution to the constant water seepage issues every time we have heavy rain.

In January 2009, the Zone manager and Atlanta customer service deemed the project closed and no compensation or solution for my leaks or any regard to my other complaints.

I cannot even put down a proper flooring on second level due to the wetness. This is not what I purchased!!

The Zone Manager said the water was condensation, which yes I do have, but not to fill a bucket, or have only when it rains hard.

Speaking of the condensation issue, the room on second floor is not insulated or lacks proper windows to be heated. The problem this winter was so bad on cold days I couldn’t even open the door. It was frozen shut, again not what I purchased or imagined. This was dangerous for my only rear fire escape.

I sent a registered letter of complaint to Atlanta Home Depot customer Services Spring of 2008. As far as they are concerned, the case is closed and they have sent collectors after me for balance owing.

I am TOTALLY stuck. If anyone has any idea how I can get a resolution to this problem, please let me know. I am in the process of retaining a lawyer but this is SO COSTLY!!!

Appreciate any and all advice. Just having my story out there may keep others from dealing with Home Depot. Buyer BEWARE.
Will Morrow

Apr 23 2009

WAM - April 23rd,2009

“You can do it. We can help”. Not the help I was looking for…………..

I decided it was time to build a deck in the backyard. I called the Aurora store to book a time to come in for a deck design and was told it wasn’t needed, just drop in. I arrived at the store with my measurements and went to the “Pro Desk”. The associate said I needed to book an appointment. I reiterated my conversation from the earlier call to no avail. I then went to the Customer Service desk asking to speak with the store manager. Well the department manager (Dave) came by. I explained my frustration and he apologized, walked me back to the area for the design and located an associate to do the design. This was completed and I was on my way.

I should explain that I’m not very handy and my nephew was doing the majority of the work. So after I reviewed the list of materials I noticed they hadn’t specified any sono tubes. No problem though as I’ll bring that to their attention when I place the order. So the next day I’m waiting for an associate at the pro desk and another guy behind the counter (not from the pro desk) asked if he could help. He tells me, I didn’t need sono tubes, plus I should use the quick dry cement (which costs a little bit more) but I could pour it in the morning and start building in the afternoon. Sounded great! Finally the pro desk associate was available. I told him I needed the sono tubes and to replace the cement with the quick dry. He advised you can’t use the quick dry on foundations only for fence posts. OK, a few glitches but now it’s ordered and to be delivered Wednesday April 15th.

Wednesday comes along and I call the store to find out what time the delivery will be and the shipment arrives at the time provided. However, none of the deck boards are on the truck. The driver said he thought they were out of stock and would ship them to me when they got them in. So I called the pro desk and they confirmed it. They were going to deliver on Thursday but I arranged for Friday.

Friday’s delivery arrives as promised and all is good. My nephew looked through all of the lumber/hardware and indicated, there were lots of errors, but due to our tight weekend window we would have to use most of it. There were mixes of 2 x 6’s and 2 x 8’s and 5 various length 4 x 4’s which were not needed anywhere. The deck size is 16′ x 15′. The cross beams which were sent were 2 x 6 x 8 instead of 2 x 6 x 16. Obviously this caused extra work and money, since I had to use an additional 20 joist hangers.

After digging the holes and being short 8 bags (don’t know how the software works or if it was a manual entry problem) even though the sono tubes provide the correct totals. I returned to the store (Aurora) on Friday and told them I needed to return the (3) 2 X 8 X 16’s and exchange them for the 2 X 6 X 16’s. Since I couldn’t get the lumber to the store, I had to purchase the 2 X 6 X 16’s, which they arranged would be delivered on Saturday and they would pick up the lumber I was returning. I purchased the extra bags of cement and took them with me.

Saturday morning I called the store to determine when my delivery would arrive. I was told they would have called a courier to do the delivery & pick-up. A trip to store and a couple of additional calls and I still didn’t have my delivery, nor did I know when the courier was arriving. Finally at 1:30 the shipment arrived. He took the extra lumber away and a 1 bag of cement. (I have tried to find out whether this was refunded, but still haven’t been able to),

I’m also wondering why the deck screws were sent in packages of 100, instead of a bulk amount which I would assume is much cheaper. The carriage bolts and lag bolts were sent in boxes of 12 even though I only needed 6.

I could go on an on but I think you get the idea. I was not impressed at all. The only positive throughout this entire ordeal, was my interaction with Wayne from the Pro Desk. He was extremely helpful and understanding.
KH

Apr 29 2009

We purchased a Thomasville kitchen, with LIFETIME WARRANTY, from Home Depot, which was installed in our new home in November ‘03.

They replaced a few cupboard doors in Feb ‘04 - with white doors - our kitchen is mushroom glaze (beige).

Recognizing the mistake, they ordered in 6 new doors, which finally came in spring ‘05. They were also white, and a totally different style.

They reordered and in September ‘06 - yes, a full year and something later - a whole new set of doors (35 not 47 as installed in the kitchen) came in - again, wrong colour.

There are also 17 drawers along with all the cupboards, but they never addressed them.

They finally just ignored us, so after writing to you we went direct to Head Office in Toronto, who put us to Atlanta.

After much discussion in late ‘06 and ‘07, Atlanta first offered us our money back, then reneged; then told us to go get all cupboards replaced locally and they would pay, then reneged again.

Finally, they agreed to give us new doors and drawer facings AND….a $500 gift certificate (wow, talk about luck) but…..we had to sign a full and final release FIRST. I refused to sign until the cupboards were in; guess what, we never heard from them again.

Finally, we launched a lawsuit, not for the full price of $24,000+ but for $17,000 - which was the cost to replace doors and drawer facings locally.

SO………

We have the pretrial on a Friday in March (last month). HD lawyer shows up and tells the judge he has been fired by Home Depot (?) and a new firm is taking over Monday morning - two days away.

Judge flips and orders us paid our costs, saying HD not dealing in good faith according to rules of litigation and pre-trials. We haven’t received anything from this yet.

So, court case starts last Monday in Owen Sound, April 20. Guess which lawyer shows up. Same guy, different
company(!)

At the risk of making you laugh so hard you wet yourself and send me the bill for cleanup, I will shorten the court story. First two witnesses, the wife and I, finished by Tuesday night. They spent from 11 am to 5.30pm Monday and all day Tuesday cross examining me.

Then from Wednesday on, HD called a succession of witnesses
- for what, no one really knows, but the key people involved in the case were OUT OF TOWN AND UNAVAILABLE and ALL DOCUMENTS pertaining to the case were LOST.

So, on Thursday afternoon about 5 pm, judge blows a gasket and stops trial. He demands to know from both parties how much it has cost in legal fees to that point.

Our lawyer says $16,000; HD lawyer says…. I hope you are firmly seated….just over $60,000 for the 4 days of trial alone (!)

Judge chastises both counsel, saying this is a $17,000 issue that has incurred almost $100,000 in legal fees plus court time/costs. He adjourns till Tuesday, yesterday.

Someone……I cannot tell a lie…..files a complaint on Friday past, against the judge based on various things he has done during the trial. He is taken off the case and a MISTRIAL declared.

HD lawyer does everything but a back flip in court, coming virtually unglued. Judge demands to have written submissions by next week as to how much this case has cost each party to date, ALL IN.

Our costs to date, probably about $25,000 in legal fees alone, not counting our claim etc. HD fees expected to be in excess of $100,000.

AND, it starts all over on May 25th with a new judge; all over a $17,000 warranty issue.

Here are a few things that have come out in court that may be of interest to you or your readers….

1. Thomasville cabinets sold by HD have nothing to do with the Thomasville furniture line. That relationship was terminated a few months after we got our cabinets in ‘03.

2. The company that represents the line is Thomasville cabinetry company, owned 100% by Home Depot and having no relationship to the furniture people.

3. The doors/drawers etc are made by a company in Ohio under a different name(s) MASCO, Kraftmaid etc…

4. the LIFETIME warranty is handled direct by THOMASVILLE CABINETRY, wherever they are no one knew, NOT by Home Depot.

5. When you purchase a kitchen from HD, there is a 43 page (yes, I said 43 page) document that you need to sign.
But don’t worry about reading it, just sign the last page, we will print the rest off and send it to you, maybe.

6. All installers are contractors to HD. Very very very few are qualified or licensed in the trade they ply. Most were the low bidder or knew somebody who knew somebody at Aikenhead or Cashway or the likes…..HD predecessors. HD tries to blame everything on the installers.

7. Regardless of what they tell you, when they deliver something, due to liability issues, they drop everything outside, NOT IN THE HOUSE.

8. Kitchens are modules and ordered by part number from a book. NO KITCHEN they sell is CUSTOM.

Here is a publicly traded company with very very deep pockets that will do absolutely anything to avoid bad press.

This court case could have been settled long ago, in fact it should not have gotten this far.

Very simple solution, you purchase a beige kitchen, you replace it with beige doors, NOT WHITE and NOT A DIFFERENT STYLE. Classic example of using a Bandaid to fix heart bypass operation. DOESN’T work.
Rod C

May 1 2009

You have been reporting on cases of Home Depot’s mismanagement of its At Home Services and the troubles that their customers have endured. I was one of those unlucky people.

The salesman from A Plus Air Systems (Steinway Blvd., Toronto) spoke of, then wrote on our contract, that we would receive a $450 Home Depot Gift Card for signing on the dotted line.

It has never showed up despite conversations with the store, A Plus, the salesman, emails to Home Depot, and followup letters.
Joe

May 5 2009

I have nothing but problems with Home Depot. Since they opened a Lowes in my area I’ve had nothing but positive experiences.
Rod C again

May 8 2009

Good news this morning. Home Depot called me. They recognize the problem and the manager of the gift card programs will be resolving it to my satisfaction.

Apparently this happened to a few customers, not just me.
Tom Thorn

Jun 11 2009

I recently purchased 350 square feet of the Dupont Real Touch Elite flooring from my local Home Depot store in Kitchener Ont.

After watching the videos on Dupont’s website, it became apparent I needed to buy an installation kit that came with spacers and a wedge type device to set the interlocking floor at the correct angle to install it.

I went back to the store, only to be told they had never heard of a wedge, but they sold what they said was the set to use for installation, which included the spacers, a pull bar and a plastic block.

Needless to say, the pull bar kept chipping the edges of the laminate tile and the block was next to useless. I had to rig up something to set the floor at the right angle for installation, which greatly increased the amount of work and time it took to finish the installation.

I then went back to the store to pick up the trim for transitions from one floor to another and was sold what they claimed was the correct trim. After installing one piece, it was very apparent it didn’t match.

After a little research, I discovered what they sold was product from a 3rd party and not what Dupont supplies. My wife complained to the assistant store manager and I sent an email to Dupont in the USA.

A very friendly lady from Dupont called and told me that Home Depot Canada had decided not to carry the trim or the installation kit, but that I could purchase the correct product at the USA stores.

A few days after I received the information from Dupont, the assistant store manager from the Kitchener Home Depot store called my wife back and told her the reason they didn’t carry the trim was because it was still being tested in the USA.

I can only conclude the assistant manager was either misinformed or outright lied. After my wife told him what we had been told by Dupont and that the trim was available from the USA stores, the assistant manager said it looked like we had everything under control and ended the call.
Rod Clark

Jun 19 2009

Good Morning Ellen. Excellent news!!

I had written to you on May 1 and May 8, 2009, about Home Depot failing to provide a promised $450 gift card to go along with my furnace/airconditioning installation.

Your efforts resulted in my receiving a series of promises and the $450 card yesterday. Thank you !
Tom Thorn

Jul 9 2009

Update to my last post re: my complaint to Home Depot Customer Care June 11.

No word, no comments, no customer care; they must be walking from Georgia to resolve my issues
Bob Deleau

Jul 26 2009

Over the years, I’ve dropped a lot of cash at Home Depot, and today it came to an end. I will never cross the threshold of another Home Depot ever.

My story is not as intriguing as some of the above, but it’s my story on dealing with a warranty issue.

I bought a house full of Levolor blinds and shades back in 2003. Getting the products was pretty painless and I was a happy camper when all was said and done (but then again, Home Depot didn’t make the shades).

Over the years, the friction device that controls the raising and lowering of the shade wore out on one of the cellular shades. When I went back and asked for them to order the part, I was given a 1-800 number and told to order it myself.

This morning, I took a side trip to the decor department at Lowe’s in Belleville. I asked if they could order the part. The young girl said that all working parts on Levolor products have a lifetime guarantee. I should go back to Home Depot to have them order the part, seeing how it would cost me money if I ordered it from Lowe’s.

So back to Home Depot I go. I talk to the same person. I get the same answer.

I asked her to get on her computer and find the original order number for the product. My answer was, “we don’t keep the documentation back that far”. That was it.

I went to the service desk and asked for a complaint form. I wasn’t surprised when the girl said that they didn’t have any. Nor could they supply me with an email or postal address.

It dawned on me that once you have parted company with your money at Home Depot, you have also parted company with anything related to service.

It is obvious now that that the bottom line is their profit. Customer relations or service don’t even enter the equation.

You know, along with the group hugs the employees of Home Depot have every morning prior to starting work (they say it’s a moral thing), I think there may well be a customer dissatifaction 101 course that is mandatory for every new Home Depot employee.
SL

Jul 28 2009

I stopped going to home depot for many years now because of their extremely poor customer service. If I have to list them all, I can write a book! Tonight, due to a convenience issue only, I went in the store at Dufferin and Wilson to pick up painting items. I stood there for 20 minutes without any help and there was people before me in line waiting frustratedly. After being ignored for 20 minutes, I returned everything and went to LOWES confident that they would help me buy these guaranteed purchases. The items I bought at LOWES were actually cheaper and I also got the help I needes from a friendly customer service person.
Laurie Hall

Jul 30 2009

LH
Just want to respond that, thanks to Ellen, my sunroom issue has been resolved and a settlement has been signed with Home Depot. Thanks Ellen
88kanaka

Aug 3 2009

Today I had the opportunity to shop at the Port Coquitlam Home Depot on United Blvd., BC Canada. I drove far out of my way to shop for some sprinkler parts at about 5:30 pm.

I waited for the clerk to help someone else. While he was helping this person, an employee just off work had to get instructions on how to get home as she got lost the night before. After helping the customer and the employee, the guy just walks away. He knew I was waiting for help and pretended to look at some returns and then vanished. They were out of stock and I just wanted to ask if there were any more above in the racking.

Whatever happened to being greeted by all employees and offered assistance? You can be sure I am not likely to return to Home Depot on United Blvd., let alone make an effort to go out of my way to shop at Home Depot on United Blvd.

The remedy for this employee should be, take him close to the door, take one hand and firmly grip his collar and take the second hand and firmly grip the back side of his belt, pick him up and throw out to find employment somewhere else!!

Charging 5 cents for a bag that is not worth a portion of a penny. So what happened to service? I buy a lot of small pieces and you can’t even put in a free bag for me? I’ll be darned if I will buy a bag anywhere! We recycle properly. So do you think you are saving the environment or just making a buck in lieu of some common sense service? Oh….but we consumers are all ignorant, I guess.
Alysen D

Aug 7 2009

After many issues with Home Depot and a misquote of over $400, I called the Ben Hill line in Georgia directly on a Sunday morning.

Within an hour and a half, I had a call back from our local Home Depot manager, our money refunded and our stone for our patio delivered for free — and all this on a Sunday!

The Ben Hill representative was helpful, professional and took care of everything. I noticed in a previous post that it was said that only a Home Depot employee could call the Ben Hill line, which is not the case. Anyone can call directly, and trust me, the results are amazing.
Mark Rutledge

Aug 20 2009

We hired Home Depot contractor April 1 to begin a 6×8 bathroom remodel on Monday May 4 and was to be completed that week while wife was on a course in Toronto.

Showed up late Tuesday at 1045AM. One person worked on demolition 4 hours.

Electrician showed up Thursday worked for 6 hours.

Tiles in shower uneven/ not joined ,13 tiles have small chips the size of rice krispies on corner.

Floor tiles uneven

Forgot to use bullnose trim had to change tile design. Chosen tile not suitable for the shower stall-had to change.

Tap and sink not compatible. Contractor had to bend the drain pull to work drain. Decision was made to remove drain stopper completely since it was too difficult to use ( no drain plug).

Caulking in bathroom not paintable. Must be removed in order to repaint bathroom.

Electrical outlets mortared / caulked into the wall. Mortared outlet, l chipped out and replaced.

Bugs or dirt in ceiling fan light since installation.

Electrician holes in ceiling ,l repaired ,still needs to be painted.

No Door thresh hold- called back contractor. Installed cheap metal strip

*****Contractor did not know what or how to install water diverter on shower to allow shower or hand held unit. Installed a toggle switch on shower head and connected hand held unit. ***Wife is 5′2″ tall-cannot reach toggle!

Contractor lost heat register.

Contractor lost caps for toilet screws. Told at Home Depot that they are a special order.

Glass shower doors installed on Thursday July 16,( 3 months after construction began)told by glass installers not to use for 48 hours to allow caulking/silicon to cure.

Remember this is only an ensuite 6′x8′ shower .

Wife took the next day off work to clean up the construction mess/dust left behind.

Saturday wife had Ist shower since May 4 in the new bathroom for 20 minutes. ***All drain water poured through the textured wallpaper kitchen ceiling and light fixture .

Called contractor left messages on cell phone and home telephones.

Contractor called back and told us he was on a weekend holiday and wouldn’t be back until Monday. We were told the drain was working perfect when he installed it.

Called Home Depot Kitchener west store.

Put in touch with regional manager ,who in turn called in assessor to check out damage-told us not to call insurance company as Home Depot would take care of damage.

He in turn called in cleanup crew who arrived at 900PM -1130Pm and built a containment room in our kitchen, complete with industrial de-humidifier and blower. Both ran until Monday morning when cleanup crew arrived.

Contractor arrived Monday 10:00AM cut out bedroom wall and cut out textured wallpaper kitchen ceiling . Tapping electric light switch and removing light fixture.

Contractor repaired and repainted section of drywall that was removed.That day an final invoice for the remodel arrived from Home Depot credit. Our house is a mess and they want a payment in full?

Kitchen ceiling was repaired and wallpapered with rolls with grease on the sides. Paper not joined together .Told they were not as good as the original installer at matching up.

Must be replaced with clean rolls and put up properly.

Electrical requires qualified electrician to check the wires and light fixture for damage or be replaced.

Bathroom sink and taps not compatible with sink.
Contractor needs to install water diverter in ceramic wall and remove toggle switch. Repair and replace bedroom wall again.

Clean bedroom /hallway /kitchen and livingroom of all drywall dust and dirt.

***No light or power in Kitchen since July 18.

Home Depot contractor was to return on Monday August 17 . No show! I have been available every day since May 4 . Showed up whenever for a maximum 4 hours once or twice a week.

I delivered two copies of this letter to the manager-on -call Tuesday morning 945AM at the Kitchener west store ,with an explanation of the problem.This is 2 1/2 days later and I have still to hear from the store or contractor.

This is 4 months and counting to renovate an ensuite bathroom 6′x8′.

BEWARE OF WHO YOU LET IN YOUR HOUSE,AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED THE WORK IS NOT TOP QUALITY. COMPARIBLE TO GIVING YOUR BUDDIES A CASE OF BEER ON A WEEKEND WITH NOTHING TO DO.
LS

Aug 26 2009

Here is my Home Depot story.

In September of 2002, my wife and I had 157 square yards of broadloom installed by Home Depot for a total of $5,744.

The installation went well and everything was beautiful for about 18 months and then wrinkles began to appear in several locations.

I returned to Home Depot and spoke to the person who sold us the broadloom. I was told there was nothing they could do because it was more than a year old.

As time went on the wrinkles became BUMPS, actually high enough to trip over, and several more inquiries at Home Depot brought no result.

Then in July of this year, I was looking through some invoices and found the original invoice from Home Depot. At the bottom, highlighted in yellow, it said LIFETIME WARRANTY ON INSTALLATION.

Finding this, I figured I would give it one more try and called Home Depot head office in the U.S.

I spoke with a lady in customer service who was very helpful. After I told her my tale of woe, she put me on hold and immediately called the Toronto store I had been dealing with, spoke with the manager and set up a time for me to go in and see him.

She then told me she was sending me a $50 gift card for my trouble. She was sure my problem would be looked after, but if it wasn’t I should let her know.

The next day I spoke with the manager and showed him my invoice, and within 2 days had a call from their installer. A week later, they sent us two of the best carpet installers you could hope for. They spent 5 hours here and the broadloom is now perfect.

Apparently, they no longer offer this lifetime warranty. That’s why I was not able to get any satisfaction until I produced the invoice.

Just goes to show you “hang on to your paperwork, people.” I hope this story will inspire other readers not to give up without a fight when you are right.
Mark Rutledge

Sep 8 2009

Five months and counting for a simple 6×8 renovation.

Still no power or lights in the kitchen since July 17 .

Regional supervisor showed up to REVIEW THE PROBLEM two weeks ago and said he would get back to us with a solution.

NO ANSWERS, NO SHOW

Millward construction showed up and painted the repaired ceiling. Used MATTE finish on a GLOSS wallpapered ceiling and didn’t even try to cover the entire ceiling. Streaks everywhere.

Home Depot is wrecking our house and leaving it a mess.

Wrote a letter and sent it to the president of Home Depot today. See if there are any replies. I’m not counting on any results.

——————————————————————————
Reprinted from Aug. 20, 2009

We hired a Home Depot contractor April 1 to begin a 6×8 bathroom remodel on Monday, May 4. It was to be completed that week while my wife was on a course in Toronto.

Showed up late Tuesday at 10.45 AM. One person worked on demolition 4 hours.

Electrician showed up Thursday and worked for 6 hours.

Tiles in shower uneven/not joined, 13 tiles have small chips the size of Rice Krispies on the corner.

Floor tiles uneven.

Forgot to use bullnose trim and had to change tile design. Chosen tile not suitable for the shower stall, had to change.

Tap and sink not compatible. Contractor had to bend the drain pull to work drain. Decision was made to remove drain stopper completely since it was too difficult to use (no drain plug).

Caulking in bathroom not paintable. Must be removed in order to repaint bathroom.

Electrical outlets mortared/caulked into the wall. Mortared outlet, chipped out and replaced.

Bugs or dirt in ceiling fan light since installation.

Electrician left holes in ceiling, repaired, still needs to be painted.

No Door threshhold- called back contractor. Installed cheap metal strip.

*****Contractor did not know how to install water diverter on shower to allow shower or handheld unit. Installed a toggle switch on shower head and connected handheld unit. ***Wife is 5′2″ tall and cannot reach toggle!

Contractor lost heat register.

Contractor lost caps for toilet screws. Told at Home Depot that they are a special order.

Glass shower doors installed on Thursday, July 16 (three months after construction began). Told by glass installers not to use for 48 hours to allow caulking/silicon to cure.

Remember this is only an ensuite 6′x8′ shower.

Wife took the next day off work to clean up the construction mess/dust left behind.

Saturday, wife had Ist shower since May 4 in the new bathroom for 20 minutes. ***All drain water poured through the textured wallpaper kitchen ceiling and light fixture.

Called contractor, left messages on cell phone and home telephones.

Contractor called back and told us he was on a weekend holiday and wouldn’t be back until Monday. We were told the drain was working perfectly when he installed it.

Called Home Depot Kitchener west store. Put in touch with regional manager, who in turn called in assessor to check out damage. Told us not to call insurance company as Home Depot would take care of damage.

He, in turn, called in cleanup crew who arrived at 9 PM to 11.30 PM and built a containment room in our kitchen, complete with industrial dehumidifier and blower. Both ran until Monday morning when cleanup crew arrived.

Contractor arrived Monday 10 AM, cut out bedroom wall and cut out textured wallpaper kitchen ceiling. Tapping electric light switch and removing light fixture.

Contractor repaired and repainted section of drywall that was removed.That day, a final invoice for the remodel arrived from Home Depot credit. Our house is a mess and they want a payment in full?

Kitchen ceiling was repaired and wallpapered with rolls with grease on the sides. Paper not joined together. Told they were not as good as the original installer at matching up.

Must be replaced with clean rolls and put up properly.

Electrical requires qualified electrician to check the wires and light fixture for damage or be replaced.

Bathroom sink and taps not compatible with sink.

Contractor needs to install water diverter in ceramic wall and remove toggle switch. Repair and replace bedroom wall again.

Clean the bedroom/hallway/kitchen and living room of all drywall dust and dirt.

***No light or power in kitchen since July 18.

Home Depot contractor was to return on Monday, Aug. 17. No show! I have been available every day since May 4. Showed up whenever for a maximum 4 hours once or twice a week.

I delivered two copies of this letter to the manager-on-call Tuesday morning 9.45 AM at the Kitchener west store, with an explanation of the problem. This is 2 1/2 days later and I have still to hear from the store or contractor.

Four months and counting to renovate an ensuite bathroom 6′x8′.

BEWARE OF WHO YOU LET IN YOUR HOUSE. AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, THE WORK IS NOT TOP QUALITY.

COMPARABLE TO GIVING YOUR BUDDIES A CASE OF BEER ON A WEEKEND WITH NOTHING TO DO.
Tom Thorn

Sep 17 2009

Mid September and still nothing from Home (don’t hold your breathe) Depot re: my complaint. Customer Service!!! What a joke…
CLERMONT MAURICE

Sep 28 2009

As all your previous dissatified customers, I have a complaint against HD concerning their ordering procedures…

Over three weeks ago, we ordered TREX deckboards for our new patio….We made doubly certain about having boards that are grooved, especially after the associate (BIG JOKE) didn’t seem to understand what we were talking about -which is very common with the associates here. Well, after at least 45 minutes trying to make him understand what we wanted, we thought everything had been understood….

A week later, when the composite deckboards arrived…guess what they weren’t grooved…so we had to start all over again and reorder…only this time it would take over two weeks to get our deck….We finally got them the Monday of the third week…

So my advice to anyone that must order things from HD, make sure you do it quite a long time before you actually need them, or better still order from somewhere else….that is certainly what I will be doing from now on….Don’t need that kind of frustration…..
J. Couperus

Sep 28 2009

Customer Care - Our Commitment to You!

“We are personally committed to providing you with superb customer service. If you would like to contact The Home Depot with a question or comment, one of our Customer Support Representatives will be happy to assist you.”

Because of the above lie, which is a direct quote (cut & paste) from the Home Depot Web Page, I took my renovation project for $5,700 elsewhere. Neither will they see me again next year when we plan to renovate our kitchen.
DB

Oct 14 2009

Why don’t major retailers stand behind their products? Answer, as I have come to learn, is that they are not their products.

Back in 2006, I bought a backyard shed from Home Depot. It was exactly what I was looking for, was easy to install and has been a pleasure for years.

Unfortunately, last year we had an ice storm that froze against my shed and cracked one of the doors (the rest of the shed weathered the storm unscathed).

No problem, I thought, since the shed has a 10 year warranty and I headed back to Home Depot with copies of my bill, credit card statement (even used my Home Depot credit card), pictures of the damaged door, etc. and asked how to put in a claim for a door replacement.

The first time I went to Home Depot, the person at the customer service desk wasn’t sure how to handle the problem, since Home Depot no longer carried that line of sheds. I was told to come back the next day to talk to the supervisor.

I went back the next day and discussed the problem with the customer service agent. She told me that warranty claims have to be made through the company that made the product and NOT through Home Depot. I should find my original warranty card that came with the shed and call the toll free number.

So far, all seemed logical so I returned home.

After about a week of searching for the card, I couldn’t find anything. As far as I can remember, I mailed in the warranty card and there was nothing that I kept as a copy (my bad).

I went back to Home Depot a third time and explained my problem and asked for some help. After first telling me they couldn’t help me, even though they were the store I had paid over $1,000 to, they did relent and try to go online and find the customer service number of the original company for me.

After that, I was on my own to work out a replacement door. Still, I was happy that they were finally able to point me in the right direction and I took the toll free number and went home.

Surprise, surprise, the toll free number did not work. I went back to Home Depot a fourth time and complained to the customer service representative that I wanted a solution to my problem and no more run-arounds.

I bought the shed at Home Depot (this very outlet), it came with a 10 year warranty, I had all my paperwork, it was paid for with a Home Depot credit card and I had pictures of the damage.

A manager tried to explain to me that it was not Home Depot policy to handle these type of issues but that I had to deal with the manufacturer directly.

I asked him to go online and find me the manufacturer and he couldn’t. He double checked the Home Depot database and was able to pull up my complete purchase for this product, including the model name and number and SKU.

From that, he went onto the internet, did some searches and found, what he thinks, is the company that bought the company that made the shed I bought. He found a toll free number and, at my request, he made a call to that company.

He gave them my name, phone number, shed model, everything we knew about the unit and left a very detailed message. I never heard back from that company.

I went to the Home Depot store a fifth time and spoke with a different manager this time, but he could not reproduce the work that happened with the last manager and could not find this new company. Now I am lost as to how to proceed.

Can you help me?

I used to trust Home Depot. I have purchased a lot of tools and supplies from them over the years (and many homeowners do), but now I feel I have to research the manufacturers of all the products I might buy from them — just to make sure that if I buy from Home Depot, there will be a company to stand behind the warranty claim is something goes wrong.

I thank you in advance for helping me with my situation.

—————————————————————————–

Six weeks later:

Hi Ellen. I thought it would be nice to drop you a line to let you know that, with your help and intervention, I was able to get my replacement shed doors and they look great.

I was disappointed that I could not get the situation resolved on my own after four separate trips back to Home Depot, but was extremely pleased to know that there are people like yourself out there who know how to get by the roadblocks and help us out.

Keep up the great work.
Helga Mathison

Oct 17 2009

Hi Ellen: I live in Edmonton, Alberta. I entered into a home renovation for floors with Home Depot on Aug.13/09.

On Sept 28,29,& 30 they put the floor in. They had the wrong baseboards and threshold covers, they were the wrong color. They have re-ordered them, but I need 4\ and they are sending 3 3/4\.

When they removed the baseboards, they damaged my walls, but they tell me I should expect some damage. One area is 2 feet wide by 1 foot high.

Now they are blaming it on the fact that I have a plastered house.

I am a disabled senior, with serious medical conditions, and this is getting all too much for me. Can you help? Thanks.
D Graham

Nov 19 2009

I WISH I had found this website before we were foolish enough to have Home Depot install $6,300 worth of windows a year ago.

Predictably, it has been nothing but a long, frustrating, time-wasting story. Windows all finally installed but still with severe quality issues in the installation.

Home Depot offered a few hundred $ in compensation, but sent a complex legal release agreement to be signed in order to receive this meager amount.

Despite the subcontracting company’s assurances that signing this agreement would not jeopardise our warranties for windows and installation, our lawyer says that in fact it does.

THEN we got a letter from a collection agency saying “10 days or else!” while we were still reviewing said legal agreement. Before signing anything or paying I am going to give the numbers listed here a try.

Thank you all, and especially Ellen, for this forum. I only wish this issue received higher level publicity so that fewer of us would be taken in.
Kenin Gonsalves

Nov 20 2009

We recently had an HD contractor give us a quote on siding work. The price quoted was $14.000 (this for a small 800 square foot home) and the guy was using other material from another source, not the one we chose. He also tried selling us materials for other work which was quite unnecessary.

We finally had the work completed by another contractor, PLUS we got five windows and two outside doors installed for approximately $13,000.

HD is now in our bad books.
BG

Nov 20 2009

I went to a Rona store in Waterdown, where I have purchased my Lawnboy Lawnmower, fence gates, bathroom and laundry room light fixtures, paint etc.

I had blinds in my truck and spoke to a lady in the paint and decorating department. Should mention the store was virtually empty and the lady had no customers whatsoever.

Explained that I just had new windows installed this week and all the metal ventian blinds were now 1/2 to 3/4 inch too wide. Could she cut them for me? Wasn’t expecting a freeby!

Her only response was “Did you buy blinds from here!” I said no and she said “We only cut what we sell!”

Called Home Depot in Burlington, which is further from my home, and talked to a lady in Blinds. She said “Sure, bring them in and if they fit the head of our cutting machine, I’ll do them no charge.”

Turns out they didn’t fit the machine as they were a bit oddball, Guess what? I bought all new blinds from Home Depot! Same would have happened at Rona if given the opportunity.

Rona is new in Waterdown but this experience has really put me off. I’ll travel 3 kms further in future.
RH

Dec 6 2009

I too am having great difficulty with a Home Depot in Toronto.

My husband first went in to the Home Depot store near us at the beginning of July 2009 to order a small size bathtub, a 46 inch tub and therefore a special order. Six weeks passed, the length of time we were told it would take for the tub to arrive, but no tub arrived, no one called, we heard nothing.

My husband then stopped by the store to make sure the order had gone through and was told that it appeared that it had. Finally September was well under way and still no word on the tub, so I called. I spoke to a woman who told me there was a note saying the customer had canceled the order. I said he did no such thing.

At the end of June. we had discovered black mold in the bathroom and had to rip out virtually the entire bathroom. I have a young baby and it poses serious health risks to my family and especially to our baby. So there is no way that my husband would have canceled an order we were waiting on. We can’t do the bathroom without that tub. It is a small size and not easily found elsewhere.

She then told me that they never put in an order unless the customer pays up front. I said no one on any of the occasions that my husband was dealing with this order told him that. Her story was contradictory, first the order got canceled then it was a matter of not paying up front.

In any case, I said “So that means we now have to wait yet another 6 weeks?” “Yes, a month to six weeks,” she replied. I said this error is on the part of her department and I expect a rush put on the order for the inconvenience, not to mention the continued health risks posed each day the bathroom remains unable to be torn out. She said all she could do was put the order through as soon as we came in and paid up front.

On Sept. 18th. my husband went and re-ordered the tub and paid for it. He was told it would be 4-6 weeks for the tub to arrive. He called 6 weeks later and was told it was still not in, but that we would receive a call when it came in. I called on Saturday Dec. 5th and was told by the woman who answered the call in the kitchen and bath department that there was a note on the order saying to call after Dec. 21st.

We began trying to order this tub at the BEGINNING OF JULY! It appears that all we get when we try to find out what is going on are delays, lies, cover-ups for incompetence and excuses. Surely it is not rocket science to order a bathtub.

This is not just about waiting 5 months for a bathtub, this is a health hazard to my family and it is especially a danger to my now 10 month old baby, who has so far suffered three upper respiratory infections. There is a reason schools get closed when black mold is discovered.

We are getting a company to come in and remove the mold, but it can only be done when the bathroom tub and tiles are ripped out (the source of the mold is behind there). There is only one bathroom in the house so it has to all be done together, so the tub is the sole thing holding everything up.

I will NEVER buy anything of substance from Home Depot again.
Matthew Clarke

Jan 30 2010

You will find a grippe of contractors out there who will do the work for a lower price. Ever go through a phone book and try to call up all the contractors that were in there a year ago? Good luck on finding one for repeat business.

The best thing about HD install work is that they are always going to be there and back their work. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with HD.

Every business can mess up, but it’s the integrity of the business that leaves a lasting impression. People who expect too much for what they are paying get disgruntled and leave silly comments on boards like this.

These are the same people who scream at the checkstand clerks in the store because another customer put a product in the wrong place within the store. Grow up, people.
Ed

Feb 9 2010

@Matthew Clarke:”The best thing about HD install work is that they are always going to be there and back their work.”

Uhmm, but this is clearly not the case, based on the examples listed on this page. That’s the problem.

HD likes to say they stand behind their products and services, but a lot of the time it proves just to be hot air.
walsham

Feb 9 2010

In Canada, especially in metro Toronto, there is a shortage of the faux wood blinds in all Home Depot stores. Nobody seems to be paying attention.

Store staff in Toronto do not know when this item will come in. I say your company is losing out on this current demand.
walsham

Feb 9 2010

Why isn’t your company ordering faux wood blinds? Does anyone care any more? It appears to me that there is a great demand for this product.
Mark Rutledge

Mar 11 2010

This is a part of the email I sent to Home Depot Customer Service, Atlanta, Georgia, as well as the Mike Holmes forum.

There has been no change in the bathroom remodel and kitchen flood. No one has been to follow up since Home Depot’s Brian Joseph and Dennis Millward checked out the bathroom in September 2009.

When I contacted Barrier Free construction, I was told by the secretary that Dennis Millward was done with the job and it was now a Home Depot matter. At this point I contacted the Better Business Bureau of Brantford and Hamilton and filed a formal complaint against Millward construction.

I was told to wait 30 days for a reply before proceeding with legal alternatives. The Barrier Free electrician showed up unannounced the next day and checked the kitchen electrical and hooked up the light after the flood 6 weeks previously.

In order to get the kitchen ceiling repaired and painted, we would have to pay our Home Depot account in full. Thank you, but I don’t think my family should be held hostage to the whims of this contractor.

On October 13, after hearing nothing from Home Depot and Barrier Free construction, I hired another local contractor to fix the problems in the washroom remodel. This was done after he reviewed the previous work and agreed to complete the work in 2 weeks after the divertor was ordered.

You must realise that the original contract was signed in April, with work to be started and completed when my wife was on a course the first week of May. Three days prior to a new contractor starting to work, I received a call from Barrier Free Construction telling me to not hire someone else and that they would look after the repairs. This is the same answer I received when the drain pipe flooded the kitchen and I was going to contact my insurance company.

I purchased the divertor at a cost of $700 with the promise of reimbursement. No money as of yet.

Two months ago a new contractor came in to repair the previos mess. Found 4×4 drywall soaked, broken tile under the toilet shimmed with cardboard and mortared to the floor. Diverter replaced the $1.99 toggle the previous contactor Millward installed on the shower head. Removed all previous tilework and shower glass.

We now have a toilet sitting in the bedroom with no access to a bathroom that should have been completed a year ago.

Do not recommend Home Depot (Kitchener West), Contractors-Millward Construction (Brantford) or Barrier Free Construction (Toronto). Not only does Home Depot not stand behind their contractors, but they refuse to fix the problem after ONE YEAR OF RENOVATION ON A 6X8 BATHROOM. Feel free to visit my website and take pictures!
werner jachecki

Mar 27 2010

Re complaint#5094522. Mavis Black was a big help to me. I sent about 30 pages of information to her, things i
investigated about the Canadian head office.
skarrlette

Apr 5 2010

Hi I am General Contractor and I have to give some advice to people who continue to use Home Depot for installation services. As someone who understands the complexities of this business I have to say I am little baffled at how seemingly intelligent people believe that Home Depot is qualified to know anything about Home Improvements.

Home Depot workers are paid between 12-15 bucks and hour and 99.9% of them have never picked up a hammer. If any of them were home improvement experts why would they be working at Home Depot?

With that obvious point why do people continually look to HD to do installations or answer questions regarding Home Improvements?

I know real contractors charge more money but their is a reason its because it takes years of education and experience to get to alevel where they can do a job right. Its a misconception that these jobs are easy, even installing a door takes great skill and expertise to know how to do it right and make it look like its always been there as well as functional. People are misinformed by watching too many DIY shows that make it seem easy, they don’t show you the many experts behind the cameras making sure everything is done right.

I see it time and time again, when it comes to your home the most expensive investment of your life why do people consistently go with the cheapest quickest fix? You risk shoddy hacky work. People pay more money for TV sets then they do in renovating there homes and then they wonder why they end up with the experiences listed above.
Gene Figley

Apr 6 2010

We did not use Home Despot’s installers for our windows. We have had several unpleasant experiences with Home Despots installers. we installed 8 new special order Jeld Wen windows last summer. As soon as it started to get cold; we could feel cold air coming in the bottom of the sliders and at the left end of the track. When it hit -35C there was frost on the windows; but only where they were leaking. Double pane with argon gas and “supposedly” highly energy efficient. Neither Home Despots or Jeld Wen are taking responsibility for these windows. It’s been since late Nov. It is now April and both companies have us on complete ignore! No calls returned, no contact with us…….
Nancy 01

Jun 30 2010

Unbelievably nice, unbelievably incompetent and ineffective.

I bought a portable air conditioner from Home Depot store in Ontario on June 25th. Took it over to my handicapped sister’s to install on June 27th and upon opening the box found that there were several parts missing.

Packed it all up again and took it to a closer Home Depot, where they were all sweet as sugar and said “sure, no problem, we’ll give you another one, deliver it and not charge for delivery (very nice, I thought).

However, there was one caveat. They had to credit my debit card for the first air conditioner and process a new transaction for the replacement.

So, away they go to refund my debit card and guess what????? It is now Wednesday afternoon and Home Depot still has my $449.76. My bank account has still not been credited THREE DAYS LATER!

I was on the phone with the store yesterday and have been on the phone all morning, trying to find SOMEONE at head office in Toronto or Atlanta to rectify this situation.

The corporate response in Atlanta was “we know we have a problem with debit cards sometimes, sorry, it will take 5 to 10 days to appear in your bank account”.

NICE!!!! Way to tackle a problem, Home Depot. Never again.
La-Rocko

Aug 28 2010

I ordered a washer and dryer from Home Depot. The sales representative was very friendly and explained that I would have my new appliances within seven days. Seven days later I received a phone call, my new washer and dryer were in. Unfortunately, I was home alone so I asked my father and brother in law to come help me pick them up.

When we arrived at the store, I waited 45 minutes for someone to actually even acknowledge the fact that I was there. Next, a very polite young man brought me me dryer (which, by the way, said DRYER in big bold letters on the box) and explained that he would be right back with my other appliance. Sure enough, 5 minutes later he comes back. Unfortunately, he came back with another box that said DRYER in big bold letters on the side.

By this point, I was very frustrated and was going to get my refund for the appliances and go somewhere where the pre-requisite for a job is that employees can read simple words like “washer” and “dryer”.

In any case, after digesting the fact that I did get a good deal on the appliances, I decided to take the dryer home and ask if they would at least be able to deliver the washer to me. The woman at the counter explained that they would absolutely be able to do this for me and that I would either have it the following day, or at the latest, on Saturday morning.

I am a teacher, starting work on Monday, and need to have the washer delivered before starting work again. That was the only reason I decided to keep the appliances in the first place!

So it is now Saturday morning at 11 am, and I have been on the phone with local Home Depot associates since 9. It was not until I called the Ben Hill line that I got results. Our local Home Depot had me holding and calling separate numbers and waiting for them to call me back for 2 hours.

Finally, the guy I spoke to from the Ben Hill line called the store himself, contacted the store manager, and figured something out so that I could have my washing machine by Sunday at least.

I am very pleased that something will be done for me and that Home Depot will get me my appliances, BUT I do not believe that I should have had to become so frustrated and do all this calling around for results.

On this note, sorry Home Depot, but I will never shop at your store again, and I promise, this experience WILL be the topic of many conversations to come.

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