New Home Depot policy - 10% restocking fee on returned items

Bought some construction material from HD yesterday. The receipt shows the cost of each item and the refund value of each item. The refund value is 10% less than the purchase price. Guess they're now charging a 10% restocking fee on returned items. They've now lost my business.

Red

Reply to
Red
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Wow! Does that apply to all purchases? I suspect that biz is as bad as it can get, and paying folks for putting stuff back on the shelf, rather than selling it, would hurt. Not that I approve :o)

Reply to
norminn

According to my local HD, the only restocking fee they will charge is a 15% restocking fee on special order items. Other items purchased in the store have no restocking fee.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

I was under the impression they've been doing that for some time, I've seen it on receipts before. I go to Hell Depot last, simply because it's so difficult finding an employee who is capable of or interested in being helpful. We have a terrific family-owned hardware store nearby (talk about endangered species) and several independent or chain home-improvement stores other than HD, so I can usually stay out of there for months on end. They could easily get my business just by staffing the place with people who give a damn, but they seem to have little interest in making shopping there a pleasant experience. Oddly enough there is a new HD across town that is full of helpful employees, maybe the management of some stores is a little smarter.

Reply to
DGDevin

Not that I know if this is relevant in this instance, but over the last few years I've seen reports of retailers starting to track customers with higher than usual return numbers. In some instances they are then taking specific action to compensate for those customers. Do you have a large amount of returns at HD? Could that be it?

Reply to
MikeB

Andy comments:

There's a trick to getting good advice from someone in HD, and I'll share it with you...

Stand close to the item you want help with, and wait till another customer, who is dressed WORSE than you are, starts looking in that area.. They are the people to ask, since they obviously have been working with their hands more than yourself, and certainly more than HD salespeople. Furthermore, they don't have cell phones that ring and send them on their way while answering your question.

Sometimes, you just gotta think it thru...

Andy in Eureka, Texas

Reply to
AndyS

I find it simply incredible folks want the absolute rock-bottom cheapest initial price and still think that owes them the "right" to take stuff home, let it lay around a construction site for a month or two and then take the culls back for full credit/refund. Often I even see folks take tools for a weekend job, use them, then claim some "defect" and return them...

But, as for HD policy,

Nothing about 10%; I'd suggest asking local store management about what the deal is specifically if it's that bothersome but my real suggestion is as above--you buy it; it's yours unless there is an actual defect. Don't buy stuff if the intent is to return it; what's the point anyway???

Reply to
dpb

I bought a garage door opener from them. On the box it said that if my door was taller than some measure, I'd need a rail extension. I didn't know the dimensions of my door, so I bought the extension, figuring that if I didn't need it I'd bring it back.

I didn't, and they accepted it with a refund and a smile.

Reply to
Steve Daniels

Interesting. Is that just for a pure refund, or also applies for a store credit / return when also buying something of equal or more value? Does it apply to faulty items, or just ones bought by mistake?

I've just checked my latest HD receipt from last Sunday and there's no refund value stated - just says there's a 90 day return policy and that HD has the right to limit/deny returns. Maybe it's not in all stores yet, or they're trying it out at a few stores to see how the public take it...

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules

The point is that when building something, it can be difficult to estimate exactly how much of certain items you may need. An extra roll of felt, an extra box of nails, 20 extra pavers, a couple of pipes and fittings. It is a long standing custom with places that sell building supplies that many jobs will have some returns at the end. It has always been considered part of the deal, and not some kind of devious behavior.

Reply to
salty

When we began plans to remodel our kitchen, we went to HD. Selected cabinets and counter tops, signed the paperwork for design. $100 deposit. The sub who does the measuring came out, measured the kitchen. When we next went in to speak with the kitchen planner, she told us there was a problem with the drawings. One wall went off on a wild slant, obviously either an error in measuring or perhaps entering figures in the computer. The room is rectangular and assumed 90o angles at corners. She didn't suggest any solution, which really bothered me...it would have taken a few to just contact whoever did the measuring and get the plan corrected. Because she didn't suggest a resolution, there was no way we would have proceeded...figured the $100 was a cheaper way of finding out they did lousy work than to find out after the full cost was incurred. We didn't ask for the deposit back. About a month later, we were in the store for a small purchase, she saw us and flagged us down - she wondered if we wanted our deposit back and insisted we take it. Strange experience.

Reply to
norminn

I think thats pretty normal... The local lumber yard here does the same thing... Imagine a couple of 2x4 studs sitting out all summer long before finally warping to the point of no return and then being brought back for full price.. Whats HD or any lumber yard to do with them?

and what are you doing buying wood at HD anyway? A lumberyard will have better stock, more knowledgeable people, and get you out the door for a fair price.

Reply to
Zephyr

HD is one of those companies. They slammed a friend of mine with a restocking charge but she actually took back more than she kept over a

6 month period. She would go buy 2 or 3 things, take them home and look at them in her house and choose the one she liked best, taking the others back. Her name was on the abuser list. I never had a problem but I return a very low percentage of what I buy. That is one advantage of charging things tho. They know how good a customer you are. If you pay cash for everything the only time they know you is when you return something.
Reply to
gfretwell

I was sitting on the floor at HD going through the boxes of mis-sorted electrical connectors looking for the last one I needed when an "associate" walked by and said (I swear) "That's why we call it a do it yourself store. If you want to find something DO IT YOURSELF" (South Ft Myers Fla)

I was in the right frame of mind to laugh since I knew they would not have a clue what I was looking for in the first place.

Reply to
gfretwell

All the 2x4's I've purchased at my local HD come pre-warped. No need to stack them outdoors at the building site until they get just the right twist...

Reply to
Steve Stone

I also noticed a deterioration in HD service. Someone recently said it's the only store where clerks run and hide from you ;)

Reply to
Frank

I've not had a problem with the treated stuff, TBH. The untreated's a bit of a nightmare though, half of what they have in the stack is junk - but then I suppose at least they let you sort through it to get the good ones. I think if I was buying untreated in any quantity I would just go to a proper lumber yard.

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules

One of the HDs here does the opposite - you can't get out of the store without a dozen clueless "associates" trying to "help" you.

Whatever happened to asking for help when you need it, otherwise expecting to be left alone?

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Steve Stone wrote in news:hag6i3$lm$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal- september.org:

Why would they accept a return on products after "all summer long" ?? AFAIK,most stores have a 30 day return policy.

and wood should fall into a special category.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

*I've seen that whenever I use a discount card from them, but never when I pay full price.
Reply to
John Grabowski

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