Burgers Ace Hardware — Local services in Shaker Heights

Disappointing Experience at Ace Hardware

I recently had a frustrating experience at Ace Hardware located at 17111 Chagrin Blvd, Shaker Heights, Ohio, that I feel compelled to share.

On September 14, 2024, I visited the store seeking assistance after losing my keys to my apartment storage. As an African American customer, I hoped to receive helpful guidance. A store associate recommended I purchase a 14-inch bolt cutter, assuring me it would solve my problem. Trusting this advice, I took the product home, only to find that it did not work despite several attempts to use it.

Disappointed, I returned to the store the same day with my receipt in hand. The receipt clearly stated that I could receive a refund, replacement, or repair within 30 days of purchase. However, when I approached the Store Owner, Gerry, he claimed that the bolt cutter had minor damage and refused to process my return. This arbitrary refusal left me feeling dismissed and frustrated, especially since I had only used the cutter as intended based on the associate’s recommendation.

This experience has raised serious concerns for me about the customer service practices at this location. I expected fair treatment in line with the store’s stated policies, but instead, I felt marginalized and questioned whether my identity influenced the way I was treated.

I hope that sharing my experience may help others in the community make informed decisions when shopping at this store. Customer service should be about support and understanding, and unfortunately, my experience fell far short of that expectation.

Dear Gerry,

Thank you for your response regarding my experience at Ace Hardware. I appreciate your clarification about the store’s return policies. However, I still feel that my situation was not handled appropriately.

While I understand that tools may have specific return restrictions, I was following the advice of your associate when I purchased the bolt cutter. I genuinely believed it would solve my problem, and I used it as directed. When I returned it, I was surprised to hear that it was deemed damaged, especially since I only attempted to use it as recommended.

I want to emphasize that my feelings of being marginalized stem not just from the return issue, but from the overall interaction. I felt dismissed and am concerned that my identity may have influenced how my situation was perceived. It's important for customers to feel valued and respected, regardless of the circumstances.

I hope my feedback can help improve customer service practices at your store, ensuring that everyone feels heard and treated fairly. Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

When I read your response, I couldn’t help but feel that your tone was quite defensive and confrontational. It felt as though you were more focused on justifying the store’s policies than on addressing my concerns as a customer. While I understand the importance of having clear return policies, I had hoped for a more empathetic approach given the circumstances.

By emphasizing that it was my responsibility to choose the right product and that the tool was damaged, it seemed like you were shifting the blame solely onto me. This made me feel dismissed and frustrated, rather than supported. I want to emphasize that my feelings of marginalization were not just about the return process but also about how our interaction unfolded.

Your strong denial of any racial bias felt somewhat dismissive of my experience. It’s disheartening to feel that my identity could play a role in how I was treated, and I believe it’s crucial for businesses to create an environment where all customers feel respected and valued.

I hope you can understand why I felt the way I did and that my feedback might contribute to improving customer service practices at your store. Thank you for taking the time to engage in...

Yesterday, I took my son to Ace because he needed a screw driver of some sort for his Game system. My son is on the autism spectrum, and he can be very shy and awkward with social situations, to the point of avoiding them all together. Due to this, people are sometimes dismissive of him. That being said, he is a young man (24) and I thought this could be a good experience for him to be the “front man” for this mission. “A man’s first tool” is what I called it in my head. 😁 Real exciting stuff. Anyway, When we went into the store, we were greeted by a pleasant young man (Seth) who asked if he could help. My son showed him his game system and explained what was going on and what he needed. Seth saw the Play Station & immediately understood the urgency of the situation, he and my son put their heads together as Seth gathered information & guided my son in acquiring what would hopefully be the right tool. He patiently and thoroughly explained everything, ending with the exchange policy if the tool didn’t fit. Unfortunately, The tool didn’t fit. I decided to have Anthony go back in alone and find Seth (whose name we didn’t know yet), get his name, and ask to help him exchange the tool. Anthony returned to the car immediately, and said that he didn’t see Seth, but another employee told him “We don’t fix those, go to GameStop”. So we went to GameStop, and surprise , they told us they didn’t sell tools, try Ace Hardware. My son was dejected, frustrated and wanted to give up. His PlayStation and games are his passion. They are literally how he connects with the world. He apologized for his frustration and explained to me that the game that was stuck inside, “Tales of Beseria” is his favorite game, he said he’s had it since 2017 and has been developing the characters (?) since then. I said no way, we’re going back to Ace and find that other guy. I explained to him, When you encounter someone nice, who is kind, knowledgeable & helpful; you find out their name, so if you ever need help in that area again, you can ask for them. Which is exactly what we did. I did, anyway, because, by then, my son was burnt out from the runaround, so he waited in the car. Seth patiently helped us find a unique set of tiny tools that included multiple sizes. Back in the car with my son, I handed him the set, and IT WORKED!! Right there in the car! He was so relieved 😅 Customer service has almost become a lost art, but Seth proved that there are still young people who respect & value customers. This is especially honorable, because my son is neurodivergent, he is not your typical customer. Thank you and God Bless you, Seth, for treating my son with respect & valuing his dignity. You could have easily been dismissive, or just went the other way when you saw us walking into the store looking around. I hope Ace Hardware realizes the treasure they have in...

I went to the store about my key fob not working .While there I was explaining to the associate about the problem,, then another associate by the name of Michael decided to join the conversation I let him know I was unhappy about my fob not working. Michael said to me that the person who handles this will not be in until later. That did upset me a little,,so I said to Michael maybe I came to the wrong place. I believe this complaint upset him and he yelled at me, saying that they have a time like you do. I then responded to him who are you talking to like this. You should be happy you’re alive meaning to be thankful and you should not be performing in this manner. To make things worst he tried to provoke me Michael brushed across me closely. I then went to the front counter and ask for the owner name. I did speak to the owner but he tried to put the blame on me If the owner look at all of the footage he can clearly see I did nothing wrong but I guess this person must be a relative. This individual has no customer service skills at all . Michael should not be working with the public at all. Everyone be careful where you...