Ace Hardware Waukegan North — Local services in Waukegan

It's been a nice while since I received a proper racial profiling. I'd almost forgotten how uncomfortable and unnatural it could feel... My sister and I stopped at the Lewis location to have some house keys made. As we approached the rear of the store, we were abruptly stopped by an elderly gentleman asking if we needed any help. My sister, just as I, noticed his demeanor, body language and tone. She explained that we were going to have some keys made, and we proceeded to the back. He caught us off guard as he rushed past us. As it turns out, he'd be the one to do the task. I gave him the keys and I told him the amount we needed, after confirming with my sister. He was short with us and very distant, as if we were inconveniencing him. As we left his counter to purchase they keys at checkout, the associate radioed to everyone in the store that I was making my way to the checkout counter to purchase 5 keys. I must say, I've been followed, questioned and overtly distrusted in stores before... But radioing ahead in order to put everyone on alert so that I am embarrassed while he ensures that I don't steal is definitely a new one (so congrats to that associate for the creativity). He can deny how he behaved towards us, but I am not concerned with that. No one else was around, and it's the subject that a certain type of person loves to practice, but never admit to or be held accountable for. Besides, since there were no other witnesses, he has the benefit of plausible deniability. He may be from "a different time", but he is not operating in "a different world". Since he was so uncomfortable with us, I'll shop elsewhere from now on. I would like him to be able to work in peace... After all, that is not his home, it's a place of business. He should only have to help those who he deems worthy. My apologies to him for wanting to pay to have keys made. What could I have possibly...

Warning: careful when you take any machines to get repaired. It’s taking over a month and a half to get my lawnmower back. If I even get it back. They said Monday, so we’ll see…don’t trust them.

Took my mower in to get repaired and when I tried following up a couple of weeks later asking about it, I get attitude and was asked “did they call you”? If they called me, why am I wasting my time coming in here and asking? Fine, gave them more time. Followed up again, same thing. Attitude and asked if the called. No! If they called, why would I ask?

Tried to be patient and give them more time. Finally I go again (live close and I try to give them business instead of the big box stores). And I tell the employee the situation and I tell them I’m done with the excuses, and I don’t even want them to fix it anymore. Just bring it back. I mentioned what horrible customer service they had when you don’t even update someone especially if it’s going to take some time. Took my info and assured he would call and let me know…..he didn’t.

Finally, I get a call from Ace and am told my mower is in Round Lake and they will give me $10 for a trade in. What? I wanted it repaired. You had my machine for over a month. Unacceptable.

Done with Ace. I’m never going back there and telling everyone I know or who asks what horrible customer service they have. 10 dollars….pfffft. I should get back the money I needed to spend on a landscaper since they held my mower...

I have never experienced a problem from this Ace, but yesterday's transaction disappointed me. A female cashier handled my purchase but wasn't honest with her calculation. It was a sale for Mrs. Meyer's products $4.99 and for some apparent reason her register wasn't working properly to ring up my purchase. When she manually did it after the manager gave codes to key in, it was supposed to come out to $10 and some change.

After entering the code manually she took $1 dollar off and kept the other product regular price.

I gave her $20 and she keyed in $21 and then proceeded to get that dollar back in return by adding $1.02 in tax which brought my purchase to $12 dollars.

Being in a hurry I didn't think about it until I calculated it from the Ace ad. So I returned the products and asked for a different cashier, while doing this, that same cashier was telling and doing the same thing to other customers.

And she looked at me when I did my return by a different cashier who refunded my full amount and was nice during the transaction.

Lastly, I went to the ace hardware in Gurnee and pay $10.49 for my purchases with no register problems and the right amount of money was deducted from my rewards card.

People! When you shop pay attention to your money because somebody else is and will take advantage of you!

The one star is for the...