A certain home improvement store

Oh, yes, I'm going there.  I'm calling out a certain home improvement store for one of the worst shopping experiences I have ever had.

Those of you who have been around me for a while know that I have started "extreme deal shopping".  I don't have time to cut coupons, so I do the same thing online.  I have a few blogs I follow and I seize the best deals when I can. My father in law calls it "going broke saving money"....but he and I are now involved in friendly competition as to who gets the best deals.  Thank God the other day I sent him via email a deal I found to see if he thought it was a good deal...

I found a ridiculous deal for a very well known name brand dishwasher, and our family needed one.  Mind you, the ENTIRE reason I thought about getting the dishwasher was because I keep telling my honey time is money.  So we determined this truly was a good deal, and I went online to purchase it.  I went through the blog site but verified it through the home improvement site to make sure I wasn't getting taken.  I also had it logged through a money back site which would've given me an additional 7% back...ANNNND I had planned to finalize the purchase through my father in law which would've granted me an additional 10% military discount.

So, as I do, late at night, I go in to make my purchase.  It goes through without a hitch.  Um, yeah....until I have put in my credit card and pushed enter.  Got a message stating there was a glitch and it gave some code like -5 or -1 and told me to call customer service or try again.  Of course, they are closed...why the hell wouldn't they be?!  I tried 3-5 more times and I figure it'd either blow up my credit card or go through.  The next morning, earlier than I like being awake, I started calling, and customer care says "ma'am, we can't even find the inventory # of the object you are trying to purchase".  I worked through it with them for a while, and he finally found where I was legit, and he said he would let the local store know that they needed to call me and arrange my free delivery.

So, I get a call from the local store when I'm on the road for work, and despite my tries, we keep losing each other.  When I attempt once home, I'm asked by the manager on duty if I'm sure I didn't get this deal at the other home improvement place.  Is this enough to make me give up?  NOOOO because by God, they sold me the sucker at a great ridiculous price and I am GOING to get it!  I always think it's amazing when you push something through, and what they didn't even know about one moment, they don't have in stock the next moment.

Oh get this....on a phone call, I FINALLY got my point across to them and they were willing to sell me the dishwasher they had never heard of and wasn't in stock.  They send me up to the front where of course no one knows what I'm talking about and I have to tell my story again, and then....yeah, you got it...I got disconnected.

And I'm STILL trying for the dingdang dishwasher!  I try again, and it dawned on me as I was giving them my credit card # to ask how much it'll be.  Oh, it's the bonus price of....$200 more than what I was trying for, and delivery only $79!  Um...no...patch me back through to the guy I was on with earlier....oh of COURSE he's at lunch at 8 o'clock at night...why wouldn't he be?

Back and forth and back and forth...finally I had to pull up from my email archives the conversation and link to the blog I had sent to my father in law. I printed it up, took it to the guy, and purchased the dagnab dishwasher minus the cashback and minus the military discount.  Scheduled for delivery, which I had to fight for, too. I called them on it, though, and I kept pushing.  I let them know that I got the deal through a blog site and would crucify them on the blog site and every social networking and personal friendship opportunity I knew because it was bait and switch.  That they were either dragging their feet because I'm a woman, or because they didn't want to take the loss because I did get such a good deal.

Days later....I stay at home waiting for the dishwasher.  AFTER the delivery window is done, they call me and let me know it's not in yet.

When I call them, they say the dishwasher isn't even available anymore, yet they'll have it out to me by next Friday.  So I deal with yet ANOTHER manager, and I get what I need...except they will not concede anything to me for my troubles except 10% discount off my next purchase.  Which of course, I can get ANYHOW through my father in law!

Oh, and the dishwasher took my father in law and my husband about 5 hours to install, didn't come with the electric plug, copper tubing or some other stuff that they had to go back and purchase anyhow.

BANG HEAD BANG HEAD BANG HEAD.

Okay...so, time is money, right?  Um, yeah.  My bargain priced dishwasher cost me more than its retail price if we look at it that way.  UGH!  Home improvement store, you SUCK!

****Update****blasted thing---door broke already....NOT Ms. Happy camper here.....