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Home Depot Nursery and Gardening Dept.

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Dion of Suitland, MD, writes (9/18/2000):
I was unfairly treated at the Home Depot in Oxon Hill, MD by Assistant Manager Chuck D. I bought 2 plants from on 8-31-00. Well the next day, the bottom leaves started to brown and drop. So I assured water was adequate which it was in the pot. Four days later at least 6 leaves started browning. So I called and talked to a young lady in the nursery, and she informed me that the plants had to adjust to the house. So I waited another week and no progress.

At this time I was tired of the plants and wanted an exchange, maybe those plants were not suitable for my house. Well I called H.D. nursery and informed the florist that I was unhappy with the plants and wanted to exchange them, she said just bring them in and it would be done.

Fine, I brought the plants in the following Saturday. The Assistant Manager was at the register and told me after I explained what I went through that the plants needed sunlight which it got little at that time. I told him that I had the plants for a while now and just wanted a different kind of plant. He told me that I killed the plants and just trying to return them. Here I am explaining what the nursery told me for at least two weeks. Also there was another plant exactly like mine that someone had returned earlier with hardly any leaves on it.

So he then told me that he did not have to exchange the plants or give me a refund and that he was a gardener and he knew why the plants died because of no sunlight. At this point I told him regardless if I put the plants in sun or not I just want to exchange the plants for other ones, remind you I had my receipt also. He said he's not refunding my money, or giving me an exchange, then he gave my receipt back and told me to leave the store.

So I began walking to the nursery, ignoring his demand, and a co-worker along with the P.G. county police, informed me that I had to leave the store. Remind you that the store was crowded with long lines, so many customers and employees heard and saw the incident. So after exchanges were made, I left and began to construct my suit.

Home Depot plants, if he didn't know are guaranteed for a year, whether I was tired of looking at it, wanted another one, or just felt like exchanging a plant that day. I had that right. I am writing this complaint because I was treated unfairly, and rudely by this man, and that he be dealt with accordingly before other complaints surface if not already.

I had waited in line for 15 minutes because the store was crowded. I had to go to another Home Depot to exchange the plants and did not experience any problem at all with no questions asked. It was inconvient to have to lug plants around and time consuming when he could of just exchanged them. I was p***** at his attitude over plants. I mean it was rediculous for him to act so nasty over two plants. Worse, I was escorted out by police, which was more humiliating than ever!

Of course I had to take the dogs to the vet and get them dipped, called the exterminator and had him spray the whole house because they seemed to crawling everywhere. Called my credit card I charged the tree to, to dispute the charge. And I contacted the store asking for a manager, no manager was available.

So, the next few days, thinking everything is fine, NOT ... the dogs had ticks on them again. I threw the tree out of the house, called the exterminator again, and had him come by and spray again, left the dogs at the vet this time because it would not have been safe for them to be around the fumes, came back to the house, and even found ticks on my bedspread. I was so disgusted with all this I could not even sleep in my own house and stayed at a friends' house.

The next day I drove to the Home Depot store, asking for a Manager, and was asked which one, I told the gentleman that I need to speak to the one in charge of the store and it still was not clear to him, finally, this "Manager" by the name of Ray (I believe that was his name) came up to me and I explained my story to him. He disputed that there were ticks on the tree and called them some other name, I assured him that my dogs never had ticks before and that I don't just want the tree to be refunded, but reimbursed for all the expenses. He told me that he could not do that, however was willing "again" to refund the tree.

When asked if he likes to have bugs in his house, he never answered. I also stated that this would be too much of a coincidence and he agreed, but still did not admitt to the fact that the trees were infected. I am HIV positive, actually have AIDS and was bitten in my leg by one of them, whatever Home Depot wants to call them. I went to the emergency room to prevent the worst at 2 am, shortly after I discovered the tick on my leg, and was told I might have Lyme desease. This could kill me!

I had most of the clothes washed at the cleaners, since I physically could not handle washing or even touching the infested clothes. It was so bad that just walking through the house in socks, would have them stuck to them socks, about ten on each one.

As stated above, i have AIDS, and I am not in a mental state to deal with such things like ticks all over the house. I was trying to be polite and get everything back to normal and getting my expenses paid, but it obviously does not work. I can't tell you enough how aweful it is to actually come home and STILL find them allover on the floor, whether dead or crawling, it is disgusting and of course the nice christmas and spending christmas in front of a tree was done.

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