“It was our first time [volunteering for KaBOOM!], but it will definitely not be our last,” Marsha said. “We had fun, but hauling that mulch really gave us a workout.

The worst, worst ……………worst………. nightmare…….. DO NOT USE THEIR INSTALLTION SERVICE……………….

I have a small kitchen. I wanted new cabinets, new counter and a sink. The project started the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2007. It was finally finished in May 2008, after the cabinets had to be replaced THREE times (wrong color, horrible stain problems, etc.). I went without a sink and counter for about three months. When the sink was installed, the installers were called to go to another job and left me with leaky pipes, faucet, etc. I was livid. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, at least three times. Different people EVERY time they came out. No one knew who was doing what. When they would come out, they couldn’t do the job because whoever sent them out there, didn’t tell them what the job entailed so they would have to leave. I can’t tell you how much time I had to take off from work for this nightmare.

Received a $500 HD gift card with the kitchen order. Just last Friday (6/6/08) I had a new storm door installed. It, of course, arrived with a ding in it that the installer didn’t notice until it was up. Just last night while sitting on my porch during a storm (6/9/08), the water was pouring through the top of the door. The glass doesn’t meet the top of the door–it doesn’t snap to meet the top. I tried switching the bottom glass to the top to see if that would be more secure. Nope. So…another call to HD this morning and the saga continues.

Never. And I repeat, never again. If I didn’t have that gift card, I’d never step foot in that store again. And I tell everyone I know to “just say no” to Home Depot.

I hear stories like this on a regular basis and it really gives good contractors a bad name. I happen to be in the kitchen remodeling business and can tell you from years of experience it is a very hard project and needs attention to detail like very few projects in home improvement do. Therefore with that in mind you are MUCH better off to find a small kitchen remodeling firm that you feel comfortable with and has great references than you would ever be working with any of the major home centers. Home centers are great for picking up a 2×4 or a gallon of paint, but installed services must be handled by seasoned professionals and they have very very few of those at any home center.

Many people on my staff are from the home centers because they are a good training ground for general knowledge of the industry. After that any associate worth dealing with is going to move on to a better organization and put his or her skills to use with a company that will enable them to keep their customer base happy and learn what it really takes to complete a project. Remodeling anything is tough, and putting a large company like any of the home centers in a position where they have to install anything just makes that project that much tougher. When you add in associates who really don’t care if the customer is happy because 6 more will walk in this hour, and pay them under market salaries, make them work weekends and nights, then add a high rate of employee turnover and managment turnover you have a recipe in disaster for remdeling.

That all said if you are looking to get something done on your home that will require expertise and labor go to a local “mom and pop” operation that has a good reputation, excellent references, and that you can have a working relationship with. Remodel jobs should be a partnership between the owners and the remodeler, not a battle over price and product. You may pay a bit more (you also may be suprised at how well professional remodel compainies can compete) but in the end you will forget about the price long before the enjoyment of having a project that was completed on time and on budget fades away.

Good luck to all. I may hang some of these stories on the wall in our showroom!

If only you were in our (Lakeside’s) neck of the woods. We would have loved to help you out – and I promise we would have bent over backwards to make you smile.

Visited store since I needed some plantation blinds of particular size, the lady was working on some blinds on some machine and said she would help me once this job is done. I waited for 15 minutes then I asked her to show me where shoud I go and place my order, she said she would help me in a minute. Finally I got tried and went and asked for Manager. Manager comes along and we go to that place and he talks with the lady. He turns to me and said if she is busy doing some work she cannot stop it and start helping you, plus its sunday and we are busy. I said no problem, all I need to know is where do I explain my requirement of blinds and place my order. He turns to her and ask her when would she be free, I jump in and tell him that I just need to know where to place the order, he turns angirly towards me and says he cant hear me if he is talking to her.

I just walk back to customer service and took his name and store number and walked out.

I am not a contractor nor any big time spender at Home Depot. I buy most of my stuff from Lowes and I should have stuck to Lowes only. I am not trying to be “smart pants” or “cocky” when I say I buy things from Lowes. I do buy at Lowes only. From where I live Home Depot is 3 miles while Lowes is 11 miles but I quit going to this particular store since long because many times I have received bad service or zero help. I actually hate asking for help, I feel stupid asking for help. I would search and buy wrong things only to return them later on, but would not ask for help.
Today at this store I have seen 2 guys wearing IPod with ear plugs walking by. IPODS —- I have never complained and simply stopped visiting the store.

I am writing this just to vent it out plus a bad service from a MANAGER. I never knew a manager would reply like this. What has gone wrong with Home Depot?