Why Not to Shop at Office Depot

Let me begin by saying this is NOT about the sales staff or store management.  

This is about Office Depot as a company, a vendor, a provider of products.

Knowing, I have never once had a good experience at any Office Depot and have walked out every-single-time I've gone into one without purchasing what I need (other than office supplies) I really should have known better than to waste my time.

This all began last Sunday when I went to pick-up a monitor for my pc.  Piece of cake, you say?  Hardly.  Of the three monitors I wanted to purchase, NOT ONE was in stock!  All I wanted was an 18.5 inch Viewsonic, LG, or Samsung.  Now one of these brands was on sale, and one would think (but you'd be incorrect) that what Office Depot advertises they would keep in stock...Not so.

So after waiting over 20 minutes to find someone to help me.....and being told they didn't have any of the monitors....I was informed that they could have one delivered to me at home...  But I work a 5/40, so I'm not home to receive the monitor and I do not want to pay a delivery & handling charge for something that they should have in stock.  

Next they tell me they can get me one from another store, but that they are also going to charge me a delivery & handling charge.  Now by this time, I getting angry.  So they check the warehouse, and the warehouse Doesn't Have Any of the monitors in stock either.  I then ask when they might expect that the warehouse might get the monitors & deliver them.... "Well, most likely by Thursday."   Great... I ask if I can be called...."No, we don't do that....but since you really need this, we'll call you."

Thursday comes and no phone call.  So I go in and guess what?  Right!  They still don't have the monitors and they don't know when they will have them.   So I settle for a larger monitor; a 20 inch Viewsonic....I have to tell you the picture quality was beautiful, but this blog, my e-mail, and other webpages DO NOT fill up the screen, there is a gap of 2.5-3 inches on each side, which makes the $40 extra dollars I spent wasted.

Friday I call Office Depot and talk to the very nice Asst. Manager (Mike) and tell him I'm bringing back the monitor today (Saturday).  So, I get there today and I trade the Viewsonic in for a 18.5 HD Samsung.....  I should have known better.  I get the Samsung home and you know what?  It's a FARKING HD T.V. with pc capability, BUT... you just can't plug it in to your pc and turn it on...OOOOOOOOOOOOH Nooooooooooooooo!  YOu have to first use the Remote Control to turn it on and then you have to set the Language, Date & Time....  After that, it acts like a t.v. with a bad connection...ALL SNOWY!   I couldn't figure out the remote control buttons or how to make it work as a monitor.  Needless to say, I boxed it up went back to Office Depot and got my money back.

There were no other 18.5 inch monitors (except an "Acer") in stock and it didn't have built in speakers.

I am so angry I could spit....but I won't instead I'm writing this blog and telling you once again: That unless you need office supplies Do NOT shop at Office Depot.

Tomorrow I'll go to Best Buy, where I purchased my last monitor and buy a monitor there.  At least with Best Buy, I can go online and see what is in stock and they will put it on "hold" for me.