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James of West Palm Beach FL (05/14/08)
I received a $40 late fee charge on a monthly check sent in to Home Depot. I mailed the check April 16. It was due April 22. They said they received it April 24--thus the late fee (my first in 24 years). The odd thing--it cleared my bank account April 23.
$40 cost plus potential damage to credit (I bought a car in March 2008, and the credit score they pulled was 832). My concern is they hold checks to illegally deprive customers of their hard earned cash.
Brandon of Tacoma WA (05/05/08)
In Jan 2005, I contracted through Home Depot to have a roof installed on my home. The salesperson made the pitch and I felt that using the brand of such a huge company would indeed give peace of mind. The total amount came to around $5,600 and I was told that a 30% deposit was necessary for installation to take place. (around $1,500). I opened up a Home Improvement account and was billed on a 6mo. no payment account. Installation came and, I must say this, the subcontractor did a GOOD job. No problems with the roof.
However, after the 6mo(Jun) were up on the billing, my account jumped from $1,500 to $7,100! I was billed the entire amount plus the deposit I already made again. I immediately called customer care with this issue and was told they would look into it. Nothing happened. I called in Aug, Sep, Nov, and Dec 2005 to no avail. I was told to fax in my records and then told I used the wrong number after it was given to me by one of their reps. I was told to contact the subcontractor directly, even though my contract was with HOME DEPOT, and no one else. I was told to submit my dispute in writing...surprise, no acknowledgement.
2006 was the same run around. They knew I was right; they credited my account for the interest they were running on it, even though the contract amount included the interest. They stopped running interest. I spoke with the store manager in May 2007. Finally a little help. My contract was written wrong by $500. I was told they'd fix it and they didn't. I was also told HOME DEPOT stopped using my subcontractor shortly after my install so they don't have access to the original contracts or billing from them, and they changed credit companies to Citi. However, this does not help me. Citi does not have records of all of my dispute letters or calls, they can only go back one year in their own system. So they do not acknowledge any dispute.
I have paid my balance down to the $2,000 I feel I do not owe and not a penny more. I have called and called and submitted disputes and no one can seem to help me with my issue. I made one last-ditch effort in Feb. No one recieved the letter though I sent it to the address on the statement. I finally spoke with a rep who would help me after seeing the notes on the account and received a response stating nothing could be done because the records are too old. This has been a three year process and very stressful. Citi has sent my account to collections and now they call me 2-3 times a day for money I do not owe to anyone. I refuse to pay this amount.
Economically my credit report has a blemish on it due to this account. I would have excellent credit if not for this. It shows nonpayment and collections for $2,000 that is not owed. Mentally it has been draining for the pure runaround given by those involved. My wife and I have argued about this for three years.
Cecelia of Shenandoah Junction WV (04/26/08)
Last year when I bought my house, I got so excited because then we could get out Home Depot card. Purchased a washer and dryer that was advertised as no interest no payments for 1 year. All the signs in the store reflect some dazzling deal like that. But, the said truth is that Home Depot is taking advantage of people in that they are treaing their customers like they are stupid. Sure, we don't figure out what the sign actually said until we get to the register. My washer and dryer went okay, however I thought that the opportunity to have the card, meant that every purchase was under the same ad as my washer and dryer. It wasn't.
The signage in the store is horrible and deceiving. I'm disappointed because I live in a semi-rural area of West Virginia, and I had my hopes up about the new Home Depot that was opening. Now, every purchase I have made is subject to a different promotion. I don't see the advantage to that, but I am not a ad exec. Anyway, I'm totally disgusted with my Home Depot and I think Home Depot should think a little bit more about how much energy goes into deceipt and that amount of energy could really get people coming back instead of going somewhere else. I know that if the signage issue gets resolved, I will make Home Depot my home improvement place. If it doesn't get resolved, I'll just go to Lowes.
Audrey of Roswell GA (03/30/08)
Received Home Depot Account Statement stating: Payment due date: March 30, 2008. Minimum Payment Due*: $0.00. New Balance Revolving: $0.00. Promotion Balance: $993.23. I search the confusing statement and see an asterick beside the word Due and on scanning the document I squint and see tiny tiny words that state to avoid paying accrued finance charges you must pay off your promotion balance by the expiration date shown. Further print (not in bold) but typed discreetly between a very bad and confusing layout stated in order to avoid paying the accrued finance charges associated with this purchase, please pay $662.09 by the promotion expiration date or the payment due date on this statement. I called the 800 tel. number on March 30 and punch in my account number and listen to the auto. message which stated no payment is due at this time. I'm confused. I then speak to a rep. who tells me I need to pay $662.09 by the end of today i.e. March 30. I feel their Statements & auto message services are set up to confuse and deceive customers. If I had not persisted in trying to understand my billing statement, I would have owed a lot of interest by the time next month's bill arrived! How many customers get billed with finance charges by Home Depot's sneaky statements!!
Charles of Hinesville GA (03/01/08)
In December 2006 I bought a lawn mower from Home Depot in Dublin, Georgia under the assumption is was no payments, no interest for 12 months and no payments were to be made until January 2008. I sent payments from 1/2007- 11/2007 and paid the amount in full that was financed on the Home Depot card. I never received a bill and at 8:17 P.M. EST I received a telephone call from some individual (who gave a bogus name) that I had an outstanding overdue bill of $310.82 on this account. I assume this was for billed finance charges. Don't send a bill, just rack up charges and make a telephone call. This bill was paid in full in November, 2007 before the promotional period ended and before the first payment was even due.
I assume this has done damage to my credit. I submitted the information to the Better Business Bureau.
Sharon of Opelousas LA (02/27/08)
I bought floor covering. When I used my HD card, the $600 was applied to a 12 month no interest promotion WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE. I canceled the order in the same billing period and the credit appeared on my statement. Many months later, I was hit with a huge balance due with no explanation. I pay my bills on time. When I called, they explained about the promotional interest due because I had not paid an item off within 12 months. I asked what item. They couldn't tell me BECAUSE THEY ONLY KEEP RECORDS FOR 6 MONTHS! How can a company legally bind me to a contract without my consent and not even keep a record of it? I was able to retrieve my old statements and sent them to HD to prove that I had returned the item and that they had charged me interest for 12 months on something I didn't purchase. I'm refusing to pay the interest and the late fees which are accruing every month. I make a regular payment only. They have not replied to me.
I am certain that my credit rating has suffered. This is the ONLY company who could report me because I do not make late payments. I will not pay them a penny that I do not owe. In fact, I would declare bankruptcy before I send them a dime.
Melissa of Fruitport MI (02/09/08)
I pay my bills in full when they come in. In October 2007, I used a Home Depot credit card to purchase less than $70. The debit wasn't on the October bill because the purchase was too close to the cut-off date. November's bill was $0.00. December's bill never showed up, and during the month I purchased just under $700 worth of toys for my husband's Christmas. Jan. bill showed both amount AND a late fee based on the statement's total (roughly $770), even though the $700 was purchased only 10 days prior to the cut-off date of the statement. When I called to complain about it, I was told that the charge is calculated on the amount due to the account, NOT based on the late amount. Nice racket - don't send the bill, then jack up the charges.
If this shows up on my credit record, I will be extremely angry.
David of Newtown CT (01/07/08)
I returned a tool I purchased at the Home Depot,Danbury. When I purchased the tool in Danbury I was pitched to sign up for a Home Depot Master card.(I already have a Home Depot Commercial Credit Card). the pitch was that if I signed up for the card i would get $100 taken off the price of the framing gun I was purchasing. Great.
The gun turned out to be the wrong one for my purpose and I returned it to the Norwalk store which was close to the job. I wanted to exchange it for a different (much more expensive) gun. The transaction showed up on the computer exactly as I described it and I wanted the same $100 deal on the new gun. Joe refused to honor the deal because he said it wasn't Home Depot policy. When I asked him to call the Danbury store he refused. His attitude was extremely arrogant and rude.
Gary of Carrollton GA (12/12/07)
I applied for a home loan and was told that Home depot had reported one late payment in June of 2007 of 30 days. I pulled my monthly check register and found that the payment was made on time and the check had already cleared. I made a copy of the check and the previous months payment and mailed it to Home Depot. I received a letter stating that the information on the credit report was not going to be changed and basically, there was nothing that they were going to do to correct this. I called numerous offices at Home Depot and finally got a person who gave me some real good advice. He told me to challange Home Depot at the credit reporting services. I wrote a letter to all three services and asked for Home Depot to REAFFIRM the credit information which puts the monkey on Home Depots back. I have also sent in complaints through the Better Business Bureau. I'm waiting to see if this works.
My credit rating went from 755 to 694 and cost me an additional $15,000.00 because of the increase interest rate that the lower FICA rate caused by Home Depot. I had a $25000.00 credit card, but the account is closed now.
Patricia of Westfield MA (11/24/07)
As a long-time Home Depot customer, I opened a charge with them months ago. I HAVE EXCELLENT CREDIT and PAY BILLS IMMEDIATELY. Three weeks ago at 9 p.m. I received a phone call concerning my bill with Home Depot. It was a woman demanding payment, and she was very rude. I explained that I never got a bill which she obviously didn't believe. After other questions, I told her I wanted to cancel this card right now. Her remark was she'd cancel as soon as I paid it in full. I said I've never been treated this way before and was upset that she should call so late.
I went to the Home Depot store the next day and explained what happened. They said the address was wrong and connected me to three different Citibank people who were all apologetic. I then proceeded to wait for a bill which I just received after two weeks, and it states that I'm late with the payment. This could affect my credit rating. I'm elderly, and extremely upset. We will no longer do business with Home Depot.
Ap of Salem NH (05/04/07)
I have been reading on your website about the $299 or above no-interest-for-a-year issue. My spouse and I have been through the same situation 3 times in 3 years. We make a purchase, are assured by the store mgr that it qualifies for the promotion, and receive the first bill only to find that our transaction is noted as Revolving Credit, payment due monthly. We have called each time, and told that it was a billing mistake, which will be resolved with the next bill. It typically takes us 3 months of phone calls to get the billing resolved. This 3rd time was the final straw. We will be cutting up BOTH our HD cards once our most current promo offer is paid off, and will no longer be making major purchases at HD. We have also found, over the past few years, that the quality of the major item we have purchased at HD is NOT the same as what we have found elsewhere. Specific examples are the HD-sold John Deere tractors, and Anderson doors.
The promo billing issues have been time-consuming to resolve. The John Deere tractor (HD replaced it twice the first two months I owed it) is NOT warrantied by John Deere, although HD assured us that it was, prior to making the purchase. The local Deere franchise has told us that we will be lucky to get 5 years' usage out of it (JD tractors typically last 15-20 yrs, we're told.) The Anderson storm door that HD installed was installed poorly, and we have not been able to get HD to come back out and re-install it. It is also very flimsy, compared to the (supposedly, according to HD salesperson) similar model that one could purchase at a Windows & Doors retailer.
Vernon of Seaford DE (03/29/07)
I was surprised today when I closely look at my billing statement today. I noticed and additional $98.00 was going to be added to my bill for not paying for a vacuum clearer that I had charged in 2005. When I called home Depot to question why I had been charged the addition $98.00 dollars, their reply was that I had ask for extended payments when I purchased the VAC.
I informed the lady to whom I was talking that I did not request extended payments for the VAC. Her reply was that, since I made a purchase that was over $299.00 that the cash register automatically rings up all purchases to an extended payment plan. Since I did not request the plan, I want the purchase to be corrected to a normal charge and the added interest taken off my bill.
Jane of Mpls MN (02/15/06)
I walked up to the service counter on Saturday to pay my 2 Home Depot Bills. The saleperson was helping another employee make a payment on his account. Neither one greeted or offered to help. I stood there waiting for them to complete their transaction. Another customer walked up behind me, she also wanted to pay her bill. We continued to wait and still neither one acknowledged our presence. Finally I turned to the lady behind me and said," I guess they don't want to collect our money."
At that point I had hoped one of them would say something like "We will be with you in one minute" - which didn't happen. Finally I said excuse me "Can we pay our bill at this counter?" The the saleperson making the payment on his bill said you can make your payment at any register at the other end of the store.
At this point the lady behind me was feed up and left the store. As she left she said it shouldn't be this hard to pay your bill. I asked another saleperson that was standing behind them at the returns counter if she would be willing to collect my payment, thankfully she said yes. The other customer service representative never looked at me, spoke to me or offered any customer service help.
I would hope that the people that work at the service counter would be trained and willing to greet all their customers once they walk up to the counter for assistance. I understand if they are busy you have to wait your turn, however when two associates are taking care of personal payments they should put that aside when a customer approaches the desk or at least say hello. I have worked as a Customer Service Representative for the past 18 years for 3 large corporations. I have always greeted a customer with a positive greeting, respect and the offer to help. I had hoped to received that kind of service when I went in to pay my bill.
Valerie of Sylmar CA (01/25/06)
This is a complaint about a Home Depot Credit Card. I find that it is actually a Citicorp card, but it is heavily promoted and issued in Home Depot, and bears its name.
A year ago, I ordered several floor coverings from Home Depot, and was convinced to sign up for a credit card. I supsequently cancelled most orders because of their incompetence (another story), and thought I had no more charges on the Home Depot card.
They sent bills for $155 for 6 months to an old address. Home Depot had my correct address - all orders were to my new home. Citicorp had my correct address - I have another card with them. I had filled out a change of address with the Post Office. My credit report was absolutely clean, and I have several other credit cards and a home mortgage.
Yet I made absolutely no payments on this card. A minimally competent computer program would figure out there was something wrong here. However, my account was reported as 150 days overdue to the credit bureau. I called to protest, but was told it was really my fault, and there was nothing they could do. And, by the way, I owe them almost $400 due to fees and interest. Maybe their computer program does just as they would wish!
Mageeof Albuquerque NM (01/06/06)
I did a 12 months same as cash purchase and, when I went online to pay the balance in full, the Citibank Website was not working properly.
I tried to make the payment for 2 days and when it finally did accept it they posted it for the following day even though it was before 3pm my time. I called and explained that the website had been running really slow and had not been recognizing information I had already supplied and was told not a problem and that I would not be charged the interest.
But I was charged the interest and they will not remove it.
John of Redmond OR (01/05/06)
Home Depot's Credit/Debit Merchandise Return Policy Credits issued for return merchandise purchased with Credit/Debit cards are held a minimum 2 days before credit is posted to the purchasers account.
Home Depots Web site says,"Any purchase made by credit card will be refunded to the original credit card." No where is it written in their Corporate Return Policy that this type of transaction requires a minimum of 2 days to "process".
Credit card purchases at Home Depot are posted to my account almost instantaniously, why not credits? As a side note - US Bank's Customer Service Center has received numerous complaints from their customers regarding this practice. The bank contacted Home Depot Corp. with regard to this issue and were "taken up the ladder, down the ladder and around 'n round" and never did get an answer to their questions. If withholding credit is Home Depot policy than the public has the right to be informed.
Michael of Rossmoor CA (12/29/05)
The return policy at Home Depot states they "Stand Behind What we sell” and if you bring it back within 90 days in "like new condition you can return it or exchange it." What I've found is this is not true, with certain vendors and products there are exceptions to the policy.
However, I can't find these exceptions published or displayed anywhere in the store or on the web.
Becky of Daytona Beach FL (12/22/05)
We saw a generator on sale, so we put it on our Home Depot credit card, without knowing about or caring anything about six month free interest]. When we got a bill the next month, we paid minimum or more. This goes on until I get this interest charge for $81.74 for one month on a balance of $759.94, so now my balance is 792.74! It is more now than when we started six months ago. We mostly paid 50.00 a month.
Kelley of Sonoma CA (12/07/05)
As you know, Home Depot offers 12 months with no interest and no payments as long as your purchase is $299 or more. I made several purchases in several departments all in one day. One of the purchases in one of the departments on the day in question was for $271.37. I asked, and was assured that since I was spending over $3500 that day that this particular purchase would be part of the zero payment/interest program.
They gave me the wrong parts for that $271.37 item and it had to be returned and exchanged for product that was for an amount that was even less. Again, I was assured that it would be part of the zero interest/payment program because of the initial purchase that it was supposed to go with.
For some reason, the $271.37 kept disappearing and reappearing in the form of debits and credits on my account. I thought I had it all straightened out and payed the account, almost $10K, in full. After that, the $271.37 showed up again.
Every month since September 2005 I have to call and rehash the saga with someone new. And every month I get a different answer. Not to mention that in three months the $271.37--which I don't even owe--has ballooned to $367.14. That's over 35%!
Linda of Forest Grove OR (4-05-2004):
We cannot get our monthly payment in full against general purchases to be applied correctly. Home Depot insists on applying the payment against special promotions for which there is no interest and payment is deferred as an incentive to get you to buy using their credit card. This results in unfair finance charges and late payment fees.
Also, the monthly Account Statement does not show ANYWHERE the total balance due on general purchases that should be paid by the monthly due date in order to avoid finance charges. We cannot get a straight answer from them and have to call customer service every month to get the balance due apart from special promotions. They clearly are ripping consumers off. Their statement of their "policy" regarding this changes every month. We would like to join in any class action suit.
I've faced stress, worry, anger, emotional upset EVERY SINGLE MONTH. And countless hours spent trying to get a customer service representative on the line EVERY SINGLE MONTH. Now they say we owe finance charges and a late payment fee. Out of pocket charges are minimal but the hassle is extraordinary. My husband has high blood pressure and suffers from anxiety/depression for which he is being treated, so I try to deal with this stuff. This crap pushes me over the edge. Every month I lose it on the phone with these people. I feel so utterly victimized and this type of exploitation seems to be the norm nowadays, which indeed, depresses me greatly.
Chappelle of Eastover SC (07-06-04):
This is the second time that this company has held my payment to add a $25.00 late fee to my account. I contacted them on 5-24-04 and again on 7-6-04, but t his is becoming regular for this company. They reversed the late fee last month, but told me that my payment needs 10 days to reach the processing center. They said it is mailed out electronically via bank on the 14th of each month.
This is hurting my credit history. I have never been late paying this company, and all payments have been posted on the 21st of each month, but now it is always after the due date.
Laura of Austin, TX, writes:
I paid bills last month on 11/5/99. Along with about a dozen other checks, I mailed a payment of $1198.72 to Home Depot on 11/5/99. This check should have paid my account balance in full.
As of today, 12/17/99, Home Depot has not posted this payment. My bank statement indicates that most of the other payments mailed on 11/5/99 cleared my account within 10 days. I feel it is possible that my payment has been "misplaced" on purpose. I had a similar problem when attempting to pay my National City VISA account balance in full. My check was "misplaced" for four weeks, resulting in late fees and additional finance charges.
After I called National City to complain and mentioned that the "misplaced" payment made me suspicious, they "found" the payment, posted it to my account, and credited the late fees and finance charges.
I have no proof in either case that my payments were intentionally held. I will issue another check to Home Depot, including the additional charges, and I will mail the payment certified/return receipt. I thought I would just send this information to ConsumerAffairs.com in case other folks have had the same thing happen to them.
Andres of Dallas writes (3/7/01):
Purchased items for improvement of old house 2 years ago. Completed project. Last balance on unpaid item was approximately $10. Address changed to new house but company mailed invoice to old address. Received statement one month later with a $10.00 penalty on a $1.00 balance.
After complaining to the company about the problem, was told to pay the balance and that they will eliminate the surcharge. Balance was paid. For the last year, continuous calls from the company about the unpaid interest, repeated harrassment and calls after hours to the house, after 9:00 pm. Last bill shows a balance of $49.00 with now a $10.00 penalty for lack of payment.
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