What happened to Customer Service?

This past Friday, I went to my Lowe’s to pick up a grill for my husband and father of my child and best friend to celebrate Father’s Day. I had all the plans in place to make it a surprise so he wouldn’t see it until Father’s Day and was SO proud of myself for not letting it slip.

But the management at this particular Lowe’s location ruined it for all of us.

We are a Lowe’s family. With all of the work we’ve done on this and previous houses and both of us having particular hobbies, Lowe’s has really become our 2nd home. With a Target right next door and a Chick-fil-A across the parking lot, really, what more could you ask for?

When I decided to get the grill for my husband, I didn’t shop around. I just headed straight to Lowe’s, knowing full well they’d have something that would fit the bill. And they did. I picked it out, paid for it and was waiting for it to be brought up front and the tanks exchanged all within 10 minutes.

When the grill was brought up to the front, I was asked what kind of vehicle I drove. I responded and drove Stella up to the curb to see if they thought it would fit. I was told that the fit “wouldn’t be a problem” and 3 employees proceeded to load the grill into the back of Stella. It didn’t fit. Keep in mind, we’re in Florida. So while this is going on, its bright & sunny, about 95 degrees and 2462% humidity. So they took the grill back out, we stood around for about 7 minutes while the salesman runs inside to grab a screwdriver, they removed the top, and reloaded. We’re still not in all the way, hanging off by maybe less than a foot, but I only have a couple of miles to go. I told them I’d tie down the hatch, I’ll drive carefully and I’ll still be happy. I happened to look down though and noticed this time, however, upon reload, they managed to scratch Stella. Not a huge scratch by any means (maybe an inch?), but a deep one. Through the clear coat, through the paint and down to the base metal of the car. They also managed to mar up my protective plate in the trunk and make another long scratch along the bumper.

I was upset, but I wasn’t angry. I take care of my property very well and when damages occur, I get them fixed. Things like this happen, right? Lowe’s is reputable, they’ll make good on it and we’ll all be happy. Enter Manager Chad. Eventually.

It took Chad about 10 minutes to finally get outside and say “Yes, How can I help you?’  The words weren’t horrible, but his tone was incredibly demeaning. I felt like I was a toddler that just broke a vase all over again. Except this was MY vehicle and LOWE’S EMPLOYEES caused the damage. So I took a minute to explain the problem and show him the damage and he says, “Well, I will apologize for the scratch but the inside protective plate, you have to expect that . . . well, if this were my vehicle . . .” I couldn’t let that slide. I interrupted him with, “but it’s NOT your vehicle” which seemed effective enough for him to realize just how serious I was AND that I wasn’t going to just walk away.

Chad then proceeded to tell me that I ” . . . should have rented a truck. Or used a friend’s truck. What was I thinking trying to get the grill into the back of the vehicle?” Again, the pompous attitude offended me because I DID mention that I had a truck available and could pick up the grill the following day. When I said it, however, the employees continued to load the grill anyway. Knowing where they work for a living, I gave them the benefit of the doubt in knowing what they were doing. Shame on me.

Chad called out the store liability guy . . . the one with the digital camera. I was actually happy to see that Lowe’s is prepared with having this guy and the equipment on site ready to document any accident. While he is photographing the scratches, Chad proceeds to tell the employees to tie down my hatch with twine and anchor it to my rear windshield wiper. Seriously. This suggestion came from a Lowe’s Store Manager. That was not going to fly. I objected and the Lowe’s Risk Guy says, “actually, we’re not allowed to tie anything down. As the vehicle owner, you can do it yourself, if you’d like. But our employees are not allowed to tie down anything and we relinquish any responsibility for damages that may be caused.”

Chad then decided to jump on Lowe’s Risk Guy’s wagon and says “actually, our employees are not responsible for loading anything into your vehicle. It’s not something we regularly do.” So I told Chad exactly what he needed to say to me. All I wanted to hear was, “I am SO sorry about the damages and I would like to take care of the bill for repairing them. In addition, to compensate you for the extra time you now have to take out of your day to fix a problem caused by our employees and in a gesture of good faith for your future business, I would also like to have one of our employees deliver the grill to your home for you.” When I told him that’s what he should have said, he scoffed and said “there’s no way I’m taking care of the delivery. And if you bring me estimates for repairing the damage, I’ll see if there’s something I can do.” Something you can do? Really? I politely asked him to remove the grill from my vehicle and issue me a full refund. With that attitude and abhorrent customer service, there is no way I’m giving that store credit for the sale.

So while I waited for all the employees to take their time coming back out to the car to unload the grill, I took care of unloading all the parts, accessories and propane tank. Now, it’s 2 days before Father’s Day, I’m sunburned from standing in the parking lot, hot and miserable, staring down the barrel of unknown lost time due to having to get a quote that *maybe* Chad will cover to repair the damages, then having to go back to the shop to have the repairs done, and I still don’t have a grill for Father’s Day.

I’m not so unrealistic that I’ll curse Lowe’s and vow to never shop there again. It really is our 2nd home and this is just one bad experience over the hundreds of positive ones. I really do hope that Lowe’s can come up with something to take this extremely sour taste out of my mouth.

 

Farmer Moose

Moose and I unleashed our inner-farmers this weekend. The husband had to work so it was just me and the Moose that got to enjoy Goose’s 4th birthday party. What do you think of when you hear “4-year-old birthday party?” I think of Chucky Cheese, Movie Theatres, Bounce Houses, Duckpin Bowling and parks. But what about Farms? No? Me neither. But it was A BLAST.

Noah’s Ark Farm in Odessa is full of wonderful animals and the party was hosted by Farmer Ben, the owner of Noah’s Ark. The kids got to pet & brush goats, hold baby chicks, tickle pot-bellied pigs and ride a pony. It was such a great experience and all of the kids really seemed to get a kick out of learning about the animals. So much so, in fact, that Moose and I walked away with an extra special party favor.

Someone had dropped a rooster off at Noah’s Ark Farm and Farmer Ben mentioned needing to find a new home for him. While he was extremely friendly and got along great with the hens, he caused problems with the other roosters. There’s really no benefit to having a rooster without hens. Roosters don’t lay eggs and we probably wouldn’t be very popular with the neighbors. But he was SOOO cool. A quick message to the husband and it was settled. If the Moose wanted to bring home the rooster, we would officially have our first family pet.

But Farmer Ben’s wife had a change of heart about finding a new home for the Rooster. Apparently, the youngest of their 8 children had grown quite fond of the Rooster. So instead of brining home a live Rooster, Farmer Ben gave us a different pet. A pet that the Moose could be much more involved with and try to raise all on his own.

Our first Family Pet

Farmer Ben taught us how to take care of it and incubate so we could hopefully have our newest family member in just 21 days! Last night I ran out to Lowe’s and picked up a grow light and the husband set up a little bed outside on the porch. We’re not going to name it or get any more involved at this point because there’s a very large chance that it won’t work out. But the Moose is VERY excited and pitched a fit last night when we didn’t let him sleep out on the porch with it.  So we’ll keep you posted . . . we’ve got 20 more days to go!

 

Christmas Morning

We spoiled the crap out of each other this year. Just like we do every other year and I LOVE it. But it’s even better with an almost-3-year-old in the house. And of course it was all about him this year. So here are just a couple snipits from this morning – I’ll post more as I get them edited but I didn’t want to wait too long or it would be next Christmas!

So here’s the Moose checking out his new piggy bank (he’s FASCINATED with trains and cars in case you didn’t know) and here he is with his new powerwheels (sorry it’s so dark . . . it was too early to turn the lights on). Spoiled, remember? And loving ever second of it.

 

Another Entrepreneurial Venture . . .

As if running one business would ever really be enough?

I would like to officially dedicate this post to Darla. Feel free to forward any of your own thanks, comments, and snide remarks about my lack of focus her way. I’m sure she’d love to hear it!

All joking aside, you really have to check this stuff out.  Let me back up a minute . . .

Darla invited me to a party that she hosted this past weekend for a company called Uppercase Living. As soon as I saw the Evite appear in my inbox, I had to know what this party was all about. The more I learned about the product, the more eager I got for Darla’s party.

It was love at first sight/smell/touch of the UL catalog and I’m finding myself constantly thinking of project/gift ideas. I placed my first order with Darla and that just wasn’t enough. I had to have easier access. And with all the things I want to do (it’s only 4 days after the party) I figured it would be smarter to gain a little benefit from my purchases. So I signed up as a Demonstrator.

That’s right . . . the entrepreneurial spirit is in full swing, as always.

I promise to post pictures of the stuff I make if you promise to look at them! And if you decide to order some goodies or set a party with me, I fully expect to see pictures of your projects in my email box. The other great thing about these products? They only LOOK intimidating – but they really are the easiest thing in the world to apply. Your only hindrance is your own imagination . . . which I highly doubt is anything but.