When the store recently opened about one mile from my house, I was excited because I was just starting some major renovation projects. With a Home Depot and EXPO located nearby, I thought Lowe's would provide some additional selection and competition. However, from the time the store first opened, dealing with them has been nothing but aggravation. Currently, I am in the process of remodeling two bathrooms, making trips to Lowe's almost daily to get supplies needed for this job. Purchasing items has never been a problem, checking out has always been handled in a timely manner. However, every time I attempted to return an item it has always been a 30-minute wait. I believe returning an unopened item with a receipt should be handled just as expediently as a purchase. However, this is just the start of my problems with your store.

On Saturday, August 17, I order and paid for an Insignia bathroom vanity. The sign above the display said guaranteed in 14 days. Since I made the order on a weekend, on Monday, August 19, I called to verify my order had been placed. I was assured that the order had been placed and delivery of the vanity would be in 14 days or less. In fact, the sales associate explained that the vanities usually arrive in less than 14 days. About 10 days later I went to the store to see if the vanity had come in and was told no, but, it was on order and should be in a few days. On Tuesday, September 3, more than 14 days past the due date of the vanity, I went into your store again and was told that the vanity had not yet arrived but was due on September 9th. On September 9th, I inquired as to the status and was told by one of the associates that they would contact the manufacturer and call me with the status. After not receiving a return call, on September 10th, I once again inquired about the vanity and was told that shipment of it was due at any time. On September 14th, I called once again about the vanity. At that time, I spoke to one of your assistant managers, Chris Gras, and discovered that the vanity had not been ordered until September 2. Chris said he would contact the company, put a rush on delivery and contact me the following day with an update. On September 3rd, having not received a call, I had to contact Lowe's to obtain the status. Mr. Gras informed me that there was no way to rush the order and the vanity would be shipped on the 19th and, I would receive a 10% discount due to the mistake. On September 20, over 30 days since ordering the vanity, Lowe's called to tell us the vanity was in. We were out of town and unable to pick up the vanity until Monday, September 23.

On September 23, I went up to the store to pick up the vanity and had to wait over one hour for them to bring it to me. During this time, I reminded Mr. Gras of the discount he had committed to and I was told that I would have to wait until the vanity showed up before he could give us a discount. It was quite clear that he was in no hurry to help me get my vanity and I ended up being in your store for 2 hours attempting to pick up the vanity.

When I got home with the vanity, I found that it was the incorrect model. So, back to Lowe's I went. I waited for almost 1 hour for someone to help me resolve this issue. A sales associate called Mr. Gras, but he did not show up until 45 minutes later. Meanwhile an assistant manager, Steve (I apologize for not getting a last name, it might be Jackson) came to the customer service counter to assist. Don, an associate from plumbing, came up and was very helpful getting an order for another vanity pulled together. However, he was given no direction on what to do with the order or how to capture information on the return. Finally a new vanity was order and I was assured by Mr. Gras and Steve that they would contact the manufacture in the morning to confirm the order, inquire about any possibility of expediting and provide me a status by mid day. Mr. Gras assured me several times that he would do it first thing Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning and afternoon came and went yet I received no phone call. About 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, I went back to your store and talked to Steve, only to find out that once again nobody followed through and contacted the supplier. It was only after indicating I would wait in his office that the call was made. There was no discussion of expediting, only the blanket statement that the manufacture requires one-week minimum to fill the order and 4-5 days to ship. Another 14 day wait.

On October 7, I went to Lowe's and inquired about the status of my order since it should have been in by the 4th. The sales associate looked it up and gave me a scheduled date of October 16th. This being unacceptable, I spoke to the manager on duty to, Steve, and refreshed his memory of my predicament. He committed to contacting the manufacturer, determining the status and calling me right back. Eight hours later, I still have not heard back. In the meantime, my wife contacted Insignia directly using the 1-800 number on an order form she found. Debbie the Insignia representative was very friendly and helpful, looking up both our original order (it was ordered wrong by Lowe's on 9/9, not 9/2 as I had been told by Mr. Gras) and the reorder. Debbie called us back with a status within thirty minutes.

At this point, I sent this letter to the store manager, and VP of Store Operations. Still haven't heard anything from them.

On October 9th, I was told the product was scheduled to ship and would be shipped directly to the store by-passing Lowe's depot. Should be only another 3-4 days.

Today, I contacted Lowe's again. This time I was informed that they couldn't find the order or provide a status... some kind of mixup with the supplier switching computer systems. I might get a call back tomorrow with a status. In the meantime, my family is enduring in a three bathroom house that only has 1 sink.

Interestingly enough. I went to the Lowes' website to register a comment on the store's service. Upon hitting the 'submit' button, the website went offline and has been gone for about 10 hours at this point. I guess I'll savor this slight amount of justice.

Brad
Ballwin, Missouri

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