In the competitive field of home improvement retailing, The Home Depot has one of the most generous price matching policies. The company will match a lower total purchase price on an identical in-stock item from any other retailer’s physical store or online site.
However, there are some exceptions.
This article explains how The Home Depot price match and price adjustment works and how to use it to your advantage.
Does Home Depot Price Match its Competitors?
Yes. It matches the price of the purchase and its shipping costs. To request a price match at Home Depot, you should bring the ad with that lower price or a photograph of that item so that they can validate and price match the item for you.
Does Home Depot Offer a Price Match Online?
Yes. Home Depot price matches their competitors in-store and online. However, they honor direct requests for the price match (more on this later in the article).
Does Home Depot Offer a Price Adjustment Policy?
Yes. It offers a price adjustment policy. It happens when you purchase an item from The Home Depot and later its price is lowered at their site or a competitor’s site, you will get a refund as a price difference. There are a few more things to know about price adjustments, which you will later learn in this article.
Price Match Criteria:
The Home Depot has some criteria for price matching. Here are the requirements:
- To be eligible for the price match, make sure that the item is identical and it is the same in model, color, and size. In other words, it must be the same item.
- The item must be available to ship to the customer’s location at their competitor’s in-store or online.
Price Match Process:
The price match process at The Home Depot is simple, but you have to learn how to price match. Here is the process to price match:
For In-Store:
Once you find a competitor has the identical item at a lower price, you can bring the ad, the printout, or photo of that advertisement to their store, and they will register your request for validation. They will price match if the item is eligible.
For Online:
The Home Depot’s price match guarantee includes the price and shipping costs of the item. For an item to be eligible, it must be available at the competitor’s store to ship to the customer’s location.
Exclusions:
Several items can’t be price matched at The Home Depot because of certain deals. Here are some of these exclusions which you would like to know about:
- Ensure the items you want to price match are not clearance items, discontinued, or obsolete items.
- The items which are customized or configured are excluded from the price match.
- The third-party or discounted items are also not eligible for price matching.
- Auction items and competitor bid items are also excluded.
- Items with competitor’s pricing for professional services, including labor services and the installation costs, are excluded.
- Credit terms or finance offers are also excluded.
- Other items that are excluded from price match are:
- Typographical errors.
- Misprints.
- Open-box merchandise or refurbished items are also not price matched.
Price Adjustment Process:
The price adjustment process is quite different, and to understand it, we also contacted their customer service several times. Now that I understand how the price adjustment works, here it is described below:
Aside from what they do similar to most other manufacturers, such as taking the print out or advertisement and reaching their store for price adjustment. A few things which I learned are different such as:
Their price adjustment duration varies from one product to another. For example, one product has 60 days price adjustment duration, and another could be 90 days.
That is good because you are much more worry-free if you have a long duration as you have enough time to request a price adjustment. So if the price gets lowered within a given time, you can get a refund simply by showing them proof at their store or request it online by showing them the link.
Price Adjustment Request Online: (Explained)
In their price adjustment policy, they say: “We will only honor requests submitted directly from the person who made the purchase.”
Because this line doesn’t explain much, I asked their customer service to explain this line.
To what they replied:
“So if you made a purchase and then the item went on sale at Home Depot or a valid competitor within the return period, then you would need to contact us to arrange refund on the valid price match for a refund. You could not have someone else request it for you.”
So that clears it now. They mean that you have to request a price adjustment directly. Someone else can’t do that on your behalf.
Price Adjustment of The Home Depot
This is what I learned from their customer service. So another question I asked them was:
“so the Low Price Guarantee looks like price adjustment right, where can I check the price match?
I mean, for example, someone purchases an item from Home Depot, later there is a sale on the same item, so in how many days the same person can request the price adjustment for that?”
To what they replied this:
“Correct, that is the answer. The amount of days you have will match the days of the return. If you order something today that has a 90 day return policy, and the price goes down in 45 days, you are still within the returnable days so that you can call for an adjustment.”
By now, you may have learned how its price adjustment works.
Price Matching Competitors at The Home Depot:
The Home Depot doesn’t have a specific competitors’ list. I have confirmed this with their customer service agents.
Here is what I asked:
“one more question, please, what are the price match competitors at Home Depot, for example, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., or any other ones.”
To that, they replied:
Yes, correct. I’m sorry, there is no specific list that we have. We’d be happy to look into any competitor.
Some Questions and Answers:
So in this article, you learned about The Home Depot’s price match and price adjustment policies. But like most other people, you may still have some questions. Here are some questions and answers to help you more:
When was The Home Depot Founded?
The Home Depot was founded in 1978. The company is headquartered in Cobb County, Georgia, with an Atlanta mailing address.
What does Home Depot offer?
The Home Depot offers a wide variety of home improvement products, including construction tools and supplies, lumber; building materials such as sheets of drywall or roof shingles; plumbing, heating, and electrical supplies. It also offers services that include home delivery and projects installation.
Summary of this Article:
So in this article, you learned about The Home Depot’s price match and adjustment policies. Knowing these policies can make shopping easy for you, so you don’t have to worry about being overcharged or having your purchase adjusted after the fact. If any questions need answering, please ask them in the comments below; our team of experts is ready and waiting to help!
