This entry was posted on Thursday, June 2nd, 2005 at 11:45 and is filed under svenzworld. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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Thursday, June 2, 2005
Oh wow. That’s how it all started yesterday at 13:05 when Tom and I arrived to our local Home Depot. I had already paid for my two storm doors, well over $500, and the one for our front door wasn’t in stock. Since the installers where going to be at my house in three hours, it was kind of a really badly needed item. So I asked if another store had it and if they could deliver it to my home. Yes and no. So I ask Tom if he’d be willing to add some stress to his already stressful day and go to Modesto to get that door. “Sure, no problem,” my great brother in-law tells me.
We get to Modesto and I run into the store to get the door. Everything goes pretty well and I rush out with the door. Tom looks at it and thinks it’s the wrong one. I bring it back with my original paper work and we find that it is the right one but the model number is just printed differently. What I do discover though is that they charged me $60 more then the other Home Depot store. The guys in the window department help me out getting the price adjust and tell me to go to Returns.
I go to returns, with the big ‘ol door, and they see my paper work in hand and tell me to go to Services. I hobble over to Services and stand in line. They tell me I need to go to Returns. I go back to Returns and stand in line again. The guy in front of me has an expired receipt for his return and now comes the long process of issuing him a refund. Finally, fifteen minutes later, it’s my turn.
The cashier asks me if a piece of paper she had in her hand is mine. I told her that I did not know if that paper was related to me as I didn’t see the hand off of it. She then asks what I need to which I explain to her the whole problem. She then says that the paper is mine and asks why I said it wasn’t. I then tell her that I said that I did not know if it was or not. I never said it wasn’t. She proceeds to tell me that I need to go to Services then. I then tell her in a very heated but firm voice, “No you need to go to Services and work this out because I have played ping-pong with this big old door between you two for fifteen minutes. I am not moving again!” Offended, she tells me to calm down and that’ll she’ll work it out. After a few minutes, I did calm down and apologized for being firm (I never yelled) and she said she understood. The process to finish my refund and recharge at the proper price took another fifteen minutes and I was finally out the door with the right door.
Tom packed it into his truck and we bailed. Well, actually, I brought the door to Tom while the cashier was waiting for the manager because I had a feeling that would take a while. I was right, it did. So anyway, we’re off and driving home, two hours after first leaving. Oh ya, did I mention Tom had to have his family moved out of their apartment by 5:00 p.m.?
We get back, Tom unloads the two doors and Liz goes back with the Jo Jo’s to help them pack. Soon after the door installers showed up and started installing the doors. Think this story is over? Not even. 
When the installers opened the front storm door, the one from Modesto, they discovered a large warp on one side and a minor one on the other side. Ugh. I look at it and determine that the minor one is low enough and on the outside that it’s not too noticeable. The interior warp will probably get company soon enough with children in our household anyway. After my little enjoyment escapade earlier in the great town of convicted murder Scott Peterson, I waved it off and told them to install it.
As the prepared that door, they went to look at the door frame for the install of the second door. With a few measurements, they quickly realized that I had the incorrect door. Needing a 32″ door, I had four extra inches with the Home Depot supplied 36″. “You’ve got to be kidding,” was all I could muster. So what to do? I asked if they could call Home Depot to see if they had one in stock. They call their boss and he calls back to tell me that they’re checking. In anticipation that they’ll lag and figuring I have to return that other one anyway, I have the installers load the 36″ door and zoom off to our local Home Depot for the second time in a day.
When I got there, there was a long line in Returns. Once again, I was told after reaching the counter to go to Services. While waiting in line at Services, I call the window department from my cell. I get a hold of Allen who tells me to leave the door up front and come to him. After waiting five minutes for someone to get it out of the truck, that’s what I do.
When I get back there, Allen greets me with a friendly smile and asks how I’m doing. I told him I’ve had much better days. He immediately knows who I and starts processing the return. I ask him if he has a 32″ in stock. He said they couldn’t find any to which my cell phone rings. It’s Liz asking if they have one or not because the installers are done with the first door. I tell her the bad news. She signs off on them and they go home. Then after hanging up, Allen goes, “You know, I just want to see for myself if we’re out because the computer says we have three in stock.” He walks down the isle and then calls to me, “Guess what?” Yup, they had one. I quickly call home in hopes of catching the installers only to find that they’ve just turned the corner. Ok, I’ll call their boss. Both numbers get no answer. Drat!
Well, at least they have the door and I don’t have to worry about getting that later. We sit down go through the paper work and I tell Allen since I’m there, I might as well get the door knob set, too. We grab one after the paper work is done and go to the front of the store. He asks me if he can do anything else and I tell him, “Ya, give the me the door knob set for free for my trouble,” to which he replies, “You know I wi– you know, I’m in a good mood, why not?!” So he gives me the $30 kit for free. Oh ya, Michelle, from the first visit of the door they sold me that they didn’t have refunded me an additional $50 for my troubles, too.
So in the end, I got a bent front door with an additional hour of my and Tom’s day killed with $50 off. I did not get the garage door installed but got a free door kit for it. The installers will be back Monday to install it.
Over all, I must say the employees of Home Depot were friendly and understanding. Michelle and Allen and Jared and Armando (Modesto) really helped me out and it just seems Home Depot is a Japanese company because they love red tape. If the red tape had not been involved, all of this would have been a much simpler and nicer process. My warning to you all, make sure you have what you need the first time and never return anything at Home Depot. 
June 2nd, 2005 at 20:21
bummer you had such issues… I just got back from Home Depot, didn’t have my receipt, and returned three (small) items and got my credit card charged back no problem, same thing about 3 weeks ago
at least you got $80 out of it
June 2nd, 2005 at 21:48
Glad you had better luck!