Faye Stanley sent a message to Robert Niblock that said:
Hello. I am a Lowe's customer. If I had not been a loyal customer for years, my most recent purchase and installation experience would have guaranteed I would never become a loyal customer. I ordered a window air conditioning unit online for my elderly mother. Her unit stopped working suddenly and I purchased this unit as a replacement.
The process of having the unit delivered, installed, and the old unit removed is a process I am still attempting to complete satisfactorily. I was not offered the option of purchasing installation during the order transaction (423505950). I submitted a request through the services section of the site for installation. I received an email which included a phone number. I called the number and spoke with Abbie. The information I was provided by Abbie in my initial phone call was not reflected in my experience. The interaction (via telephone) with the local store on Peach Orchard Road was discouraging.
I spoke with Abbie at 803-442-4140. She provided me with information and transferred me to the local store. I spoke with a woman whose name was Renetta or Annetta - I could not understand which. She said she would be leaving for the day in 10 minutes and suggested I call her the following day with a fax number. She told me she would be at the store at 10am. She said I should call her instead of her calling me because she may get too busy the next day and forget to call me. She indicated she was doing me a favor by allowing me to sign the installation contract via fax. I appreciated being allowed to remotely set up the installation during covid-19 social distancing and since I live more than two hours from the store. I also believe this process should not be a 'special request' but a service available for online purchases.
The next morning I called every half hour for two hours. At noon I was told she would not arrive until 12:30pm. When I spoke with her I provided my name, and spelled it for her, my email address, and spelled it for her, as well as my phone number and the number for my mother (where the unit would be installed). For each item she repeated the spelling back to me as well as repeated the phone numbers. My name was misspelled on the paperwork and all notifications were sent to a completely different email address - not the one I provided and not one I own. I never received a phone call, nor did my mother. My mother said the phone number she was shown by the installer was unfamiliar to her, neither my number, nor her number.
I was charged for and received a separate delivery of the unit though the installer said he was supposed to deliver the unit. Abbie also said the installer would pick up and deliver the unit and that the delivery charge would be included in the installation price.
The installer did not properly install the unit. Instead of centering the unit and filling the space on either side with insulation, he installed the unit to one side and left the remaining space open. He tole my mother he would fill the space, but did not. He left all of the packing materials and the old unit on the deck.
This was neither the service I expected, nor paid for. I am very frustrated that I am searching for someone to properly install and insulate the unit for my elderly mother. I am embarrassed and disgusted that I paid to have a professional installation and my mother has been left to fill in the holes left by the installer and to find someone to remove the debris left by the installer. I am displeased that I was made to feel as though my request to handle the installation electronically was an aggravation that required a sacrifice by Lowes to accomplish. I am angry that my loyalty to Lowes has been rewarded with dismal customer server and shoddy workmanship.
In spite of this terrible experience, which continues for me as I search for someone to properly install the unit, I would prefer to remain a Lowe's customer as I've been for decades. I felt you should be made aware of this incident as it did not reflect well upon the online purchasing experience, nor the customer service provided via telephone, nor the installer contracted via Lowes. I am particularly dismayed by the seeming lack of accommodation for remote processing especially in light of the covid-19 crisis in the country.
Thank you for your attention.
