The Orange Borg and good customer service......

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My oldest son's master bath needs some serious repair/remodeling.

Monday, he, his wife and I met at HD to use a gift card to purchase tile and accessories to gut and redo the tub surround in their master bath.

After locating the field and trim tile, my DIL had picked out, we were at the point where we needed some assistance. My son went looking for help and soon a friendly individual appeared. We selected and loaded tile, thinset mortar, grout, and tools. I have done several tile jobs and the person who was assisting me knew what he was doing. As we accomplished one minor task, he knew what the next need would be and where it was located.

When we went for caulk, I asked him if he normally worked in the tile department and he answered saying "No". "I am a store supervisor."

I told him obviously the Peter Principle didn't apply to him!

He knew what he was doing and provided good customer service.

I am not a fan of HD and seldom shop there but kudos need to be posted as often as condemnations!

[Ole Anderson]

I have had mostly good experiences at HD and continue to shop there for items my local hardware store doesn't carry. I recently redid the locks on 3 exterior doors. I went with Schlage as I didn't want to ever replace them again. I checked with my local (very well stocked) True Value, they had them on display but not in stock. They could special order them and get them in in a week. Drove to HD, they had them in stock, they re keyed them all alike and I was out the door in half an hour and saved about 10% in cost. Worked for me. On the other hand, HD doesn't carry Stihl, so the True Value was my go to place for 2 saws, a blower and a trimmer/edger.

BORG = Big Orange Retail Giant

[Joe Shinall]

I too, am not a fan of HD. Have had issues with their customer service almost every time I go. Went to order $4000 in roofing materials and had to go back 3 times before I got someone that could give me a quote. Just the other day went to get 5 sheets of ply. Bottom rack was empty so I needed some brought down off the top rack. Took them 45 minutes to get a forklift back there and as soon as the guy got it down he hauled tail to the other side of the store, leaving me to get 5 full sheets of 3/4 ply by myself. Which I do all the time but would have been nice to get a "need some help loading that?"

But it's always great to have an individual that will go above and beyond and actually know what they are doing. There is a young guy that works in the electrical section at the one I go to, about 22ish. He is a huge help and if I need anything else he can always take me and show me where to go.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ole,

BORG can also mean Big Old Retail Giant......and in that context there is the Blue Borg and the Orange Borg....

[Carl Beckett]

I go to these stores all the time.

I dont assume the knowledge is deep - so dont explicitly go there for guidance. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. (The best thing about being a pessimist is you get to look forward to either two things, to be proven correct or to be pleasantly mistaken)

In particular I shop there on weekends. Most of my local lumber yards are open working hours during the week, and closed on weekends (or one is open Sat morning only). I work a day job - these hours just dont work for me.

For large projects with a bill of material, I send it in electronically more than a week in advance. This helps. But my local lumber yard gives free delivery, has better materials over all, and is very close on price (they just try to stick you on a few of the less significant items - if I watch it I can call them on it - or take those items off the list).

So I get a lot out of having these stores, and am happy that they are there.

[Dan West02]

The last time I was at Home Depot, I had approx. $75 worth of items in my cart. When I went to check out, the only check out lanes open were the self check out lanes. I am not a fan of these and don't use them. I finally found someone and asked to have a regular lane opened. I was told that at that time only the self check out lanes were available.

I left the cart sitting there with all the items and went to Lowes (about 3 blocks away).

[Mike Henderson]

The Home Depot in my neighborhood has very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable people. It's a joy to shop there.

Regarding self checkout - I like them except when I have a bunch of bolts because they're not marked. I will not shop at Von's because they don't have self checkout and it takes FOREVER to get checked out. There's always someone with a bunch of coupons in the line, and then they are going to write a check and they don't even start looking for their checkbook until the clerk gives them the total. No, give me self checkout every time. There's one line for four stations and they move along quickly. I want to get in and get out quickly and self checkout works MUCH better to do that than checkers - unless there's no one in line.

Mike

[Jon Grider]

I like Home Depot. I think their customer service is the best of the three Borgs in my area. The electrical department has employed the electrician that updated our service panel to 200 amps, the plumbing department has a pro plumber, and the building supplies department has guys familiar with products and always, always, ask if I need a hand. The employees actually make you feel appreciated at HD, in stark contrast to the employees at the two area Menard's who seem indifferent or even annoyed if you 'bother' them with a question. I always feel like Menard's security stalks me ,even in the outside lumber area. Never know when I might hide a 4x4x8 foot pressure treated post in my shirt I guess.

[Steve Meliza]

I'm not a huge fan of Home Depot (or Lowe's) and the quality of much of what they sell, but I keep finding myself going there over and over because it is quick and easy to stop to buy a 2x4 or a box of screws to finish up that project I'm working on. Typically I'm the grouch that tells all the employees "no thanks" if they ask to help me and don't bother to reply should they ask me again 2 minutes later when I walk past them again. However, a few weeks ago I was in the plumbing section with a cast iron P-trap that needed replaced and showed it to the guy when he asked if he could help me. He explained I wouldn't be able to buy a new cast iron part and in the blink of an eye grabbed the plastic fittings that I needed and placed them in my hands, I left a happy customer.

[Stew Hagerty]

I haven't had any real problems with HD or Lowes, but Menards is a whole other story. Let me preface this by saying that I am disabled and in a wheelchair. Since the local lumber yard that carried a variety of hardwoods as well as hardwood & BB plywood closed, Menards is the only place that carries anything besides Red Oak, Poplar, and construction grade plywood. So I made a trip there. Because of my chair I am not in a truck, so I need to have the plywood cut down. Well they don't do that. I have never in my life been to a lumber yard that will not cut down plywood, including the other BORG's. So, since I have to finish this project, I went back home (about 12 miles away), got a straight end clamp and my cordless circ saw, and went back to the store. I picked out my plywood and some pieces of maple & cherry that I needed which they, somewhat reluctantly, loaded up and hauled to the loading area for me. I got down on the floor and cut the pieces (I had to buy a piece of foam board to use as a backer for the cuts since I was on the floor). Then came the loading. They are not allowed to help with loading. Now, I'm in a wheelchair remember. I did talk the kid into helping me but, as we were finishing, his supervisor came on over his radio and told him to to stop.

It was starting to rain so I finished the last of it myself as fast as I could and headed for home. But, I went back the next day and talked to the manager. He told me that it is corporate policy about not offering any cutting service and about not helping with loading. However, he did say that, because of my condition, the kid should have been allowed to finish helping me load up. I still wasn't satisfied, so I tried calling the corporate office. But, when you call their automated service and select "customer service" all it does is tell you to contact the local store. So, I called back and selected something else so that I could get to a live person. But as soon as I mentioned customer service they tried to tell me to call the store. Being persistant, I kept right on talking but the only thing they would say is for me to contact the local store, even when I asked to speak with someone higher up.

I will never go there again, even if I need something only they have.

[Kevin W Johnson]

The last time I was at Home Depot, I had approx. $75 worth of items in my cart. When I went to check out, the only check out lanes open were the self check out lanes. I am not a fan of these and don't use them. I finally found someone and asked to have a regular lane opened. I was told that at that time only the self check out lanes were available.

I left the cart sitting there with all the items and went to Lowes (about 3 blocks away).

I would have done the very same thing. I despise self checkouts. They aren't paying me to check myself out. It's rare to have to wait long to be checked out at a regular checkout anyways.

[Mel Fulks]

I was in checkout line at big box on a day they had some of their roving corporate suits there. One of them walked up and told me self check was available .Told him:"I didn't come here for a job.I'm just trying to buy something".

[Mark Ashmeade]

I actually like my HD. It's a newish store, 3 or 4 years old, and is very convenient to my home. They carry a good range of stock, and usually have what I need, or the staff & I can come up with a solution. The prices are good, although I've noticed it's sometimes cheaper just to buy it off Amazon if I can wait a couple days for it. This can add up, so I'm keeping my eye on it.

I don't like the self-checkout, but I do accept that it helps me because the prices would be higher if they had 4 more staff on duty. I also accept that every second employee will say "hello, can I help you find anything", because that's what they have found works for them. I know where everything is in my store, but if I go in another HD store, I can't find anything; it's all there, but in different places. Living in metro ATL, there are dozens of other stores, so if I can't find an item in my store, they can locate it nearby usually. Not so for Lowe's, there are much fewer of them. For variety, I wish there was a third choice, but Menard's etc hasn't made it down here.

They used to carry a range of plywood at about $30/sheet that was good and not too expensive. Haven't seen it in my store in a while though. Other than 2x, I would not buy any other wood from them though. Same for my Lowe's. I have to drive past a proper lumber yard to get to HD, but they don't carry construction lumber (ie 2x) and their plywood is much more expensive. However, if I want say cherry and matching plywood, they're the go to choice, and I don't get as far as HD!

[Dan Schocke]

I think your Menards manager is feeding you a line. I shop at Menards quite a bit, and they always ask me if i need help loading my vehicle when I have large or heavy items. I've always declined to this point, so i don't know how timely or useful the help would be but it is common to see their employees in the parking lot helping folks. It's pretty shameful if there's a store out there that refuses to help people that clearly need it, hiding behind the guise of corporate policy.

--Dan

[Cody Colston]

Kudos to you Ken for posting about a positive shopping experience at Home Depot. Heaven knows they get plenty of bashing.

I shop often at our Home Depot because it's close to my house and it's almost one-stop-shopping for my needs. Over the past couple of years they have made an obvious effort to improve their customer assistance. I go there enough that I rarely need help finding stuff but on the occassions that I do, the store personnel usually know where the item is located.

I also like the self-checkouts except when I have items that aren't marked or are too large to scan. Even then, the assistant that is stationed there will help and hand-scan those big items. I usually just go to the contractor checkout, though, and let them handle it there.

[Dan Rude]

I shop at both Home Depo and Menards. I get very good Customer service at Menards, but expert advice is not always available. There are a few staff that have the answers. Home Depo is one of the smaller ones and is practically next door to the Menards. I needed some screws for my Anderson Patio doors due to my son's remodeling effort. (he removed them and destroyed the heads reassembling them, he was 5) When we were trying to determine what the screw was we couldn't find it on the system. The mill work person, apparently worked at Anderson before and said he would research it at home on the company data base he still had access to. Told me to stop by the next evening, he found the right screw type and I was able to order it. That is going above and beyound what is required. Besides they honor the Veteran's discount of 10%.
Dan

[Kevin W Johnson]

"I didn't come here for a job.I'm just trying to buy something".

I have a feeling I'll be borrowing this one sometime soon....

[Bill Edwards(2)]

I always assumed BORG refered to: "Resistance is futile you will be assimilated"

[Matt Meiser]

HD must be making a real effort at customer service as the one by us has improved greatly. My first choice is always Lowes and if Menards was closer it might be there because I'm still turned off by an experience I had 8 years ago at HD with a customer service disaster caused by incompetence, company politics, and a manager who was a jerk (who I spotted stocking shelves at the direction of an 18 year old manager at Tractor Supply several months later.)

Regardless, odds are that I'm least likely to find what I'm looking for if I go to Home Depot first.

[Stew Hagerty]

who I spotted stocking shelves at the direction of an 18 year old manager at Tractor Supply several months later.

That must have felt kind of satisfying. If it were me, while I may not have acted on it, I probably would have at least thought about going up to him and saying "Hi, remember me". :rolleyes:

[Cody Colston]

I always assumed BORG refered to: "Resistance is futile you will be assimilated"

Unless the BORG is dyslexic then it's "fusistance is retile, your ass will be laminated."