We bought multiple lighting fixtures through our designer's store account. One had to be ordered because it was not in stock. I placed the order via phone (since we'd already been in the store). The store experience up to that point was good. Our lighting representative was responsive and we found exactly what we needed, including light bulbs.
I received a call a week later that the light fixture was in. We were in the final week of our kitchen remodel, so I drove down on a Wednesday afternoon to get it (1 1/2 hrs round trip in rush hour)... only to find that it was the wrong fixture. One of the "assistants" in the department had incorrectly transcribed the numbers for the original order.
Mistakes happen. They promised to rush order a replacement, since it's 7-10 business days for all orders. It was Wednesday afternoon.
I didn't hear anything after that, so called on Friday afternoon about 6pm. Our lighting person was out, so Joe (the "manager") got on the phone with me. This is where our experience with Horton's went quickly downhill. I explained that I wanted an update on when we might receive the light, because our electrician needed to install it. Joe's tone for the entire call was dismissive and accusatory. How could I possibly expect him to do anything by calling after 5pm? Didn't I realize vendors closed at 5pm? Why didn't I call 2 hours before? Of course, he "COULD try calling them at 8:02am on Monday morning, but..."
Basically, I was unreasonable for calling and asking for an update, I should have called before before 5pm if I expected anything at all to be done, and it would be a huge inconvience for him to do anything related to this order. Even though it was *his* store's fault for the mistake and lack of follow-through, even though we'd already spent several hundred dollars and were on a deadline with the availability of our electrician. When I explained all this to him, and said, he offered (in the same condescending tone) to install it for me.
On Monday, I got the call that the light was in. I went back to pick it up before noon. Joe wanted to take it to my car, and that's when I told him how dissatisfied with his "customer service." I told him that all he had to do was apologize and tell me he would look into it first thing on Monday, instead of putting all the responsibility on me to know how his business works, and that I didn't appreciate his tone up to this point and so it would be best if we didn't interact further. He walked away with the classic, "Sorry YOU were offended." (Notice that it's my fault, again.)
The lighting department person was shocked at overhearing this and apologized on his behalf. One of the other lighting people had pulled light bulbs for the fixture -- we assumed they were the same ones that we had used for a larger version of the same fixture bought before.
Got the fixture home. Our electrician installed the fixture and bulbs. The bulbs were green and flickering. Not the same light bulbs at all, and definitely poor quality. I ended up making a third trip to Horton's to return those bulbs. Still not sure why different ones were selected since the store had a record of what we'd gotten the first time, whether it was another mistake or what. At this point, I was just done.
A few too many mistakes and miscommunications which would have been merely annoying. Being cast as an unreasonable pest by a store manager when you ask for updates or accountability after an error does not get my return business. read more