I’ve had a really poor customer service experience and this time, I’m naming names. I’m talking about the mega home improvement store, Lowe’s Home Improvement. Let this be a cautionary tale for future consumers and a lessons learned exercise for businesses that want satisfied customers.
Full disclosure: I worked with Lowe’s Home Improvement several years ago on a wonderful project called The UpSkill Project. I documented the great work their red vest team was doing and even made a few friends along the way. The rest of this story reflects my personal and very recent experience.
The dishwasher that started it all
It all began with a dishwasher. And since I’m naming names, I’m happy to disclose that it started with a Samsung dishwasher we bought many years ago. One of the worst dishwashers we’ve ever owned. Unfortunately that’s been our experience with most of our Samsung appliances. But that’s a different story.
Fortunately, we have an American Home Shield (AHS) warranty, which covers service on our house and replaces anything that is unserviceable (HVAC, plumbing, appliances, etc.). It’s been a lifesaver. And when a technician was sent out for a fourth call on this dreaded Samsung dishwasher, he declared it officially dead. (It’s still technically usable – just does a really bad job).
AHS was quick to respond and offered us $739 to replace our dishwasher, either in the form of a check (to be mailed) or an electronic gift card to Lowe’s Home Improvement. As you might have guessed, we chose the gift card and before it had even been received, my husband and I planned a classic middle-aged date night – dinner at a Mexican restaurant followed by dishwasher shopping.
Shopping for a new dishwasher
We headed to the Lowe’s Home Improvement in Westminster, Maryland where we were helped by a very friendly “Red Vest” named Kim Vancleve (I like to give credit where credit is due). She showed us all the different models and shared her thoughts on the best features and brands. She also told us that there were more models online and it was easy to order since most of the dishwashers shipped directly from a central warehouse.
The next morning is when the drama began to unfold. Before the rest of the house was up, I learned everything I could about dishwashers. I know about third racks, why a stainless steel tub is better, the difference between stainless steel and metallic steel, and the controversial types of heating. After looking as decibel levels and customer reviews , I finally decided on the… Maytag Top Control 24-in Built-In Dishwasher With Third Rack (Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel), 47-dBA Model #MDB8959SKZ.
Maytag has always been known to be a workhorse and this had all the features I wanted including the all important hard food disposer. My husband trusts my research (I picked out our latest 75″ tv) and told me to go for it! I decided to buy online because the model I picked wasn’t available in the store and I could get 3% cashback using Rakuten. And this $999 dishwasher was on sale for the next few days for $769, a $230 savings.
I jumped on it and placed the order using my $739 gift card and placing the balance on my Amex. I felt relief that I picked our new dishwasher and we could soon say goodbye to at least one of our Samsung appliances.
This is where it gets good. And by good, I mean bad.
Our order gets canceled
Within an hour, my husband yells up that our order had been canceled by Lowe’s. No reason given, just… canceled. He speaks to someone at Lowe’s customer care line who says something to the effect of “I have no idea why it was cancelled. Just go to the store and order it.”
Well, to be honest, the nearest store is 30 minutes away and why should I do that when I should be able to do it from the comfort of my own home? The product was in stock and delivery was available. There was no practical reason that we shouldn’t be able to do the order online. So I tried again. And when I got to the checkout page I realized something was very wrong. It said that our gift card balance was now ZERO.
The lack of care in Customer Care
So I call the Lowe’s customer care line. The first agent I speak to was just fine but she, too, said she had no idea why it was canceled. Although I felt this was unacceptable, I kindly asked that she simply refund the gift card so that I could figure out my next steps. She told me that she is unable to refund the gift card electronically. The gift card automatically gets refunded to a physical card and mailed to me.
This was realllllly unacceptable since I needed a dishwasher ASAP and if indeed I couldn’t do the order online (for reasons no one can explain), then I would make the trip to the store. When it became pretty clear that she was simply reading her script, I asked if I could speak to a supervisor.
I know this is a total Karen moment, and my deepest apologies to those named Karen. I truly feel terrible that your name has become synonomous with suburban moms with attitude. But you get the picture. I wanted some sort of explanation and hopefully resolution from a higher power.
After a long ten or so minute wait, the “supervisor” came on the line. I calmly explained the situation and asked that I get a gift card refund. To make a 54 minutes story short, she told me she had no idea why my order was canceled and that there was nothing she could do about my gift card. The “system” automatically refunds the gift card in 7-10 business days through the USPS. I told her there WAS something she could do. She could provided me an electronic gift card, just as I had received within 24 hours from AHS.
Not possible, she explained. It is possible, I countered, you just refuse to do it. We went back and forth for quite some time, my irritation probably becoming quite obvious. Lowe’s took my $739 and gave me nothing in return except for the promise that it might show up in the mail sometime in the next two weeks, even though this was a time sensitive situation.
This answer to my problem, as you might imagine, raised my blood pressure. But what raised it even more was the lack of care (see: customer care), concern, or even empathy. Sure I got the “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s frustrating” but coupled with inaction made it ring hollow.
Realizing the brick wall I was up against, I decided to do her job for her and offer some solutions, including providing a discount for my inconvenience, guaranteeing the sale price through the end of the month, offering for me to purchase the dishwasher and apply the gift card to the purchase price after it was received.
She shot down every single solution and when I asked to speak to her supervisor, she said there was no one I could talk to. “Oh, you don’t have a boss?” was my reply. You can get the sense at what state this conversation was in. I even asked her what she would do if she was in my situation. She started talking again about the “system” and I assured her that my question was not hypothetical. I really wanted to know what she would do. “You wouldn’t like my answer” is all she would say.
After quite a bit of back and forth, she offered to “note on my order number” that they would extend the sale price for me through the end of the month. I told her, “You know, I suggested that 25 minutes ago” to which she replied, “Yeah, I know.”
And that’s where it stands with my dishwasher order and my horrendous customer service experience with Lowe’s Home Improvement. They took my money, canceled my order, and refused to return my money. That alone is a sad and frustrating story. But apparently I’m not alone.
Other Lowe’s customers have the same problem
Four days ago, mattswag3 posted almost the exact same situation on Reddit.
And a user named whiskeylullaby3 experienced the exact same thing 3 months ago.
In fact, you can find experiences like these going back FOUR years. If you read the comments, most people assume that this is anti-fraud protection on the part of Lowe’s. They just assume that any gift card you’re using online is fraudulent and so they immediately cancel the order. And the rumor mill says that employees are not allowed to tell you that the order has been canceled for suspected fraud.
Now, I get that there are a lot of fraudsters out there. But as a consumer and someone that isn’t a fraudster, I really don’t care. I’m trying to make a purchase in a way that’s most convenient for me through the channels that the retailer offers.
It’s clear that this is how Lowe’s Home Improvement is handling online gift card orders without warning and without proper knowledge and feedback for the consumer before making a purchase. What feels like fraud is a business taking $739 from me, with nothing in return, and the promise of mailing it back to me in the next few weeks. And the kicker is that I’m still forced to make my purchase from Lowe’s.
Anyone interested in a class action lawsuit?
1 comment
OMFG. It sure does seem like they’ve got an unstated policy of denying online purchases made with gift cards. But if fraud is such a problem, then they should simply not allow online purchases to be made with gift cards. It’s absurd that they would allow people to make the purchase, then cancel the order and hold your money hostage. This really should spark a class action lawsuit.