I bought $310 worth of perennials at Havertown Lowes on 7/3/17. They have a "1 year tree, shrub, perennial return and replace guarantee". https://www.lowes.com/cd_Lowes+Plant+Guide_745035634_
8/12/17, I brought in a dead Russian Sage for return and replacement, picked out my new plant and brought dead and new plant to service counter. Returns associate said I was past the 30 day returns policy. I pointed out the 1yr policy guarantee on perennials, on the Lowes website...she didn't care. A manager named Howard came over and told me that he didn't believe the website I was reading from was actually Lowes, but rather a "Google website". So rather than verify and disprove my assertion on his store computer, he walked a quarter mile to the Nursery and back to tell me that "Annuals" and not "Perennials" are returnable for upt to a year...which doesn't even make sense...because "Annuals" are supposed to die every year. Clearly manager Howard is saving Lowes millions of dollars in potentially lost revenues by blocking a legitimate $7.40 plant return.
I walked outside and called a real thinking human at Lowes customer care department in NC and was thrilled that Kayla was intelligent and thoughtful and helping me to straighten out this problem in PA. So I waited on hold while Kayla called in to the Havertown store to tell the Management and Returns Department that I was correct and the Lowes website is real and not just "Google", and the Lowes policy is readable, concise and simple. If you have a receipt (I did) and have a perennial, tree or shrub that has died before turning one year old (from date of purchase), Lowes will return and replace it. Simple. But Howard couldn't have known that he should have just read the digital print and increase his knowledge about the difference between an annual and a perennial, and he should have just returned the dead plant.
Because now I am on a mission and this is only the beginning of my "Lowes Management Plant Guarantee and Returns Policy" mission.
Howard wasted my time, no one in the store knew the actual policy and didn't seem to care about it. (Except Erika, who is awesome and actually cares!) Store manager Chris was also lacking compassion, careless of policy and annoyed that I was annoyed for him and his employees wasting my time with such stupid and senseless inaction. Managers are supposed to lead their associates, not hide behind another incompetent manager who has terrible customer service skills and pushes out ignorant, made-up returns policy positions that directly contradict logic and Lowes Corporate policy. I hope Howard, Chris and Lowes get the message on the "Google-computer thing" that they should have looked at to begin with.
Lowes customers shouldn't have to teach managers how to do their job of knowing Lowes Corporate Return Policies. Maybe managers should have an "Annual" review of company returns policies and customer care practices. Duh. read more