How Hard Is It To Deliver A Dryer?

How hard is it to deliver a dryer?  Well if you are Ovation Logistics it appears to be very hard indeed. At least that is what my wife and I discovered yesterday.

This story starts on April 1st.  We ordered a new dryer to be delivered and installed from the Home depot.  Well, we did so, once we actually found a Home Depot staff member willing to sell us one (which did take a while).

Our new dryer was supposed to be delivered and installed yesterday between 1:30 PM and 5:30 PM.  However, around 12:30 PM, I received a call from Ovation Logistics.  The driver had been delayed on earlier deliveries and our window was pushed back until 7:30 PM.

Our new condo board's rule is no deliveries or renovation work after 8:00 PM, so even if the delivery team gotten there on time, they would be under the gun to get everything done.  But at 7:20 PM, there was no sign of the delivery truck, nor had I heard anything further from Ovation Logistics.  So I called them, to confirm the driver was on his way, only to be told by an automated system that they were having a high call volume and try again later (click).

We tried both the Home Depot store and the customer service number on our bill.  They are unable to contact the driver and cannot doing anything to help us.  By that time it was 7:55 PM, so we told them..."it is too late now, we are going back to the store to return the dryer".

We finally did receive (another automated) call from Ovation Logistics around 8:15 PM stating that the driver was on the delivery before ours and would be there within an hour.  Twenty minutes later when the driver called to say he was there with our new dryer, we told him sorry, we cannot take deliveries after 8:00 PM and the order has been cancelled.   All he said was sorry and hung up.

Returning the dryer was the only time we actually received customer service from anyone associated with Home Depot.  Apparently making them refund almost $650.00 is enough to finally get their attention.  The only reason we were doing anything with them was they were close to our new condo.

This morning, we had to go to Lowe's (which my wife prefers anyway) to pick up a few things.  We decided to check their appliance section while we were out there.  Low and behold they were on the last day of a special, free delivery on new appliances and haul away of the old one.

Now I try my best not to use my blog to be pro or con any business or brand.  However, having spent most of my working life in hospitality, I am a firm believer in customer service.  I do not like being treated as an inconvenience or an afterthought like I was yesterday.