Fashion Plate

If you like Texas Jot, please take a look at my other blog, Fashion Plate. It is the home of my handmade retro Barbie clothes and lots of delicious recipes from my cookbooks.
www.yourfashionplate.blogspot.com

Monday, August 1, 2011

Lowe's Is No Home Improvement: The Saga of My Samsung Refrigerator

It is a simple task, buying a refrigerator.  You plunk down your credit card and Lowe's delivers a shiny, new Samsung refrigerator to your house the next day.  After two hours taking out the old refrigerator, removing two sets of doors and installing the new unit, I am ready for action... after it cools down for 24 hours.  Oh, but alas!  There is a ding in the top of the door.
L:"Don't worry!  We'll send out a replacement door.  We will call you to set up the appointment."
Three weeks later...
"Hi, I purchased a refrigerator three weeks ago and the door was damaged.  They were supposed to arrange for a new door to be delivered, but I haven't heard from anyone."
L: "There is nothing in the computer.:
"But I have this paper that says the door was damaged on delivery and they would swap it out."
L:  "Okay, I will set up the delivery, but it will be three weeks."
"Three weeks! I've already waited three weeks and all I need is a new door."
L:  "Well, we had a big sale and we have lots of deliveries."
"Okay," says I and march to the manager's desk.
"Hi, I purchased a refrigerator the first week of May and it had a defective door.  The delivery personnel said they would send someone out to replace the door, but it has been three weeks and they haven't shown up.  I just talked to the salesman in appliances and he said it would be another three weeks before they could replace the door.  Can you help me?"
L:  "Well, the sales department doesn't know anything about deliveries.  I'll call the service department."  (I stand and wait.)  "They can deliver the new door on Thursday afternoon."
"Thank you.  I appreciate your help."
L: (Thursday evening) "Mrs. Brune, we cannot deliver your door today because we are in Big Spring and we are about to exceed the maximum number of hours that we can drive the truck. Can we deliver this tomorrow?"
"Okaaay, but I need it before noon."
Surprise, no one shows. I'm in the store on Monday morning.
"May I speak to Chad, please? ....Hi, remember me?  I'm the lady with the damaged refrigerator door.  It was not replaced.  Can you help me.?"
L:  "I just talked to the service department and they will bring your new door this morning."
I return home to wait.  At 11:50 Lowe's rings the bell!
L: "Your door is all installed."
"Thanks.  It looks much better....except that there is a ding in the bottom of this door."
L:  "I'll make a note that we need to order another door."
Smoke is escaping from the top of my head.
"Hello, Chad.  The refrigerator door they delivered is damaged."
L: "Let me see if we can order another unit.  Hmmm....I wonder if they have discontinued this item.  Tell you what, I'll call you and let you know what I discover."
Two weeks later...
"Is Chad there? No, well I need to speak to a manager."...."Hello Russell.  Chad has been helping me with a damaged refrigerator door that I need to get replaced.  Can you tell me the status of this?"
L: "I'll check it out and call you back."   Only a few minutes later..."We should have some in by Monday and they will bring it out on Wednesday morning."
"Thank you...ahhh, they will call and verify that, won't they?"
L:  (Wednesday morning) "Mrs. Brune, we will be swapping out that refrigerator door today."
"Thank you, I can hardly wait."
Six pm on Wednesday, I call Lowes.  "This is Mrs. Brune.  I had a delivery scheduled this morning and they have not arrived."
L:  "Oh, the refrigerator was damaged, so they didn't take it on the truck."
...."and you didn't call me?"
Next day.
"Russell, I am REALLY tired of dealing with this.  Please help me resolve this problem."
L: "I'll check on it and call you back."
Silly Lowes...they called back on a day I was gone and they had to talk to PARTNER.  Upshot...they are ordering me a whole new refrigerator.  I wait two more weeks.  No communication.  I call Russell.
"Russell, this is Mrs. Brune.  Where is my refrigerator?"
L:  "We should have it in on Monday or Tuesday and we will deliver it Thursday this week."
"Thank you."
Not taking any chances, I storm Lowes on Wednesday morning.
"Russell has been helping with a damaged refrigerator."
L:  "Russell isn't in until noon.  Let me see if I can help you.:
(At this moment, I am encouraged.  I am dealing with another woman.) I calmly explain the comedy of errors.
L:  "You mean you've been dealing with this since the first week of May?"
She collars the manager on duty and calls delivery.
L:"It IS here and WILL be delivered on Thursday."
...."and they will call me in the morning if anything is wrong?"
Miracles of miracles...it actually shows up first thing Thursday morning and is undamaged. 
I spend an hour removing all the groceries from the appliance and cram them into another freezer and refrigerator.  They spend two hours removing the new/damaged refrigerator, removing two door and installing the new refrigerator.  (Do I know where the shut off valve is for the R/O water?)
It is finally in my house and running. Oh yeah, I forgot.  It is another twenty minutes work for me to take all the tape and packing out of the refrigerator. 
Then 48 hours of machinations to activate the ice-maker. (Didn't I just do this in May?)  And oh, how nice...the delivery guys left me another mess to clean on the doors.
Well, here it is a week later...yes it is August...and the ice and water are now flowing.  My condiments are resting comfortably in their new home.  I'm at peace with the world...except for one little thing.  My refrigerator seems to to making a lot of excess noise.  My dinged-door refrigerator didn't do that.  Do I dare call Lowe's and wait another three months for repair?
This saga of incompetence continues...Monday I got a call from Lowe's delivery.  "Mrs. Brune, we have a refrigerator delivery scheduled for this Thursday.  Didn't we already take care of that?" 
I was momentarily tempted to say,"NO."

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