head to lowes tonite … i can always find something to purchase that i don’t need… but
i had a 30ft tape with a magnetic end (KOBALT) that was broken… i needed to swap it out because i really like the magnetic tip when i’m welding doing metal work (everyday)…
get to the return desk… tell the girl i need to return it… she asks for a sales ticket from when i purchased it… nope don’t have it…. she asks “did you buy it here” ….ummm it’s KOBALT… yeah but you could have bought it somewhere else… ME… NO kobalt is your brand it came from here… her… I’ve done over 12,000 returns i know what i’m doing… you have to have a sales ticket or i can’t return it…
she calls the tool dept guy… he asks “did you buy it here” me… IT’s KOBALT your brand… him… oh no they sell Kobalt lots of places… when did you buy it… ME… no Kobalt is your brand exclusive to LOWES and i purchased it 2 years ago…
him… oh well you need to call the 800 number because after 90 days we can’t do anything…
me… follow me… I then lead him to the Kobalt tape measures… and read him the package… “if this tool ever fails to perform for any reason return it to the place of purchase for a NO QUESTIONS replacement…
him… hmmmm it says place of purchase…how do i know you purchased it here?
me… because it says no questions and that sir is a QUESTION…
now store manager shows up…
now understand… I’m smile’n and laugh’n the whole time… i’m see’n the humor in this even if i am be’n a smart a z z z kinda…
me… to store manager… do your employees not know Kobalt is your house brand? him… they should… me…. do they also not know you replace them if they break…. him ummmm they should… by now we are back to the return desk… and they no longer stock the 30ft magnetic end tape… so he’s doing a refund… which is fine… i brought up a 25ft tape he thought i wanted to purchase.. but i tell him no i just wanted your employee to read the package…
no i’m not surprised… and it seems the manager wasn’t either
kinda sad really
p
Edited 6/9/2009 10:02 pm ET by ponytl
Replies
If some of them weren't so cute there'd be no reason to walk in the door.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
They are building one near me, I was looking forward to them kicking the depots orange but. Maybe I'll stick to my local hardware/building supplier.
Have a good day
Cliffy
so you would of had just as good of chance returning ryobi stuff to them?
maybe you should of told em you bought the tape at hd,but they told you you had to go to lowes for a refund.
i've never seen the kobalt sticker on the hd nascar car either.
YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T
MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE
DUCT TAPE.
Sounds about right.
Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
Lowes people are so helpful and knowegleable, without them what would we do.
ponytl,
I took something back without a sales check and they swiped my debit card and it showed my purchases.. I was impressed.
Never have a hassle at my Lowes. Usually will spend refund and more before I leave the store.
Pete
>>swiped my debit card and it showed my purchases.. I was impressed.<<
Same thing happened to me at Lowes. No receipt, they swiped my credit card, once they saw the list, they asked if I had any idea when I bought it - found it in short order and issued credit back to my account.
HD can do the same thing at least at some stores - either the software is not the same or return desk people just don't know how to do it at others.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
former home desperate help???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I've attempted to boycott Lowe's. A few months ago, I was at the register with a small item which rang up too high. I told the clerk, a quite young man, that the price was so-and-so, not what it rang up for. He said, "This is what the register says it is." I went back to the aisle, where another salesperson was, told him the story, and we both went back to the register where the salesperson told the clerk I was right. However, Boy Genius can't adjust the price; I have to go stand on the Customer Service line.A week or so later, same situation, same Boy Genius, same conversation. Boy Genius seems to be working when I'm really tired and just want to get what I need to finish a job. I'm normally very polite when there's a problem like this (we all make mistakes), but this time I wanted to say, 'Duh, you idiot, I know that's what the register says, I'm telling you the register's wrong.' I didn't, but I threw the item back onto the counter and told him to forget it and walked out. I was really mad at this ignoramus; I went back in to the Customer Service desk to speak with a manager; after waiting on line for over five minutes, I left, and began my boycott. Since then, I've bought $5,000.00 worth of fencing, a dishwasher, at least $500.00 of lumber and almost that amount in various tools, hardware, etc. from Home Depot; I didn't even bother checking to see what Lowe's prices were.I've found that Lowe's my be a few cents cheaper, but it's not worth the aggravation. The help at the local Home Depot is much better.
It's just opposite for me. The local Lowes is fair but the HD across the street is terrible!
The opened up a LOWES in town a while back, about a mile from the local
HD. Most of the HD employees bolted from HD to work at Lowes. Things didn't change, just got worse...at both stores.Renaissance Restorations LLC
http://www.renaissancerestorations.com
Went to Lowes one time looking for a sheet of 3/4" white melamine, the first two employees I talked to had never heard of melamine. After looking through all of the sheet goods, I finally figured out they don't carry it.
>>....I finally figured out they don't carry it.<<
With a few exceptions in staff, if the BB does not carry an item - the help has no idea what is available, or even common, outside of their store.
This is probably because the first and only exposure these folks have to building products IS what is in their store.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Lowes won't refund Simpson framing hardware w/o a receipt...they said it could've been purchased anywhere.
Took back some extra electrical supplies (j-boxes, etc) w/o a receipt,
they gave store credit, but only 80% of value of items.
Usually it's no questions asked.
>>gave store credit, but only 80% of value of items.<<
Never seen that one. Have gotten store credit a few times, but always at 100% of the shelf price.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Now I always save my receipts...
For my last several projects, I've compared prices across Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's, and my local lumberyard, a Do It Best affiliate.EVERY time, my local yard has beat their prices by 10%-30%. I don't know how they do it, but it seems to work. The local guys came out and helped me measure for new windows. The local guys delivered a truckload of rock and a shower enclosure I would have had to borrow a truck for. It goes on and on. The only downside is that they're a small operation and don't always have what I want on hand. But if I can find it online or on their web site, they get it in in short order.The only time I set foot in a Big Box store is when I want to get "hands on" with something before I buy it... Then I go home and order it from my local guys.
80% or last sale price.
I usally dont mind the store credit, I only return items when I'm going there to buy something, never make speical trips for returns. No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
i needed four sheet of rock and lowes was closest so i go in. no carts by the doors no carts in the aisles except ones loaded w material to be shelved i looked around for anther two minuets and left haven't been back since
Noah
Here is another blowes story..
About 8:30 MIL called freaking out.. about a burst pipe in her garden.. so I check it out.. need 4' of 1" gal pipe.. figure lowes close.. how bad can they screw this up..
head to blowes.. get the pipe from rack.. both ends sealed with caps ..and get a plastic sprinkler (.57)
wait in line.. getting rung up.. no tag on sprinkler.. but I have the number..give them the number.. she won't take it has to be a tag.. so 4 of them discuss what to do..finally and another worker whom was doing something else came over and seen was was going on..went on a dead run and got another sprinkler..
20 minutes have gone by..
get home.. pull cap of one end.. pipe dope and hang the valve and rain bird on it.. hustle to garden and pull the other cap off.. no threads. swear..
remove what I put on..
look at the new sprinkler (gave me 45, need a 360)
took them both back.. hit the door as they where closing..
tell the lady, get me another pipe and another sprinkler, and I will be on my way..
can't do that. have to refund your money and then you can go and get what you want and go thru the line again.. my phone is ringing MIL freaking about the garden...
so I ask what does it matter which one I take I want a usable one.. so she calls over the head casher.. (he is unhappy cause he wants to leave) ..are you ready for this..
that the pipe they carry is not threaded on both ends.. only one.. in the mean time the return clerk, went thru the process and did the money.. I getting madder by the sec.. I blew.. told them bozos.. get the store manager NOW..
he shows up.. sees what is going on.. talks to me.. I explain what I need..he calls the plumbing section leader up.. tells him what I want.. he goes back and brings up..are you ready for this.. 3/4" x 5' pipe.. store manager rolls his eyes.. I offer up my tape measure.. so PSL goes back and bring back the correct size. I pull the caps off and no threads on one.. he gets sent back with instructions to pull the caps off..get the right size threads on both ends.. still no sprinkler..
tell them keep the sprinkler and let me get out of here now it is 9:45 and I passed mad, just amused..
so I ask if I can pay for the pipe here.. store manager asks about the the money things.. tells me.. we will get this one.. and then asks if he help me any other way..
say no and head for the door, well then they have to find the store manager again to unlock the door.. while he is unlocking the door I ask him.. where do you find these people.. he just rolls his eys.. tell me I will be taking my business elsewhere.
it it was easy, everybody be doing it, opps sorry, they are
sad ..................was the return girl cute?
no and had an attitude... i can laugh & smile about anything and i even try to accept that i have no idea what has happened in a sales persons life that day.. and i might have got them on a bad day... but when they prove that they know less about where they work and what they sell than me and still want to be the expert... thenit's either humor or just work down or up the line until someone knows something...
btw i love my new 16ft magnetic end tape (KOBALT) with a lifetime return... $4.97 why wouldn't i buy it...
p