home depot is incompetent even on the diy track

There really is no possible way to make up for the lack of VVC right now; however, dragging someone (willingly!) into Teen Wolf fandom totes makes up for that. Not that they fought that hard, I want that for the record. Or like, at all, now that I think about it.

Home Depot

I don't know if you know this, but they don't like selling things to people who offer money for their goods and services.

For the fourth time in two years, we approached Home Depot after careful research to buy 1.) a front door and 2.) a storm door. We have model numbers and item numbers. We have colors. We have a place on the outer wall of our home that needs a door. Most importantly of all of those things, we are carrying money to buy it right now.

Somewhere in Home Depot is one man (1) who knows how to order a fucking door. Me, I was ready to go home, grab my toolkit, and buy the model off the floor and install it myself, but apparently that was not in the cards.

We've been going there to try and get these doors for two years and it's like, the minute we show an interest in purchasing, no one knows how to do anything. Once, we actually got an invoice--wait for it--and went to pay it so they would come install our doors that we had ordered...and no one would take our money. We waited in the door area for a while. Or call us back about the doors we ordered. Or even apparently knew what a door was, from repeat visits.

On a very primal level of wtf, I cannot figure out what they think will happen if they sell a door to us.

Air Conditioner

We are having an equal problem getting anyone to agree to fix our air conditioner, which does not believe we should have temperatures lower than eighty-three. Our new air conditioner that we just bought.

I have goddamn pneumonia and am finishing my round of steroids while arguing with three (3) Home Depot people, none of which could explain teh alchemy of the door buying process other than no one knew it.

I feel like this is some kind of life lesson, but the lesson seems to be muddled. Am I supposed to step up and learn how to install doors and fix air conditioners in an empowering way that will lead to true love, or is this the value of patience in trying times?

Comments

[laurajv]

Do you have a Lowe's? Because I had the same problem with getting a door from Home Depot and I was all "FUCK THIS" and went and bought a door from Lowe's and took it home the same day.

[seperis]

Oh my God, this happens regularly to people?

Yes, Lowe's tomorrow, actually. Weirdly, I am relieved now. I mean, we could not figure out what was going on with buying a door from them.

[laurajv]

I don't know what Home Depot's deal is. I went there and they were all "doors? Well, you'll have to speak to someone. I'll get someone to help you, go over there" and then no one came and passing employees were all "doors?" like they had never heard the word before and I gave up.

At lowes there were 2 guys in the door department, and they could do custom orders or sell you a door off the giant rack o doors. I was in & out in like 15 minutes, not including the time it took for a helpful employee to load the door into my car.

Also at home depot, I once tried to buy porch furniture, and all their outdoor furniture was up on high shelves and you couldn't sit in it. I asked the employee who told me no, they would not get it down on the floor for me to try, if people really bought $2k of sofas and chairs they hadn't sat in. She said yes, and I said they were idiots, then, and called lowes from my cell phone to see if I could sit in theirs. (yes.) HD is 5 minutes from my house and lowes is 35, or I wouldn't even bother with HD anymore.

[seperis]

I have no words right now. WHO BUYS FURNITURE YOU DON'T SIT IN FIRST? I mean, I seriously now wonder about the customer base of HD.

We just surfed Lowe's website and have our door list again for tomorrow. I'm kind of ridic excited about this again.

[jelazakazone]

I seem to recall having a similar problem with HD about windows. We ended up buying from local businesses.

[beachlass]

IDEK what it is about hardware stores and buying doors. I tried one store this summer, and the guy flat out told me I didn't want the door I had money in my purse to buy, and people coming over to install, and gave me a glossy brochure instead.

I wore a low cut tank top and used my boob privilege to get a perfect door at a discounted price and delivered the next day from a small town store instead.

But honestly. I should be able to buy a door without flashing cleavage.

[seperis]

1.) I have no words for how--what is wrong with doors? WHY CAN WE NOT JUST GET DOORS?

2.) Brilliant solution. I salute you. And I may be trying that next.

[beachlass]

I wanted a screen door. Because I already have a proper metal door at that entrance, and wanted a screen door for the roughed in porch. But the dude insisted I didn't know what I was talking about, and that I needed another insulated metal door to my uninsulated porch. WTF. I've been living with a broken salvaged interior french door in that spot. (Because the people who owned the house before me were champs at half assed renovations.)

Dude. Just. Sell me the friggin' door.

The small town hardware store guy was super helpful though, listened, sorted through the warehouse, and found me a door the right size and sort that had been returned, and he could sell at a discount. Win.

Good luck tomorrow.

[jiltanith]

If you're feeling vicious about it, I suggest a letter of complaint to the CEO's office. They pay attention to written complaints, because they know most people won't bother.

[seperis]

This is one of the few times I'm tempted to do so.

[norabombay]

Argh. Stores that will not let you just give them money are the worst.

I think it is Lowe's time.

[ilyena_sylph]

That... thaaaaaaat...

Well, two years is longer than my one month, but I think the contractors I spent a month calling every day on a "72 hour installation" make up for that you've been at it way, way longer. Mine was Lowe's.

So, does anyone know of a store like those two that Doesn't suck?

[kickair8p]

I realize Lowes isn't perfect either, but I've never had any trouble with them, any time I tried both HD and Lowes for the same thing Lowes came out on top, and they've helped me with some outright ridiculous stuff (like when I needed 6"x12' boards cut into eight two-foot lengths and eight two-foot-and-two-inches lengths).

~

[malkingrey]

Home Depot has been like this for years now, apparently, and not just in Texas, either.

My rambling 2 cents

[pudacat]

Where I grew up, Home Depot was the first hardware big box store. They had problems (see; your doors), but were easy for a person to go in and say "I need this, here's my money", and go. That worked if you were intimidated by the local stores, since fixin' up was a man's job. God knows hardware and lumber stores scared me. At the time, HD really hurt all the little places, partly for that reason. Now, both back home and where I live now, HD is out of business, Lowe's and Menard's fight tooth and nail for everyone's business, and all the little guys are thriving as niche stores where you can get what you want, with great customer service. I think Home Depot refused to understand, that, while they were the first big box, they never learned from their stupidity, and everyone else did. Now it's go local, and yay for Lowe's and Menard's, for different reasons, all involving customer service.

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

We've had problems with home depot as well but try a different one. Sometimes they have competent people and sometimes not.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

We tried two, so we're Lowe's-ing it tomorrow.

[rhuad.livejournal.com]

Based on my experience, Home Depot is actually one of the inner circles of Hell - designed to drive all customers batshit crazy!! ...and every one is the same, from Vancouver (where I live) to Cape Breton Island (where my relatives have suffered as we have suffered lol), and clearly down south as well (based on where LJ says you are).