Home Depot or Lowe's?

Home Depot or Lowes?

I am a proud homeowner, though I admittedly know very little about owning a home at all. Whenever something goes wrong, we rely on the knowledge of repairmen, plumbers, electricians, etc. As of late, we have used Youtube as a source to help us in some minor repairs, but there are somethings that you just can't learn from a video. So when it was time to replace our garbage disposal in the kitchen, we went to the Lowe's that is just down the street a few miles from our house. I didn't know much about what I wanted, but I did know that we didn't use it that often to begin with and I also knew my budget was about $300-$400. We walked in, and asked where we could find the garbage disposals. The first person at the customer service desk said, "I don't know, probably in appliances?" I don't remember where we finally did end up finding them, but it took about half an hour and three different people to find a person who actually knew where they were. Now, I have to break from the story here to let you know, this is NOT usual for customer service in Lowe's. If I need something simple like a key or some nails, or even a cover for our swamp cooler, the staff are helpful and can usually point me in the right direction. When getting something a little more complicated like a garbage disposal however, I found that they tend to get a "deer in the headlights" look on their faces. After looking at the garbage disposals and figuring out which one I wanted, we grabbed the first associate we could and asked for help because even though we have the wonderful "home bible," my sweet husband admits when he is confronted with a job that he knows will be too difficult for him to complete. Therefore, we needed this garbage disposal installed also. The associate said she didn't know anything about the garbage disposals, but she would call the "plumbing specialist" to come over to us to help us out. After about another 20 minutes, the almighty specialist graced us with his presence. Now I am not sure what qualifies you as a plumbing specialist, but I hoped that he would have at least heard of a garbage disposal. You guessed it, this guy hadn't. To top it off, he asked us what it was for! At this point it didn't really matter that he had no clue what it was for, since we had already picked out which one we wanted. All I needed was to get an installation set up. Yeah, this is where the Lowe's experience starts to go seriously downhill. This guy has no idea how to set up an installation, but he doesn't say this or ask for help, he simply puts the garbage disposal in our cart, with our three children who are starting to get a little out of hand. Not surprised since we have been in the store for over an hour now. Honestly, I am pretty proud of the kids for being as well behaved as they were, since the oldest was only 6. Me being the stubborn woman I am was not about to just give up though, so I stuck it out, with every step of the way thinking that we were almost done. Honestly, if I had known how unbelievably hard this was going to be, I would never have stuck around. 

On with the story. After being sent up to the customer service desk from the back of the store where the garbage disposals are, the little teeny bopper at the customer service desk informs me that she too has no idea how to set up an installation, and that there is no store manager working that day, so she doesn't know who to ask. She then sends me to the customer service desk that is in the back of the store by the kitchen appliances. By the way, at the time of this excursion, I am about 8 months pregnant, and supposed to be on bedrest because the baby is incredibly large and causes me a lot of pain when I am on my feet too long. So now I have a grumpy husband, three kids who are starving because it is an hour after dinnertime, and a waddling pregnant woman literally being sent EVERYWHERE because no one in this store seems to know what they are doing. We get to the installation desk and find that the teeny bopper up front forgot to ask someone to actually come help us. The plumbing "specialist" happens to walk by us and see us there and asks if we are getting something else. With every ounce of strength in me I try not to bite the guys head off at this point. He goes and grabs someone else who comes to our rescue. Thank heaven, there are chairs at this desk, so I sit down because I am in so much pain. After how much we have gone through, and being in the store for over 2 hours now, there is no way I am giving in now. I am getting a stupid garbage disposal. Oh had I known, that no, this was NOT near the end.

Setting up an installation was much like buying a house there is so much paperwork, and even though the price for installation that was hung next to the garbage disposal was $79, they proceed to charge me $149 for installation. When I tell her that no, it was listed as $79, she doesn't believe me and goes to check for herself. In this time, the "specialist has taken down the price that was accidentally left up, so she comes back and offers $129 as a "courtesy" I tell her no way, and find the stupid plumbing guy because he will tell you. Yeah, this takes another 30 minutes.  After he finally came and they tried to give me the $79 installation, the computer goes wonky and won't allow such a big price drop and since there is no store manager ON A SATURDAY, they can't override it. I ended up paying the $129, and I was so tired I just didn't want to fight it anymore. I set up what I thought was a day for the installation guy to come and install my new garbage disposal, pay the ridiculous amount of $350 for a garbage disposal and get on my way, 3 1/2 hours after we had walked in the store. 

Even though I was able to go home, kick up my feet, and get my kids dinner and tuck them in, this nightmare was far from over. Remember how I had set up the day for the guy to come install my disposal? NOPE! Turns out they set up a day for the guy to CALL to set up a day to install it. Yes, I am absolutely serious, and the first time he can come install it is in 2 1/2 weeks. Since we didn't really use the old disposal much to begin with, and we had already paid for it, we said fine, and waited the ridiculous amount of time until he came. 

When the installation guy came to put in the disposal, he was kind of gruff and in a hurry. He then tells us that since we didn't buy the "installation kit" too that he was going to have to charge us for it and lucky for us he happened to have one in his truck. He does the installation, and sets up the button, and goes on his way. It is then we realize that he didn't even use the installation kit, he used all the same stuff from the old one. Whatever, we were just all kinds of excited that this nightmare was over. 

Now the way our house is set up, the dishwasher is right next to the sink, and when the dishwasher drains, it goes into the garbage disposal and down the drain. He knew this, obviously, since he took the old one out, and hooked up the new one. About 3 days after the installation, and 7 dishwasher loads later I was walking through the kitchen and I heard a spooky hum. Working in many kitchens and growing up when my parents remodeled much of the main floor of their house, I knew what the hum was, it was electrical. I couldn't figure out what it was right away, and it was driving me nuts. My poor husband had never heard this sound before, so he didn't even know what to look for. Finally the next day, the garbage disposal stops working completely. Turns out the installation guy installed a power outlet box thing under the sink instead of just putting directly in like our last one was. He then used the old installation stuff and put a hole in the hose that runs from the dishwasher to the sink. Where was this hole? Yup, right above the new electrical box. It shorted out and honestly we are lucky our house didn't burn down, because the wood was nice and charred from sparks that had flown from the short. 

Obviously I call Lowe's right then and tell them what happened. I had already received our "customer care survey" call, which I didn't really want to answer because the horrifying story would mean that someone else would call us and I really didn't want anything more to do with Lowe's. But now, I had to call. When I get their installation "specialist" on the phone, I tell her what happened and she is shocked and seemingly sympathetic. That's when she informs me that she can get him out the very next day to fix it and it will be $75 to have him look at it plus however much it costs to actually fix it. Yes this is the point where I lost it. I don't remember exactly what I said but I did get them to come fix it for free. No the guy still didn't use the installation kit he forced us to buy, but it worked nonetheless. 

About a week later, it stopped running again. No, it wasn't shorted out again, I honestly have no idea what was wrong with it. I call the lady again and she again informs me that it will cost me the $75 "to be looked at" fee (no that is my term, not hers) plus however much it costs to fix it and if it can't be fixed, then I am SOL since it has now been 31 days since we bought it. I flipped out. YEAH ITS BEEN 31 DAYS BUT WE'VE ONLY HAD IT A FEW WEEKS CAUSE IT TOOK FOREVER TO GET IT INSTALLED! Not their problem apparently and this time they wouldn't budge. They then offered to charge me only $39 to talk to the installation guy on the phone and see if he knows what is wrong. Obviously I said no way on this planet, and went on my way.

By the way, I basically took the thing apart a few weeks later because I was frustrated and fixed it myself, it was a really easy fix, something inside it was bent and made it so it wouldn't rotate anymore. All that matters is that my husband and I swore that we would never again return to Lowe's for anything more complicated than a new key.

Now with the tax return we just got, we decided to finally replace the toilet in our master bathroom.  From previous experience, we knew we would go basically anywhere but Lowes. After looking online, I found that Lowe's was the best price still by a long shot. This worried me. After talking to a friend of mine, I still went into Home Depot today. This time it was just me and my extremely tired baby. Not a good start, I know. I walked in, and two people greeted me before I even had a chance to put the baby in the cart. They were both so polite. The type of people that make you want to just stay and chat they are so friendly. 

So before the baby was even in the cart I told the two very nice people that I needed a new toilet and have it installed and I had no idea what I was doing. While I was getting the baby buckled in, the nice lady got on her little walkie talkie radio thing and told someone what I was looking for and what I was wearing. I turned around after getting him buckled and she told me where to go, how to get there, and that a certain person would be waiting for me there to help me out, and what he was wearing. Still skeptical, I said ok and went on my way to the toilets. As I turned the corner, sure enough, there was the bald guy in a green shirt waiting for me at the beginning of the aisle with the toilets. I get almost to him and he looks at me, smiles and says "I've been waiting for you, what can I help you with?" WOW! SO NICE!!! I tell him that I need a new toilet for our master bath, but I don't even know how to shop for a toilet or what stuff I need to get with it, and I also need to get it installed. Ok he says, he then points me to this toilet that doesn't clog and "can flush a bucket of golf balls in one flush" and that it is hands down the best toilet. Skeptical me thinks he is just trying to take advantage of me, until I realize that this toilet he is pointing me to is nowhere near the most expensive, quite the opposite, it is about 4th cheapest! It is still a lot more money than the toilets at Lowe's  until he points out that it isn't because Lowe's is actually cheaper, its because the toilets at Home Depot come with all the equipment you need to install it, so you don't have to worry about what to get, or have a difficult time with installation! SWEET! So no, it wasn't more expensive than Lowe's, it was about the same, and more convenient at the same time! I said "ok great, I will take it then." He then tells me to just wait here and he will get me a flatbed cart because the shopping carts are difficult to load and unload the toilets. I remind him that I need it installed, and he said that is fine, so the escorts me up front, with the toilet, and helps me talk to the lady at the customer service desk. She enters my info, and says that we just pay when it is installed, not up front! SWEET! "Oh," she says, "and I can just ring you up for the toilet here too, so you don't have to get in line either." OMG I am about to cry from how nice all these people are!  She rings me up, then the nice plumbing guy escorts us to the van. I had a lot of cardboard in the back of the van because I was going to stop at the recyclers while I was out too, and warned the nice guy of it. I told him I would have to move all the cardboard before we could load it, but before I could get the baby buckled into his seat, he had rearranged the cardboard for me, and loaded the toilet in the car for me.  All in all, Home depot gave me unbelievable customer service. 

SO if you are after something that you actually need help with, go to home depot. If you already know what you are doing, it doesn't matter all that much, just do your homework beforehand so you know if you are being ripped off for certain prices.