Lowe's online ordering (rant)

[atgcpaul]

Do you ever wonder why you keep buying from a store that causes you so much grief?

I have used the Lowe's pickup in store option 3 times now.

The first time I bought a plastic storage shed/box on a Black Friday sale. It was sold out locally. We were having Thanksgiving (we do our big family one on Fridays) in Philly that year so I arranged for pickup there. Got to the store and 1) they tried to sell my shed to a walkin customer and 2) the one I got had a dented lid--the box was visibly damaged. I'm not one to complain but I did this time, and got the $200 shed which was marked down to $100 for $75.

The second time I bought about 10 bags of playsand around lunchtime. Around 2pm I got an e-mail saying the order was ready to pickup. I showed up at 5pm to pick it up. After some head scratching they determined that someone moved the cart somewhere because I hadn't come to pick it up yet. So they send someone to go find it. He can't find my order so grabs a new cart to go load some more. 10 minutes had passed by now. 20 minutes later the guy shows up and says, "Oh, it was already on a cart back there." SO WHY DID IT TAKE THEM 30 MINUTES TO FIGURE THAT OUT???

I was hoping they'd send me an online survey to ask about my shopping experience. A week later, they did. I let them have it but I never got a response.

So last week I had to order Hardi siding along with all the other stuff that goes with it. I was having the siding delivered to my house--their website said it would be about 2 weeks so end of April--no prob, all the other stores told me the same thing. There was some other stuff available in the store that I would pickup at my convenience and a sheet of laminate countertop that would take a week to come in which I would also pickup.

I placed the order and the next day I get a phone call to schedule the siding delivery. April 29. Done. That afternoon I get an email that everything (except the laminate and siding) is ready for pickup. I was bracing for the worst. So Lowe's smartly separated the Internet pickup desk from the customer service desk. Internet pickups are by the pro desk now on the other end of the store. I go there and all my stuff is waiting for me and I'm out of there in less than 5 minutes. OK, this is good. I was ready to load on the praise if I got a survey e-mail. No e-mail.

A few days pass and I get a voice mail (no e-mail) that my laminate is in and I should go to the "Customer Service" desk. When I arrive, I actually scan the Internet pickup desk first just in case, but the box isn't there. I go to CS and after some more head scratching, they go to the back and bring out my box. A little annoying but took 10 minutes so I'll live.

That night (I think April 17) I get a call from Lowe's and the guy apologizes that the the siding won't be ready for delivery tomorrow as I was previously told. Tomorrow? It's supposed to be April 29. He makes the change.

Yesterday I get the survey e-mail from Lowe's. Oh, I'm ready. I click the link and the webpage reports "Invalid survey link". Is there a camera watching me???? I actually e-mail the Lowe's CS on the survey e-mail and let them know what's up and, "This doesn't bode well. Please send me a working survey link. I actually want to take the survey." I haven't received a reply yet.

Last night I got a voice mail from a company doing the delivery scheduling for Lowe's. They tell me they'll be at my house between 9am and 11am on April 22 (today) with my siding. I call them and they said I had called to reschedule for April 22. Um, no. Anyway, since the siding got in early, I'm actually having it dropped off this Saturday.

Crossing my fingers.

Now where's that survey?

I called around to local lumberyards, too. Their delivery fees were comparable (one was $10 less) but the same siding for residential customers was 50% more than Lowe's. I just couldn't do that.

Paul

[Jim1]

I hear you on this. I've been down this path a couple of times. All at the same store. After e mails and calling on two different orders and then stopping by it was "sorry we don't have that item in stock". Why then would I get emails and calls saying the order is ready, just come pick it up. When I complained, I could tell they heard me but weren't listening. I think the staff at the store is just inept. I don't shop there anymore. I've started doing my online shopping at another Lowes in the opposite direction. Used them several times, never a problem. I made a comment to them concerning the good service. The response was that they do their best, and that they have received awards for being the best customer service store in their district.

[LCHIEN]

Yeah, Lowes internet pickup service has been spotty. It seems to be improving. I've had them tell me they can't find it then later they call and say they found it. It's not a big enough component of their business - yet.
It can be convenient... have them hunt it down and bring it to the front and hold it for you instead of you having to find it in the big store. Of course sometimes they have the same problems as you do - stock inventory says its there but no one knows where... You may get aggravated but then its less aggravating than hunting all over the store.
And locking up the last one in the store before someone else gets it.

[JimD]

I think the only thing I've purchased this way at Lowe's was an inexpensive water quality testing kit. They didn't bring it up front until I got there and stopped several times along the way. I could have walked back and gotten it myself quicker if I knew were it was. Reminded me of picking up oil at Walmart that was a deliver to store order. That wasn't very quick or smooth either. I picked up an insulation order at Home Depot this way and they ran me across the store a couple times too.

[capncarl]

Last week I was in Lowes scouring the electrical parts and pieces aisle for a SO strain relief with no luck. There was a lady in a Lowes apron gathering items from this aisle shelves so I asked her where they hide SO strain relief's? She said that if I would tell her what they looked like and what they were used for she would help me as soon as she finished pulling this order! She was pulling ordered merchandise for an on line order in the electrical aisle and did not have the slightest clue what she was handling, just going by the tag on the edge of the shelf, which we all know always has the wrong stuff mixed in with sometimes the right stuff. At least she is employed!

[atgcpaul]

She was pulling ordered merchandise for an on line order in the electrical aisle and did not have the slightest clue what she was handling, just going by the tag on the edge of the shelf, which we all know always has the wrong stuff mixed in with sometimes the right stuff. At least she is employed!

The people working at HD and Lowe's are definitely in a tough spot. I couldn't imagine a real electrician working there (unless they were retired) when they could be doing a lot better for themselves financially as an electrician.

That being said, though, my day job is to manage the inventory of 1/2 million individual chemicals we use for different experiments. We also fill requests for samples from our "customers" all day long. We have a mix of commercial software as well as software I've written or had written to help manage all this stuff all for the fraction of the cost of what Lowe's spends on their inventory management. Why can I tell someone how much of sample X we have and exactly where to find it, but that poor woman can't be given a pick list with the exact aisle/shelf/box location? It's just sad.

Or for these web orders, why can't there be a "note" field like "I put the playsand on a cart with the customer's name on it in the back where the sand is kept. Don't load another cart. I'm going to lunch, Bob." Maybe there is, but noone uses it.

BTW, I did receive an e-mail back from CS regarding the survey. They apologized that the link didn't work and sent a new one. I'll be doing that on my lunch break.

[capncarl]

Lowes does not have the market cornered on having stupid on-line ordering! Sears delivered an avacado green upright freezer to my bro-in-law in Atl. It was setting in his garage when he got home from work and could not pull his car all the way in and shut the door. He called Sears and asked them to pick it up because he did not order it, they said he did and he paid cash for it. After several months of bickering with them he gave up and gave it to my wife so he could get in his garage. A couple of weeks later when he got home a white freezer was setting in its place, when he called Sears they apologized for delivering the wrong color! and would not admit that they had delivered another one to the same wrong house. I be someone that was missing their freezer was really pissed.

[atgcpaul]

How'd they get into his garage--twice?

Was there stuff in the green freezer they moved to the new white one?

So weird.

[capncarl]

I transported the green freezer to my house, It was empty because BIL did not want it and did not want to use it because he did not pay for it. The next door neighbor, always willing to help, opened the garage door for the delivery guys. I bet the neighbor wondered about all the freezers though. Thinking back now, that was in the dark days before internet online ordering so this can be blamed on the store not the internet.

[woodturner]

Why can I tell someone how much of sample X we have and exactly where to find it, but that poor woman can't be given a pick list with the exact aisle/shelf/box location?

Controlled access - your samples are controlled and people can't just walk in and grab them off the shelf.

"Shrinkage" is perhaps the biggest inventory headache for any retailer. Their counts are correct, but they don't (and can't) subtract out items that "disappear".

[atgcpaul]

Controlled access - your samples are controlled and people can't just walk in and grab them off the shelf.

"Shrinkage" is perhaps the biggest inventory headache for any retailer. Their counts are correct, but they don't (and can't) subtract out items that "disappear".

That only explains them not being able to locate an item their inventory says in-stock. However, if I want an item (and I'm pretty sure everything is barcoded), they should be able to tell me exactly where in the store that barcode is *supposed* to be--not just "Aisle 9". And I know in my inventory system, if I move an item, it's something like two barcode scans to also move it in the database. I'm less annoyed for my own sake, but more annoyed for the people who have to fill an internet order.

I was actually at Slowe's this morning to buy paint and noticed they do have an app for that. I'm going to have to try it out. However, I wonder if this may backfire on them. If I want a certain item and the app tells me exactly where it is, I think I might be less likely to browse and pick up more items along the way. Maybe there is method to their madness.

Paul

[Hellrazor]

Lowes is a PITA.

I am waiting close to 4 years for the first request for a commercial account at work and 2 years for the second request.

The refused to honor a tax exemption certificate the one time I was there. Why? Because the person who handles converting a tax exemption number to a lowes tax exemption number doesn't come in until 11am... at the commercial sales desk that opens at 6 or 7am.

3 strikes


Still buying everything at Home Depot....

[conwaygolfer]

Several years ago I was buying enough hardi siding for a complete house job. Went to lowes and got their price and then went to a local lumber dealer and asked if they would match Lowes price. Told them I was buying that same day and they agreed to it. Plus delivery was free. I never had to touch it and even told the delivery man where to unload it. Not sure they will still do this.

[LCHIEN]

LOwes can be a pain but they're the elephant in the bedroom - its hard to ignore them.

[Hellrazor]

LOwes can be a pain but they're the elephant in the bedroom - its hard to ignore them.

I can afford to ignore them since there are alternatives in my area. Plus if a company ignores me as a Corp purchaser I am going to ignore them for my personal stuff too.