‘You didn’t pay for the installation package’: California woman’s dad orders Home Depot dishwasher. Then a worker rips away the power chord
When you buy a major appliance, you expect it to arrive with everything needed to make it function. At the very least, you don’t expect parts to be removed after delivery.
One Home Depot customer on TikTok says her 76-year-old father had a very different experience.
In a video that has gotten more than 148,900 views, TikTok creator Stephany (@iamstephanymarie) explains what happened after her father ordered a dishwasher from Home Depot and prepared to install it himself.
What followed, she says, left her stepping in to stop what she describes as an attempt to take advantage of an elderly customer.
Did Home Depot ‘Bamboozle’ Elderly Customer?
“Are appliances just coming to people’s houses without the proper things to work?” she asks. “Because my 76-year-old father just ordered a dishwasher from Home Depot.”
She explains that the dishwasher arrived at her father’s house and that he signed for the delivery, expecting to install it himself. That’s when the situation changed.
“It got to the house, he was gonna install it, he signed for it,” she says. “And the delivery guy goes, ‘Oh, you didn’t purchase the installation package.’”
According to Stephany, the delivery worker then opened the box on the spot.
“He ripped open my dad’s box, and he took out the power cord and the tubing that hooks up to the sink,” she says.
Her father, she explains, was confused by what was happening.
“My dad’s like, ‘What are you doing?’” she says. “You know, confused.”
Stephany says the delivery worker told her father that because he didn’t pay for installation, he also didn’t pay for the parts.
“And the guy goes, ‘Well, you didn’t pay for the installation package, you didn’t pay for the parts, so we’re taking them with us,’” she says.
Customer Service Allegedly Wasn’t Helpful
After the delivery team left, Stephany says her father contacted Home Depot for help. The response, she says, only made the situation worse.
“So my father gets on the phone to Home Depot, and they’re saying, ‘We’re sorry that the product is not eligible for return,’” she explains.
That’s when she decided to step in.
“So his daughter had to get involved. Me. Yep. I had to get involved,” she says.
Stephany says she arranged for the dishwasher to be picked up the same day.
“Best believe they will be there today between 3 and 7 to pick up that dishwasher,” she says. “Because how dare you, how dare you, Home Depot, try to bamboozle my father.”
She ends the video by praising Costco, where she says they ultimately purchased a replacement dishwasher.
“Thank you, Costco, for being amazing at what you guys do,” she says. “Not only do they have a better dishwasher for a cheaper price, they’re gonna do the full installation as part of the delivery.”
Do Dishwashers Come With Power Cords And Tubing?
Whether a dishwasher includes a power cord and water hookup depends on the manufacturer and retailer. According to several Home Depot listings, such as this one, many dishwashers require a separate installation kit, which is sold independently of the appliance.
In those cases, the parts would not be inside the dishwasher box to begin with. That has led some viewers to believe this situation may have been a misunderstanding rather than parts being removed after delivery.
Still, the way the situation played out raised red flags for many viewers, especially given Stephany’s description of the delivery worker opening the box and removing items on-site.
At this time, it’s unclear whether the dishwasher originally shipped without the parts or whether there was confusion over what was included with the purchase. The Mary Sue has reached out to Home Depot via email for clarification.
@iamstephanymarie Do better HomeDepot. Thank you Costco!! ?. #homedepot #costco #rant #momsoftiktok #fyp ♬ original sound – Stephany Marie
Commenters Are On Her Side
In the comments, many viewers backed Stephany and questioned why the employees handled the situation in the way they did.
“That stuff comes From the manufacture. Taking that out of the box is stealing,” one person wrote.
“No no no…they do not get to open the box and remove integral pieces the manufacturer included. I’d contact the manufacturer to report the theft. I’d also make sure complaint to the BBB about Home Depot’s doing that. That’s shady, & dishonest,” another said.
Others focused on how installation kits are typically sold.
“If you had to buy a separate installation kit, it should have been in a separate box,” one commenter wrote.
Some users offered a different perspective based on industry experience.
“Appliance salesman here, appliances generally don’t come with hookups. For many, there is more than one way to hook them up. Installation is almost always sold separately because of this,” one person commented.
The Mary Sue has also reached out to Stephany via TikTok messages to see if she has any updates on how the situation was resolved.
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