Lowe's rant
Sigh. Lowe's doesn't seem to be able to competently ship a part that still shows as in-stock on their site. Rant documenting the drama follows.
tl;dr order online, they cancel. order online again, they cancel. Call support, get told to place the order with the local store. Call local store, get told they can't. Call support, get told to physically go into the store to order. Order gets placed. Order arrives, installer notes it's missing parts. Call support, get told they'll rush out a replacement. Replacement arrives. Check box, still missing same parts. Call support, rush delivery of another replacement with notes for the shipper to check the contents. Third order arrives with the same contents as the previous two. To be continued…
Round 1
2024-06-02 at 20:10
Great. They have the faucet we want on their website. Stainless steel finish, high-arc, with sprayer. While the brushed-nickel finish shows as out-of-stock, this one isn't. Order it for $172.10 plus tax. Receive order confirmation email.
2024-06-03 at 16:12
Your order has been canceled. You won't be charged. Questions? Call customer care at 1-800-445-6937 email from Lowe's
Round 2
2024-06-03 at 20:57
Strange. Something must have gone wrong. But glad we weren't charged. Back to the website. Still available, still in-stock, still everything we need. Okay, fine. Reorder it for $172.10 plus tax.
2024-06-04 at 08:50
Your order has been canceled. You won't be charged. Questions? Call customer care at 1-800-445-6937 email from Lowe's
Okay, this is annoying. Time to call customer service.
Round 3
Hey, my online order keeps getting cancelled. me
That is strange. It shows as in-stock, but my system won't let me place this order, so you'll have to talk to your local store and have them order the part because they use a different ordering system. Lowe's
Strange. Okay, I'll call them. me
Hey, [recounts saga thus far] I was told I needed to have my local store place this order because of some system issue. me
I'm sorry, we can't order that over the phone. You'll have to order it online. Lowe's
But they told me I had to talk to you! me
I'm sorry, you'll have to call them back then. Lowe's
Fine. me
[recounts saga thus far] me
Ah, you need to go in person to the local store to place the order, not over the phone. They can place the order and get a manager-override if needed. Lowe's
That's…disappointing. Thanks, I'll do that. me
[recounts saga thus far] Can we order this part me
Sure! [confirms part-number, description, and other details] That will be $169. Lowe's
Thanks, and that's less than what it was when I tried to order online. At least there's some sunshine here. me
A few days later, the box shows up on time. I send the details to our handiman and schedule him to come out after we've returned from a family trip.
2024-07-12
Our handiman comes out, does a quick check that we have our new basin & faucet, and starts replacing them as requested. He goes to install the faucet, raises an eyebrow, asking if I'd ordered one with a sprayer like we'd discussed. I check my order confirmation email. Yep, faucet & sprayer in stainless steel. He shows me the contents of the box. No sprayer, no sprayer hook-up line coming from the faucet assembly. Looks like it's a brushed nickel finish, too, not the stainless steel finish we'd ordered. Sigh. We agree to install the faucet that we do have just so we're not without a kitchen sink indefinitely.
Time to contact Lowe's customer support again.
[recounts saga thus far, providing the order number] me
Great, I have that order pulled up. It looks like it was for a stainless steel high-arc faucet with sprayer. Lowe's
Funny you should read that description to me because what was shipped did not include a sprayer, and appears to be a brushed nickel faucet. me
That's not good, I'm sorry, that must be frustrating. You can return that one to your local store, and I'll ship out a replacement. If you'll provide your credit-card info, that will be $153.90 [yet a 3rd price?] Lowe's
Okay, that's additional frustration, because now I have two faucets purchased, but I can't return the first one until the second one arrives. But at least it's still cheaper than previous attempts.
Let's go ahead. [provides CC details] me
The shipment arrives in a mere two days, on a Sunday at that. So I open it to check, only to find that it's exactly the same kit I received previously. No sprayer, no sprayer hookup and wrong finish. Immediately back on the phone with customer support.
Round 4
[recounts saga thus far, providing the most recent order number] me
Great, I have that order pulled up. It looks like it was for a stainless steel high-arc faucet with sprayer. Lowe's
Funny you should read that description to me because what was shipped did not include a sprayer, and appears to be a brushed nickel faucet. And this is the second time this has happened. me
That's really not good, I'm sorry, that must be frustrating. You can return that one to your local store, and I'll ship out a replacement. I'll also place a note in the shipping instructions to have them verify that it has the sprayer, hookups, and is the right finish Lowe's
Thanks so much. me
Pleasantly surprised they didn't seem to charge me yet again for this round. We shall see.
2024-07-17
The shipment arrives. I open it up. SURPRISE! No, not really. It's the same item. I now have three of the same hardware kit. Time to go back to the store in person, return these two wrong bits, get my money back, and obtain some degree of competency in the matter.
To be continued…