Friday, January 30, 2009

GOOD customer service there Home Depot! Real good customer service Registry of Motor Vehicles?

When Home Depot opened, it was full of former plumbers, electricians and contractors all eager to help homeowners attempt their own small projects. They could give advice because they had, 'been there, done that' education. Going there was fun, a toy store for adults where every home improvement project is a possibility. The new Home Depot is no fun, not just no fun but no help. Employees don't even know the location of projects in their own area. Customers are expected to be the experts, to find their own tools and products on the shelves.

Yesterday I needed to go to HD to get the proper plumbing connection for my new aquarium hose. I figured it would be a quick trip in and out of the store. Meh not so.

I had a hard time finding someone in the store to help me look through the plumbing department. All I wanted was a tiny 4 dollar part, for which I had to search through a sea of tiny four dollar parts. The store no longer has a special section for water beds, where I found the part last time.

Desperate for help, and exhausted, I asked a gentleman working on setting up a new flooring display. I had picked not just a manager, but a regional manager. First he called over the plumbing manager, who had no idea what I was talking about, then the store manager. Half an hour went by as the three of us went from one section of the plumbing department to the other. I was able to describe everything but the upc code on the package, and still no luck. The plumbing manager decided the part I was describing did not exist! Don't people hook hoses up to their sinks any more? Hoses to water plants, drain fish tanks, move water from one part of a house to the other.

I went back to the same manager again to voice my frustration at the lack of help, and how the store employees were not being very helpful. One quick scan of a store setup I could have done myself. Did they have a book I could look through, or an on line listing of plumbing parts.

Almost giving up, I decided to take one more look myself. Walking slowly up the aisles I saw the part on the bottom shelf. I grabbed it and gleffuly and walked back to the manager to show him the part existed. He rewarded me for my annoyance by giving me the part for free. An appologizing for the lack of assistance from his staff.

I have a feeling that after I left the entire plumbing department got a long lecture about customer service. They deserved it, their customer service was horrid. They did not help, they did not even want to help.

From there I went to the Registry of Motor Vehicles and got amazing customer service. I will make that a second post.

1 comment:

  1. Customer Service at Home Depot sucks they dont care about the customer at all.
    All they care about is thier bottom line Its really noticable in the rental dept.I wont be back.

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