HD Quality Poll

Mike Finley

In your market is HD seen as a high quality option for the customers you service or a low quality option?

mdshunk

is HD seen as a high quality option...

seen by whom? Me... no. My customers... I have no idea what they might think. Home Depot and Lowe's is certainly an easy, comfortable option for the homeowner. Quality aside, easy and comfortable have great value also.

Teetorbilt

Ya gets what ya pays for. Box stores are for the masses. Limited choices, low quality and not much room to bargain.

I'm working on a whole house remod and the HO's had only been to the two box stores (we started with the flooring tile). I sent them to 3 flooring stores and they were astounded with the selection.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

slickshift

How does the public perceive it?
Most think it'll be decent quality, if not great...before they actually get an HD install

The after, well I've never talked to an HD install customer that wasn't somewhere in between major big time disappointed and rip-roaring mad at the quality of service

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Signature Quote

Quote:

Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

Chris G

Absolutely agree. They have that going for them at the outset.

Teetorbilt

Massive marketing campaigns targeted at mediocrity. The majority of todays Americans are like sheep, you can lead them right into the slaughter house.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Mike Finley

Teetor - talking installation services, not products here.

King of Crown

I think everyone here knows that if they go through HD they are not going to get fine custom work, but obviously expect the job done right, but "right" in and of itself is a realitive term.

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Real nice guys

Bone Saw

I think HD sells a bitchen corn dog, their soft pretzels are pretty good too.

GoodPainter

I do buy stuff from them-a little bit

But

My most recent Customer was getting doors installed by HD before I started any work(they wanted to have it charged so they sould make payments)
Well they ordered the wrong doors to start
Then its been delayed about 2 months
so
Hopefully 2nd week of January I can start
maybe

They suck already

Robert

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Robert Good
It's Your Life-Make Fun Of It!
http://www.robertgoodpainting.com

john elliott

We don't have HD in the UK but we certainly have their equivalent, and they do take quite a lot out of the market.
There are a number of reasons why people use them, naturally one of the reasons is the assumption that the price is going to be good, also the assumption that they will actually get the service they are paying for (that the contractor won't go bankrupt or die or disappear etc).
Quality is not such a big consideration, they just assume that the quality will be adequate, which quite often it is

John

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Ed the Roofer said "John too, in his crass and blunt demeanor.............."

Richard

ditto--

when it's quick and easy sometimes that surpasses the product they are actually getting, all they say is...."wow, they were quick and so easy to deal with"

I didn't poll because I have no idea what people are thinking...I know what I think, but.....

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Rich

Mike Finley

I think that sums up exactly the publics perception.

If I had to rate 3 things in order of importance why the public chooses HD for an installation they would be.

#1 Guarantee - assumption it will be done right (at some point, if not the first time, HD will make it right eventually, maybe not a craftsman type perfect installation, but good enough so their friends won't laugh at them for hiring HD)
#2 Price - they may not find the top of the line product or installation, but it will be good enough
#3 Easy - There is the big orange box, right over there, they drive by it all the time and shop their already. No need to go through the hassles of finding, then calling, then meeting 3 random contractors in their home.

An image that defines the publics perception of why to use HD for installation services...

Chris G

I had a new next door neighbour move in last weekend. We were chatting and she asked me if I wold quickly look at her basement because she had some water come in, (we had 2 days of hard rain, and it's 100 year old house, so water in basement isn't unusual.

I talked her through different options, (NO, I wasn't going to do the work, I am not going to work for a next door neighbour, but I will give her the numbers of people I trust), and looked at at few other things in her house. She and her boyfriend had no idea what I was talking about. This is her first home. She was doing some painting later on, and I could see she was wearing a nice new Home Depot hat!

So that's how it can start. New homeowner, goes to buy some paint at the Depot. They're friendly, and hey, look at that! They do floor installation! Wow, maybe I can get some new floors in my home!!! This is soooooooo cool! I've never been in one of these places. They have everything!!!! I gonna be here everyday!!! I love my new home! I love Home Depot!!!

POOLMANinCT

i shop at hd & lowes all the time, not for anything related to my biz.

and to be honset when i do my kitchen over next winter ill be suprised if i buy the stuff else where.

would i hire a HD team to do a job at my place, nah.

TimNJ

In this market it is more a question of convenience. HO goes to big box and sees new entry/patio/storm door and says I want that asap. Big box says ok we'll send a guy out to measure, then you give us the money and we install the product. On an in stock item can be as fast as a few days. Customers around here are more interested in saving time.

Bud Cline

Stumbled into a survey by a major polling company just last week but now I can't find it.

Their contention was that on a national level Home Depot was second in customer complaints. Second just behind WalMart.

There is a Los Angeles TV Station that is currently investigating Home Depots Installation Service and it ain't good. At first they could only find a hand full of complaintants. They ran their story about the small amount of complaints and received over two hundred emails complaining about HD's Installation service that same evening. By the next day they had over four hundred emails and telephone calls complaining about the shoddy workmanship and treatment customers received from HD and how HD's policy is simply to wear-down the customers that complain hoping they go away.