WARNING!! home depot shoppers

[Bedlam]

Id like to address the inventory part.
With all due respect, I was looking to buy a basic four panel garage door. I found one on display in the store. It actually had a sold tag on it. I needed two , and got the salesperson to see if there were more. He went into the comp. and said that there were 5 more in the store according to the comp. We looked everywhere, and he asked others too. All he could find was that one. I said no problem can you order me two. He said yes and we did I prepaid for two.
A week went by, another week went by,. On a few visits there weren't any in stock, and the 'sold tagged one' was gone too.
On , approx the third week I called and they said nothing yet.
On the fifth , i called and they said they were in shipment.
A few days later I went in and there they were, 8 new ones, (same stock number).
i asked if mine were in and they checked, they weren't. I asked if I could"purchase ' two of the 8 in stock. They said I couldn't as mine were prepaid.
i got the manager, and he agreed to switch the sale out. However when they went to the comp. it would let him , as there were none in stock.
HMM comp says 5 and none, and now says 0 and there are 8.
He "overrode; whatever and I headed out with the doors. Only to be stopped ,and asked for the receipt. then they said that the price had increased $10 a door.
Again another manager comes over, I presented my receipt and said I was headed out, he just looked.. of coerce no one would help load it. But another customer did.
So i dint take much faith in the inventory system there. or anywhere.. anymore
Al

 

[MossRoad]

It is highly unusual that they would restock them without first inventorying them and putting that inventory into a "lost and found" folder. It is not unusual that people leave items in carts and for them to make there way back into the store. By inventorying them and your showing your receipt, they would "balance" and the store would know that your claim was correct.
This is an additional reason why they ask for identification when you return an item without a receipt. If a person found your basket and did a return of the items for credit, they also track this information.

It is not highly unlikely at all, and it happens often at large stores. I've gone to (un-named) home improvement stores several times to purchase things. Large things like boards, sheetrock, plywood, large storage containers, motor oil, etc... They tell me they don't have them. I point to them on the shelf, way up high in forklift land. They check the computers and it shows none in stock. Theres a hundred of them right there!

I've also made a large purchase of custom built storm windows from a large home improvement store. I had to pay up front because they were custom made to size. They called me and told me they were in. I went to get them and they couldn't find them. I told them to call me when they found them. A week went by and nothing. I went back and got the manager. His computer showed they were in the store, but they couldn't find them. I started walking around the store looking for boxes while the manager was on the phone with other customers. I found them all over the store. Here and there, on shelves way up high, standing behind the plywood cut offs by the circular saw. On a skid with fencing material outside up against the side of the store. One skid of five was smashed under scraps of landscape timbers. Needless to say, I got a big discount and they had to deliver the late ones that had to be re-ordered.

So it can and does happen often. Time for Mr. Jimi to get an attorney.

 

[JASTN70D]

It appears the goal is not necessarily to have the problem solved as I think that is an relatively easy process, But to vent about the situation and the hassle. I agree it would be a pain and it would be nice if the Manager would just take and or trust his word but I am sure that could threaten his job if he is wrong.

We all have a responsibility to do what we can to reduce the risk of fraud with those who we do business with now days, We should not expect trust to be a given in our dealings any longer. No more handshake deals.

The Manager/Store is only dealing with the situation as they should and one would expect them to deal with it lacking any proof of the transaction. I could only fault the store if they refused to offer documentation on the original transaction. At that point I could make an informed decision that it would be likely this situation would arise.

I could no more fault HD in this than I could you if I showed up at your house and told you that someone that answered the door yesterday took my money for one of the 2 thousand or so identical widgets you have for sale and I am here to pick it up now. No I have no proof I did not pick it up yesterday (as you know I should) but hay trust me its only a $1000 Bucks !

Just because its a large company does not mean they lost there common sense. They know you could have lost the ticket but give them a chance at solving it. Nothing less than I am sure you would do in there place ! Unless of course the customer just peed you off so bad that you do want to help them.

Do you really think the Manager/Store has some hidden agenda here. Do you think that HD needs to steel money from you this way. They seem to be doing quite well steeling the old fashion way (hefty mark up !)

Not saying that there are not many reasons to beat up on Companies for shady transactions but crying wolf will not help when they are acting in a reasonable way.

Moss, Your just dealing with typical incompetence which is the real problem with the whole discount store issue. Low pay, low skill, lack of caring You get what you pay for. I look at it this way If I want to save some money its going to take more work on my part to protect myself from the incompetence In your case do the managers work for him !

 

[AlanB]

We kept a cartoon of a guy with his head down on the counter pointing over the sales guys shoulder saying

"Pointing at it won't help sir, the computer say's we don't have any"

We try hard to take the common sense approach here, but with so many customers and so many workers, I can sure believe stuff like that get's messed up in the large stores regularly.

And I for one, would not trust a box stores inventory as a statement of fact of if I recieved something or not.

I for one would go back, with all my paperwork in hand, and someone along to keep me calm, and speak with the top manager of the store, or schedule an appointment with them.

I would write out the description of the problem clearly, and in a cohesive timeline, because I must agree with other's here, if it was presented at the store as it was here, I can see where the troubles arise.

Good luck getting it resolved Mr. Jimi

 

[Dusty]

MossRoad..... I was talking about them restocking product that they know was left in a cart outside the store. It isn't like it was in a cart inside the store. They would have to have known that if it were in a cart outside the store that some customer must have forgotten to remove them from the cart and drove off. Only when they got home, did they know that they didn't have all the goods. I wouldn't expect them to keep them in a "lost and found" section, but I would expect them to have a list of the items to match up to your receipt when you returned. I have had cans roll off to the side at the supermarket only to find that when I got home and unpacked the bags that something was missing. When I returned to the store to say that it wasn't in my bag, they would check the receipt for the register number and then pull the "left items" list for that day of that register. If it were on the list, they just handed me another. If it weren't, then they would ask if it might have fallen out in the car. In both cases, it was one or the other. Mistakes happen an it is how they deal with the mistake that counts. Possibly the super market has a better system because they care more? Pay the employees more than HD? I don't know, but I believe that there has to be more to the situation than we are learning about. I also know that HD has security cameras on all registers and outdoor loading docks. All that would be necessary for them to do is to check the tapes for that day and time that is marked on his receipt. The receipt will show the cashier number and register number, time of day, etc. I don't know how long they keep the tapes, but my guess is that it is at least 60 -90 days. In fact, today most of that information is stored on hard drives and can give you months of video. Your situation with the windows is just poor inventory management. You were never in danger of loosing your money like Mr. Jimi is. They knew that your windows hadn't been delivered.
Dusty

 

[MossRoad]

MossRoad..... I was talking about them restocking product that they know was left in a cart outside the store. It isn't like it was in a cart inside the store. They would have to have known that if it were in a cart outside the store that some customer must have forgotten to remove them from the cart and drove off. Only when they got home, did they know that they didn't have all the goods. I wouldn't expect them to keep them in a "lost and found" section, but I would expect them to have a list of the items to match up to your receipt when you returned. I have had cans roll off to the side at the supermarket only to find that when I got home and unpacked the bags that something was missing. When I returned to the store to say that it wasn't in my bag, they would check the receipt for the register number and then pull the "left items" list for that day of that register. If it were on the list, they just handed me another. If it weren't, then they would ask if it might have fallen out in the car. In both cases, it was one or the other. Mistakes happen an it is how they deal with the mistake that counts. Possibly the super market has a better system because they care more? Pay the employees more than HD? I don't know, but I believe that there has to be more to the situation than we are learning about. I also know that HD has security cameras on all registers and outdoor loading docks. All that would be necessary for them to do is to check the tapes for that day and time that is marked on his receipt. The receipt will show the cashier number and register number, time of day, etc. I don't know how long they keep the tapes, but my guess is that it is at least 60 -90 days. In fact, today most of that information is stored on hard drives and can give you months of video. Your situation with the windows is just poor inventory management. You were never in danger of loosing your money like Mr. Jimi is. They knew that your windows hadn't been delivered.
Dusty

At our grocery store, you walk in and tell the manager that you got home and something was missing, they don't even want to see the reciept. They usually have your tuna fish or peanut butter at the office already. If not, they ask you to go to the isle, pick out what you are missing and bring it back to the office. Then they smile and tell you to have a nice day, no questions asked.

The big home improvement stores don't have a good track record of customer service. Speaking from my experiences only, if there are any local stores that have a product that the big stores have, I will gladly pay more for it for the good service that will follow. But there are hardly any local stores left.

I'm pretty sure the big stores have gotten more than a thousand dollars worth of bad publicity from this thread. It would have served them better to solve the problem rapidly in the customers favor. They have to know that you can give great service all year and get hardly any publicity, but do one customer wrong and 20 people will know about it within a day.

The problem is, the store manager should have taken care of it instantly and put proceedures in place to lessen the likelyhood that it happens to a customer again. Mr. Jimi shouldn't have been allowed to leave the store in the first place with improper paper work(employee error), shouldn't have had to worry about knowing the store's policies before he shopped there, and shouldn't have to fight for his stuff, even if the paperwork is incorrect.

 

[Bedlam]

well said

 

[CharlieTR]

I also think this thread was intended for a good venting, but I hope this may be helpful in some way.

Normally when I have had items at the Will-Call they were entered into the HD system by the person at the Pro-Desk, or Mill Work, or Flooring dept. I always got a print out (from laser printer on normal letter paper) with each item ordered. That is how the order "got into their system". If you pick out the plywood, loaded it on a cart, paid for it, then someone suggested you move it to will-call for later pick up. Then it would not be in their system.
Either some one behind you took it home or some one at the store did not know what it was and restocked it.

I do think the only way to get the money back is to call the customer service 800 number and open a ticket so they can track the complant. Then that mgr will be able to justify or explain a refund.

 

[Ken_CT]

At our grocery store, you walk in and tell the manager that you got home and something was missing, they don't even want to see the reciept. They usually have your tuna fish or peanut butter at the office already. If not, they ask you to go to the isle, pick out what you are missing and bring it back to the office. Then they smile and tell you to have a nice day, no questions asked.

A while ago I posted about a family owned Agway going out of business. I like shopping at a store where the people there know who you are, and even remember your name. There are some advantages to that that is worth more than a couple of pennies saved.

 

[dmccarty]

Since Mr. Jimi has refused to answer the multiple questions asked by TBNers trying to help him, I'll throw in my theory on what happened. Maybe Mr. Jimi will confirm which of the multiple theories that have been proposed.

My theory is:

Mr. Jimi ordered a bunch of plywood via a Will Call.
Mr. Jimi could not take it all at one time.
Mr. Jimi signed the Will Call for the full amount.
Mr. Jimi took only part of the Will Call.
Mr. Jimi came back to the store to get the rest of the plywood.
HD said, No, you already took your plywood. See you signed for it right here. Once the system has the order as complete it ain't going to change. The computer system and Mr. Jimi's paperwork showed he had taken the full amount.
Mr. Jimi got ticked off and, as my MIL would say, showed his a...s. which did not help his case.

Mr. Jimi made a mistake signing that he was picking up all of what he had purchased but then left part of the order at the store.

When I took items from my Will Call the cashier checked my order. I checked my order. I would hope that the HD employee would remember Mr. Jimi's order and what had happened. But mistakes happen and it appears that its not HD's fault.

Later,
Dan