PITTSBURGH — After losing power one too many times, a North Hills family spent several hundred dollars on a generator, only to get a jaw-dropping surprise instead.
Adrien Roberts tells 11 Investigates she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“I don’t think I said a word, but just wide eyes,” Roberts tells Channel 11. “We decide to open the box and find a giant block of wood instead of a generator.”
Roberts says the white bindings were intact around the box and it was perfectly sealed when they bought it from Lowe’s in the North Hills. Roberts said it came from a locked cabinet in the store.
“I feel like it’s quality control,” Roberts said. “Protocol wasn’t followed in some aspect and we paid the price.”
Roberts took the box back to Lowe’s with receipts, documents and pictures, trusting they would make it right.
“The person that I talked to in customer relations, when I told them all of this, their response was something to the effect of - ‘the person did their homework,’” Roberts tells 11 Investigates.
She says Lowe’s didn’t offer a refund or a new generator.
“They said because of their 30-day return policy, there was nothing they could do,” Roberts added. “We paid $659 for a block of wood.”
That $659 went onto her Lowe’s card, no less!
That’s when Roberts reached out to 11 Investigates. Our team got in touch with Lowe’s and within days, the retailer made it right, saying:
“Customer satisfaction is Lowe’s top priority. We are providing a replacement generator for Ms. Roberts and have apologized for the inconvenience she’s experienced.”
Roberts wants other consumers to know about her experience and that, as strange as this situation was, this can happen.
“These major retailers, you need to trust they’re following their protocols and protecting consumers,” Roberts added.
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