I Stole a $859 Hot Water Heater from HD a couple days ago!

[Henro]

Not on purpose, but I did it! Current price is $859. I took it out the door, no questions asked. Not paid for!

The hot water heater I bought at HD 23 months ago started leaking. I contacted the manufacturer, and they said take it back and get another one. I took it back. The customer service person gave me a store credit, and said do you need someone to help you find it? Here is your store credit receipt. She told me where to go and someone would be there to help. I grabbed a cart and headed over.

A guy FINALLY shows up, finds the water heater, gets a forklift, brings it down and we put it on the cart. I think things are settled and just take the cart out of the store, and get a HD guy that I see in the parking lot to help me put it in the van. Not that heavy, but the carts do not have locking wheels, so by yourself it is a cumbersome job.

Get home and start to wonder how they made the transaction happen. Figured something wasn't right. So I cut the labels off the box and went back to customer service the next day, to make sure all was kosher.

Woman says "I gave you a cash card as a store credit yesterday."

I say "NO, I never got any card. I did get this receipt though."

"I gave the card to you myself..."

"I never saw it! Let me look in my wallet just in case. IF you gave it to me it should be in there."

IT WAS IN MY WALLET!

Turns out I stole the water heater, but went back to make sure things were right. Gave the cash card back, and she sold the water heater for the same price I paid two years ago, roughly a $60 plus tax discount.

I feel good about being honest and receiving something in return. Had I been dishonest, I could have had a $867 cash card to spend on whatever I wanted though! AND a new water heater. BUT the whole thing would never had happened to begin with, if I had realized she had given me the cash card, and that I was supposed to use it to buy a replacement at the current price.

She comforted me by telling me that: "if you had dropped that card, whoever picked it up could have used it and you would have been out of luck..." Of course, then I would also have had to pay for the water heater that I admitted stealing!

Would have been better if she had put the card on top of the receipt where I would have seen it to begin with. At least it ended up in my wallet and not on the floor.

 

[D2Cat]

Same thing as having an open title for a vehicle (why it's illegal in most states), someone puts their name in that space and they own that vehicle, no if and or buts.

 

[OrangeKrush]

and now you have a receipt in case something goes wrong with the new one. Hopefully it will be longer than 23 months this time!

 

[Dieseldonato]

Glad you caught your self, does seem like an odd way to handle an exchange though. Normally they go get the new unit and do everything at once and you leave.

 

[mike0000]

Glad you caught your self, does seem like an odd way to handle an exchange though. Normally they go get the new unit and do everything at once and you leave.

I agree, I‘ve returned quite a few defective purchases in the past. I’m usually told to go get the replacement and bring it to the return desk, but I can see how a water heater would be a bit cumbersome to do that.
Good on you for returning to the store to correct the mistake.

Mike

 

[Biker1mike]

Good man Henro,
I did a short part time stink at Lowes. It was amazing the dollar value of the product that just walked out the door.
Funny part was that the people security would track were not the ones taking the big ticket items.
Many times I would see a 'suspect' get to the counter and start to empty his pockets because he forgot to grab a cart and just used his pockets as a cart .
And then a local contractor walked out with a generator and the pro-loader help put it in the truck,
Crazy world.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Actions like yours show there is some humanity and decency in the world.
Doing the right thing is not always "in our favor".
But I bet you slept better at night doing it!

 

[ve9aa]

Honesty is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

Good job Henro !

 

[sardillim]

Nice Job ! Personally i love my local Home Depot, They have been very good to me, i wouldn't cheat them out a penny

 

[Daren Todd]

We ended with a higher end dryer then what we actually purchased. We paid for the washer and dryer (matched set). Wife handled the purchase, then son and I swung by with the truck later on to pick them up.

Showed the worker the receipt and I asked if these two boxes were the correct ones for our order. Employee said yes.

Got home, unboxed them, installed the washer, dragged the dryer in next to washer and realized they didn't match .

Called my sister in law and asked her about it since she worked for the same company (different location) that we purchased the washer and dryer from.

She said not to worry about it. They probably substituted the higher end model because they were out of the one we purchased.

 

[hagrid]

I did a short part time stink at Lowes.

Does this mean you "used" one of the display model toilets?