Home Depot and Customer Service

Home Depot and Customer Service Or the story or the 1???x8???x8’ Pattern 116 boards.

OK, the story begins with what we’re going to put on the wall of our attic as we refinish it.  After looking at drywall, some close-out hardwood flooring, trimmed out plywood, and other options, we discover this really cool tongue and groove pine, 1x8x8 pattern 116 boards.  (It also comes in other lengths but 8 foot is all we can comfortably get up in the attic.)

As you know Home Depot doesn’t stock a lot of anything good when it comes to wood, good wood that is.  When you visit there, if you want decent wood, despite their advertisements you have to pick through piles to find stuff that’s straight, not warped all to hell and not beat up by the folks running the fork lifts.

To finish off the attic we need approx 105 of these boards.

We stopped by our local store, I was lucky to find ten that were good enough to use.

I took a UPC sticker from one of the boards and decided I’d shop around, even check with the local lumber yard.  There had to be a better way than buy these 10 at a time.

On the way back from another trip I stopped by another Home Depot and they too only had about 7 reasonable boards in stock.  I stopped by the “Pro??? Desk and asked for some assistance.

“What if I need 100 of these? What are my Options????

The Clerk was very helpful, he looked in his computer and told me, This store had 75, this store had 100, this store had 30, this store had 50.  I could drive around all day and pick from the piles until I had my 100…

OR, the stores get these in bundles or a skid of 108 at a time.  As inventory gets low, they automatically get an order for 108 more.  My store, the one closest was due to get 108 new boards in the next 3 days.  I should go there and have them hold that, not break it up.  They could deliver the 108 to me for $59.  I could use the good from the 108, and return the bad.  There would be more good, than bad because they would be handled less.

Sounded like a plan.

Last night I attempted to purchase that skid worth of boards.  However it had already been stocked.  In stocking them they bust them up.  Apparently, these Tongue and groove boards come in 4×8 sheets.  A lot of them get dinged up when they do that.  The guy that stocked them even told me, “Good luck finding 100 good ones???.  So we started over again.

I asked them to order for me another bundle, another skid or package.  How hard can that be?

I pre-paid for 108 boards.  No one there knew how to make that happen but they promised to call me the next day to let me know it would be done.

Today is that next day.  Apparently they can’t order anything that they stock.  It can only be ordered when their inventory gets low enough.  So my only option now is to start over or find a store that has a bundle.  We think we found that store but it’s a lot farther away.

They are doing the refund and purchase over the phone and we’ll see how long it takes to get the wood delivered.

I’m not holding my breath.

Buying things like this shouldn’t be that hard.