Where do I begin? This all started on the 21st of October when I decided to purchase and have Home Depot install a couple of storm doors for me. I purchased the measurement option despite having already measured my doors according to the measurement guide supplied by the door manufacturer.in order to have the doors "professionally installed" my measurements would not be valid so I coughed up the $30 to insure the job was done right. I was patient and let it slide.
A day or two went by and the installer came out to measure my doors and inspect the job site. He came up with the same measurements I did originally, but the $30 dollars guarantees me a professional install, so I'm still happy. Keep in mind that he inspected the job site because this will come up later. He tells me that he will input the measurements into the system that afternoon which pleases me because I need to order the doors by the end of the month in order to qualify for an installation rebate.
28 October, the dates are still not in the system. I order the doors using the installers measurements to take advantage of the rebate offer. The $30 I spent for measurement did me no good, but it still gets me professional workmanship, so I'm still ok with things. I was patient and I let it slide.
Early November, the store calls me and let's me know that my measurements are in the system and I can order my doors. I inform them that I already ordered my doors and thank them for their time. They also inform me that they will contact me as soon as my doors come in so I can schedule my install.
2 to 3 weeks later I call the store to inquire about the status of my order. They inform me that the doors have been there for a week. I was patient and let it slide.
I get the installation scheduled and rework my schedule to accomodate. Three to four days prior to installation, the installer calls me and asks if I have the doors on site. I do not because Home Depot failed to inform me that I would have to pick them up. I was unaware that the installation fees and measurement fees did not cover delivery of the merchandise. Not too big of a deal, but it would have been nice to know that I had to pick the doors up myself or pay the installer to deliver them. Anyway, the day prior to installation, the expediter/installer calls to reschedule me due to the installer going on vacation. I had just spoke to the installer less than a week before this, it must have been a short notice planned vacation. I was patient and let it slide.
I get rescheduled for installation around the middle of December. I am informed that they will arrive between 9 and 11 am and plan my day at work accordingly. The installer showed up at 4 pm. I am upset but I know that this is the last step in the process and I will have professionally installed doors in a few hours and this will all be over. I let it slide.
The day after installation, I come home from work and discover that the wind has ripped my door open causing the push button closer to rip a chunk of wood out of the door frame of my one year old house about the size of my fist. I don't understand how this could happen, seeing as how I'm not a professional storm door installer. That's why I paid for installation in the first place. I called the store and explained the situation. They said they would send somebody out. I felt better.
The day the inspector was scheduled to come by came and went. I called the store again. They seemed surprised that nobody showed up when they were supposed to. I wasn't surprised at all. They rescheduled for the day after. So I rescheduled my day... Again.
The inspector showed up at my house on the correct day, only 30 minutes late, which I was actually pleased with. He took a look at the damage, my door frame, and the installation. He stood in my living room and flat out told me that the door was not installed correctly because it was not flush at the bottom and the installers should not have left it like that. Standing in my living room, he also told me that his installers WOULD be able to repair the damage to my door frame, they just wouldn't be able to repaint it. He also said that they would be able to flush up the bottom of the door and replace the damaged hardware. He didn't say they might be able to repair the damage, he promised me and verbally committed the installer. He said would.
This is his explanation of what happened. The door not being flush on the bottom left a gap allowing airflow between my door and the storm door. This allowed pressure to build up enough to pop the latch on the door and release it to the mercy of the wind.
He told me he was disappointed in the installer and it made Home Depot look bad. He conveyed a sense of pride in ownership that I was glad to hear. It sounded like I was dealing with a stand up company that despite the miscommunication was willing to make things right. I was relieved. He said he would be in touch within a week. I was patient.
Four weeks later, I finally had to call Home Depot to find out what was going on. Nobody knew anything, the people I need to talk to are off or on vacation, and messages are not being relayed to the right people. I go to the store 3 times before I am able to talk to the right guy. The right guy is the same inspector that gave me a promise standing in my living room. He lets me know that it is not his installers fault and they cannot repair the damage. The installer did nothing wrong.
Remember that the installer inspected the work site prior to installation day. Not once was the small step down from my threshhold to the patio addressed. Even after the install, the installer didn't inform me that the door not being flush on the bottom might be a potential problem. It seems to me that a professional would be able to identify that and at least notify me so that I am aware of it and can address it.
I come home from the store fuming. I am so upset that I can't function. My wife calms me down the best she can. A few hours later I decide to go back to the store to talk to the store manager. I get to the service counter and ask for THE store manager. The man that appears is the same guy that came to my house and told me earlier that day that I'm basically SOL. I know that he is not THE store manager, because someone else's name is on my receipts. I ask to return the doors, I no longer want Home Depot merchandise in my house. There is a 15% restocking fee. I also have to uninstall the door myself. He also tells me that the damaged parts of the door are on order. He said he would order them over 4 weeks prior. I'm not sure why this takes so long, I don't ask. I'm angry, but trying to be polite and hoping for the best.
I come home defeated. I've been run around, misinformed, and lied to. I was offered $150 of store credit. A lot of good that will do me since I don't intend on ever returning to Home Depot. There's another home improvement store here in Abilene, one I've never had any problems with, and they just won my exclusive business by default. I've let many of my coworkers and friends know how I was treated at Home Depot. Many of them have been given the run around or mistreated as well and no longer shop there. I guess I should have talked to them sooner.
CK, you flat out lied to me in my own house. If you didn't have the authority or informed decision making ability to commit your installers to a full repair, you shouldn't have said anything. That's not how you treat people. They'll cover everything except paint. You said it, if I had made it up, I would have included paint.
Where does this leave me? I might get the replacement parts from Home Depot. I'm not holding my breath. Even if I do, I still have to find someone to repair the damage caused by the neglectful installation before I can install that hardware which leaves me with a $300 storm window locked in place at my rear entry. I wonder if I can pay a contractor or carpenter with a $150 Home Depot gift card. I guess I'll wait for my father-in-law to come visit my family while I'm deployed. I trusht him. He's a competent carpenter and a stand up guy, and he won't be purchasing anything from Home Depot to repair my house. Thank you Home Depot for making sure I have nothing to worry about while I'm in the Middle East.
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