{"id":8091,"date":"2005-05-23T15:15:01","date_gmt":"2005-05-23T22:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/2005\/05\/23\/home-depots-service-desk-sucks.html"},"modified":"2005-05-23T15:15:01","modified_gmt":"2005-05-23T22:15:01","slug":"home_depots_ser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2005\/05\/23\/home_depots_ser.html","title":{"rendered":"Home Depot’s Service Desk Sucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

We went to Home Depot on Sunday to buy and arrange for installation of a hot water heater. Our experience is chronicled in the following which I e-mailed to Home Depot. If I don’t get a competent response, I’ll be calling their customer service line directly (I should probably have done that in the first place, but I wanted to get it in writing first so I could organize my thoughts):<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I am writing to let you know of my extreme displeasure with our experience purchasing a hot water heater from Home Depot this past Sunday. I expect a response explaining how it happened and how you can make this bad experience right.<\/p>\n

1. The HWH display was very confusing. Multiple booklets, placards, signs, rip-off pads of product information (all of which seemed to say the same thing in different ways), a phone for setting up an installation, etc. But no clear info on *how* to actually *buy* a HWH and have it installed.<\/p>\n

Finally spotted a small pad of “Special Orders.” Wrote out the SKU of what we wanted, and, per the pad instructions, went to the Service desk.<\/p>\n

2. There were two people working the service desk. Both were avowedly new to the job, and had no real idea of what they were doing or how to get the help they needed. It took over *thirty minutes* to get the order placed. And, as it turns out, the order was not properly completed (see #5).<\/p>\n

3. The lady at the service desk spent several minutes keying in the information for the order, even though all the info was on the pad, then finally quoted me a price of $1100. I knew that the HWS was $492, and the installation was $299. Had I not known that info, then it seems likely I would have spent an *extra* $300. Some savings.<\/p>\n

4. Faced with that question, she pounded away on the keyboard for several more minutes. Talked to her fellow service desk worker, who also didn’t know whether the installation price included delivery of the HWH (I had to show them the brochure I brought over, and they had to read it three times). She called the installation number a couple of times. Pounded on the keyboard some more. <\/p>\n

After about *15-20 minutes*, she finally had figured out how to properly order a HWH with installation, and came up with the right price. Given that there’s a huge display and full aisle dedicated to HWH orders and installations, I’m very surprised there wasn’t a clear procedure for her to follow (or that she didn’t know how to do it in the first place).<\/p>\n

It took *several minutes more* to get the credit card run and the paperwork printed and signed.<\/p>\n

5. When we did not hear from the installation company this morning (Monday), my wife called them mid-day. It turns out that *the service desk never faxed them the order*. So, taking *additional* of *our* own time, my wife arranged for the installation to take place later this week. Good thing it wasn’t an emergency!<\/p>\n

I would expect the *service* desk, handling *special orders* and other customer service, to include some of Home Depot’s most competent and experienced employees. Instead, it was staffed, early on a Sunday afternoon, with two novices who didn’t understand your services, didn’t know how to find them out in a timely fashion, and who botched the order followthrough.<\/p>\n

And it wasn’t even just my order. Another customer was at the desk trying to buy an air conditioner. They didn’t know the products sold, didn’t know how to find them, didn’t recognize the name of the HD floor person who had directed her there, and, as we were leaving and she finally had an A\/C unit paid for and on a cart next to her, the HD floor person walked by and informed them that they’d gotten her the wrong unit and needed to start over.<\/p>\n

I am a regular HD shopper, but after this experience, I am far less likely to avail myself of any purchases that require use of your service desk.<\/p>\n

I would like a response from you as to how this happened, and how Home Depot can make it right for us. I am very displeased.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We went to Home Depot on Sunday to buy and arrange for installation of a hot water heater. Our experience is chronicled in the following which I e-mailed to Home…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[35,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-business","category-home-improvement"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":127951,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/11\/of-anti-abortion-fliers-religious-freedom-and-copy-machines.html","url_meta":{"origin":8091,"position":0},"title":"Of anti-abortion flyers, religious freedom, and copy machines","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 11-Sep-15 5:57pm","format":false,"excerpt":"An Office Depot in Illinois is facing a possible religious freedom complaint after it refused to copy an anti-abortion flyer.http:\/\/www.startribune.com\/illinois-woman-accuses-office-depot-of-discrimination\/326705421\/'The prayer was composed by the Rev. 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