Not sure what to do about the AC that arrived yesterday

June 27, 2024 8:15 AM

After going round and round I finally ordered a new air conditioner. Lowe's delivered it yesterday, depositing it in the entry hall of my 3-story building. I live on the 2nd floor. After they left, I noticed that the box has been opened. This seems less than optimal.

I called and spoke to someone in customer service. She said I could bring it back to the store and then buy a new one. But I live in NYC and don't have a car, so bringing a big 70-pound box back to the store is easier said than done. I said I wanted someone to come take this away and bring me a brand new one. She gave me a case number and said someone would be in touch with me. The box has those plastic bands around it, and I haven't opened it further to investigate, but the box has clearly been opened. I'm assuming it's a return. I paid a lot of money for this thing, so I feel I'm owed a brand-new unit that's unopened. But am I making too big a deal of this?

Everything about this purchase has been a time consuming hassle and I want to be done, but at the same time, something about this feels off.

posted by gigondas to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Unfortunately every time I’ve gone “oh I don’t care if it’s been opened, I’ll throw the box away anyway,” I’ve been burned (see the very obviously used Little Green Machine with a piece missing, glass shards inside along with detergents).

I’d make a fuss about it and put the work on their end
posted by raccoon409 at 8:30 AM on June 27 [6 favorites]

As someone who has never quite recovered from getting home from Target with a "new" floor fan, only to find that the box was full of somebody's nasty old (presumably broken) fan, I say raise hell. Lowe's is consistently terrible with delivery stuff, at least that's been my experience, but they do usually fix it if you fuss.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 9:01 AM on June 27

I suggest getting cranky with them, say the box has been opened, you paid for a new unit, and if they don't get you a new unit immediately you'll reverse the credit card charge.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:12 AM on June 27 [7 favorites]

I'm a little confused about the straps being intact but the box being opened - you're sure the box isn't just damaged?

Regardless, I'd be thinking about what kind of resolution would be acceptable to you. If you open the box all the way and the unit works and there's no visible damage, would you be OK with that? If you're not going to be happy about it because of the open box regardless of condition, or if it's scratched or dirty or something, what percent discount would make it worth it to you? (I'd say there's a good chance even a front-line customer service person can give you a 10% discount, more than that may require a lot of work on your part.)
posted by mskyle at 10:10 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]

mskyle, I think the OP is saying that, although the box has the plastic straps on it, the seal on the box is not intact and it appears to have been opened, as if it's been returned, had new straps on it and then sent out to OP.

If it were me, I'd be demanding they collect it and deliver a new one, fully sealed. Don't touch the plastic straps, so they can't try and say you've opened it.
posted by essexjan at 11:08 AM on June 27 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Yes, essexjan has it exactly. I haven't messed with those straps because I want it to be clear that this is how it came. So I haven't probed inside the box. But I do want to insist on a new unit because that's what I paid for. I'm not sure my credit card company will in fact cancel the charge, but maybe I can say that anyway.
posted by gigondas at 11:26 AM on June 27

gigondas, whether or not the credit card approach works, please also consider telling Lowe's that you're also prepared to file a complaint with the NYC Department of Consumer Protection. You can also file a complaint with New York State. Once in a while when I've gotten the runaround from a company, mentioning government consumer protection agencies has had a remarkable effect on the outcome.

You absolutely should get a brand new unit if that's what you paid for, and I'm sure the city and state consumer protection agencies would agree.
posted by kristi at 11:57 AM on June 27 [4 favorites]

and I should have also said: you are NOT making too big of a deal of this. In my non-lawyer opinion, this is simply fraud, and you are doing a public service for all the rest of us consumers by making it clear to Lowe's that that's not acceptable. (I mean, seriously, if I were you and I had all the time and patience in the world, I would file a complaint with both the city and state agencies regardless of Lowe's ultimate response, because selling not-new merchandise as new is just wrong.)

You have the right, as a consumer, to get what you paid for. I applaud you and thank you for whatever effort you can comfortably expend to push back on Lowe's shady transaction.
posted by kristi at 12:00 PM on June 27

Lowe's sold me (through curbside pickup) a returned stove hood that was missing parts. I had called customer service first, and they were seriously trying to sell me the parts I was missing. So instead I just went to the customer service desk at the store and it was fixed quickly and easily. They would not swap it. Instead they gave me a refund, and then I purchased another one. The sale when I had bought the first one was over so I had to pay more for the one that was actually new in the box. I probably should have fought them about that part, but honestly I just wanted it to be over. I'm sorry. It sucks.

I agree with the commenters above that they should come pick it up and bring you a new one. I hope they do.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:31 PM on June 27

I know someone who was successful in getting The Home Depot to come back and finally get their broken (supposedly new) AC that had been delivered upstairs to an NYC apartment. It took a lot of persistence, though. So that's my recommendation: Be persistent and refuse to take no for an answer.
posted by limeonaire at 3:11 PM on June 27