The Great Faucet Part Chase–the sequel

I have to chuckle at the comedy of errors.  After working so hard to get the right part, apparently it was delivered by Fed Ex but no signature was required so it was left on our doorstep.  Now, I’m comfortable with where I live, but I wouldn’t leave any packages outside, especially at this time of year.  Needless to say some unlucky thief must be kicking himself – rather than some special, expensive Christmas present – all he’s got is my lousy faucet handle.  Hee Hee.

Thankfully, just an e-mail to Home Depot and with a wave of my ticket number and flash of my tracking number … and poof … my husband gets a call from “Jane Helpful” – the part will be resent.  And while we requested they send it signature required – they can’t guarantee it.  Okay, it’s not my money yet.  But this time, we’ll track it more carefully and have hubby scoping out the sidewalk/front porch the day of.

Still waiting…

the Great Faucet Part Chase part 2

 

So when we left off – a ticket had been created and sent to the proprietary brand team who would call me Monday.

Well apparently the young lady assigned to my ticket was out sick on Monday because I did not receive a call back on Monday.

I’m kind of tenacious, almost like a rabid dog – I don’t let things go – and I most definitely do not quit.  The Home Depot corporate head quarters is in  Atlanta 800 654-0688 – so Tuesday morning I call and explain I had called over the weekend and had not been called back.  This person was kind enough to give me my ticket number to make tracking the issue easier.  He then tried to reach the manufacturer of my faucet with no luck.  He also left a message for the team who should be handling my ticket and assured me I’d get a call back.

Again, I get no call back.  So Wednesday, I again call the customer care team at the Home Depot corporate head quarters.  Everyone is very friendly, I give the representative my ticket number and explain I’m looking for some resolution.  He transfers me to an actual person on the proprietary brand team.  This young man also tries to reach the manufacturer but with no luck.  He indicates he will try them later and will call back with the results.

No call back.  So Thursday I again call and this time I get a lovely young lady who says she’s going to e-mail everyone who has touched my ticket (which by now is quite a few as I’ve never spoke to the same person twice) and get someone to update and contact me.  Now they have 2 of my phone numbers – home and cell and they have my e-mail address.

And as you might imagine, NOTHING, NOT A WORD.  Okay, now I work in customer service and I know it can take time to move mountains but some times it takes even longer to move paper.  So I’m not angry, I know we’ll get this resolved.

So today, Friday, I call again.  I get a lovely young lady to whom I give my ticket number and she reviews all the notes.  She puts me on hold to contact the manufacturer.  She comes back a few minutes later with good news – Success!  I now have a FedEx tracking number and an expect delivery of my handle by December 22nd, free its under warranty.  Woo Hoo!!

Then to top it all off – when I hung with this young lady – another young lady calls me right back.  This was the young lady assigned my original ticket.  Apparently she had been sick all week, she apologized profusely at the oversight – I reassured her I was not upset.  I work in customer service and I understand the ‘triage” system and there can be delays.  I advised her that I knew my part had shipped and that I was okay.

So – I have my part coming and I talked to many nice people at Home Depot.  And my part is free!  Much better than spending $$ to buy a new faucet.  Persistence and niceness prevailed!

Capitalism at its finest… or the Great Faucet Part Chase…

*frustrated chuckle*

I have to laugh – I try to be frugal and save money where ever I can.  However this time, it may be my undoing. 

A faucet handle broke in unit 2 – the rest of the faucet functions fine – we only need to replace the handle.  Easy right?

Unfortunately the original faucet I purchased is a Home Depot product – Glacier Bay – that is manufactured by one of several foreign companies.  For any other faucet company – you can find a website and / or contact information.  I spent hours of Googling before I finally found the most helpful site – Faucet Reviews and Ratings.  In the middle there is a complete section explaining the dilemma of trying to get parts for Glacier Bay / Home Depot products. 

“At present, the best we can suggest is to call the Store Support Customer Service Number in Atlanta, 1-877-467-3409.  You must have your model or store SKU number. If you have neither, you are out of luck. If your faucet has been installed for a few years and you have thrown away the box and instruction, you are unlikely to have either number. Our advice: when you install the faucet, cut out the model and SKU number from the box and place them in a baggie along with your receipt. Tape this to the bottom of your faucet. Even if you forget where you put it, the plumber will find it.”

Well I don’t have the receipt and box any more – but I did find the product on the Home Depot website – so I have the SKU#.  I tried a few other 800 #’s before this one.  My first attempt was to a Home Depot Tech support line 1-888-328-2383  where I was told the manufacturer was Paini and was given another number to call - 866-863-9931.  All I got was a message saying they were closed with their hours – however, I was calling during their “open” hours… hmmm…

Then I found the site mentioned above and tried the 877-467-3409 and reached a rep right away – *fingers crossed*.  She stated the manufacturer is company out of China who is closed and gave me 877-708-0007.  She took my name and number and local store information and said someone from the Propietary Brand team would be in touch with me on Monday to make sure I found my part. 

TO BE CONTINUED…  Will Wendy ever get her elusive part or will she have to buy a whole new faucet when all she needs is the handle?  Will Wendy ever be able to trust a store brand rather than a larger name brand again?