`MOVING' FEE FLOORS WOMAN
Homeowner told it would cost an extra $300 to move planks the final three feet
Brigitte McCauley-Philion ordered $1,400 worth of flooring from Lowe's in November and paid a $70 delivery fee for 85 boxes. She was shocked to learn they wanted to charge $3 more per box to actually put them an extra three feet into the house. That would have cost an extra $300.
Even before the pandemic began, almost everything was being delivered to the door — from a
Big Mac to a big-screen TV — any day, any waking hour.
Lockdowns and crowd avoidance only accelerated the trend, so that any urban neighbourhood is being daily criss-crossed with vehicles delivering any desire that can be bound in a cardboard box, even a mattress.
So, there are bound to be quirks and surprises.
In November, Brigitte McCauley-Philion, 36, ordered 85 packages of flooring from Lowe's, the home improvement giant, enough to do most of the three-bedroom house in Beacon Hill South.
It wasn't cheap. The total came in just shy of $1,400. Because of the quantity and weight, she carefully checked the delivery restrictions and agreed to pay $70 to have the laminate flooring delivered.
As she was later negotiating the delivery date and time, there came a shock.
The $70 would only bring the flooring to the curb side. If she wanted it inside the house, it would cost an extra $3 per package, times 85, plus tax, or something creeping towards $300.
“My main reaction was: $3 a box to bring it 3 feet?,” she wrote Friday. “So why did I pay a delivery fee? $300 to have my flooring delivered into home is absolutely crazy!”
McCauley-Philion, who is severely hearing impaired, says she appealed to various managers to make sure she understood the conditions. Did delivery not mean inside the house? After all, she reasoned, if she could carry 85 bundles inside the home, she wouldn't need the delivery in the first place.
She wondered if there was some confusion because she uses a special telephone service for the deaf.
“I spoke to Lowe's Canada on Instagram, the assistant manager and the senior manager. Each time I was told a different reason for the additional cost that was not there when I ordered the flooring,” she wrote.
“The result was the same, I would have to pay $3 a box to have them deliver INTO my home, which is 3 feet further. When I purchased the flooring, the only restriction was that I had to live within 100 kilometres from the store. I was left with the options of cancelling my order, have it curbside delivered or go to the store to pick it up.”
She eventually decided paying $300-plus to deliver a $1,400 purchase was just too much. The flooring was delivered one day last week and she endeavoured to move the packages indoors by herself. A neighbour noticed and came out to help.
“He made it so I didn't have to be outside. That being said, my lower back and right shoulder are still incredibly sore, my forearms quite bruised.”
You do wonder if delivery troubles are something we're going to hear a great deal more about: that last mile in our urban Amazon jungle, complete with porch pirates, mixed-up addresses or improperly left packages.
Statistics Canada reports a massive jump in e-commerce in 2020, heavily related to changed shopping patterns in light of COVID-19. It found that total retail sales dropped 18 per cent from February to May last year, but online sales were up 99 per cent over the same period.
The shift was even more pronounced in some sectors. E-commerce sales from February to April in furniture and home furnishing stores were up 191 per cent, while the building-material sector saw a jump of 40 per cent.
(It is worth noting that not all online sales are home-delivered.)
Lowe's, meanwhile, said it intended to apologize to McCauley-Philion because her experience was not in line with company standards.
“We are sorry to hear of Ms. McCauley's experience,” the media-relations section replied.
“In regards to our delivery policy, since COVID-19, we offer a contact-free home delivery experience for items that are not eligible for parcel delivery. Products are delivered to the first covered area of customers' homes, garage or outside (if applicable to the product type),” the statement said.
“If the customer requires a carry-in, we work with a third-party service to go to the customer's house after the delivery has been dropped off. We are currently working with other providers to offer more cost-effective options to our customers.
“That being said, we do make exceptions, since every situation is unique, and in this case, we agree that the service should have been provided at a lesser cost.”
Well done, Brigitte McCauley-Philion — message delivered.