Home Depot Vs Lowes....

Snobnd

First off I shopped at home depot for many years, without a lot of problems.

In the last 2 years I have lost customers because of the Pro desk & special orders ( venders) - I ordered a custom door and Paid $400 got my slip that had a delivery date 8 weeks from purchase. Then the date changed to 10 weeks then 12 weeks then 14 weeks- I would go into the store and ask when the door is coming in? each time I had to wait for the Pro to call the vender and check ( each time 1hr lost time) if I asked the Pro to call, and I would check back later in the day, It would not get done! I had to be there.

When the door did finally arrive it came in wrong, and I had to redo the special order and wait ( whenever they felt like sending the door) I called the customer and let them know what happened, She hung up on my and said it was all my fault, and she will not do business with me EVER! I have lost time and money over this dam door. The Mgr said he would make it right and get me something.

I ask several times over a course of 3 weeks what is going on? Finally I get a gift card of $500 - this all took from Sept 9 to Dec 23.

I was pissed and did not feel like I should spend my money at HD - so I stopped by Lowes for an 8" slider and 5'x 3' Pella window.
I was told 14 DAYS (not weeks) The door & window come in within 10 days.

The question is what Kind of crap have you guys had to put up with from HD. (I do have other suppliers but HD it close by)

mics_54

Welcome to my world. Home Depot is extremely effective and consistant. They have screwed up every order I ever made with them. Installations, store transfer, special orders, deliveries. They are equally incapable in all the various functions. They even sell product that you buy before you can get it delivered. I also attempted to purchase items elsewhere in the USA and have it delivered to their store here and they told me they don't ship to this state. Two months ago Lowes opened a store next door to Home Depot.

dlcj

glad you got something out of them an i would make sure to use the gift card on something in stock (preferably something for you own personal use) then forget them.
I know all contractors like to beat on blowes and home cheapo ( i do too) but $h!!t happens and no reason to quit cold turkey on a supplier unless you have problems very often.
I have been waiting for some windows sense thanksgiving that i ordered from my hometown supplier who i have been doing buisness with for 10 years and friends with the owners and managers. Wanted to get the job done on the taxes for this year but havent even started yet. Have windows now and will start fresh next monday for first job of 09.

dlcj

I have never seen a lowes and home depot that were'nt next door or across the street from each other.

English Roofer

Hi, although we dont have 'Home depot' in this country yours is not an unusual situation, i use a large suppler here called B & Q which will normally have most stuff in stock but i have now used smaller outfits which tend to be much keener in price and effort to help, with this resession apon us its time to shop around, i have saved between 10-20 % on materials this year by doing just that, hit them where it hurts in the tills!
Cheers
Dave
P.S. 'Familiarity breeds contempt'

Double-A

I'm lost here. Why would you even do a special order business with them? They have zero incentive to support you or your needs on special orders.

We deal with the local yards and suppliers. You know, the ones that need our business to stay in business. They have every incentive to be sure our order is correct and on time, and to call us back when they say they will.

I'm really lost as to why anyone would put the meat and potatoes of their company in the hands of large company whose primary business model focuses on sales and not service.

Think about it, if you were in the steak business, would you go to Sam's Club or Costco to have you meat cut? Do you go to Auto Zone to get your oil changed?

The OP just gave an excellent example of how to lose a sale by using a lower priced supplier. Well, that example translates into our end of the deal too. If you rely on Home Depot's and Lowe's prices to keep your bottom line competitive, then you're short changing your clients. You might look good for the estimate, but you're gonna look like a fool when it comes time to collect the last payment.

Your reputation will survive only so many hits to it. Do business with people that have just as much to lose by losing your business as you have of losing your client's business. Do business with real businesses, not with large scale investment strategies, which, when you think about it, is all a publicly owned business is or will ever be. Its a return on investment tool and its managed as such.

If they don't sell service, then they don't have what you and your business really need.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

Bodger

I never use Home Depot for anything other than a quick tool puchase or some small amount of materials that I need if they happen to be closer than my regular suppliers. In the stores in my area, the level of service in HD is a joke.
The employees don't know anything about what they sell, they don't care if you get what you need or not, and they seem to be posessed of a mind set that the store is only for DIY types and they don't seem much interested in providing service to them either. They couldn't care less if their incompetence impedes a contractor's profit stream.
Lowe's I'm not that familiar with.

Maybe it's better in other regions, but in So Cal, the HD's are run in such a way as they do not deserve to get business from contractors. They should stop presenting themselves as a viable outlet for tradesmen, they just do not deliver.

mics_54

Under certain circumstances I have no other choice but to do business with them.

BKFranks

Home Cheapo or bLowes? No thanks. The only thing I buy there is maybe a small tool or one piece of something, but that's it. I've been nice enough to pickup some special orders there and it's either delayed or wrong. Then when you go to pick it up it takes them an hour just to find it.

I'll stick to material suppliers who cater to contractors and know how to treat them. Most of the time it's people I've talked to so many times that I can just call on the phone and give them an idea what I want, they know what it is and place the order. Then when I get a call that it's there, I pick it up and spend maybe 15 minutes. 10 minutes of that is shooting the breeze.

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odellconstruct

its that way here i can easly throw a baseball in the others parking lot .. well really close

A W Smith

if its not in stock i walk out, I have never ordered anything from the box stores, The lumberyard i do business with can have most anything the next day. At worst 6 days tops, and if you are jammed up on a job you flip open your cell phone and can have common building materials there in an hour. Try even getting through the phone menu at a box store just to check stock. are you getting paid to push an orange or blue cart through the aisles?
The only advantage is after hours shopping at night for the next day.

__________________
Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

Snobnd

You bring up a good point, but on the other hand I have to bid against other guys so I'm closer to there price.....
Now I have to find a way of doing booth to survive.

I should bid the job using the Lowes prices but let the customer know time frame will change or I can use a supplier that is a little higher priced and get it on time, your choice.

A W Smith

if its a special order from a box store, its just about the same price as a lumberyard, Ive checked.

__________________
Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

Double-A

Honestly Sno, we don't bid. If asked to, we politely tell them that unless they are comfortable with prices at the upper end of the scale, there is no sense in us entering a bidding war. Its a waste of time and effort.

We provide a list of our local suppliers to our clients. We also list how many years we've done business with them. This shows that we have a relationship in the business community, not just a presence in the residential market. We also show our advertising to the client, to let them see where we spend our advertising budget. They can see that we dont' take a "spray and pray" approach to advertising and that we support the same types of things they support. Churchs, schools, charities. local community efforts.

People like to buy from folks just like themselves. They like to know that when they spend a dollar, part of it is going to be used for something other than paying for a door at the local lumber yard.

Rethink what you sell. The remodeling business is not that competitive if you don't sell on price. Its actually a pretty damned easy product to sell. The trick is, getting the right message to your prospective client.

Home Depot and Lowes don't send the right message to our clients. They are a business based soley on the DIY market. That is their bread and butter, anything else is just jam for their stock holders. So, they pay lip service to the contractor community, mainly because they feel it raises the 'goodwill' portion of their portfolio in the DIY communities mind.

Who doesn't want to shop where the pros shop and buy the same quality? The problem is, the real pros don't want to shop at the box stores for the same reason their clients don't. Its not very convienent and the service sucks.

They know this, and they don't have to change, because they still have their core business goals being met.

The trick in this business of ours, is to meet our core business goals without relying on the likes of the box stores.

If you expect a crack addict to make a bank deposit for you, or to go cash a check without running off with it, you have unrealistic expectations. The box stores are addicted to poor service and high volume. Expecting anything more from them is as unrealistic as expecting a crack addict to guard your checkbook for you.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

Bodger

I make it clear to my customers that none of my bid prices are based on trying to save money by letting HD or any other unprofessional entity befoul my business. I've had people ask me if to "put the sub-trades out to bid", meaning get prices from three or four different electricians and plumbers, etc.
I tell them I have professional, licensed, bonded and insured subs that I have long standing relationships with and who give me fair market quotes. I won't experiment with cheaper priced subs that I don't know, and then be held responsible for their work just so the H/O can feel like they got the best price. Same goes for suppliers.

Home Depot does not deserve to do business with professional contractors, period. They do not live up to their mission statement or their advertising.
CHEAP IS EXPENSIVE I always say.

duckdown

The funny thing is that I have had great service from Home Depot and poor service from Lowes. I guess it depends on where you live.

Mellison

Sometimes less expensive.

No special orders or trim/moulding from Lowes or Home Depot.
Material? absolutely.
They open at 5:00 am around here. That is a one hour jump on the nearest lumber yard.
Plus the difference in pricing when compared to NYC lumber yards can be huge.

MALCO.New.York

Lowes Blowes, but HD Really Sucks these days!

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE

KentWhitten

"Home Depot vs. Lowes"

If you had to eat ****, which would you prefer? Cat **** or dog ****?

Actually I go to HD quite alot since Lowes just got here and they weren't the early bird.

__________________
If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place ~Lao Tzu

Custom Cabinetry - Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Kennebunkport, Yarmouth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Ogunquit, Maine

Salmon Falls Cabinetry

MALCO.New.York

I particularly enjoy Bird over Dog or Cat. The PERFECT Acidity! Is it on the Menu????

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE