Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse Dream Kitchen turned Nightmare Delran New Jersey

I'm sending this email hoping that you can help me with my dream kitchen turned nightmare. On 5/17/04, I made a cash purchase for kitchen cabinets through Lowes associate, Monique (Monica) Compare and an appliance purchase (cash) through Lowes associate, Kristen (surname unknown). I was told that the cabinets take 4-6 wks to arrive and the appliance delivery would be scheduled at the same time. An installer subcontracted by Lowes came out and measured my kitchen and I sat down with Monique and picked the cabinets I wanted.

While shopping at the store @ a month later, I saw Monique. She informed me that she had spoken to my husband earlier to tell him the kitchen cabinets had arrived. When I got home, my husband and I made arrangements for the cabinets and appliances in our kitchen to be dismantled in preparation for the arrival of the new cabinets and appliances.

We phoned the store and spoke to Monique, we were told, the cabinets had been misplaced and were either somewhere in the store or at the warehouse in Bristol, Pa. I was told not to worry and I'd be kept informed. A few days later I spoke to Monique regarding the location of the cabinets and to get the telephone number of the cabinet manufacturer, Kraft Maid. When I phoned the cabinetmaker in an attempt to locate the cabinets, I was told they were NEVER ordered!

I immediately phoned the store and spoke to store manager, Chris. I told him what had transpired. He apologized and offered $500.00 for the inconvenience of being without a kitchen (6/20/04 until cabinets and appliances could be reordered, delivered and installed).

The cabinets arrived from the manufacturer on 7/19/04. We hired installers to put the cabinets in but were told the cabinets were too big and could not fit into the kitchen. Again, I phoned the store and spoke to store manager, Joe Vidota, I made him aware that his installer came out and measured and the cabinets are too big to accommodate my kitchen. Both Joe and Lowes installer, Todd, came to my home and looked at the cabinets. They insisted that the installers that I hired did not know what they were doing (they were not professional installers) and told me the cabinets DO FIT!

I allowed Lowes installer to install the cabinets for a fee of $2100.00, and GUESS WHAT, the cabinets and appliances DO NOT FIT!! The Lowes installer hung some of the cabinets on 8/2/04 and 8/3/04 (two cabinets were too large to accommodate the refridgerator) and had to be re-ordered. The Refrigerator was too large to accommodate the space allowed for it and had to be re-ordered. The wall cabinets extended beyond the doorframe for the kitchen,extending into the Dining room area. The back area of one of the large cabinets, on which the counter was to be placed is unfinished, with the unfinished area exposed. The stovetop, dishwasher, sink and sinkbase are still NOT installed.

On 8/10/04, the fabricator for the granite countertop I purchased (cash), was informed by Lowes that templating was ready to be done, the technicians came out to the house, looked at the kitchen cabinets and informed me that they COULD NOT template because all of the cabinets and appliances had to be in place and were not! This means my counter-top will not made until 3 weeks after the templeting is done. This is all so very draining!

My husband is wheelchair bound and the loss of door space required, because the cabinets are are too large to accomodate the space, will negatively impact his ability to access the kitchen. Today is 8/11/04 and this madness has been occurring since 5/17/04. PLEASE HELP ME!!! I have been without a kitchen for the entire summer with no hope of a kitchen anytime soon. I have spent countless dollars eating out, my diabetic husband has to eat six meals a day and I have had no way of preparing any of these meals! I have spent upwards of $16,000 cash and have received nothing but inconvenience, chaos, and apathy from the Lowes Corporation.

Bobbie
Willingboro, New Jersey
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Lowes Home Improvement