I went to Home Depot in Destin, FL, to purchase carpet for a rental condo that I own. In the store were large signs stating "Whole House Installation $139." This same promotion was in the newspaper advertisements as well as the in-store flyers. I picked out a carpet and paid a fee of $35 to have the rooms measured. This fee was to be credited toward the total price if the carpet was purchased.
When I received the quote, the installation charges totaled $482.30. Remember, the advertised price was $139. The other charges were $60 for moving the furniture, which I understand, but they also charged $159 for carpet removal and an additional $159 to haul away the carpet.
If I had known that, I would not have ordered and paid for the condo to be measured.
The bait and hook comes when they advertise to install for $139 but do not tell you they are going to charge $318 to remove and haul the carpet away. In my opinion this is outright fraud. And because I am not going to purchase the carpet, I have lost the $35 measuring fee.
If I had known this company operates in this manner, I would not have purchased over $2,200 of new appliances, which have already been paid for and will be going in the same condo.
I intend to report this to the Destin Chamber of Commerce as well as the BBB.
Lastly, when doing business with Home Depot, do not assume that because they are a national company they are above dealing in an unethical manner.
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