Some of our buildings are quite a distance away, (please don't say "sell", they pretty are profitable)

But I find that getting appliances to be more and more trouble,.Just ordered 3 stoves, a refer and a coin op washer and dryer, in the last month,

It seems like now the appliance depts are non plused about how to deal with apartments/buildings,..Can't follow extra/special instructions like "please no paper work /bills with our name on it and send it to our office instead,..same with the keys for the coin box of the washer and dryer,..they sounds stunned that we are asking,

Paying for hookup and haul aways,..and finding this is not done and they will have to come out next time they are in the area, which may be a week or more to do it,.,..tenants upset that they have a broken appliance in their kitchen,

Then recently Lowes removed our Bossiness card saying we never paid a 950. bill (we did but I have been on the phone for 3 hours w/o resolve.)

Its the most convenient to order appliances from these 2 places esp with better choices and supplies and the fact they should know us with all the appliances and other building materials we have gotten from them over the years.

Has anyone else find its a bigger hassle these days now than a while ago? I'm guessing some of it has to do with shortage of help.But I wish they were more trained to deal with LLs esp if from out of the area,, (ie at first they insisted that some be at the building to sign for it etc,..we have been doing this for years w/o that )

They also want to send texts,..both the office hard line phone doesn't do texts NOR my mobile phone,..Seems like they are stunned when I tell them that,.(.we do have email and fax) but again, don't seem very flexible in doing that at least at first,..

I agree with the first half, but at the end... Sorry, but, it may be time for you to bump up a couple of decades and allow texting... Both for the sake of your orders and your tenants...

Saying "But I accept faxes using technology from 1986!" doesn't really cut it these days. ;)

Same problem, everywhere.

Lack of experience and real world knowledge

are filling positions at all levels, in all industries,

Yep, which is why I hire my handyman to do the pick up from Lowes/Home Depots, delivery to site, install, and removal of old appliance. It costs me $70-$140... well worth the cost to ensure it gets done on time and the way I want to. He brings me the warranty paperwork when I pay his bill.

Keep in mind the Big Box stores are designed to cater to two customer types: Mr. and Mrs. DIY Homeowner who makes no out of the ordinary demands on them, and Mr. I Build 100s of Houses contractors who make up such a huge chuck of their business that they cater to them specifically. Ma and Pa landlords who buy a handful of appliances per year are not their bread and butter, and we also have unusual ways we want things done that don't mimic their other main customer types. Their profit margins are much thinner since they sell at discounts, so it should be surprising that they don't care enough to follow our demands.

As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for." Perhaps as Still Learning says, a local appliance store would give better service, if you have one available. If not... then either be there to babysit their workers, or accept the hassles as the way things are done.

100% agree that texting is the way things are done now. Email and fax are dinosaurs. I'm sure there are some folks who would still prefer party lines, but if you want stuff done this is the way to go.

Oddly, I still do get the occasional property manager who wants me to fax them a tenant release form to discuss their rental history. I chuckle and tell them our fax machine hasn't worked since 2010...which is true enough since that's when I unplugged it from the land line.

Well, maybe its a regional thing but we still get lots of faxes, esp from gov agencies, police reports, bills, and many applications. I like the fact I can fiie them instead of lost somehere in the phone.

I really don't want any mobile phones that are other than my little flippy phone. I was sitting in a waiting room a few weeks ago,..there were about a dozen people of various ages,..all were on their big phones. I wonder what would happen if phone service was hacked and shut down,..I think people would be lost.

On a TV program they offered 5k if young people would totally give up their phones for a year, the couple of them that agreed, changed their minds in less than 2 weeks.

I think we are addicted.Anyway I don't think I'm uninformed in most areas, I do read a lot, listen to a lot on on line lectures,.mostly in various areas of science, but I guess I am a dinosaur in this area. I see that there is a trend reported that a number of young people have gone back to flippy phones, (but they didn't say any numbers)

Yeah my secretary jokes that my phone is run by steam.

Thirty or Forty years ago, I go to the Sears Outlet Store and buy a dented Whirlpool Coin Operated Washer and Dryer set for $500, missing the coin drawer and key to the timer box.

Now I go to the only wholesale Appliance store that Stocks Speed Queen Washers and Dryers. They run around $1,500 each, and come with a scratch and Dents.

I have to pick them up myself and install them. Otherwise they will farm out the delivery to someone who can't speak English or read as well. Simple instructions like:

MarkA, I get it... change it hard. I was a late adopter on smart phones too, which is kinda funny since I work in the IT world.

But the fact is... 90%+ of people in the USA (and most 1st world countries) love 'em and live their lives on 'em. Sticking with the old flippy phone won't kill your business, but like any tool... it's only as good as what you do with it.

I'm on my phone a lot, mainly for business. I look at it this way: once upon a time, steam locomotives were THEE way to go from A to Z... now though I drive a Porsche. More fun, faster, cheaper, more reliable.

My top 10 phone uses are

1) Document reader (PDFs, Word, Excel)

2) Send/receive email (i.e. basic computer)

3) Access to tenant leases and accounting 24/7

4) Mobile check deposit to my business accounts

5) Camera

6) Video recorder

7) Flashlight

8) GPS

9) Calculator (financial and scientific)

10) Calling people /texting

I haven't even mentioned anything about how it also works as an entertainment device.

Thing of the cost for all the gadgets needed just for those 10 things... somethings you can do any other way without expensive machines (i.e. scanners, camcorders, etc).

If this is an addiction, it's the most productive addiction in the history of the world.

Same here on the fax. Still used frequently in the trades, govt agencies, etc.

Wow! thank you guys,..some good information.

Its "makin me think"...still hate to change,..but you have given some good information and Im reconsidering.,..thank you so much!!

Funny in that I have far more and latest gadget's in most things than I think that most people have,,.. up to date computers,.. 4 of them just at my home.a number of other electronic things and toys,. Just installed a doggy door with a special dog collar, that only lets my dog (no others ,no skunks, raccoons etc in ) him and out to his dog fenced in area. If he elects to stay outside for what ever reason he has a heated dog house with a door,( assuages my fear if he would elect to go out late during a freezing night and somehow that collar malfunctioned,, he could be OK)

My car has an auto starter that can work a quarter mile away,..(Sometimes I have to park far away when I'm in Boston office ) Nice to have a winter warm or summer cooled car when I have to walk to it,

Auto on lights in most rooms esp in cellar/garage, security on motion sensor lights on all corners of my house.have a smoke,CO, and burglar alarm hooked to a service, that alerts fire dept/police

To clarify, using a phone as a TOOL doesn't mean you have to use it for consuming all of your news and so on so that you get "addicted" to it.

So, I agree that they can become problems, sure. But they don't have to be. Just use it as a tool like you do so many other gadgets.

sorry I got to this party late.

We do extensive ordering from lowes and SOME h-depot. My last flip order-- where we were redoing the whole inside I did from Lowes. Here is just When you order on line from the store designated as MY STORE that doesn't mean it's coming from that store. one problem with lowes. Here in ATL we have maybe 6 stores. The order is pulled from the 6 different stores. So when you have an order problem-- you have to call the store 60 miles away that sent the item to get it straightened out. OR as they say just bring it back and we'll swap it out!!!! The delivery for lowes pro's is 29.00. We have everything delivered to the office and carry what we need for the day or few days with us each day. Also when the order is short-- you have got check each delivery for accuracy. Make someone sign for the shortage or its a he said she said.

H-depot we only drop ship things from them. When I say drop ship I mean we had a kitchen island delivered and the lady kicked it out of the truck-- HAD it on my security camera and it broke into 10 pieces.

Roof materials comes from a none box store. They take pride in their delivery's.

Ideally find a local place that will price match HD/Lowes. Much better service usually and benefits local economy.

Our local Lowes used to fantastic for deliveries. I knew the guys that ran the trucks and seldom had a problem.

Then they started outsourcing the deliveries.

Now you have no clue who will bring the items, or when they will bring them. It is so bad that the guys back in the pro desk say just come pick it up.

Lots of bad stories I could share since the company decided to save money by hiring it out.

Saddest part is I saw the last hold out delivery guy in the court room a couple months back. He was there being evicted. When they took away his delivery truck they also cut his pay by a lot as well as his hours. He's a good guy. Used to run a truck for an actual lumber yard back when we first met 30 some years ago. That place closed down because of box stores.

Ours said no carrying anything inside as well. So if I order drywall for an entire house I have to lug it in myself.

They have taken the Pro out of their Pro Services. Now they change store managers so often there is no need to complain to them either.

Zero:

About a year and a half ago, I did that - order delivery for an entire house of drywall that had been gutted to the studs.

I paid extra to HD (because they said they offered the service) for a second person to deliver, and to bring it all inside.

It took FOUR times to re-schedule the delivery until they "remembered" to send a second guy. Darn good thing I hadn't scheduled the drywall installer for the next day!

Last month I needed the same thing - a whole house of drywall. No more HD delivery. I rented their flatbed truck, they loaded it on with the forklift, and I hired my two guys to unload it & take it inside. SOOOO much better / more reliable.

Zero:

About a year and a half ago, I did that - order delivery for an entire house of drywall that had been gutted to the studs.

I paid extra to HD (because they said they offered the service) for a second person to deliver, and to bring it all inside.

It took FOUR times to re-schedule the delivery until they "remembered" to send a second guy. Darn good thing I hadn't scheduled the drywall installer for the next day!

Last month I needed the same thing - a whole house of drywall. No more HD delivery. I rented their flatbed truck, they loaded it on with the forklift, and I hired my two guys to unload it & take it inside. SOOOO much better / more reliable.

For The 4 br unit I'm downsizing I was able to get the builders yard to fork the drywall onto the garage and then the fork guy had to hump it inside. When I redid my own office it wasn't possible to fork it all the way to the first level and I had to move it w help, that is a job I do not like. I can't believe it's pandemic related, some guy in an office must think it looks good on paper to 86 delivery. If I recollect correctly Lowe's did better than HD last year earnings wise. If you see the pattern I do Lowe's copies HD. HD had % off purchases first then Lowe's,. Next HD drops that and excels at pro service, Lowe's is trying to copy that at the same time HD tanked it and now they are neck n neck for lousy delivery title.

Agree with John in MI. One of my suppliers in Atlanta asked for a FAX number to send me a cut sheet of the product we were discussing.

I told them, "Where I am from, we don't use FAX machines".

They asked where I was from.

Small,

I ask where stuff is at all the time now. They arrange so often that the old timers that work there have to think thru it.

Once last year I went to the plumbing section of the local Lowes only to find security cameras, doorbells and the like in the middle of the plumbing section. How do those tie together at all?

I get that fax is still used in some industries -- but for something like this (real estate), it just shouldn't be. :) There are better ways.

Note that I work in IT doing IT for healthcare and dental offices regularly. I get how HIPAA compliance works and that everyone in healthcare still uses faxing -- but for completely illogical reasons! HIPAA people still think that faxing is "more secure" than email. This is crazy talk.

The reality is that encrypted email would easily solve most HIPAA patient data concerns -- but instead will still have sensitive patient documents faxed to one large fax machine for an entire FLOOR or BUILDING - where they all sit as everyone looks through them for the one that they want! And HIPAA thinks that is the best was to keep patient data private? By having it sit in a PILE of faxes that 10+ people have to look through every day??

Seriously. Faxing should be dead. It's a dead technology. And it has no real use any more than hasn't been superseded by newer, better, more-secure tech. We just don't want to admit it (and change HIPAA compliance guidelines written in the 1980s).

(Sorry, faxing rant completed... :) )