So disappointed at Benge's, Carmel location. It all comes down to expectations and follow through…read moreand clear communication. And in my particular experience, all three were woefully unmet. Let me start at the beginning.
I call Benge's Carmel to see if they sold/serviced Stihl leaf blower/vac/shredders. Initially, I was pleasantly told no but then after some background chatter that bled thru the phone, they offered to take a look at it and said they might be able to fix it. Great! I took it in and had Bill, the resident Stihl expert, tearing it apart and troubleshooting it 45 minutes later. It appeared that it wasn't one of the first couple of easy fixes, so we agreed, that I would leave it there on that Friday, 8/21 and he would give me a call on Monday to let me know what the problem is ... likely a new carburetor is needed. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday came and went. I called in and spoke to Bill on Thursday, 8/27. Apparently, Bill got busy and was going to call me the day before but got sidetracked. Oh well, he promised he would get to it and call me back tomorrow, Friday, 8/28 (one week after I dropped it off). Friday came and went. No phone call. Almost the next three weeks came and went ... no phone call. So, I called in once more on Thursday and spoke with Neal and explained the problem of the phone - 3 weeks troubleshooting my equipment and still no communication and no follow through. none. full stop. But, wait, it gets better. Neal tells me that the assistant manager there that evening will call me back as soon as he gets off the phone. Guess what? Never called. Can't say I was surprised. So, the following day I decide to go in to the store and talk the manager since the tech, Bill, and the assistant manager both are challenged with using a phone. Surprisingly, I was able to meet and chat with Joe, the manager. Initially he seems unaware of my issue but the more details I provide to him the more he seems to be aware of the matter. We walk back to Stihl workshop area, my equipment is in pieces, and Joe, the manager, tells me that the resolution was that the repair would cost $300 and a new leaf blower/vac/shredder is $320-$400. Not surprised. I could not have been more clear in that my expectations were met NOT because it couldn't be fixed but that it was nearly one month after i dropped it off and NO ONE, not one employee, ever called to provide that information. Here is the response, i got ... from Joe, the manager, almost word for word ... "well, it is what it is ... I was out for a couple of weeks and it looks like it just didn't get done. not sure what else we can do". So there you have it.
I told them not to fix it. Put it back together and I will pick it up. I will buy a new one but from someone else. Joe, the manager, stated that he would call me once it is ready for pick up. 4 days later, they found the time to put it together. I picked it up the next day, today, just now.
From 8/21 to 9/23, no phone calls from Benge's Ace Hardware, Carmel location until 9/22 from Joe, the manager, to let me know that it took them one month to get around to letting me know that they couldn't fix it when the initial expectation from Bill was that he would call me on Monday, 8/24.
I've never felt like I have walked into a store with more employees milling about, mostly pleasant, but with no follow through, ability to use a phone, or say, "we screwed up". Woefully disappointing experience.