I am writing to express my profound disappointment and frustration regarding the way my request to…read morereceive the Children's Workshop activity kit was handled on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at your Bed-Stuy, New York Home Depot location.
My children and I are loyal attendees of the monthly workshops, and they were particularly excited about the haunted house-building activity scheduled for October 4, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend on the scheduled date because my three-year-old son was sick.
Incident Details
Knowing how much my children enjoy these activities, I called your store on Sunday, October 5th, and was advised by a store associate to stop by the Customer Service desk to pick up the workshop materials for my two children. I made the significant effort to travel to the store via public transportation specifically to retrieve the kit so that my family could still enjoy building it together at home.
Upon arriving at the Customer Service desk at approximately 5:30 PM, I was informed by the female manager on dutythat she "was not leaving this long customer service line to walk to the office for that". Even though there were several associates at multiple registers, she adamantly refused and was unwilling to assist, even after I explained that I had spoken to an associate who advised me to come by the store.
I find this level of service completely unacceptable, especially after traveling to the store specifically for this purpose. I felt dismissed by a manager with what felt like a refusal to provide a basic level of customer accommodation.
Follow-up on Monday
On my way out, I stopped an associate named Odesa who turned out to be extremely helpful. She explained that the woman who had refused service was indeed the manager and would be the only one able to retrieve the workshop activity. However, Odesa promised that if I stopped by tomorrow, she would do her best to accommodate me.
On Monday, October 6th, straight after work, I made my way back to the store. I found Odesa, and as she promised, she walked over to Customer Service to speak to the same young woman. While waiting, I could see and hear the black female manager and a young black man with red hair and matching red pants snickering and cackling as I waited patiently. When the manager finally got around to getting the workshop activity, she handed me one kit. I explained that I had two children. "Oh," she replied with an attitude, handing me another as she sneered.
The manager's priority seemed to be avoiding a temporary inconvenience rather than upholding the promise of the workshop program and assisting a long-time customer. This conduct reflects poorly on this Home Depot location and honestly I have never had this experience at Hamilton or any other locations quite frankly.
Request for Action
The children's workshops are a wonderful community initiative, but the positive experience is negated when your management staff fails to demonstrate helpfulness or basic customer service. I request that you investigate this matter and take appropriate steps to ensure that all staff, especially managers, are trained on proper customer service and problem-solving, particularly when a customer is following advice given by another store representative.
Odesa went over and beyond in her efforts to assist me, and instead of being able to write a letter shining a light on her phenomenal customer service, the focus is unfortunately overshadowed by the incompetence and ineptitude of the manager. It is concerning that a regular associate was more resourceful and helpful than the management on duty.