Open Letter to RC Willey Corporate Headquarters

The following is a letter sent to RC Willey (Names removed for obvious reasons):
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July 29, 2006

RC Willey Corporate
ATTN: [DELETED]
PO Box 65320
Salt Lake City UT 84165

Dear [DELETED]:

This letter is to inform you of the exemplary customer service provided by [DELETED]. Also, to express my displeasure with my overall experience with RC Willey, Henderson.

[DELETED] has acted very professionally and helpful in this very trying experience. She is very sympathetic and has taken personal responsibility in finding an agreeable resolution to this issue. This is a trait very rare in the Henderson store. I believe very strongly that she is an example that others should follow. From nearly the beginning of our trials, she has been extremely willing and able to help, following-up with me as necessary (which has been quite often) and renewing her promise to see us through this.

On June 9, 2006, when delivering our appliances, the driver had been very rude and inconsiderate to me as well as my son. Further, while using the dolly to bring my new refrigerator into the house, he proceeded to damage my threshold. There had been other issues concerning the service loop when hooking it up.

The following day, our dining room furniture had been delivered damaged. While that driver had been courteous enough to call it in for me, which I greatly appreciated, it had been discovered that set was back-ordered. We soon decided to make a re-selection when the option had been given us. Our sales person, [DELETED], had not informed us that this selection had been placed on back-order as well.

I must note here that [DELETED] had been very rude and condescending towards me on the phone. Even after waiting a month and one half, she had told me to be patient and had interrupted me several times yet insisted I listen to her when she was speaking. She refused to follow up with us until new information was received, even if weeks had passed.

In short, we have been treated poorly, made to deal with constant delays, damaged furniture as well as been “talked down to” by more than one associate, including warehouse personnel. Please keep in mind that the ONLY person that has been truly helpful is [DELETED].

After spending nearly $10,000 in your store in a single day, one would come to expect much better treatment. Consequently, the amount someone spends in your stores should not determine the level of service or simple respect afforded to a customer.

Unfortunately, despite the exemplary behavior of [DELETED], my family will never shop your stores again. Drastic changes should be made to improve customer service to the level [DELETED] provided so well without hesitation.
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Good luck if you choose to shop RC Willey. I would not recommend it though. We are STILL awaiting completion of the insurance claim regarding the front door threshold and have FINALLY come to completion on getting furniture right and without damage. This chapter can now be closed. Couldn't have been any sooner though.

FINALLY Some Sense of Normalcy! (Normal? WTF is THAT???)

Well, after a very long, frustrating and busy first half of the year, it seems things are falling into place. I sometimes have to ask myself if it was just a bad dream. Well, not all of it was a bad dream. Much were mixed blessings as nothing came without its set of issues.

Listing of events in order of occurance:

1) Sold first house! (On Market the First part of January)
- This was quite the bitter-sweet closure. Because we absolutely hated the neighborHOOD as it was going to Section-8 residents, it was time to leave. The house we loved and miss in a way but it was time. Josh is now 13 and just about as tall as me. We simply were running out of room!
- The sale didn't come without drama. Between a nearly worthless real estate agent, whom shall remain nameless, nice enough, but really got under the skin quite easily. Many things did not happen as business-like as they should. We will leave it at that. Suffice it to say, I do NOT advise nor recommend using Direct Realty for your Real Estate needs.
- Our lives were turned quite literally inside out. Not upside-down, but actually inside out as stated. NOBODY likes to be kicked out of their own home every weekend, even in the anticipation of selling. Not to mention the cost of having to leave the lights burning.
- Sold the house in April, so fortunately not on the market for as long as it could have been.

2) Apartment living – YUK!!!
- Apartment living just does not suit us. Dealing with inconsiderate neighbors and concerns over someone burning the place down. (Our first week, someone had a kitchen fire, forcing everyone out of the building for several hours) No one was able to kill the alarm for quite some time either that Friday.



3) Builder delays! Oh, the DELAYS!
- Rather than being in the apartment for just 3 weeks as planned, we were subjected to the roach-infested hell hole for a month and a half!

4) Purchased furniture and appliances from RC Willey
- NOT a recommended source (see later blog entry coming soon)
- Waited 30 more days from purchase for delivery due to continued builder delays.

5) FINALLY close on new house in May!
- We were in but not without a set of issues. However, the superintendent provided us EXCELLENT service, contrary to the Sales Team.
- Most issues resolved in a very timely manner, barring flaky contractors.
- House is HUGE! Almost too much room for us to use. In about 5 years, if Josh chooses to move out, not sure what we’ll do with all that room.

A piece of advice from someone who learned the hard way: NEVER buy your landscaping from the Builder. $3200 for irrigation, rocks and a few ugly-assed trees is a complete rip-off. No choice in trees was given and the Design Center was completely unwilling to do anything unless we paid another $1000. Live and learn.

Also, if you are expecting any type of customer service from the Sales Dept. or Design center, DO NOT buy your home from D. R. Horton. Alternatively, if you want an excellent quality home and are willing to work through the first couple of months of fixing some items that should have been complete before move-in, then it’s the house for you. I am not referring to the minor touch-ups, mind you.

We’re pleased with our purchase, though. Also, I would recommend weekly frame-walks, regardless of the builder’s attitude. It is YOUR home that you are investing your hard-earned money into. Be particular and it will pay off. There were a large number of items the builder and contractors cannot possibly catch. For example, the surround system would have been installed downstairs in the living room, as is standard in these homes. We chose the loft. This was caught during a post-drywall walk. That’s as close as someone can come to building their own home without the ability to do so.

While unpacking and organizing continues, things are finally coming together and we now have some time to just “chill” and relax.

More pictures to come soon, including the back yard where we have made some changes.