Ace Hardware Customer Service

I received 2 emails and at least 2 junkmail flyers advertising Ace Hardware's Black Friday specials. So I decide to go there and get a Gearwrench set and DeWalt drill bits - 9.99 each. Get to the store and they don't have the wrenches. Told the manager, neighbor of mine, and he says "they didn't send any to us this time, don't know why cause we always sell them." So, I email corporate. They respond telling me


"We apologize for this matter. Each store is independently owned and operated and the participation in sales and rain checks may vary. If you would like please let us know if their is anything specific we may do on our end as a resolution.

If you have further questions, please contact the Ace Care Center."

Just another instance of 'corporation passing the buck'!!

From now on I'll buy my hardware elsewhere.

Each store is independently owned and operated. It's the owner/operator that makes it what it is.

It really isn't the corporation passing the buck, this time.

Pretty lame to own a franchise and not be up to date on what local mailings are being put out by the corporation, advertising the franchise you bought into.

I won't eat at a few restaurants, because those particular ones didn't participate in franchise deals.

Ace has always been more than good to me. Free hotdogs in the summer, for no reason, other than to sell grilles and make customers happy. Free popcorn... Hell, they even sell some sodas I can't get at the grocery store next door for cheap.

I'd contact the owner of the store, if you're really concerned. I think it's because they are locally owned that every one I've been into have been very helpful.

If you're cool about it and you get ahold of the owner or upper management of that branch, you might be surprised what you can get out of the deal, even if it's not what you were after.

The disclaimer removes legal obligations on the ad, if it's there. If there isn't a participation disclaimer on the ad, bring it in and show it to them. I would, even if there is.

Ask questions like "Can you tell me which stores are participating in this sale?" Be sure you tell them that the ad was sent to your zip code, nearby, if it's not the exact one that the store has.

Usually, if you point out the dynamic that formulates bad customer service, a franchise owner will go out of their way to make it right for you, as not to lose credibility by word of mouth.

I got terrible service at one of my favorite restaurants, a month ago, or so. Partly because my order was wrong and a homeless guy was hassling me and Amy, done up to the nines.

I went in and talked to the owner and she only charged me 20% of my bill, because we had to leave from the cops and hobo, giving us crap.

I'll go back there. Sometimes, businesses have uncontrollable things happen to them.

You may want to bring the email and the ad to the manager just so they are aware of it and that you may not have been the only one that they lost business to.

The manager was aware of the sale. The flyer was posted on the front door. But, the manager here is not the owner. I think the owner is in there about once a month. The people in the store are friendly and very helpful.
My point is that the emails and flyers are not from the local franchise, they are from the corporation. Hell, I spent 20 yrs. at headquarters of a very large corporation as a second level manager. I know what "passing the buck" is and we were held responsible for issues that crossed our desk and we were held accountable for those issues. I would have been responsible to resolve the issue and ensure that the customer was satisfied.
Things have changed.

They sent you an email asking what resolution YOU wanted. Seems pretty damned customer oriented to me.

Always been impressed ,with the local Ace Hardware. Good prices on fasteners?Check. Drill bit size needed,for a Heli Coil? Check. Always been good karma there.

I have 2 Ace Hardware stores that I do business with, regularly. One is in Gray Ga. about 11 miles from here, (Rusty Rat Rod knows the place), and the other is on Riverside Dr. In Macon, it's about 5 miles from here in the opposite direction. I visit one of these two stores at least twice a week. I've placed special orders for goods, I've returned goods, I've even taken advantage of sale items, and the gift cards that I receive monthly from Ace Hardware. In all the time I've been doing business with them, I have never once had a single issue.

That's been my experience with Ace Hardware. I'm sure that others have had different experiences, butI can't speak to that.

I understand that each store has flexibility within the franchise, and that store owners and managers have options, I also understand that all the stores aren't required to participate in the national, or regional sales. You'll notice that just about every national franchise that produces a print ad, sales flier, or a TV or radio spot always include the phrase "At participating stores only". Every company from Ace Hardware to Dairy Queen, to car manufacturers include that phrase in their disclaimers.

Those stores that do not take part in the franchise sales, are not liable to sell the product at the advertised price, or even carry the item that's on sale. That's not poor customer service, that's just real life.

RRR said:

They sent you an email asking what resolution YOU wanted. Seems pretty damned customer oriented to me.

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Ditto.

I'm very thankful to have REAL HARDWARE STORES with people that know hardware and where to get what you need.

Was in lowes last night, seen an item on line and went to see if they really had it. Talked to guy in the area and he said, well we must have sold out on Black Friday. Didn't go look for anything, didn't direct me to anyone else. So I go home thinking well maybe I was wrong. No still showed they carried it. Never seen an empty spot or label as to where it might have been if sold out.

In a customer service Hardware store they would have checked into it.

We have an old hardware store in Jeffersonville, Indiana that I need to check out. It has been on the news, in the paper and bet they have whatever you need or can get it. Also have a smaller hardware 2 miles from the house that so far has had everything I've been looking for except the door locks I wanted. They didn't stock the style I wanted. Could get them but at $35 a set more than Menards and needing 6 sets decided to get them from Menards.

The Ace store I shop at, has customer service almost to a fault. Hard to just look around at what all they have, without employees trying to help you. Have never had a problem with them not having sale items. Probably my favorite store to shop at.

I like Ace hardware! What I dislike is the friggin nose-pickers they hire on as "sales associates" at Home Depot, Lowe's isn't any different.
I went to the local Home Depot for a hand held flood light. no big deal, its a big store with alot of stuff. I was told by an "associate" that they were out of stock. So once again I left the store empty handed, but wait!! Theres a great big display full of hand held flood lights... right next to the checkout stand!!!
freakin dufus!

I went to Ace last week, and bought an old school shaped metal tool box....with Mopar B bodies powder coated all over it. It's called the Beep Beep box or something like that. $20 and it is shaped like an old timey Craftsman box. There must have been 5 or 6 Ace people ask if they could help me as I was browsing around after snagging the box.

JDMopar said:

I went to Ace last week, and bought an old school shaped metal tool box....with Mopar B bodies powder coated all over it. It's called the Beep Beep box or something like that. $20 and it is shaped like an old timey Craftsman box. There must have been 5 or 6 Ace people ask if they could help me as I was browsing around after snagging the box.

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You mean like this? I got mine Saturday! :headbang:

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And the same as you, there were tons of employees there to assist customers.

The individually-owned thing is noticeable. At the Ace near me no one is ever around so I just go straight to a cashier and she gets someone to come help me. Easy enough. They didn't have any Mopar tool boxes so I ordered one online for in-store pickup.