The Home Depot — Attraction in Lake Zurich

We purchased a 6 ft. tall Christmas Unicorn lawn ornament and a Home Depot two year Protection Plan on 10/02/19. Three days after the 90 day return period expired, the metal frame on one of the wings broke. After receiving conflicting information I was eventually told by Protection Plan Reps that the product was covered by a one year manufacturer’s warranty and was directed to contact Home Depot Customer Service for resolution. Customer Service said they would contact the parts department and I’d receive email notice within 72 hours regarding the claim.

Having gotten no response, I called Customer Service again and was told the replacement part was on back order. I was again assured I’d receive email notification within 72 hours with an expected parts delivery date of 4 to 6 weeks. At this time I was also told by both the Customer Service Rep and an in-store Service Rep at Lake Zurich that I could return the damaged product to the store for a full cash refund, including the cost of the Protection Plan.

When I again did not receive the promised notification I again contacted Customer Service and was told on Feb. 18th that the part was on backorder from China and would take 2 to 4 months for delivery. With the Christmas holiday season long passed, and not wanting to bother with disassembling the 6 ft tall ornament we decided in good faith to wait for the replacement part.

On July 8th, more than 5 months after submitting the claim, a Customer Service Rep was unable to provide any shipping/delivery information, but told me she would contact the vendor and further advise me via email within 48 hours. Consistent with their terrible customer service she failed to follow up with the promised notification.

On Sept 4th, seven (7) full months after submitting the claim, I called and was informed that Home Depot had received no response from the manufacturer; they did not know if or when the replacement part would be provided; they were unable to furnish any replacement for the product itself; but I could return the damaged product to the Lake Zurich store for a full refund.

I went to the Lake Zurich store where a pleasant service rep at the return counter informed me a manager had to approve a store credit for the full amount paid, but a cash refund could not be given since the original 90 day return period had expired. When I insisted upon receiving a full cash refund as promised by both, the Customer Service Rep and as previously approved by in-store personnel back in February, a supervisor arrived and reiterated a store credit was the only option. An assistant store manager similarly stated I could only receive a store credit, but finally changed her position after calling Home Depot Customer Service. However, she initially only refunded cash for the cost of the lawn ornament. When I pointed out she did not reimburse me for the cost of the Protection Plan, she subsequently processed the additional adjustment and handed me the remaining $18.00 cash without saying a single word or offering any apology or regrets whatsoever.

This simple warranty claim languished unresponsively for more than 7 months. Customer Service Reps repeatedly failed to follow through not only on the claim itself, but on their broken promises to update me on the claim’s status. Lake Zurich Home Depot Representatives initially refused to provide a full cash refund on 9/04/20, as they themselves had previously authorized and as promised by Home Depot Customer Service Representatives. And after finally grudgingly relenting to honor their promise, the Lake Zurich assistant store manager handed me the cash refund without expressing any sorrow or regret for their abysmal handling of this matter or for the inconvenience it caused me.

Needless to say, I do not intend to patronize the Lake Zurich Home Depot store again and instead will shop elsewhere for my future home improvement...

Terrible store!!!! I ordered 50 sheets of drywall from this location. It was supposed to be delivered early in the morning around 6 am. The plan changed without notifying us and was rescheduled for 10 am. The driver advised that they tried to call 6 times to verify something, which we do not know what it is, and we never received a call. The drywall was not delivered, and that was the end of it. No one is helping us get the material delivered, and they simply advised that it wouldn't be delivered until tomorrow! How can this store be considered reliable? How can The Home Depot be a reliable store for a construction company that is relying on receiving something we already paid for to finish the job? An associate from a different store tried to help by calling this location, but they didn't care and did nothing to assist! They simply said it needs to be rescheduled. This is bad customer service! There is no value in their customer service for professionals here at all. Blaming another location and stating that the address was entered incorrectly is inappropriate. The address was correct, and the only mistake was in the job name, which has nothing to do with the address. One delivery that I paid for made it just fine, and the other delivery didn't make it, even though they had the same address. This is a bad location!

Update on this store:

This store hasn't improved at all. Bad customer service.

The only kind people here who are really helpful are in the tool rental department. They are the only ones who are on top of their job and customer service.

Returning items is a complicated situation. Every time my people go to return things, they feel bad since they are treated as if they are robbing the store. When we are just returning materials we didn't use and the customer doesn't need them. Why keep extra flooring if it's not needed? Why keep extra screws if the job is done? Home Depot's customer service standards are not reflected at...

In the summer of 2016, we bought a house in Barrington, and it needed a little work! Since then, we have spent around 35k on house improvements; all at this Home Depot in Lake Zurick, i.e. electric, windows, wood, equipment, garden, furniture, tools, etc. There are some folks at this location who are nice, helpful, and respectful. However, my collective experiences have been negative and unpleasant, and today was yet another one of those excruciatingly unpleasant encounters. The employee’s name was Gary, I believe. I waited for him for 15 minutes or so in the garden area so he can help me out with a product that I intend to purcahse for the lawn. He was rude, condescending, bad listener, disrespectful, and totally unhelpful. At first I thought that this was macho or a confident figure act that he was trying to pull, but within 15 seconds it was obvious that he was for some reason pretty annoyed, grumpy, unpleasant, and totally careless about the whole notion of customer service and letting customers explain what they’re there for!

I cannot help but to think that given that I look a bit different than what most people look like in this area, a minority of sorts, and given that I speak English with an accent, I cannot help but to think that many of my encounters with their employees seem to be consistentl with being hostile towards minorities, especially those who speak English with an accent. As if when one speaks with an accent, they must also think with an accent!

My two cents; if you’re a minority or an immigrant who happen to speak English with an accent, and happen to have a question and need help, Home Depot is NOT the place for you. Find another place where people are friendlier, helpful, respectful, good listeners, and treat all...