ACE HARDWARE

unknown

Us & our entire family have been loyally shopping at Ace for decades. Even with the competition close by. Normally we get decent customer service. Kinda slow at times, but decent. Additionally, I am a person with a disability, MS. Well, we bought some paint here as we have done for years for several of our homes in the past. This paint was not custom mixed, it was pre mixed & was picked up from the shelf. I paid full price for this paint. $32.99. There were a bunch of signs that mentioned "If you end up not loving the color you chose, no big deal. You can replace it for free" That was great! So I purchased this "latte" color & painted a 12in X 2ft spot & this paint dried as a peach orange color. I stopped & waited for it to dry more. Same result. Definitely not a “latte” color to me. I took it back the same day, but later, with my receipt & showed them a picture of how orange it was on my wall. I picked another color & double checked that sign that I had read. Well, as they had just began mixing the new color, I asked about that replacement for free sign. The sales person said no they wont replace that one for free like the sign had said, I will have to buy the replacement at another $32 since it was a different brand then I had bought! This feels misleading & confusing to me. I thought they just had this great new marketing tool. I feel confused. Well, it could be due to my disability im thinking. I explained that I was confused by that & she said they are mixing this new one & I have to buy the new one as well! We have been shopping here for decades & have basically never made returns. I asked if they can please work with me, I don't want any trouble or issues, but to please work with me. I mean, the can being mixed wasn't opened & its a very neutral oatmeal color & perhaps put this unopened can on the shelf with the other pre mixed paints. The can that I had just bought earlier that day was pre mixed & picked up off the shelf & I had paid full price for for that can. She still said no. I do not understand. I then felt sad & upset at this point. I quietly confided to her that I suffer MS & this has given me brain lesions & this causes confusion & may have had an impact on the situation with me & please work with me here. We have been very loyal customers for years. I honestly thought signs that said "if the paint doesn't work you can return it free of charge" meant all of their paint. I told her that I would just keep the orange paint that I had paid for. Im not asking for any refunds. Or the new can now. She said I still had to pay for the paint that was mixing that I hadn't even touched. She didn't seem to care & remained insensitive. Wow. For starters, where is the "Helpful" & "customer service." This felt sad & horrible to me. Why would I have to pay for both cans? I just want to keep the 1st can that I had already paid for & leave now. I asked for the manager. The manager is at lunch for the next hour. I don't want to wait in the store for an hour to resolve this. I want to leave & keep my old paint that I had paid for & not be forced to pay for a 2nd can that is sitting in the shaker machine & that was unopened as well. I'm embarrassed that I told this person about my private health business & felt upset. I asked for her to take my name & ph# & have the manager call me back. I left with my 1st can of paint & left the new unopened can still there in the mixing machine with the associate. I waited at home, but ended up having to call the manager back myself. Again, lack of customer service here I feel. I explained the full situation to her with my personal health situation since I feel this may have likely had an impact. She did not seem to care or seem sensitive in the least & told me that I still had to pay for a new can of paint, she is keeping that can there for me to come & pay for. She said its well known & on commercials that its only a specific brand of paint that offers the free exchange. Ok. I myself have not seen these commercials. Still no resolution here. The store owner has to call me now whenever they return. I am so disappointed at this point that there is poor customer service & feel sad that there is such a lack of sensitivity for a person with a disability. I normally do not share this but sice I think it had an impact I did. I will not be going back. Neither will my family or friends after this experience.