I recently moved from VA Beach to Suffolk and I have always shopped at Home Depot for my Home Improvement needs. I spent over $3k on a new fridge, built in microwave, and misc. items for around the house with no issues at first.



I decided to go with Lowes on Portsmouth Blvd. to install new kitchen granite counters bringing my spending at Lowes to over $6k in just a few months! Long story short, I am now missing my old counter tops and had to fire Lowes! I went with Lowes so I would not have to worry about hiring contractors and thought they would take care of my needs being a large successful home improvement company. I was wrong.



They took the counter tops out about a month after I dished out the $3K and it was on their third party installer to bring in the granite counters which had been laser measured to ensure a perfect install. The problem was that my counters were not level! They couldn't be installed without shims which would void my warranty on day 1. “Unacceptable,” I thought and proceeded to call Lowes. They refused to fix the cabinets and blamed ME for not insuring that they were level! The customer service representative explained to me when I bought the counters that I would only have to make sure the cabinets were level if I were installing new cabinets before the new counter install. The contract I signed was ambiguous and allowed Lowes to claim that the wording of the contract meant that I was responsible no matter what.



I tried to fix it with several managers at the store with no success. I have a signed document from them that says they will fix any problems that arise, guaranteed. They broke their contract with me and so I asked for a refund. They only refunded me part and I had to call to get the rest back. I am now still trying to get with the third party installer and another contractor to finish cabinet leveling and the installation. My wife and I have been without the use of our kitchen for over a week now.



I should have known that this store would be a problem when right away, my wife and I noticed that the employees were not as knowledgeable as Home Depot employees just a mile down the street, (where I should have gone in the first place.) They also avoided asking us if we needed help whereas at Home Depot we had five people ask us if we needed help within the first 5 minutes there.



I will make it a point to drive the extra mile, spend the extra penny, or whatever I have to do to avoid shopping at Lowes. They lost a good customer and I will also make sure that I tell as many people as I can how they are a terrible choice for their home improvement needs.