We’ve heard of nightmarish customer service experiences, but one Home Depot shopper created a nightmare of his own making when he reportedly grabbed a saw and tried to hack off his own arms inside the store. His fellow customers were apparently a bit disturbed at the scene because a man was trying to cut his own limbs off in public. Yikes. [More]
Home Depot Customer Grabs Saws, Tries To Cut His Own Arms Off In Store
By April 11, 2013
GE Wants To Spend $836 For Repairs On My $500 Washer That Does The Harlem Shake
By February 21, 2013
Reader Philip bought a new washer and dryer on sale last year after Black Friday. They were finally delivered when the family moved into a new house last week. When the time came for the inaugural wash, the machine made a loud banging sound and hopped around the room. GE sent a repairman who, on orders from GE, thought that gutting the washer was an ideal solution. Philip disagreed, pointing out that he would constantly fear a dryer motor fire and would prefer a new replacement, what with the washer/dryer set being newly delivered and all. GE would much rather spend more than the replacement value of the appliance. [More]
Should You Feel Guilty After Receiving Amazing Customer Service?
By December 28, 2012
We’ve long been advocates of using Twitter for customer service when the regular channels of customer service don’t work. There’s something about the combination of pithy microblog updates and public posting that some companies have done very well, and that others have been unable to manage. Others are giving up on the platform entirely.If you can get help via Twitter, that turns you into a VIP, and that made Lindsay Robertson of The Awl uncomfortable after she used Twitter to complain to Home Depot about her backordered air conditioner. [More]
Home Depot Uses LG Appliances To Advertise Deal That Excludes LG Appliances
By November 9, 2012
If you look at all the LG appliances pictured in the Home Depot flier advertising savings for customers who buy multiple appliances, you might be confused by the fine print at the bottom of the image. [More]
Home Depot Leaves Me With A Concrete Condo Floor And An Awful Lot Of Supplies
By September 13, 2012
Navid’s idea wasn’t bad: he wanted to install wood floors in his condo, and chose to hire installers from the store where he bought the flooring and supplies, Home Depot. This should be a simple transaction: he gives them money, they come over and put floors in his condo. It’s just that something that employees assured Navid wouldn’t be a problem suddenly became a problem. There’s a large dip and some cracks in his subfloor, and Home Depot’s original rough estimate for how much it would fix to cost the problem was much lower than it should have been. Navid agreed to pay that expense, and the contractors walked off the job anyway, saying that they wouldn’t be able to warranty the work. Now Navid is stuck with a lot of supplies and a ripped-up floor. [More]
Dressing Up Like Batman And Offering To "Save The Day" At Home Depot Now Gets You Arrested
By August 1, 2012
What only a few weeks ago would have been brushed off by most people as a bizarre bit of performance art — or just someone having a laugh — is now suspicious enough to merit arrest. That’s why we’re asking everyone to call off their plans to dress up like Batman and skulk around their local Home Depot to see if anyone needs assistance. [More]
Home Depot Won’t Process $8,000 Order Because It Can’t Decide If It Will Accept My Gift Cards
By July 20, 2012
Consumerist reader Sam was in a bit of a pickle. He’d recently moved from Florida to Texas, where he’d bought a home with the aim of fixing it up. To help him in this effort, Sam’s family and friends had given him several thousand dollars worth of Home Deport gift cards. Problem is, Sam accidentally left those cards back in Florida. But since he had all the info for the cards, Home Depot said it would be no problem. Or wait, maybe it will be. Or maybe not. [More]
Masco Cabinetry Takes Over Support For Closed Company, Replaces Their Crappy Cabinet Doors For Free
By July 17, 2012
The cabinets that Debbie bought from Home Depot a decade ago haven’t aged very well. She saw on the original paperwork that the ones she has came with a “lifetime guarantee”…. but that’s nonsense, right? She looked them up anyway, just in case. It turned out that the company that made her cabinets, Mills Pride, closed a few years ago. That’s too bad. But a different company starting with M, Masco Cabinetry, took over customer support for Mills Pride’s old customers. Debbie called them up and, to her astonishment, learned that Masco would replace the worn-out doors that they didn’t even manufacture in the first place. [More]
Home Depot Sells Defective Grill, Reacts Exactly Unlike Stereotypical Big Box Store
By July 11, 2012
Having rented a truck to transport his new grill home from Home Depot, R. had every reason to expect all kinds of inconvenience when the new appliance wouldn’t light. At all. But that wasn’t so. When he called to report the problem, the store reacted with all of the efficiency and great customer service that we’ve come to never expect from the big-box stores on every street corner. [More]
Home Depot Pushes Free Assembly That Isn’t All That Free
By June 15, 2012
When shopping for a grill at Home Depot, Amy and her spouse had a requirement that they didn’t think was too onerous. They wanted a grill that had not yet been assembled, so it would fit in their car and so they would only be able to blame themselves if it were put together wrong. “But…but…but… FREE assembly!” insisted employees at their local store, dragging them into an illogical spiral where “free” actually means “we can rent you a truck for $19.99.” [More]
Burning Down Home Depot Will Not Help Save Your Friend's Hardware Store
By May 24, 2012
We do enjoy hearing stories about friends who go the extra mile to help each other out. There is also something to be said for helping out a local business in favor of a national retail chain. However, it’s probably not in anyone’s best interest to try to burn the bigger store to the ground. [More]
This Power Strip Is Ideal For Outdoor Use, Just Maybe Don't Use It Outdoors
By May 11, 2012
Consumerist reader Fred was strolling through his local Home Depot in Connecticut when he checked out this Belkin power strip, which says right on the front of the package that it is “ideal” for outdoor use. Apparently, “ideal” is Belkin-ese for “not advised.” [More]
Home Depot Delivers $2500 Worth Of Appliances, Won't Accept Money For Them
By May 4, 2012
Consumer thought experiment: if Home Depot delivers some appliances to you, but never bills you for them, are they free? If that were true, a California grandmother got one heck of a Cyber Monday deal on more than $2,500 worth of kitchen appliances from Home Depot. That’s not what she wanted. She’d rather just pay the hardware mega-chain already, but they won’t accept her money. A computer glitch makes it look like she already paid for the appliances, and Home Depot won’t accept her money. [More]
Home Depot Forgot They Promised To Hang Onto My Rug Until I Decided If I'd Exchange It Or Not, Refuses Refund
By January 6, 2012
Marc knew for a fact that he didn’t want to keep the rug he and his wife bought from Home Depot, so he was pleased when an employee was helpful enough to suggest they wait on a refund in case a new shipment had any rugs they’d like. He even offered to hang onto the rug, instead of lugging it back and forth. Unfortunately, the employee’s memory wasn’t so good. [More]
E-Mail To Home Depot CEO Resolves Month-Old Problem In 12 Hours
By December 16, 2011
Consumerist reader Jim was feeling a little frustrated with Home Depot. He’d ordered some parts online for his chainsaw, only to find that one of the two boxes was completely empty. This was just the beginning of a month of misleading assurances, conflicting instructions and overall dissatisfaction for Jim. That is, until he penned an e-mail to Home Depot’s CEO. [More]
Knife Printed With 'USA Quality Guarantee' Is, Of Course, Made In China
By December 14, 2011
Think quickly: if you saw the “USA Quality Guarantee” seal on a product you found in a store, where would you assume that it had been manufactured? If you guessed “China,” you’re an awfully cynical person. You are, however, correct.
Reader Stuart, who writes a blog about tools, noticed this little badge of dishonor on a knife for sale at Home Depot. If it’s not meant to make customers think that the knife was made in the USA, then are the words just for decoration?
Home Depot Staff Makes 8-Hour Trip To Find Me A Snow Blower
By December 2, 2011
Consumerist reader Matt and his wife recently went to Home Depot to try to purchase a snow blower for the coming winter. But that Halloween weekend snow storm apparently caused an early run on the machines and no one could give them a clear answer on exactly when they would be back in stock. [More]
