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Forgive me for using this platform to air my woes... but it just baffles my mind that a store like Home Depot can so casually be so incredibly inept and be so consistently full of patrons.

I have taken on my own project of completely remodeling my bathroom and master bedroom... I have used Home Depot predominantly for all of my necessities to this point (as up until know I had no reason not to trust them). I tried Lowes at one point and ended up in a plumbing aisle instructing the actual Lowes employee on how an actual sink trap works. After he struggled to try to instruct me on what he must have concocted in his mind at that very moment... I decided back to Home Depot I should quickly return.

So far pretty much everything I have ordered, or bought from home depot based on their "expertise" has backfired in my face. They DO have the products that I need and thusly decided that I just need to do my OWN homework and avoid their direction. Worked fine.

UNTIL

LAST PIECE TO THE PUZZLE... needed to order blinds for my master bedroom windows. I have my OWN measurements. The blinds are custom order... figure cant mess that up. They FINALLY show up today to my house. I tear open the box to install... and measure them. The measurements I ordered are an inch longer then the actual measurement of the blinds... and its a clear discrepancy between the receipt and the actual blinds! COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! Last time I do my own contracting on a home project... I would have spent less money and stress had I just paid a guy to do this... F you home depot. You have officially torn apart my spirit for doing my own home projects... hope your happy.

(10-29-2013 08:41 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  Forgive me for using this platform to air my woes... but it just baffles my mind that a store like Home Depot can so casually be so incredibly inept and be so consistently full of patrons.

I have taken on my own project of completely remodeling my bathroom and master bedroom... I have used Home Depot predominantly for all of my necessities to this point (as up until know I had no reason not to trust them). I tried Lowes at one point and ended up in a plumbing aisle instructing the actual Lowes employee on how an actual sink trap works. After he struggled to try to instruct me on what he must have concocted in his mind at that very moment... I decided back to Home Depot I should quickly return.

So far pretty much everything I have ordered, or bought from home depot based on their "expertise" has backfired in my face. They DO have the products that I need and thusly decided that I just need to do my OWN homework and avoid their direction. Worked fine.

UNTIL

LAST PIECE TO THE PUZZLE... needed to order blinds for my master bedroom windows. I have my OWN measurements. The blinds are custom order... figure cant mess that up. They FINALLY show up today to my house. I tear open the box to install... and measure them. The measurements I ordered are an inch longer then the actual measurement of the blinds... and its a clear discrepancy between the receipt and the actual blinds! COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! Last time I do my own contracting on a home project... I would have spent less money and stress had I just paid a guy to do this... F you home depot. You have officially torn apart my spirit for doing my own home projects... hope your happy.

yeah, home depot and lowes are great if you just need supplies. After that it's not worth the effort. Fingerle in the Ann Arbor area is awesome to work with, and when it comes to blinds you are better off hiring an interior designer (a real one, not a decorator). Their trade discounts usually make up for their hourly rate on small projects and you don't have to deal with anything.

When it gets tough that way Flush? RTB!!!

Often the instructions for measuring blinds and other window treatment say to add or subtract an amount to width for best fit and the people cutting get used to compensating for those that don't add that piece in.

I worked at a home improvement store one summer during college. I don't know anything about that kind of stuff but I was instructed to assist customers to the best of my ability. I had multiple customers get mad at me for working there and not knowing what the hell I was talking about. My point - do your research before going into the store. More often than not you are gonna get help from someone who has no clue how to help you with your projects.

When dealing with those places you have to be very, VERY, clear about what you want.

Say things 3 times. Make them repeat it back to you. Insist on seeing the order form or the screen they are working from.

Take the stuff back and make them do it right.

I was in a pretty dark place last night when I posted this... it was a last straw kind of moment. I should have held my tongue. I understand that they are just doing the best they can, and that most employee's aren't actual experts in most anything in the store... However, the ones that do wax on about how to do something and have no idea what they are saying, should just keep their mouths shut or call over someone who DOES have knowledge. My bad for not doing homework on a couple things early on in the project. It's really the only hardware store near my home that has what I need most of the time.

(10-30-2013 07:27 AM)Nacho Wrote:  I worked at a home improvement store one summer during college. I don't know anything about that kind of stuff but I was instructed to assist customers to the best of my ability. I had multiple customers get mad at me for working there and not knowing what the hell I was talking about. My point - do your research before going into the store. More often than not you are gonna get help from someone who has no clue how to help you with your projects.

I did the same thing at a Lowe's in GR, summer in 2002. Had the same thing happen, customer got pi55ed I didn't know the answer to something for his project, and I was only working the register!

Too bad you can't support your local hardware store anymore. A-holes.

When I buy a house, I always look around the neighborhood for at least one quality hardware store.

I just did that again in Arizona, amazing how that is an indicator of a sound neighborhood. Been one of my tests for years.

I wish there was a quality hardware store closer to my home. In my defense, I never "lost it" on any of the employees I worked with at either Lowes or Home Depot. I think they are just doing their job, but sometimes the glaring ineptitude right to my face gets a little tough to take. I think I am going to heed DB's neighborhood search criteria in the future when I look for my next house. There is a local ACE hardware near me that is usually good for working through a project issue as their employees seem to have specific knowledge... however the store doesn't stock much inventory and I end up having to still go to Home Depot to find the specifics to finish my project...

I am a bit of a perfectionist to the point where I should just stick to my day job of software consultation and leave the home project contracting to the professionals.

My biggest gripe with either HD or Lows is that you can rarely find help when you need it, then when you do find help, they don't even know as much as you do about what you need.

Ace is the place where the help really does know what they are talking about. Too bad I have to drive 20 miles to get to one.

(10-30-2013 01:21 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  I am a bit of a perfectionist to the point where I should just stick to my day job of software consultation and leave the home project contracting to the professionals.

I've inherited a lot of positive traits from my old man, but home renovation isn't going to be one of them.

I suck at it so bad, my bathrooms/kitchen updates went so badly I had to call my big brother.

I just wanted to get the big hammer out after a while……shuttup Dip. Don't laugh.

Ace hardware stores are great. The ones I have used have a broad inventory and helpful staff. The local store near my home monitors prices at Home Depot and other stores to price their merchandize competitively. When I needed a snow blower last year they were priced the same as at the big box stores.

Nice to be able to support smaller local businesses.

Find a Menards. They are good. Their employees are almost always knowledgeable, and if not, they'll find someone who is. Whenever I ask them where something is, they always walk me to it, even if it is half-way across the store. They don't just say, "Go to aisle X", they'll actually show you.

West Main Menards in Kzoo is great.

At a box store if I have a question how something works I prefer to find one of the old guys. Usually there is some experience behind their years.
It is hard to find home repair knowledge for minimum wage.

I had a "Menards like" store near me in Colorado, affiliated with ACE, called the "Big Toolbox" but it was more like Menards than an ACE. Right down to the expertise, great paint matchers, plumbing help, sprinkler center, engine repair, tool rental, etc.

I miss that place already.

The hardware store gem in Kalamazoo

Hoekstraʼs True Value Hardware is the oldest retail store in Kalamazoo County.

Quote: Still in the location built in 1898, Hoekstraʼs is a full-service hardware store that also offers plumbing and electrical supplies, housewares, fireplace equipment, lawn and garden products, lawnmowers and snowthrowers, with a complete repair department for Lawn Boy and Toro products.
In addition to their in-depth stock of merchandise, Hoekstraʼs experienced staff can answer your questions and order special items, in keeping with their old-fashioned tradition of serving their customers.

Visit Hoekstraʼs True Value Hardware at 625 Portage St. Contact them at 345-1135.