I have to record this for believably because I’m stunned by such poor customer service and horrendous communication from a national home improvement store.
6/9 – purchased a new washer from Lowe’s ( #Lowes ) (~$900 including 3-year extended warranty) for delivery on 6/13
- Spending $900 is no small expense mind you, and we paid cash.
- We put a lot of thought into this purchase before pulling the trigger. We’ve been going to the laundromat for about 2 years (since our Maytag Centennial washer [the worst washer I’ve ever owned!] died), and we’re just done with it.
- I’m currently on 75% disability since having my stroke back in April, and since it’s summer my husband (a school teacher on a 10-month contract) isn’t working.
6/10 – received email update changing delivery date to from 6/13 to 6/14
6/13 – received health questionnaire email from Lowe’s confirming that we are COVID-free and that we are ready for delivery the following day (between 11 and 3)
6/14 – DELIVERY DAY! Woke up to a missed call from Lowe’s. Received a second call from Lowe’s at 8:00 AM (~3 hours pre-delivery) as I’m getting ready to leave for physical/occupational therapy. This call is from Lowe’s Moreno Valley (an hour away) and the caller is informing me that
- I’m not in their delivery area, and
- They don’t have my washer in stock. In fact, no Lowe’s in southern California has my washer in stock
<insert stunned silence here>
What?
Do you mean to tell me that at no time during checkout, the delivery date change email, or the health check confirmation email someone could have informed me of this MINOR detail? No one thought that this might be important?
For the record, I did not order the washer from the Moreno Valley store. When I placed the order, the website indicated my local store (about 10 miles away). Full disclosure, the website said that the washer was not in currently in stock at the store; it did not indicate that it was out of stock completely everywhere.
Honestly, if it was out of stock everywhere, why would it even be on the site?
The Moreno Valley rep let me know that my local store (behind the scenes and unbeknownst to me) relayed my request to the Anaheim store who relayed it to another store who relayed it to another store and so on and so on until it reached Moreno Valley. At no time, was I ever looped into the conversation. I’m not sure what the thought process was there, or if they were hoping that they could solve it without consulting or informing me of the issue.
Also, while talking to the customer service rep from Moreno Valley, did it not occur to her that she could have salvaged this fiasco and by offering me a different product at a reduced price? No? Nothing? Not even a fucking coupon for the inconvenience?! She didn’t even offer to transfer me to my local store to help fix the issue. What a disappointment.
Guess what, Lowe’s? Home Depot (#HomeDepot) had my washer. Or at least their website says they have it. But now I have to wait until 6/22 to get it. If I get it on 6/22, I’ll have to provide an update.
Now, let’s rub a little salt in the wound. I didn’t cancel the Lowe’s order. Lowe’s did. Why is it that I have to wait 3-10 business days for a refund because of THEIR mistake, thereby tying up MY money? That’s a LOT of money sitting in limbo. They were damn quick to TAKE my money. I didn’t find out that bit of information until I had spent a literal HOUR on hold with customer support trying to find out when to expect the refund, which the Moreno Valley store told me would be completed the same day.
What’s even more amusing(?) is that I have a Home Depot credit card. I do not have a Lowe’s credit card. I could have nuked my Home Depot plastic and paid over time, but was trying to be fiscally and financially responsible. What was I thinking? Also, after making this purchase, I went into my local Lowe’s and purchased about $250 worth of additional home improvement products. Only to ultimately get burned in the end by bad customer service on a major home appliance purchase. Sure, I could have gone into the store and purchased the washer from the get-go, but as I currently can’t drive, and walking through the store for too long is difficult, these weren’t the most convenient options for me. Believe me, the struggle to complete the $250 transactions that I mentioned took every ounce of strength I had and I struggled to even complete the trip. What would have normally taken 20 minutes, took me more than 90, but that’s another matter.
In the meantime, I’m out ~$900 for the Lowe’s purchase while I wait for the refund and another ~$900 for the Home Depot purchase. Home Depot, do not disappoint me.
Yeah. Not happy with Lowe’s right now.