A rant about customer service
I have a love/hate relationship with Big Box Home Improvement/Lumberyards.
There is something about house parts that I love. I like looking at lighting, digging through cabinet hinges, creating intimate quiet spaces out of pieces of wood. It really doesn't matter whether it is new hardware or rejected windows. I like looking at house pieces and putting them together.
In the interest of public disclosure ... I have to let it be known that in a previous lifetime, Miss Eff was a kitchen designer and worked at a home improvement/ lumberyard.
But yesterday, the hate part of our relationship reared its ugly head.
Now I am cruising the ad posted this week at Menard's. The laminate shelving pieces that we are using to create the library are on sale. Great timing as I need more parts!
But the last time we bought pieces ...... we bought the last of the good holes-on-one-side pieces. I don't need a lot of those as I can use the holes-on-two-sides pieces but I do need 2.
Two ....... Just two.
But I would like two good pieces .... no cracks, no big gouges in the laminate ...... just two good pieces.
Last time we purchased pieces -- 3 weeks ago -- we were told there were none on order. OK -- but why would they run them in their ad again if there are none??? They don't note that they are being discontinued or unavailable.
So I thought the wise move was to call and confirm that they had some in stock.
Remember .... I love house parts. I worked in a lumberyard. I can quickly and easily describe what I am looking for and state sizes and widths.
"Oh yes...... we have those" said a cheerful voiced gal named Stephanie. I asked if they were good pieces with no gouges as they still had 3 damaged pieces left before. "They are fine, we have a lot of them".
(Now ... in the previous post, you will see a nail. That nail went into our tire about 1.5 miles from home on a very wet and muddy gravel road....... while we were heading to Menards. Honey changed the tire. We drove home to pick up another spare..... Where there is one big old spike, there will be another.... and headed again to Davenport. We were already frustrated.)
Then .... we get to Menards .......... no parts. None on order. On sale. You are fine if you want to build a box without holes to mount shelves.
So this evening .... when I have recipes to prepare for classes, a kitchen to organize before a breakfast and an approaching snowstorm .......... we will be driving to Moline (20 miles away) to pick up two shelf sides.
No..... I asked already. They do not transfer between stores.
The lack of good quality customer service is why I grow flowers for a living and shop the Re-Store store as much as possible!!!
When will big box retail get the message???????
Cheap is not the answer.
There is something about house parts that I love. I like looking at lighting, digging through cabinet hinges, creating intimate quiet spaces out of pieces of wood. It really doesn't matter whether it is new hardware or rejected windows. I like looking at house pieces and putting them together.
In the interest of public disclosure ... I have to let it be known that in a previous lifetime, Miss Eff was a kitchen designer and worked at a home improvement/ lumberyard.
But yesterday, the hate part of our relationship reared its ugly head.
Now I am cruising the ad posted this week at Menard's. The laminate shelving pieces that we are using to create the library are on sale. Great timing as I need more parts!
But the last time we bought pieces ...... we bought the last of the good holes-on-one-side pieces. I don't need a lot of those as I can use the holes-on-two-sides pieces but I do need 2.
Two ....... Just two.
But I would like two good pieces .... no cracks, no big gouges in the laminate ...... just two good pieces.
Last time we purchased pieces -- 3 weeks ago -- we were told there were none on order. OK -- but why would they run them in their ad again if there are none??? They don't note that they are being discontinued or unavailable.
So I thought the wise move was to call and confirm that they had some in stock.
Remember .... I love house parts. I worked in a lumberyard. I can quickly and easily describe what I am looking for and state sizes and widths.
"Oh yes...... we have those" said a cheerful voiced gal named Stephanie. I asked if they were good pieces with no gouges as they still had 3 damaged pieces left before. "They are fine, we have a lot of them".
(Now ... in the previous post, you will see a nail. That nail went into our tire about 1.5 miles from home on a very wet and muddy gravel road....... while we were heading to Menards. Honey changed the tire. We drove home to pick up another spare..... Where there is one big old spike, there will be another.... and headed again to Davenport. We were already frustrated.)
Then .... we get to Menards .......... no parts. None on order. On sale. You are fine if you want to build a box without holes to mount shelves.
So this evening .... when I have recipes to prepare for classes, a kitchen to organize before a breakfast and an approaching snowstorm .......... we will be driving to Moline (20 miles away) to pick up two shelf sides.
No..... I asked already. They do not transfer between stores.
The lack of good quality customer service is why I grow flowers for a living and shop the Re-Store store as much as possible!!!
When will big box retail get the message???????
Cheap is not the answer.
Comments
I'm sorry about your experience. I hope your shelves turn out wonderfully.