Home Concepts

Poor Service Experience with Home Concepts at Builders Warehouse Tableview

I recently had a frustrating experience at the **cutting shop** in Builders Warehouse Tableview, which is operated by Home Concepts—not Builders Warehouse itself. On **Wednesday morning (2024/11/13 at 08:10)**, I placed and paid for an order for a sheet of wood to be cut to specific sizes. When I mentioned that I urgently needed the wood, Clifford Plaaties informed me that I could only collect it by **Friday, 2024/11/15 at 13:00**. I requested if he could "try" to assist earlier. His repeated response was that he couldn't "promise." For clarity, here’s the distinction: - **"Try"** means making an effort to achieve something. - **"Promise"** means a commitment to definitely do something. I was not asking for a promise—just a genuine attempt to expedite the process. This morning, **2024/11/16 at 08:44**, I went to collect the wood, assuming it would be ready. Clifford informed me it would only be ready at **13:00 today**, exceeding the stated turnaround time of **72 hours**. When I brought this up, he displayed an unprofessional attitude. When I asked to speak to the manager, Clifford did go to fetch one. I initially believed **Coenraad Burger** was his manager, but Clifford advised that his manager was someone based at **Home Concepts’ head office in Durban**. Confused, I asked when Builders Warehouse moved its head office to Durban. Clifford then clarified that he works for **Home Concepts**, not Builders Warehouse. At that moment, I realized I had been mistakenly directing my frustration toward Coenraad Burger, who I believed was Clifford’s manager. Coenraad is not even associated with the cutting department, as it is outsourced to Home Concepts. What’s concerning is that this information was never made clear to me or other customers: - The only indication that Clifford was not a Builders employee was the small logo on the back of his shirt with the slogan "we're stronger together." - None of the documentation I received indicated that the cutting service is operated by **Home Concepts**. After further inquiry, I discovered that the **cutting shop** in Builders Warehouse Tableview has been outsourced to Home Concepts. This lack of transparency is alarming, as customers naturally associate all services within the store with Builders Warehouse. I’ve been using the cutting shop at Builders Warehouse Tableview since moving to the area in 2020. Now, prior service issues make more sense. For example, about two months ago, I returned with boards I had purchased previously to have them cut. The team was reluctant to assist, stating that I hadn’t purchased the boards there that day. This was never a problem before. Now I understand why: **it is no longer truly a Builders Warehouse service.** This situation highlights a major concern: the bad service I received from **Home Concepts** reflects poorly on Builders Warehouse, as the connection between the two is unclear to customers. Builders Warehouse needs to seriously reconsider this outsourcing decision, as it can negatively impact their reputation when poor service from Home Concepts is mistakenly directed at them. I’m glad I took the time to investigate and can now direct my bad service review to the correct company: **Home Concepts**, not Builders Warehouse Tableview.