The Home Depot — Local services in Clearwater

First time home buyer -

Strike 1 - Needed a new front door. Measured the height/width/distance from top to deadbolt/distance from top to knob. Visited this Home Depot. Walked around for over an hour trying to get assistance (spent 3 hours in total trying to get help with minor projects for the day). Finally got a "specialist" to give me advice on doors. He asked for the measurements. Measured 14 doors. None they had in stock matched. He then measured a pre-hung. BAM! A match. He gave me 2 options. Custom order the one that would match or buy the pre-hung and he'd give me a discount (still double the price and I would need extra supplies to install). I needed the door so I took it. Two days later at a Lowe's, I was talking to a VERY helpful employee about the door and other projects. He asked the measurements. What do you know, all their doors matched. The Lowe's associate pointed out that the Home Depot associate was measuring them wrong because the Home Depot associate didn't realize all their doors are STORED UPSIDE DOWN so he was measuring from BOTTOM TO TOP. The opposite of what he advised me to do.

Strike 2 - Was signed up for an A/C tune-up. It was $19.99 and came with a free Google Home (was gonna buy one anyway). They sent a guy from a company called ARS. He was very friendly. Kinda salesman friendly. He spent about 2 hours going telling me about how dirty the A/C was and how I was "lucky it hadn't froze up" and it was "only a matter of time before it fails". He spent half of this time trying to sell me on a high tech looking UV protection unit that will "kill everything in there". I asked SEVERAL times for price quotes. I even said at one point "you're scaring me because I keep asking for prices and you keep dodging". He continued to dodge. At one point changing the subject entirely to my line of work. When I mentioned I am a banker he proceeded to brag about all the houses he's bought from people whose houses he inspected and since he knew everything that was wrong with their house was able to "get really good prices". He asked me if I could give him a call if I see people about to lose their houses (against the law, and banking regulations). I explained I would lose my license and it was illegal. He insisted it would be okay and to call him. He finally gave me the price for the system ($4,000) or a full system clean (coils, fan, ducts and all) at $700. He left. I checked prices for the full cleaning. Prices ranged from $900-1,100. So I called them back. When he returned he insisted that I didn't need ducts cleaned and that was a scam. He spent about 40 minutes removing what I assumed were the coils (it was the fan) and wiping it down. When he was done it did look cleaner, but not clean. He said it was the best he could do. Days later talking to an A/C specialist client of mine, he said I got a good deal since welding the pieces back on in such a tight area would be difficult.... The ARS guy didn't weld anything. I later learned that my coils and the services that were offered were NOT done. That the service that WAS done, usually costs between $170-200. Told Home Depot customer service. A lady told me she'd get with ARS and get back to me. Now has been 3 days. No response.

Strike 3 - Not enough characters to add.... Still don't have my appliances installed. 3 days wasted. Contractors that can't be reached....

Home Depot Services. Incomplete, unprofessional, unresponsive, very poor communication. We priced Home Depot Home services to have our cabinets resurfaced and a new countertop. After several quotes from various services, we decided to go with Home Depot’s service even though it was the highest of all. Mainly we chose them because they promised complete service. We agreed. Then we heard nothing from them for 3 months, then the countertop contractor came to measure for the template. About a month after that we received message that they are ready to install the countertop, still nothing from Home Depot services about scheduling the demolition of the backsplash and tile. Even though we have called several times and sent emails. We finally received call backs after going to upper managers complaining about the lack service. They informed us that the countertop will be installed and gave a date. We had to tell them that the sink had not arrived and still no demolition work had been done. Finally a date was set for work to demo the kitchen. I took the week off to be at home and the day they were supposed to start no one showed up. Again we called several times with no response. We contacted managers again and found out our demo was canceled. When it was back on we discovered that the contractors were driving from Orlando and would let us know arrival times. That never happened any day they were supposed to be here. The contractors seemed every day to be in a hurry to leave to drive back to Orlando. Home Depot couldn’t find local contractors in Tampa? When the work was ‘completed’ we pointed out the unfinished bits and were told that they don’t do that. Again we complained to management. An inspector from Home Depot came out and found more things that we didn’t know about that should have been done and wasn’t. We were told at that time that what is not done will be completed. A month later still no response from Home Depot Services as to when it will be finished. The incomplete work is shown in the photos.

5/4/23 Update: it has been since march 28th when the inspector checked the work done at our home. We have called and left messages for Home Depot services repeatedly with no replies. As of today we have convinced 2 people that have started working on their homes to not use Home Depot’s service at all. We will continue to let people know of the unsatisfactory work that was done for us.

05/17/23. Update Finally was able to schedule the work that was left incomplete to be finally finished. The work was set to be done today(5/17/23). My wife and I took the day off from work to be here for the completion. We waited for the workers to arrive. When the time passed the arrival time, we called and found out that they cancelled our appointment because the workers had not completed work from the day before. This appointment was scheduled over 2 weeks ago. We did not find this out until 9:20 this morning. They knew yesterday that our appointment could not be met. A whole day wasted! We are very disappointed and frustrated with the Home Depot home services and do not plan to use them again. We will update on the progress of this project that started in February and still is...

To start, I want to say I am EXTREMELY patient with people and sometimes things getting missed with larger corporations...but this experience I have had is the absolute worst I've had with a purchase. Rewinding back to February 12/13, went in to the store and thought, "well, Home Depot seems decent enough" and purchased a washer and dryer set and was about $2,000. Everything seemed fine and got the first appointment for delivery set up--then the mess starts. First, a BRAND NEW dryer has a dent like a bowling ball went into the front so, naturally, I refused delivery of both items (who would keep a washer with no dryer?! and this is important for later). So, we get told its going to be another 2 weeks for delivery. Wait the two weeks. Get another call saying the new dryer hasn't made it so reschedule again. Wait again. Then get another call about delivery issues but should have it by X date. X date comes and delivery guys come--and ONLY HAVE THE WASHER AGAIN. The dryer has disappeared off the face of the earth. Now, since its been a month and still no end in sight, we decide to just cancel the order and get a refund--simple right? NOPE. Go to the store, they say they process it and then get a phone call from customer care about the issue and get asked if we only needed a refund for the dryer--NO! It is a refund for everything (washer and dryer PLUS the hookups and such, of course). So wait on the phone for a bit and told, "ok, everything should be good to go and your refund will be done by next Thursday (today's date)". Well, still nothing and called in--literally another hour wasted to find out that the still question if I actually have the dryer or not. SO much time wasted and still out my money AND my time. The refund was never done properly, the GE people said this and the Home Depot said that and who tf cares?! So, as it sits now, I get to wait until NEXT week to see if it processes correctly and I can FINALLY have my money back--you know, since it is SO difficult to deliver purchased items to your customer.

Oh, and to top it all off? My wife went to complain to a manager about the whole situation as it was JUST getting started--they can't even give you a gift card to "help with the big inconvenience" right. Even that hasn't arrived and that was supposed to be a simple e-certificate/card with the balance he offered because of their screwups. Home Depot has failed miserably. I used to use them for basically everything. From decorations, packing supplies, tools, paint and LITERALLY everything (unless ONE item they didn't have and I needed was elsewhere). One experience has now made me NEVER want to go back, to any Home...