Hi Tim

The following is a mail I sent today to the public relation office of Home Depot. I think you can get the point from it, I'm at your disposal for any other detail.

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Dear Sirs

I live pretty close to one of your shops, so I can tell you that I have been a constant client in the past few years. I (used to) have a credit card from your company that I used only seldomly because normally I pay using my other normal cards.

I happen to make frequent business trips to Europe, around three times a year for at least a month at a time. When I’m abroad I have someone to take care of my mail, and I do all my payments on-line. Even if I’m in this Country since relatively few years I do have a pretty good credit score, because I always pay my bills.

I have been abroad all of the last October till beginning of November, and when I arrived back I found out that the person who takes care of my bills did actually overlook one paper bill from your credit card. This was November 11th, and I immediately went online to pay it using my Wells Fargo “on-line pay” service. The following day I received an automated phone call from your company asking for the payment, to which I answered that I had sent the payment the previous day.

I thought that it would have been it, and that I would have to pay same late fee. Even if the amount was really small (less than 80$) I figured that I would have to find a better way to handle your account. Part of the problem is that even if I registered for checking my account on-line with the email xx@xxx.com, it’s actually not recognizing me so I have to rely only on paper bill.

With my big surprise I have now found out that you have informed the credit rating companies about my "late payment", which is going to make a disproportioned effect on my credit score.

I do not think this is fair at all, as I said I did send the payment (in full for the amount I knew) one day before you called me so you can see that it was only a clerical error. And once again I think you should be able to understand and make a distinction between someone that “does not pay” and someone that simply missed a piece of paper. This, I think, for your own best interest.

I have called your credit service, and even if I had a supervisor on line the answer has only been “you missed the payment and we inform the credit companies”. Well, this is not what I think it happened (I did send the payment before your notice) and I do not understand the attitude of your company.

Therefore I have provided to pay out the entire pending amount I found calling your 800 number (which were only the late fees), and I ask you to cancel my account. I have sent to your credit service my voided credit card, which I won’t use any more because I think that I won’t have many occasions to visit your shops any longer.

I look forward for your comments on the matter.

Best regards

I AM VETERAN AND I HAVE BEEN RECEIVING A 10% DISCOUNT FROM HOME DEPOT STORE IN DANBURY ,CT. ON 1/31/08, I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY STOPPED THIS POLICY WHEN I ASKED FOR IT ON MY PURCHASE. LOWE'S STILL GIVES VETERAN DISCOUNT WHY DON'T YOU. AFTER ALL IF YOU ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM AND YOUR RIGHT TO FREE ENTERPRIZE "YOU CAN THANK A VETERAN"

THOMAS A PETERS SR.
BETHEL,CT.

I was just curious as to why it is only Home Depot stories you're after? Lowe's also does home installations going through contractors and I have read some horror stories regarding them as well. I'm sure there are many companies that make promises and for whatever reason don't deliver and end up giving sub-par customer service.

You have written above "These stories are not intended to harm Home Depot. The purpose of this section of my website is to help people who need a voice and to praise a company when it is deserved.

It is my hope that over time this section of AsktheBuilder.com helps to maintain, and raise if possible, the level of quality in workmanship all across the United States of America."

If your intent isn't to harm Home Depot, wouldn't you offer to the consumer the stories (good and bad) of other stores? Also, if you want to raise the level of quality in workmanship across the U.S. of A., again why focus solely on Home Depot? It makes me curious as to if you have gotten more emails describing good customer service and chose not to post them here because you have a personal grudge against this one company. It just doesn't come across as unbiased.

Julie,

Tim does have a column about Lowe's. It is http://www.askthebuilder.com/EM0032_Lowes_Home_Improvement.shtml