After getting a requested consultation visit from Home Depot 's sales associate, on Nov 19 my wife purchased new kitchen appliances, granite counter tops and plumbing work for the kitchen and two baths. She was really excited to get a new kitchen in our small Melbourne, FL home. On Nov 27 we had appliances delivered from the $8,511 purchase at Home Depot in Melbourne. When I arrived home from work three hours later, I went to my den as I always do to take off my wedding band and put it in my leather watch case - the case is about the size of a fat loaf of bread. I was shocked when I opened the case and found the top level of three watches missing. I called for my wife Sandra and her jaw dropped. We knew what had happened. No one else had been in the house that day. The den is right around the corner 8' away from the kitchen. It was the Home Depot delivery guys. I sat down at my desk and opened the center drawer. An iPhone and a thin digital camera were missing. We checked for her iPad that had been on the kitchen counter. It was gone. Subsequently I have found that another watch from a drawer by the doorway was also taken. Nothing else is missing other than our confidence in Home Depot.
Apparently Home Depot outsources delivery.in this case Home Depot has an arrangement with Ralph's Delivery but Ralph's Delivery outsourced the work again to CMJS. Two sketchy guys handled the delivery. Sandra was at the house although on her hands and knees cleaning behind stove and refrigerator, moving stuff so the microwave could be installed, and making sure our two Golden Retrievers didn't bother the 'Home Depot' delivery guys. One of them made a quick snatch and grab visit to my den while she was not paying attention. Now she feels badly that it happened under her nose and we both are just really disappointed that a big deal Christmas present for us both has cost us so much. We both feel violated.
The delivery guys, of course, denied the theft and the Sheriff's office has been unable to tie the theft to the two guys. We still have finger print dust in the den (leather doesn't take prints).
Three of the stolen watches were valuable. The three police reports document the case but not the disappointment. The Home Depot store manager knows about this but didn't reach out. The delivery people turned it over to their insurance company who said it wasn't a loss, it was a theft and the staff denied the allegation.
My homeowners policy doesn't cover valuables like this. Typically I am chary about offering unsolicited advice. I'll make an exception here because I am pissed. Were I faced with this problem and the CEO of Home Depot, I would do a few things: yell at the store manager, change the three level deep no accountability delivery process, and make it right with the customer. NONE of that happened. Buyers beware - Home Depot delivery contractors steal!
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