Complaint Review: Stair Warehouse

1) NO 3-5 day shipping as stated in their policy!
2) NO delivery by well know companies as stated in their policy!
3) NO notification of stock delays as stated in their policy!
4) NO, NO, NO Customer Service (or at best...THE WORST)!!!

We were happy to find the balusters needed to complete our house online and the fact that they would ship within "3-5 days". They also claim they will notify you immediately if an item is not in stock or will be delayed. We were scheduled for our final inspection on June 22nd which is the last available appointment in our county for the entire month, and the contractor was scheduled to complete the job on the 20th.

Our order was placed on June 6th, allowing an extra week or more for any unforseen problems. At the time of the order we were told everything was in stock and the order would process that day.

On June 13th, my husband called to check the shipping status and to confirm that the balusters would be here for the contractor's scheduled time. At this time he was informed that someone was supposedly told to call and let us know that the particular color iron baluster was not in stock, but they had something else comparable. We agreed to accept the substitution, but also inquired about expedited shipping to ensure timely delivery. We were told he would have to check on the shipping and call us back, but he would process the order to go out immediately.

On June 15th we called once again to find out what the extra charge for shipping would be and receive delivery status info because we only had 4 more days to work with. At this time we were told that they could not expedite the order, and that it HAD NOT EVEN GONE OUT YET!!! He assured us it would go out that day and be delivered to us no later than June 20th. We asked him for reassurance 3 TIMES and he PROMISED!!! We rescheduled the contractor for June 21st, the day before inspection.

This may not seem like a big deal to most, but you see....we are homeless after a devastating fire that destroyed everything we ever owned. The county inspector is leaving for vacation on the day of our scheduled inspection which will knock us into July and after the expiration of our permit. We trusted Stair Warehouse and were fooled by their falsely advertised 'customer service' ratings.

Now the icing on the cake! The day before the balusters were supposed to arrive, my husband called for delivery confirmation. They informed him that they would be arriving in Baltimore that day, but would not be delivered to us until June 22nd, the day we are scheduled for inspection.

In a panick, my husband said he would make the TWO HOUR drive to Baltimore to pick up himself. Even though we are terribly busy with the other workers finishing up. They would not allow us to send anyone else on our behalf. Much to our surprise, Stair Warehouse could not provide us a phone number for their courier. We had to locate the number of this 'fly-by-night' company ourselves!!! NOT the FedEx, DHL, or UPS they claim to use!!! Another LIE!!!

My husband is going to be spending his entire day driving to Baltimore, not knowing what he is walking into. This is where he is right now! It is a two-hour drive each way (without traffic), and Stair Warehouse refuses to offer a discount or any compensation for their gross negligence and incompetent customer service!!!

Marie
Mechanicsville, Maryland
U.S.A.