Home Depot Consumer Reviews - Page 5

ARLINGTON, TEXAS -- On 7/16/2008, I needed a new water heater to replace the one that went bad. I decided to go with Home Depot to get the unit installed. The reason for selecting Home Depot being that I deal with a reputed corporation and they would be fair and just in the pricing and that I won't have to face any surprises.

I visited Home Depot and the CSR walked me through the installation charges, and then mentioned that I will have to call an 800 number and get the order going. She also mentioned that an installer or plumber's rep will visit the site and give an estimate and I order from there. I went with a 50 gal electric heater priced at $349.00 and the installation charge quoted was $285.00. I felt that this was reasonable considering that I needed the heater the same day.

So, I came home, called the toll free number and ordered the water heater model. During the course of the order, I was asked several questions relating to the current heater -- it's location, placement, size, height, capacity, access to it, etc etc. The order desk quoted the same price I heard at the store ($285 + cost of water heater + permit fee of $70). I asked when will the installer come to look and tell me a firm price before I place a formal order. The order desk clerk said, "no need to visit.. We have gotten all the information... You should be OK at this price..." And if any code related issues, it will be extra and emphasized that it won't be much.

The installer (a husband and wife team) was a good guy and I have nothing to complain except for some additional items he said I needed to get into city code compliance. He said I needed the following items and they are detailed below.

1. A stand to keep the heater above the ground level. It is a galvanized 21" x 21" x 16" high stand capable of supporting the weight of the heater and the water. I was told that it will be $195.00 plus taxes.
2. I was told I need a pan under the heater for collecting any leaky water. It is an Aluminum pan that looks like a Pizza pan, made of .032" aluminum. I was told that it would cost $90.00 plus taxes.
3. The 3rd and the last item I needed was a ball valve for water shut off and I was told that it will cost $95.00.

These 3 additional items along with taxes were $391.00. I asked the installer why is it these trivial items are so expensive and I was told that's how much they cost. I had no choice at that time to go myself to the store and buy the 3 items for under $65.00 because they can't wait while I am shopping. Basically I was put on a spot and had no choice and had to go with the situation I am stuck in.

Since I am dealing with Home Depot, I said I was going to take care of it with them rather than the installer. On calling Home Depot about the exorbitant prices for 3 items (more than the cost of the new heater), they said they have no control over what contractors charge.

My question is: I pick Home Depot based on the fact that they select contractors based on their work integrity, service ethics, and their honesty and reasonableness of cost of services. I go with them because I feel that I won't get ripped off. In this case it was a grand day light robbery. The gal at the other end at Home Depot couldn't help resolve the robbery.

Just around the time of completion a person introducing himself as Home Depot service manager (with an HD red Apron) stopped by to see if everything went OK. I brought the above subject on the over pricing and his answer was that these are fixed by Home Depot... (contrary to what I heard from the gal earlier who wanted to get my credit card approval for extras). He was just a good old boy, nodded head and told me to see the store manager.
I found out later according to the HD store clerk that this inspector who came was not a HD employee and he was a private contractor.

Here are my questions to the extras that I was charged for in the name of Code compliance that added up another approx $400.00. The stand retails at Lowe's for $34.98 (Lowe's model # 40S22U. This is a 1" tall stand rated for up to 65 gal heater and 900 lb capacity. The drain pan 24", retails at Lowe's for $15.98 (Model # 34078). The similar pan in 26" size sells at HD under SKU # 424-804 for $19.97. The 3/4" threaded ball shut off valve that was part of code compliance sells at HD for $7.97 (HD's SKU # A365-297).

The above 3 items (part of code compliance) the material cost is 35 + 20 + 8 + $63, whereas in the final bill the 3 items were charged at $ 170 for stand, $90 for pan and $95 for the valve. What a ripoff! A markup of 500% on 3 piddly parts.

I called the store manager on Monday 7/20, and he seemed to agree with my plight of overcharges and said he will talk to the contractor and come back. He never called back for 3 full days. So finally I called him on Thursday the 24th to find out what he heard from the installer and what his resolution was. His answer was that these are standard charges for the items and it costs labor to install them and that is why the add ons are what they are. Basically in conclusion his answer was I am putting it in quotes as said by the HD store manager.

"Home repair services is a separate division and it is run by contractors, and we at HD have nothing to do, and you should call their number and deal with it". I asked him then "why you advertise these services and push it big time in stores and can not monitor or control it or resolve the customer issues." His answer was the same gentle one "I am sorry I understand your feeling. These are charges to install the items and you have to deal with them if you have any questions."

I am really upset with the whole thing. My prime reason for using HD was that a big company was backing up the work and I will be safe from fly by and dishonest contractors. In this case Home Depot totally let me down. I have no respect or regard for these so called big corporations anymore. It leaves a very bad and bitter taste after this experience. Each one Home Depot and the contractor says the other one is the one that fixes these prices, and Home Depot totally let me down.

The final analysis: The new water heater was an identical size to the previous one. The final job involved 4/5 soldered joints using flex copper pipe and 4 threaded connections and the reattachment of the wiring besides of course moving the heater to the location and setting it up. For a water heater costing 350 + $60 additional parts + $70 permit fee for a total of $480, the final price was $1207. The labor for 1.5 hrs of work was roughly $727.00, as against an original estimate of $285. My question is what does the original $285 labor quoted get you in terms of services.

I request someone from Home Depot to respond to me their justification for these exorbitant markups on parts with no installation labor in the name of "CODE COMPLIANCE". If Home Depot is honest and sincere should refund the excess and come out clean.

In the meantime, I will go to every source available on the Internet to publicize this overcharge, call local TV stations and media to investigate HD of these hidden surprise upcharges and bring this business practice into compliance. I did not realize that you could make $350 per hour installing water heaters... Maybe I should quit my high tech engineering job and move on to this line of work and choose my own time to do it! A very upset CUSTOMER.

Two months ago my wife and I began renovating our new home in Morristown, Arizona. Since starting our project my wife and I shopped exclusively at their Surprise Arizona Home Depot store located at Bell Road and US 60 to purchase all our home improvement products. My wife even opened a new Home Depot credit card with their company two weeks ago.

Combined over the past six weeks, we spent over $50,000.00 at their store and planned on even spending more, until tonight! This evening I filled up a shopping cart which included electrical and plumbing supplies and had a brochure for a water softener that I was planning on purchasing.

When it came time to check out the only cashier open were four self-service checkout lanes. I first approached the clerk at the self-service checkout and asked if I could check out at his station. He said no, that I had to use the self-service checkout, that he was busy.

Now I understand that perhaps the reasoning their company chooses to institute self-service checkouts is a way to perhaps speed up lines for those who choose such a service. But as for myself I prefer the "€œhuman touch"€ and appreciate human interaction and customer service. I explained to the clerk that I didn'€™t want to use the self-service lanes and asked if someone would be available to check me out. He replied, "€œNo, everyone is busy€."

I then walked over to their customer service counter and asked if they could check me out or find me a clerk that would. I was first directed back to the checkout area but after explaining they didn'€™t have anyone available other than self-service and I didn'€™t want to use that service, the customer service associate then called someone on the phone. After this short call, he told me to return to the checkout area, that there would be someone there that could assist me.

As I returned to the checkout area, I noticed the self-service clerk checking out a customer that only had one item. I approached again, asked if he could check me out. and he €œsmugly remarked,€" Head over that way. They may open a register for you." In the direction he pointed to were two female associates that were chatting. I approached them and asked if they would be opening a register and they replied, "Nœo, you have to use self-checkout."€

Being totally frustrated at this point I returned to customer service and told that associate that there were still no registers open. His reply, "€œSorry, I cannot help you."€ I then told this associate that the few minutes it would had taken to assist me would be shorter than the time it was going to take to restock all the items that I had in my shopping cart.

I then walked out of their store, drove to the Lowe's store one block away, and filled another shopping cart. And there they had humans€ that gladly checked me out. From my experience at their Surprise Home Depot store tonight I doubt if I'€™ll ever return and shop there again as the lack of respect and customer service that their associates afforded to me was dreadful!

WILISTON, VERMONT -- I have been a loyal client of Home Depot since 1992. I have spent thousands of dollars in your store fixing six homes, all of them my homes, none for speculation, threw out my lifetime in the United States: a house in Coral Gables, FL, an apartment in Coral Gables, FL, a town house in Hutchinson Island, FL, a row house in Federal Hill Baltimore, MD, a farm house in Berlin, VT, and now a town house in Hindenburg, VT.

I have relied on the expertise of Home Depot for fifteen (15) years every where except in Vermont, where the whole world seems to tick at a different pace. I have had nothing by superb experiences with the knowledge, the willingness to help and the appreciation towards a client spending money in Home Depot that could spend it somewhere else. Obviously, my preference for Home Depot has had been the return policy and the customer service quality, which other competitors either lack or are still catching up with yours.

The following is a recount of an unfortunate incident that took place approximately from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Home Depot located in Williston, Vermont. I am in the process of fabricating slate-covered plywood panels. Eighteen (18) cuts in total. I arrived at your store with the plans in hand. I asked the man in lumber if he could cut it and if he is accurate. He said he could try. He ruins the first 4€™x8€™ by cutting in 2'€ short in length. He did not double check his cut, I did it. He did not think that marking it in advance with a pencil and using a tape (which he said he did not have one) was necessary.

He cut another one correctly in length but one and a half inch (1-1/2'€) longer that the measure (which he did not mark either). Then his answer is "I cannot be too accurate with this machine." That response was so utterly unintelligent, incoherent and ridiculous that I told him that that I have had most of my cuts done at Home Depot for fifteen years, that the machine was accurate to the thickness of the blade and if he and that if he did not know how to use the machine, he should get someone else who did.

His reaction was to remove his protective eye glasses and whatever other gear he was wearing and tell a second person "You take care of him." The other person, who turned out to be skillful, knowledgeable and could make the cuts accurate to the thickness of the blade, by simply following common practice, apparently was not quite willing to help me either. After five cuts, he asked me how many cuts I needed, I showed him the plans. I told him I was not sure. He told me that the policy was, as written in the board, twelve cuts per customer, I said: "That is fine." I get twelve cuts, pay for it, and come back for the rest. And is such a way I would be a new customer.

In the meantime, there was a woman (the only other client in the entire hour that needed a cut) waiting for a cut. He asked me if he could take care of her, and even though the twelve cuts per customer had not happened yet in my request, I said yes, I am not in a hurry. He performed another cut, and then there was as another customer with a question unrelated to cutting, I said "Take care of him," since I was not in a hurry. While he was gone, I took the time to expedite my request by pre-marking my cuts.

Then he comes back and the first thing that he asked again was "€œHow many cuts do you have," but his tone was as if I was doing something illegal, I was unreasonable in my request and as if he was doing my a favor instead of he doing his job. I lost my temper, and told him that I was sick and tired that he keeps asking the same thing, he said "œAm I not helping you?" Well, not really if he disappear to take care of others and comes back as if I was a pest. He asked me how many cuts and I said I don'™t know, twenty! I guess he did not appreciate that I had taken the time to pre-mark the boards, or that I have waited, or that the previous individual had ruined two cuts.

So, he left and in RETALIATION, he sent, ** a 300 lbs bouncer-three times my size, whose first words coming out of his mouth, in an intimidating manner were, "œWe are not going to make those cuts you want."€ He never said or bother to ask what has happened, or how may I help you? I told him: "You were sent here to get rid of me, because of what you were told." He did not ask how many cuts were actually made or ruined.

He gave me the excuse that your store cannot make cuts less than 12 inches, but failed to tell me that the cuts that I needed could be cut out of 4€™x8€ so that the remaining is always 12'€ or more. He was insolent arrogant and humiliating, unhelpful and abusive. I told him that he can cut any size if he really wanted; he just did not want to do it. So he made one cut to put me in my place. I asked him who the store manager was and he said he was the manager. I told him he was not the manager but he refused to give me your name. I went to the Customer Service Desk and a lady gave me your name, told me that you had gone for the day.

On my way out I came across **. I asked him when you and he would coincide in the store, and he told me he did not know, because you were always in meetings. It appears as if no one in Home Depot knows their manager'™s schedule. Quite a disturbing situation for a store that size! Out of this incident my perception is: your employees are there to shot the breeze. They do not give a damn about the customers. They lack proper technical training, they are reluctant to help. Home Depot relies on the lack of competition in Vermont. You could not care less.

They get a job with home Depot because they cannot do anything else in life. They are there until something better shows up. Your customers are not rich people that can spare the trouble pf building by paying others, you are. The goal is to serve the hard working and diligent people that honestly try to do their best in life. You do not hire a bouncer to intimidate and abuse a customers. Home Depot is not a night club, it is a home supply store.

I do not expect or insinuate that these individuals' jobs are jeopardized for this may be the only thing they are able to do in their life to earn a living, and I know how difficult it is to make it in life, but I expect a written apology from the three of them. If such apology does not happen, I will take this incident to higher levels for abusive and humiliating treatment.

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA -- To anyone who is thinking about joining the Home Depot as an employee, please beware. First of all, I left my last job as an assistant manager to join the Home Depot as a cashier. Why? The pay was better and seemed as if everyone worked together. When I went back to fill out my paperwork I was told that the only position that was available at the time was as a Lot Attendant. So the Human Resource Manager told me not worry, that he knows I have management skills, and that he would not forget about me and leave me in this position. So I went from being an assistant manager to a lot attendant. No problem I don't mind working my way up.

On my first day I learn from my co-workers that there are no other lot attendants other than myself. If you didn't know, a lot attendant's duties include loading customers' merchandise, returns of carts to their designated positions, and cleaning of the outer area of the store. As the first month pass by I continue to do my job and what every else someone ask of me to do. I'm always being told that I am doing a great job, but management has not hired another lot attendant to provide me with help.

Around the beginning of June the garden loader associate quits. Now while most companies would hire more help the position is left opened and I am now being called to also do garden loader work inside and outside. Now keep in mind that the pro-loader only works until 4 p.m., so when he is off, I must also pull that load. Okay now I am starting to get frustrated. I now find myself (a lot attendant) inside of the store pulling and cutting wood because there is no pro loader after four and because customers cannot find any lumber associates. So I continue to do my job without complaining.

In the middle of June Home Depot hires another lot attendant, but get this, he is only part-time. I showed him the ropes and what we would being doing and the first thing that came out of his mouth was why are lot attendants treated like dogs. So now I have another lot attendant here, I would go and talk to the Human Resource Manager and let him know that I would like to come inside to be a cashier now. And get this when I went to talk to this guy he forgot who I was and all about what he said in the beginning.

I want to not just because I wanted to get off of the lot, but because we have a great need for cashiers. Many are going back to school, moving back home, or just quitting. He told me that he would get the ball rolling for me to get me moved to a cashier position. Like I said before I was an assistant manager, I had done returns and exchanges at my last job and I have over five years of cashier experience. Instead of bringing me inside to be a cashier they started hiring and bringing in outside help before considering the people they already had. After a while I just got fed up with the process and stopped asking about the position.

So it comes around to my review. I am told that I am doing an excellent job and that the company wanted me to start forklift training and cashier training. So I am excited that they want me to be a cashier, but that's not the point. They want to train me as a cashier, leave me as a lot attendant, and only bring me on the inside when they need help. Many of my co-worker told me to quit, but I am a hard worker, so I stayed.

A couple of days later I learned that my other lot attendant would be leaving to go back to school. He left in the beginning of July and had already let the company know that he was leaving. It is now the end of August and I have not had any help in the lot since he has left. When I take my breaks and come back to work, management whines about the lot being full of carts. But what am I supposed to do, work on my break and lunch? So now I am pissed. This company care little if anything for your well being and getting some decent help. They knew this guy was leaving beforehand and haven't even tried to get me any help.

So last week I was approached by one the managers who told me he wanted to talk to me about my attendance. I had missed a lot of the days because of being dehydrated from constantly working in the lot by myself. He never even talked to me because he did not want to hear my side of the case. I am a lot attendant at the Home Depot and yet I work in lumber, plumbing, garden-inside and out, building materials, hardware etc. So be forewarned about working at Home Depot. They do not possess a great deal for employee care.

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI -- I recently had a very poor experience with Home Depot in Jackson, MS. I have always done business with Home Depot due to being a stockholder in the company. I always felt that if I were going to buy a product for my home, I should buy it from a company I have invested interest in. I recently went to Home Depot to buy 20 bales of pine straw. They were unfortunately out, I did the unthinkable, I went to the local Lowe's store and to my chagrin, I bought 20 bales of pine straw for $1.70 cheaper per bale. I was happy with the savings and was surprised with the quality of service I received. It was very good!

I placed the quality bales in my yard for the weekend and was pleased with my purchase. The next weekend I went to Home Depot, remember I am a stock holder, to purchase more pine straw. I, of course, priced shopped and made it very clear to the manager, Rose, that his pine straw was $1.70 more per bale. He assured me that Home Depot's pine straw was a higher quality and was much larger, twice the size he claimed. I bought only 10 since I trusted the manager as he was very confident that Home Depot's was much better for the money. I asked him if he would price match if Home Depot's quality was not the same and he advised that he would.

I picked up my 10 bales and the quality was horrible. They were actually smaller and appeared that they were last year's straw. It was the worst looking straw that I have ever seen. I called the manager on the phone and advised him that his straw was not the same quality as Lowe's and I wanted him to match their price. He immediately became defensive and said that they have done their research and they would not price match? I could not believe my ears since the previous weekend, I purchased pine straw from Lowe's and knew their quality.

I advised that I had my own business and when a customer brought a complaint to me I handled it with a serving heart. He advised, "Since you are a business man, you should know that it is about the bottom dollar and making the company profitable". I replied back that in my business the customer is always right and it is my job to make sure that I carry out the best customer service I can to meet the customer needs. I asked him if he had personally looked at Lowe's pine straw and he advised that he hadn't but assured me that the quality was not the same and one of his guys could vouch for it.

He advised that I could drive across town and pay my $3.00 a gallon and bring it back to him and may look at it and may give me the difference. This was stated with extreme sarcasm. As a consumer, you expect a level of professionalism when dealing with a manager. You do not expect a sarcastic comment about $3.00 gas. You expect that the company you have done business with for years would come through for you and at least hear your concerns and not mock them. With managers/leaders like Rose who care only about the "bottom line" it remains clear to me why Home Depot is struggling as a company.

If your managers will not serve don't expect your employees to serve. I will think twice before going into another Home Depot and my new store of choice is Lowe's. I still own my stock in Home Depot and am considering selling all of my stock and purchasing Lowe's stock. Disgruntled customer.

JERICHO, NEW YORK -- I will NEVER buy another item at ANY Home Depot ever again. What a horrible excuse for a company. I saved $20,000 to have my kitchen completely renovated by Home Depot in Jericho, N.Y. and their so-called "Authorized Contractors".

I signed a contract with Home Depot in November of 2006. For MONTHS, I kept running back home from work to supervise deliveries and pick-ups of the kitchen cabinets that kept arriving completely damaged. This went on for months and there were at least five deliveries! I was told I had to pay for an upgrade for more expensive, more "sturdier" cabinets. They forced me to buy more expensive cabinets, which I didn't want or need. This went on for months and at the end of April, I decided to cancel everything. I had returned their cabinets and request my full refund of more than $18,000. More about that later.

The Home Depot contractor tells me I just HAD to have my kitchen floors ripped up BEFORE the cabinets were to be installed and have a new floor installed, which he charged me thousands of dollars to do. A flooring professional came to my home and told me all I needed was a "floating floor" to place over the existing floor, and that would only cost me around $500.

After Home Depot received all the cabinets, I again called the store to check up on my refund. They REFUSED A FULL REFUND! They claimed that because I signed a contract, I had to pay them a 30% restocking fee! I was outraged and explained to the assistant store manager that in no way was I going to pay them anything, this was a breach of contract on their part because it's now April of 2007 (signed contract back in Nov. 2006!!) and in fact, they owe me for all the missing time I had to take off from work to supervise all these deliveries and pick-ups of their damaged cabinets.

They refused that offer, but at the end of our 40-minute phone conversation, the asst. store manager assured me he would be refunded the ENTIRE AMOUNT of my kitchen project, which totaled more than $18,000. It's now late May, several weeks after I was a promised a full refund. I just received my Home Depot statement and the full amount of the project is STILL on my bill!

I again called the Jericho Home Depot store, and they now tell me that I will not be refunded the entire amount and owe them over $700 for permits that had been filed to begin my renovations. I told them this was fraud! The asst. store manager PROMISED ME A FULL REFUND and I have this conversation on tape.

Regardless what happen next, I will never purchase anything from ANY Home Depot store and have told everyone I know to support my boycott of such a fraudulent company. This should not happen to any customer and I hope they continue to suffer financially for what they have put people like me through.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- We walked into Home Depot knowing exactly what we wanted. We pointed at the GE Profile Harmony washer and dryer and said, "€œWe'€™ll take it."€ The guy rang it up and told us we had to finish the transaction at customer service. Before we left we told the salesmen to please make sure the paperwork comes up in our name. Home Depot takes great pride in demanding all your personal information and keeping it in their systems. We got up to customer service and sure enough the receipt was not in our name. Same last name, but some other person's first name. They tried to tell us it didn't matter.

We told them if we wanted to get our tax rebate for buying an energy star appliance it needed to be in our name. Back to the appliance section we went. The sales girl rang it up (the original salesman has gone immediately off shift after our purchase). We back up to customer service and none of the price discounts has been included. This meant yet another trip to get it corrected.

We were supposed to have our washer and dryer delivered the first time 2/24/07. The delivery and installation were not going to be easy. They had to be brought in the back of the house, down some stairs to the basement and squeezed into the laundry room. But hey, Home Depot didn'€™t specify any delivery parameters. The delivery guy shows up and tells us our site isn't ready. The plugin is not correct and the plumbing will have to change because the washer machine is so much more powerful (LIE #1), we won't be able to let the washer machine drain into the utility sink, it'€™s much too powerful. That'€™s what he told us.

He suggested we refuse delivery to keep our options open. Because if we refuse delivery Home Depot has to reschedule which would give us time to make the changes necessary. If we took possession Home Depot wouldn't have to do anything for us. Needless to say Home Depot didn't tell us any of this, probably because everything other than the plugin (which was a 5 minute fix) was complete BS on the part of the delivery driver. By this point the delivery driver's helper had taken the washer and dryer out of their protective boxes.

We saw this and said we'€™d take possession after all because we didn't want our $2000 dollar washer and dryer bouncing around in the back of his truck. He assured us it was going straight back to the warehouse and would be protected, but that he just cancelled the order so if we took possession he wouldn't get paid. So once again, like idiots, we trusted this guy. Needless to say we went to Home Depot. To their credit they gave us the dryer plugin we needed and an extra 10% off. They also told us the washer machine used half as much water as normal machines and would have no problem draining into the utility sink (the nice LIE told by the delivery scumbag).

The second delivery was scheduled for 3/3/07. The delivery driver didn'€™t even bother to show up. He called at 5:30pm did not stop by our residence-but called to tell us our merchandise was damaged and did we want to take possession? We were naturally upset as he assured us this wouldn't happen. Once we told him we wouldn't take possession of damaged goods he abruptly HUNG UP. We immediately called customer service and reported him and told them NOT to send this delivery driver to us again.

Delivery was rescheduled for 3/7/07. We waited and no one showed up. We called customer service to ask where the delivery was. It was at this time we were informed that we had been black listed for threatening the delivery driver with a gun. No one from the company had ever called to inquire about this, no police were called and no complaint was lodged with the authorities.

The bottom line is this delivery driver came to our residence the first time and saw how hard the install was going to be and didn't want to do it-what's he care he apparently gets paid either way. He lied to us the first time telling us to refuse delivery because our site wasn't ready. We trusted him as the installer and took his advice only to find out from Home Depot he had lied to us. The second delivery was late on a Saturday. He didn't even stop by and show us the merchandise-only telling us it was damaged via the telephone. This also turned out to be a lie as we have the very same washer and dryer in our home TODAY.

Where is the paperwork from the company saying we refused the merchandise? My entire complaint is that this company took my money for their services, lodged a FALSE accusation against me without any substantiation whatsoever and then refused to follow through with the service I paid for, keeping my money. I thought we were innocent until proven guilty in this country? Threatening someone with a gun warrants a call to the police. Their records say I refused delivery, that's difficult to do when no one shows up. You have to fill out paperwork to refuse a delivery. So where is it?

There is no logical reasoning to their accusation. The driver calls us to tell us our merchandise is damaged and do we still want it and what? We say no and if you bring it here we'll shoot you? I didn't spend 6 years in college to make asinine comments like that. That is the bottom line. The delivery driver stood me up and when I called to complain to his company about his rude behavior he lied about me to protect his job. I want my money back for a service I paid for that they never provided.

I take the utmost umbrage at being accused of threatening someone as gunpoint and I will fight this to the very living end.

This is getting old and I wish consumers would smack these companies down with the power of the purse. We are the customers that are lining their pockets and when they are out right STEALING from us they treat us like DIRT.

DON'T BUY APPLIANCES FROM HOME DEPOT AND LET THEIR DELIVERY DRIVERS INTO YOUR HOME!!!!!!

TACOMA, WASHINGTON -- I am a General Contractor and do a lot of shopping at Home Depot as well as the other home improvement stores. I also do a huge amount of online business buying tools and supplies as well as reselling some of those items.

That being said I was shopping for a job site table saw online and saw that Home Depot had a "refurbished" saw for $100 less than a new one made by a very reputable company and has an excellent warranty. But after calculating the shipping cost ($137.00!!) it was more than going into a store and buying a new saw. Then two days later I get an email from HD saying free shipping from HD online. OK, great. I buy the saw April 4th with free shipping.

10 days later it shows up April 14th. It's a 144# saw in a lightweight cardboard box (not the original box). The drop shipper leaves it at my door and I look at the box that is all smashed up and ask him what about damage? He says it's just the cardboard because the unit is heavy and awkward. So I sign the papers and as he is leaving I notice that part of the saw is damaged since there is no packing and table saw is loose in a lightweight cardboard box. I yell at him to wait and he speeds out of the parking lot!

I call HD and tell them the story. They say "so it was 'concealed' damage?" I say "sure was". "OK. We will get another one right out to you and issue a pick-up of this one." I said "Look. Let me drop it off at the local store that is 10 minutes from me". I am told (go read the HD website) items bought online can not be returned to a store.(Where is Costco when you need them. God I love Costco!)

I wait a week and hear nothing. I call HD online (after waiting about 30-45 minutes per call on hold) April 21st to be told "sorry we don't have any more of those. We are all sold out". I ask when is this being picked up and why didn't anyone contact me? I need this tool!!! And I have a 144# saw in my living room. I am told that due to the weight of the item, the fact it was shipping damage, I am told to "destroy" the saw and I will be issued a credit in three days. They are not picking it up. It's not worth the cost.

They also sent me via US mail a 10% off coupon. I get the coupon April 24th postmarked April 20th. As of April 30th still no credit. I call HD online and wait 45 mins and I am told that it is being processed and to wait 3 days for it to show up on my credit card. I said I was told that already and was told it had to be "approved".

Well May 4th I call again to see why no credit (I waited for over 55 minutes on hold to get a CSR). I am told the item is pending inspection. I say "what do you mean inspection". "We need to send someone out to look at the damage". "But you told me to 'destroy' the saw. I don't have it anymore. I put it out for the garbage man." (Do you really think a brand new table saw sitting on the side of the street is going to last long? My happy neighbor. LOL)

I told her "I did what you said and destroyed it. Well gave it to the garbage man." She said I was told to save it for inspection. I said no I was not. I then asked for a supervisor. He then told me it was only flagged as needing inspection but that no one was going to come look at it and for me to "destroy" it. I said I did that already and he said he would issue a credit in three days.

Now at this point I am about to lose it. I ask him to look at the account notes and why wasn't this done before. He said it was because the item required an inspection. I said "but I was told to 'destroy' it". He again said "yes please destroy the item". OK fine. Did that. Done. Why cannot I get a credit now. He says it has to be inspected. OMG. I am losing my mind. "How can it be inspected if you told me to destroy it?" He said "we don't really inspect it. That is a term we use". OK so why cannot I get a credit today. Yes here it comes. The item needs to be inspected!!!

He then tells me he will by-pass the inspection and send it over to the distribution manager for approval. "Wait you cannot approve this?" No he cannot. Someone else has to approve the "return". I ask to speak to this manager and I am told I cannot since they are not in the same department or area. I ask for a written confirmation of this order to "destroy" the item. I am told they have no way to do that. What about an email or fax? No can do, but that the phone conversation was being recorded. It was? NO ONE TOLD ME THAT!

So I get his name (can only give out his first name and it's George) and an extension number. So I gave up. Called Citi-Corp and will go the dispute of the charge on the credit card route. This is the most ridiculous thing I have dealt with from Home Depot. I will not and advise anyone else not to buy online from them.

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA -- I recently purchased nine ceiling fans at Home Depot for over $1100. They had a rebate going on that should have resulted in a return of $285. I read the form and it indicated they had to be individually purchased. These were a special order and the lady at the customer service desk assured me this was not the case and she could put them all on the same ticket. It was clearly easier for her to fill out one form instead of nine.

After paying for the fans, I went back to the customer service desk and spoke with a different individual, again getting told it was okay the way it was done and I would get the full rebate amount of $285. Still unconvinced, I asked later that evening when I was in again. Each time I had a friend with me and received the same answer.

Still not comfortable, I contacted the rebate center when they opened on 11 Oct 05 to verify this. I was told the local Home Depot was correct and that all I had to do was provide nine separate rebate forms. I pushed the issue of the statement requiring separate receipts and was told it was not a problem. This call was placed on the speaker phone in my office and two other office partners listened to the call. It sounded easy.

After the fans were delivered (these were special orders), I was preparing the rebate forms and called to find out if I needed to send nine copies of the receipt. This time I was told "no" because all I was eligible for was $100 since they were all on one receipt. At this point I was puzzled and called the store manager at the Fredericksburg VA store. He was unaware of the requirement to have separate receipts and assured me he would take care of it for me when I returned from my business trip on the 26 Oct (the day the rebate had to be postmarked).

On the 25th I called him and found out his "solution" was to call and verify the requirement with the rebate center and tell me that I was out of luck. I then called customer service, who told me they would not override the store manager and that he said I should have known the requirement. When I pointed out it was THEIR people who did not know the requirement, to include the store manager (who did not know what the form stated until I told him). They agreed to take the ceiling fans back without charging me the almost $160 restocking fee.

I am taking them back today. We will see. When you consider all I was asking them to make good on the $185 difference in order to keep a longtime customer, for the now $15 difference you would think they would jump at the chance. Instead, they were rude and took the "I don't care" attitude. This all follows a long difficult process of buying and having them deliver a washer and dryer two weeks earlier. Another long story, but at one point their delivery service was trying to dictate the day I would take off work, even though they had delivery times available the days I was off work.

As a military member, I have reported all this to the JAG offices at Quantico, Belvoir, and Bolling. I recommend people use the Lowe's in Central Park. There is obviously a reason it is one of the top stores in the Lowes Company. Home Depot's Senior VP for Operations is a Naval Academy grad and I would think he would be appalled at the service they provide, but I guess it should not surprise an AF guy like me.

KINGSTON -- In June 05 I purchased an outdoor Ducane BBQ from Home Depot and as part of the purchase requested that they arrange installation into the house natural gas line. I understand they went to their subcontractor Gasman (Toronto, Canada), who again subcontracted the job to a Mr. Mike ** in the Belleville/Kingston area. The job of installation was done over the period 21-22 June 05. This led to me making a customer complaint with Home Depot which has gone unresolved as far as I am concerned.

The gas piping used was an obnoxious yellow non-flex type. On the outside of the house it is not flush with the wall in the patio area, there is a large bend in the pipe and it does not seem to be very sturdy to me. In fact I was surprised, when pointed out to me, that the pipe is supposed to be for underground use ("Gas Guard" 5/8" Type L MH48231 Primary Carrier Pipe For Underground & Sump Use 50 PSI/80 IN-LB For Use With Compression Fillings/Installed Per Gas Guard Instruction B1 01-28-04).

I was further informed by acquaintances, with experience in construction, that it really should have been cut, threaded properly and a solid steel or brass type of piping attached to ensure it was completely flush with the house. I was concerned about the safety issue, because if somebody or something catches the protruding bend it could pull loose. When I questioned the colour and size of the pipe, the installer suggested that to cover the yellow pipe I could just paint it? This after I paid $900.00 for the installation. I have since had other installers and local government inspectors come and take a look.

Unfortunately for me, they say that the pipe does technically meet standards. However, both gentlemen did say that the work could have been completed to a higher standard. In fact the Government Technical Standards & Safety Authority Inspector stated that a drip valve on the outside or inside should have been installed, which of course it wasn't. In my ignorance I did sign-off on the work form as the supposed tradesman left, not fully understanding or realizing what he had done.

Secondly, and more importantly, on completion of the work there was a gas leak from our fireplace into the house as the pilot light went out when they shut down the gas for the pipe install. We did not discover the leak until later, when we had people down in our finished basement area for a get-together. It was lucky someone noticed the smell and we found the leak, as we went on two weeks vacation a few days later. The house was all sealed and locked up of course. I believe as a certified installer he should have checked all of that.

To us this all seems like substandard work, and could have contributed to a major accident or health problem for our family and neighbourhood. The problem as far as I am concerned was the fact that the installers seemed to be in one big hurry. When I contacted Home Depot they took the complaint and put me in contact with Gasman. I still do not understand why I had to deal with the sub-contractor and not them. When I called the Service Manager at Gasman the attitude was dismissive as far as the leak went and that the work was alright as far as they were concerned, and that I had signed off.

This was completely unsatisfactory, and I informed Home Depot so. They sent out their local store Installation Manager who took some pictures. They then called back and had the nerve to say that it was all okay. As the installation fee was $900.00, I told them that Home Depot's response was totally unsatisfactory. They actually had the nerve to offer us $100.00 in a shopping certificate in compensation for the leak. When I called the Head Office in the USA I received the same condescending and uncooperative attitude.

Up to this incident I had been regular customer (almost exclusively buying home/garden improvement products) at Home Depot, even going so far as to get one of their Credit Cards. In fact I had spent $3500.00 purchasing the BBQ and Patio Set at the same time. I have now cut-up the card and will have nothing further do to with this shoddy outfit. Home Depot is a disgrace, and I would not recommend anyone to shop there and definitely not to deal with their installation service. I intend to send this story to the consumer advocate in the local paper, so that other people in the community are made aware of this issue and safety ramifications.