Homepro Complete Rubbish

[somtaamgaiyang]

Everything one buys in Homepro for house, kitchen or bathroom rusts. IT IS C**P.

Shelves that fall down, nothing in stock.

I have had a bad morning putting up shelves that should take 5 mins, missing pieces, useless instructions. It is overpriced rubbish.

[MrSquigle]

Homepro...thia for Ikea !!

[Mobi]

We were in there yesterday looking at two name brand electric kitchen gadgets that were on display.

The young lad spent a while telling us all about them. one was a suki type cooker that doubled up as an electric grill, and the other was a small electric barbecue grill.

We liked what we saw, and were prepared to buy both.

"sorry, out of stock"

"Both of them?"

"Yes "

We then wanted to look at some other electric gadgets, but the lad said he had to go home, and couldn't help us any more!!

By no means a unique experience, and I 'd rather buy in Home Pro than buy from the rude ba..stds in Carrefour.

I was once looking at some power saving light bulbs in Home Pro and the assistant was so keen to help me that he read my shopping list over my shoulder, saw the wattage I required and produced the bulb before I had a chance to look!! A bit annoying but full marks for effort

Homeworks seems to have a better and wider stock of most things, and their staff seem to be a bit more on the ball.

But who knows?

When you've been here long enough you just go with the flow -- or you'll make yourself ill.

[PadThaiGuy]

He was arrested, charged and found guilty of an offence like that many years ago. He served his time and as such paid his dues. He is on a sex offender registry.

Since then he has been charged with several things, none of which have resulted in formal proceedings or any guilty verdict. Sure, he's a strange guy and not one I would want to spend a pleasant evening but applies to most of the world's population, frankly.

What I find equally bizarre, though, is the prurient interest in him, Gary Glitter etc on this forum. I'm sure there's a non-sinister reason, but I can't think of it right now.

The staff must get some commission on sellling certain items and not interested in generally helping out.

I had a boy in there on afternoon pleading with me to buy a cooling fan. He practically got down on his knees and begged me to but it. Very insistant that I buy that particular item. I thought I might be dragging him out of the store with him holding onto my leg!

Weird.

[sbk]

Just curious, PadThaiGuy, did you mean to include that off topic quote from bendix?

[julie_f]

We actually had a similar problem in Homepro. We bought one lamp a while ago and saw the same one in Homepro and decided to get another one so we'd have a pair. It was on sale anyway but they didn't have one in a box, only the one on display. Tried to explain that that was ok and we'd take the display one but weren't allowed to. Crazy. They must have warehouses full of these odd items that they don't want to sell.

[bcross2001]

Everything one buys in Homepro for house, kitchen or bathroom rusts. IT IS C**P.

Shelves that fall down, nothing in stock.

I have had a bad morning putting up shelves that should take 5 mins, missing pieces, useless instructions. It is overpriced rubbish.

There's no way that a Thai will ever stock anything as this means spending money - they have no concept of what a real world business should be operated - everythings cheap cheap cheap and if your silly enough to buy it they will try and charge you more then you would pay just around the corner

[Phrakhanong]

So where do people go for household products? Order from overseas?

[tangoll]

The last two months, I've purchased from Homepro about baht 150,000 worth of stuff including installation to outfit a condo in Bangkok. Mostly I've bought from Homepro store on Prachachuen Road -- stuff like 3 A/C's, two water heaters, refrigerator, curtain rods, custom made tables and cabinets/shelves from their Wood Centre, shower door -- and generally, my experience has been positive. Items delivered and installation done on day specified, though delayed on actual timing (though I think this is normal Thai habit). Response to problems reasonably quick and reasonable. It helps to know the name and tel no of someone in Customer Service who becomes familiar with your problems, so that you don't have to constantly re-explain everything.

Like everything else, buying something electrical or mechanical or where you have to assemble yourself, before leaving the store, you need to have the item opened and check for completeness, instruction booklet included, lights up when plugged in, etc.

Perhaps if the OP gave us a specific example of the shelves that fall down, we might get a better idea of what the real source of his problem is.

[sumrit]

I recently bought a toilet,washbasin and electric shower from Home Pro in Korat and they unpacked each item individualy and checked them for any damage (and showing me) before repacking them, resealing the boxes and putting them in the back of the pickup. I thought it was pretty good service.

[somtaamgaiyang]

The last two months, I've purchased from Homepro about baht 150,000 worth of stuff including installation to outfit a condo in Bangkok. Mostly I've bought from Homepro store on Prachachuen Road -- stuff like 3 A/C's, two water heaters, refrigerator, curtain rods, custom made tables and cabinets/shelves from their Wood Centre, shower door -- and generally, my experience has been positive. Items delivered and installation done on day specified, though delayed on actual timing (though I think this is normal Thai habit). Response to problems reasonably quick and reasonable. It helps to know the name and tel no of someone in Customer Service who becomes familiar with your problems, so that you don't have to constantly re-explain everything.

Like everything else, buying something electrical or mechanical or where you have to assemble yourself, before leaving the store, you need to have the item opened and check for completeness, instruction booklet included, lights up when plugged in, etc.

Perhaps if the OP gave us a specific example of the shelves that fall down, we might get a better idea of what the real source of his problem is.

Free standing workshop shelves. None of the clips fit into the brackets without whacking the hel_l out them with a hammer after bending them with pliers to fit. The wood is all cut too big so it won't sit on the shelf without smashing it in, or dismantling the frame of the shelf which is a process in futility. Feet that shatter when any weight is put onto the shelf (i.e. two cans of paint). Read instructions which actually tell you to put in the top shelf first !!!

I bought two and put one together a while ago which needed 3 pairs of hands (Do it YOURSELVES), the wood is rotten already (2 months) so down came everything. I tried to put the other one together yesterday. Long break after frustration at the first one. Nothing fitted at all and two leg connectors missing. Threw it away in frustration.

Aluminium wire shelves purchased 3 months ago all rusting to hel_l. In essence, all of these products are only sold not designed by homepro. One person mentioned Ikea. Well put together whole bedroom sets in Europe all still standing straight and true with no effort whatsoever.

There is never anything in stock. I have had no stock reported on tiles, lamps, curtains, curtain rails, curtain end stoppers and a washing machine. I am outside Bangkok, so it is a little understandable but not to this level. Tile delivery was going to be 6 months since not even central warehouse had any.

Bought a washing machine there the other day. All the people wearing what appear to he homepro shirts are actually reps for the different brands so they talk up their own brands. Better to check on internet exactly what you want to buy because no-one inside is acting with a neutral opinion. Electrical prices are competitive in Homepro

[gregb]

We liked what we saw, and were prepared to buy both.

"sorry, out of stock"

"Both of them?"

"Yes "

When this happens, you need to try another Homepro. I have a ton of experience here. Go to a different store, and suddenly, these things will magically show up on the computer. How is it that one store could find it and not the other? Laziness maybe?

I have had extremely good luck at the Homepro at Ploenchit. My worst experiences are at the Homepro in Rangsit. Ratchada is OK also. Prachacheun is a toss up.

As a rule, *NEVER* pay cash at Homepro. I once had to call Visa to file a chargeback against them before they refunded my money. The problem was they delivered the item, and they claim that once I accepted delivery, it doesn't matter any more that the item was defective. Wrong answer. I don't care if you put "No Refunds" on the invoice. That doesn't absolve you from delivering a working product. After the chargeback I finally got a meeting with the manager, and eventually a refund was issued.

Homepro is a typical Thai store, with the primary attitude of screw the customer first. Unfortunately, they are also convenient, so you have to take the good with the bad.

BTW, I have found Homeworks/Central to be cheaper in most things, and also more helpful. If you can shop there, I recommend it. Also, Boon Ta Worn is much better.

[gregb]

There is never anything in stock. I have had no stock reported on tiles, lamps, curtains, curtain rails, curtain end stoppers and a washing machine. I am outside Bangkok, so it is a little understandable but not to this level. Tile delivery was going to be 6 months since not even central warehouse had any.

That's a lie. Nothing is 6 months. What this means is the guy doesn't know. I was once told with reference to Cotto tiles "60 days. very popular right now." I needed 30 boxes. Going to a different Homepro resulted in the tile being delivered the next Wednesday.

I smugly thought I was doing well until 2 weeks later I went to Boon Ta Worn and found out I overpaid by 10%, and could have taken them home the same day.

The funniest part about this story was, the Homepro I originally went to (the place that told me 60 days) actually had 93 boxes in the back. The Homepro who scheduled the delivery said "why don't you go over there and pick them up?" Don't believe anything the sales people tell you at Homepro. You might as well be asking a monkey.

Thank you for starting this thread....I've kept this all bottled up inside me....I have a million of these stupid Homepro staff stories. Too bad I have to work. I could go on for hours.

[tracker]

similar experiences. I shop only there when i know what i want and how to operate/install it myself. Most experience from home-pro the mall bangkae.

The looks on all those faces after asking questions about their products... I keep on laughing and being irritated at the same time. Usually they are a lot cheaper than the items offered in The Mall. Make sure you not depend on them.

I also wonder how so many non active personnel hanging around can generate a profit... and most of them have no idea what they sell. (If you hear a "out of stock" or "we don't have", still look for yourself, because that way i have found more than once what i was looking for).

[ClaudeFeller]

HomePro and whereever in Thailand:

Never believe the sales staff if their answer is surprising or seems to be nonsense. Try to get a "manager" to answer your questions.

[IvanLaw]

Thank you for starting this thread....I've kept this all bottled up inside me....I have a million of these stupid Homepro staff stories. Too bad I have to work. I could go on for hours.

One or to complaints/problems OK

BUT to continually return having a million of these stupid Homepro staff stories

I am amazed at your persistence & hope for better service.

I envy you your patience

Regards

[cm-happy]

The Home Pro in Chiang Mai is usually an excersize in frustration to shop there, especially for hardware. Turnbuckles--forget about it even after drawing pictures, the kid had not a clue. Quick connect/disconnect water hose connections, forget about it. I could go on forever.

Staff does not know their butt from a hole in the wall, about the products they are selling.

Or if I get lucky and see on display the item I'm looking for," sorry out of stock." Lighting fixtures, ceiling fans or power tools on display are NEVER in stock, but always special order, six weeks.

Plumbing supplies are OK, but they always seem to steer me towards, cheaper, shoddy brands(yes they have these in stock) that I know will not be satisfactory. Quality faucets (sink or show/bath) are also again special order, 6 weeks.

Got very lucky & ordered wall paper for two rooms, with installation. They send guys to measure the rooms so I ordered only the amount of paper needed. Only 3 days later they came & installed after having to order the paper from BKK. Was extremely pleased with their work. They were professional paper hangers, under contract to Home Pro & also did the room measuring after I had picked out the paper I wanted so they knew the dimensions of each roll of paper & pattern match.

Enough of this rant. I try to avoid the place if I can.

[tangoll]

Actually, I'm thinking that the next time I have to buy something from Homepro which includes installation, to book two different days for installation. One day for the actual installation, and the second day (maybe one or two days after the actual installation day) for taking care of any problems after the first day. This way, if there's no problem, it's a lot easier to cancel the second day's appointment, than to try and get the installation people to return to fix the problems of the first day's installation (if you don't have an appointment already).

I don't think Homepro will understand this logic, but I'm going to try.

[astral]

You get what you pay for.........

[spidermike007]

I recently purchased a new Samsung 55" LED TV, at Home Pro. One of thefactors in my choice was the service that I have previously had there wasfairly good. This time, I was told that I would get a free electric grill,worth 2,100 baht, with this purchase, if I bought something else, to assurethat the purchase would be at least 60,000bt. When the TV was delivered theydid not deliver the grill. Surprise, surprise. We went in today, to collect ourgrill and was told that they no longer had them. When we pressed them on it,they said they had all been returned to Bangkok. We asked what they could dofor us, and they said that they did not owe us the grill since we used anon-Thai credit card to buy the TV. This was never mentioned at the time wepaid for it. Now they mention it. I asked to speak to the manager, and she saidthe same thing. When I mentioned that I had spent nearly 600K baht there, inthe past 5 years, that did not seem to make a difference either. After 20minutes of a fareng tirade, they brought out a toaster, which looked as if ithad been sitting outdoors for a month. The box was yellowed and the water hadbeen leaking into the box, and the toaster had stains, and spots all over it.It really seemed like a booby prize. They really did a good job of making mefeel like a chump. The amazing thing was that all of the customer servicepersonnel were wearing "service excellence" badges on their blouses,and when I pointed this out to them, they all gave me blank looks. When theyasked what I wanted, I said "service excellence". It fell on deafears. I am really going to make an effort to avoid this store, in the future.Wow did this exchange leave a bitter taste in my mouth. The name of the managerwho offered no customer service whatsoever was <name removed>. She needs tolose her job. This outfit needs to learn what real customer service is. Theyobviously have no idea whatsoever.

Edited February 10, 2011 by craigt3365
name removed

[spidermike007]

I recently purchased a new Samsung 55" LED TV, at Home Pro. One of thefactors in my choice was the service that I have previously had there wasfairly good. This time, I was told that I would get a free electric grill,worth 2,100 baht, with this purchase, if I bought something else, to assurethat the purchase would be at least 60,000bt. When the TV was delivered theydid not deliver the grill. Surprise, surprise. We went in today, to collect ourgrill and was told that they no longer had them. When we pressed them on it,they said they had all been returned to Bangkok. We asked what they could dofor us, and they said that they did not owe us the grill since we used anon-Thai credit card to buy the TV. This was never mentioned at the time wepaid for it. Now they mention it. I asked to speak to the manager, and she saidthe same thing. When I mentioned that I had spent nearly 600K baht there, inthe past 5 years, that did not seem to make a difference either. After 20minutes of a fareng tirade, they brought out a toaster, which looked as if ithad been sitting outdoors for a month. The box was yellowed and the water hadbeen leaking into the box, and the toaster had stains, and spots all over it.It really seemed like a booby prize. They really did a good job of making mefeel like a chump. The amazing thing was that all of the customer servicepersonnel were wearing "service excellence" badges on their blouses,and when I pointed this out to them, they all gave me blank looks. When theyasked what I wanted, I said "service excellence". It fell on deafears. I am really going to make an effort to avoid this store, in the future.Wow did this exchange leave a bitter taste in my mouth. The name of the managerwho offered no customer service whatsoever was <name removed>. She needs tolose her job. This outfit needs to learn what real customer service is. Theyobviously have no idea whatsoever.

Fortunately, there is a happy ending to this story. Apparently, after receiving the comments that I sent through the homepro website, to the main office, the top brass called samui, and really ripped into the manager. She called us and offered us a free microwave, to make it up to us. A very pleasant surprise, and an encouraging sign that we do have some influence here, if we speak up, speak loudly enough, and are able to access the right people. One of the few times I have ever had a Thai person apologize for a job poorly done.

[longball53098]

She lost a whole bunch of "face" over this and I think I would not want to shop there anymore

[sezze]

Everything one buys in Homepro for house, kitchen or bathroom rusts. IT IS C**P.

Shelves that fall down, nothing in stock.

I have had a bad morning putting up shelves that should take 5 mins, missing pieces, useless instructions. It is overpriced rubbish.

There's no way that a Thai will ever stock anything as this means spending money - they have no concept of what a real world business should be operated - everythings cheap cheap cheap and if your silly enough to buy it they will try and charge you more then you would pay just around the corner

Most normal Thai shops have it all in stock and deliver within the same day , or next day . I very rarely visit Homepro , since their prices are not cheap and they have plenty of staff but nobody knows what they are selling . It is ok , and pretty convenient but not worth the effort . Local Thai shops know exactly what they have or can have within a certain timeframe and most of the time at cheaper prices .

Stocking just like i said , most Thai shops ( the warehouse kind you find everywhere all over Thailand ) have everything in stock and plenty of it .

[Greenside]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Global House in this thread - they have way more selection and stock than HomePro and although they suffer from the usual overstaffing/under training syndrome they are simply streets ahead in almost every respect and in particular pricing. They're not so good for white goods but their selection of major kitchen appliances such as ovens and hobs are getting better. In Chiang Mai, Sukopan Home (near Payap University on the ring road) has the best selection and displays of tiles and kitchen stuff like hobs and the deals they offered us recently beat the 5% that HomePro and Global House volunteered.

As far as I know Global House is the fastest growing and most western of the home improvement stores in Thailand (probably SE Asia, actually). If they could get their staffing and training in order they'd do even better.

[JimShortz]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Global House in this thread - they have way more selection and stock than HomePro and although they suffer from the usual overstaffing/under training syndrome they are simply streets ahead in almost every respect and in particular pricing. They're not so good for white goods but their selection of major kitchen appliances such as ovens and hobs are getting better. In Chiang Mai, Sukopan Home (near Payap University on the ring road) has the best selection and displays of tiles and kitchen stuff like hobs and the deals they offered us recently beat the 5% that HomePro and Global House volunteered.

As far as I know Global House is the fastest growing and most western of the home improvement stores in Thailand (probably SE Asia, actually). If they could get their staffing and training in order they'd do even better.

...and just about everything is cheaper in Global!