Open Letter to Home Depot....

Beware of Home Depot's ONLINE SPECIALS!!


On April 4, 2008, I placed an online order for 5 lamps that were marked "ONLINE SPECIAL".

They were all different lamps, with the exception of 1, which I placed an order for 2, making my total item order 5.

One particular lamp was on sale for almost 90% off the regular retail. It was a lamp that retailed for over $250 and it was on sale for under $60!

In all, my total order, without the discount, came to almost $800.00 with shipping. After the "sale price adjustment", my credit card was to be charged $135 and change.

WOW!! I was so excited for the bargain that I had just "happened upon" while looking for something totally different on the site.

My fiance is a flooring installer/sub contractor and has a contractor's account with Home Depot, so you can imagine the amount of money his company spends there daily. (I will tell you it is well into the thousands of dollars monthly.) We also shop there at least bi-weekly, for home improvement and gardening items for personal use.

After ten days of my original order, I received an email stating my entire order had been cancelled. I was livid. I immediately called Customer Service and was promptly told that is was something to do with my credit card. (i.e. card co. denied). This is before the rep checked my order number, only going on the information that I told her the email said my order was "cancelled". (i have a very GENEROUS credit limit on my credit card and it is paid in full monthly)
After the rep looked up my order number, she informed me that one of the lamps was no longer in stock. Okay, well why not ship the remainder of the order? We do not do that. ??? I have ordered from many stores that ship the remainder of my order if something is no longer in stock or back ordered. Does Home Depot not want to make a sale just because one item is not available? I don't think so.

Mad, angry, upset, does not begin to describe the feeling. So now, that it had been 10 days since my order, none of the other items were available. I suppose not at the price they were listed for. I have a suspicion that they were never in stock to begin with.

The rep asked me what she could do to compensate. I replied, reorder the lamps for me. "I can't do that"
Okay, substitute items of price and likeness. "I can't do that".
In other words, there was nothing she could do.

I do not know if I was more mad that I did not receive my lamps or the fact that the Customer Service rep took it upon herself, without any information, that my order had been cancelled due to my credit card being declined. (Which it was not). Also, I did not receive an apology for this Rep's observation on her behalf without knowing any of the details before hand.

I know it was not the Rep's mistake in cancelling my entire order, and she did seem to be somewhat sincere. It is the fact that HOME DEPOT had her hands tied as well in what she could to to compensate me for the mishap.

HOME DEPOT, if you read this, I would like to be contacted and hopefully have this matter corrected.

My fiance spends a great deal of money with you and is contemplating doing business elsewhere.