Typically I don’t resort to expressing dissatisfaction with a company to anyone other than the company. I have already filled out their satisfaction survey so let’s see if they take notice and contact me. One of my favorite stores, Lowe’s, grossly miscalculated how stubborn I can be about NEVER visiting them again. I purchased several hundred dollars’ worth of shrubs from Lowe’s in April of this year to replace the landscaping in front of my home. I was assured we had a 12 month guarantee where the plants would be replaced if they “didn’t make it.” So far, three of the little English Boxwoods didn’t make it. I returned them today with no problems. However, they did not have the 1 gallon version of the boxwood available so I chose the three smallest two gallon plants that weren’t any larger than the ones in my yard and took them to customer service. I asked if they could make an adjustment as I shouldn’t have to pay $10 more per plant to replace the guaranteed plants. This is where the problem started… The young lady started to explain to me they only refund the money. They don’t guarantee they will have a replacement available. I asked what I was going to do about the three gaping holes in my landscaping. She said I needed to purchase the more expensive version. I told her “I think not.” I asked for the manager who promptly showed up and asked his associate, not me, what the problem was. They went off to the side and after a few finger pointings and sideway glances, Manager Eloy? came over to me and said they don’t do that. I politely explained again why I was asking for the adjustment, showed him my MYLOWE’S card to prove I wasn’t a one-time customer then asked him to reconsider. He told me this would screw up his inventory count. I assured him he was about to screw up his loyal customer count. His final offer was a 20% discount making my guaranteed plants twice as much as the originals. I told him I wasn’t satisfied with his offer and declined. I then proceeded to place the $70 worth of other merchandise in my cart back on the shelf. If they weren’t willing to help me, I wasn’t willing to help them. When I finished, I went across the street to Home Depot where, as I was pulling in, I noticed a sign saying they had a 50% off all Shrubs and Trees sale going on. I looked but all of their boxwoods were too big to blend in with my current bushes so I decided to go back to Lowe’s to see if they would price match. I would have been willing to pay the extra $2 per bush. I asked for the manger again but instead was greeted by Manager Suzi. Suzi explained that Manager Eloy was at lunch. I explained the same story to her and she immediately began shaking her head during my discussion. She interrupted with they would not price match Home Depot because it was a final clearance sale. She also said Manager Eloy already made his decision and she wasn’t going to change his decision. I assured her she was about to become complicit in chasing a very good customer off and if that is what she wanted, I was willing to oblige. She said there was nothing she could do. In conclusion, I will get my new bushes somewhere else. I will also get all of my other project materials from somewhere else. Think how easy it would have been for Lowe’s to say “No problem, let’s discount those other bushes by 50% and then ring up the other $70 worth of stuff you have there.” They would have solidified me being a customer for life. Instead, they have lost a customer for life. I would like it if everyone would take the time to like, forward and comment so I can share with Lowe’s how greatly disappointed I am with their associates’ and managers’ lack of concern in resolving a customers’ concern.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 01:00:32 +0000
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