RAVE: Delridge Home Depot

[StringCheese]

They really did right by me today.

I purchased a freezer from them about 16 months ago. It decided to die yesterday. After hours of searching the internet, I found that the manufacturer filed for bankruptcy last year and isn’t honoring any warranties as part of its filing. A call to a repairman (the lovely WS Scott Wiseman) left me knowing that the cost to repair the item was greater than just buying a new one.

I went to Home Depot hoping that they would take pity on me and give me an awesome deal on a new freezer (it’s not their fault that the freezer company went belly-up). They looked up my receipt and gave me a FULL REFUND.

The manager, Curtis Jauregui, was amazingly kind and helpful. It was more than I hoped for and has restored a bit of my faith in big box retail.

Perhaps I will overlook their poorly organized store and be a bit more patient when looking for the elusive orange aprons in the future.

Props also to Angela and Sheri who were manning the Help Desk!

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[angelescrest]

How cool!

I have always liked that store–early weekend mornings have a nice feel.

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[KatherineL]

So nice to hear a big box store looking at something other than their own profit.

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[argiles]

StringCheese I am glad that they were able to give you a full refund, It shows that they care about their customers! Hope the new freezer works well :)

I’d also like to say that they had a Light Keeper Pro display that made it so much easier to find then the other stores where they take such a small item and place it on some humongous board with a bunch of other things.

And by the way the Light Keeper Pro’s are amazing, and helped save my pre-lit tree.

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[christopherboffoli]

The unfortunate part of this story is that original freezer. An entire ecosystem of raw materials suppliers, component manufacturers, assemblers, factory workers, inventory controllers, shippers, etc. wasted their effort putting something on the market that barely lasted just over a year. Just think of the fuel and chemicals expended creating all of the metals, plastics and refrigerants for that freezer. Not to mention the opportunity cost of the wasted time.

And though the system produced a price tag that was good for the consumer (and no doubt plenty profitable for the store and the manufacturer), the freezer was so cheaply built that it wasn’t even worth the cost of replacement parts and labor, which necessitates the whole process starting again.

What a shame that this is the system by which we manufacture large durable goods these days.

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[mrhineh]

Wow. Debby Downer. Wah-wah-wah.

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[Ken]

so…

who is the defunct manufacturer?

I have been repairing my freezer off and on for years and the 70’s brown color still looks good in my garage, but the plastic parts are starting to age and efficiency is probably not very good.

Most of the brand names of durable goods (My moms 1952 Frigidaire freezer was moved to a new home when the house was sold in 2005, it is still running and has never had a repair)have long been sold to chinese or korean manufacturers.

Where it is made does not really matter now since the doctrine of planned obsolescence has gained near religious following.

I recently had to buy more tamper proof tools to be able to hack and repair the cheesy game consoles and cell phones the market for cheap electronics requires.

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[365Stairs]

I remember getting “accidently” locked in our freezer as a kid – playing hide and seek with amazing siblings and neighbor kids….awesome hiding place…they didn’t find me for hours…the freezer – thankfully was not working at the time. My mom was not happy…

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[redblack]

mrhineh: christopher is exactly right. google “planned obsolescence.”

while HD did the right thing in this case, consumers need to be a little more diligent – and a little more like our bartering forebears! – before they sign the cheapest deal.

btw, when i have to go there, i find that particular store’s staff to be less than helpful. seriously. i would prefer to be left alone than have them attempt to “help” me. i go to the lander store if i’m in need of the big-box experience.

hands down, though, junction true value wins most of my hardware store dollars. the white-haired guy with the moustache is a genius.

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[mrhineh]

No, its ones own agenda to not acknowledge the posters own thoughts about a good deed, and pollute with said agenda, daring not to speak that said “big box” did someone right. All is evil!!! The whole process is broken!!

If you have a Rant about something, why thread hijack? Start your own thread. God forbid 1-10,000+ units might fail…did you google/research that? If we could live in such a perfect world, where nothing breaks down, we would be so lucky! But instead, someone wants to say something nice about a company, someone equally has to be dramatic and rain on their parade. does that make you feel good?

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[redblack]

let’s make the WSB forums an echo chamber! i’ll post something, then everyone can respond with, “yeah!” “woo-hoo!” and, “me, too!” heck, why comment on the original post at all?

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[datamuse]

…and then someone else has to come along and call the guy a “Debby Downer”. WHERE DOES IT END??

Maybe I’ll give them another chance. Last time I was there I found plenty of people willing to sell me discount cards, but nobody willing to help me move a 100-pound safe (which also turned out to be crap, but one really shouldn’t be buying those at HD anyway. Caveat emptor).

McLendon’s in WC gets most of my hardware store patronage, but sometimes HD has stuff that they don’t…

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[anonyme]

I second, third, or fourth the raves for Junction True Value. There are several employees there who are real geniuses. They’ve helped me figure out really complex fixes for old-house issues, for little or no cost. McLendon’s runs second. I’ve had a long run of lousy experiences at Delridge HD; perhaps the new manager has changed that.

I also heartily endorse Christopher’s comments.

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[Yardvark]

It’s great that HD was able to replace that piece of junk but why were they selling it to begin with?

When I buy something, I’d like to feel like the store itself has done a little bit of research on the quality of the product they’re selling me and that they are putting their own name behind it.

Strangely enough, the story of great customer service at HD makes me less likely to go there. I don’t want to have to go back 16 months later for something that should’ve lasted a century.

All that said…there’s no reason why the employees who went above and beyond to help out shouldn’t be applauded. Good work!

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[StringCheese]

FYI, I am an avid product researcher and I did my due diligence before purchasing this product. I checked multiple review sources and decided it was the best unit within my price range. All signs pointed to a good product with a good warranty.

However, due to company mismanagement or corporate ineptitude (the freezer manufacturer, NOT Home Depot), what would have been a warranty repair turned into a need to replace.

In this, HD did well by me. Period.

They didn’t have to do anything for me. But THEY DID. With no fuss and plenty of smiles.

I certainly don’t lay blame on HD for carrying the product. Again, I did not find any issues in reviews or appliance forums that would steer me away from the product. Retailers try to carry items at a variety of price points to meet the needs of their consumers. It is our job to research what is the best buy within what we can afford.

There is certainly a lot to be said on the topic of the diminishing quality of “durable goods”. But nothing in that discussion diminishes the facts in my Rave.

Is it sad that we need to post our thanks and surprise when a business treat its customers well? Yes. What is more sad, to me, is that people seem more willing to accept the bad experiences of people than the good.

Have a nice day!

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[CheriBerri]

I work at the Service Desk at the Delridge Home Depot and we really appreciate the Rave… we so often get rants and never get to hear the positive! So thank you!!!! We are happy that we got the chance to help you! We look forward to many more chances at helping you with your projects!

Sincerely,

Cheri

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[3dogslater]

Kudo’s Curtis and HD! What is with the the other half of West Seattlites that just can’t seem to see the “good for good”? You know so what if it’s a BIG Box store. The point here is Curtis did this person right and obviously appreciates the customers. I know a few grumpy old ass’s that work at True Value and McLendons that would much rather you not ask anything and move along because you’re bugging them.. so enough already give credit and props when due and leave it alone already. Go HD! And keep up the good work Curtis!

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[hooper1961]

scott wiseman is a good appliance repair dude

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