Much sympathy here. I've been having similar experiences with most salesmen I've been encountering, whatever the product. The bigger the price the more clueless they seem too.

I finally found one guy today who really knew something (Freezer topic). Sorry I sucked all the know something out of the whole country! I didn't realize it was that rare :)

JC in So Cal

Salesmen these days with some exceptions are nothing more than order takers, and sometimes they mess that up too.

I never go into a store be it an appliance store and certainly not big box stores where they even have a clue as to the real features or requirements of what they are selling. This is true of AV equipment and other electronics and most other goods.
Now I don't mean to offend any sales persons on the board here, I have been one myself in the past. [and I made it a practice to know my product and the customers needs] but times have changed and there are very few good ones around now.

I find it amazing how much sales men in many stores do not know about what they are selling, and will actually blithely give you mis information. They make me feel like with the what I have learned from these forums, I should be selling appliances...LOL! The best salesmen I found was in a small town, mom and pop store.

Generally these days you're much better off doing your research online and then just going to the stores to kick tires and buy. On the other hand, when I was appliance shopping five years ago, a very knowledgeable salesman at Expo directed me to the DCS range which I had never heard of and the KA DW and I've been extremely pleased with both.

I recently bought an expensive Christmas present for my deserving husband at a big box store. The sales girl tried to sell me an extended warranty which I declined. She went to great lengths to convince me I needed one including "explaining" how the item worked. Now as I was in a good mood, I didn't bother letting her know that I am an electronic design engineer by profession and have spent years designing with similar technology and that she was talking complete rubbish. I have come to the conclusion that the only way to shop is to know exactly what you want and why you want it. In my experience the sales staff rarely know much if anything about their products.

Well... just got back from Home Depot again...from my "appointment" to get prices on what I already knew I wanted. The gentleman from the kitchen design department was knowledgeable but wasn't there to sell me anything... just give me prices on the options I was looking at for pieces to go with my existing kitchen in order to retrofit some changes. He was helpful and I was able to bounce some ideas off him. All he kept saying was, "wow, you really have done your research". "You know so much, most people have no idea what they want". I find myself addicted to learning as much as I can to avoid costly mistakes. I wish I was handy with power tools and had the muscle to hoist and move. Then I do the whole darn demo/change myself. My DH is very handy but his time frame is soooo-oooo much slower then mine. It's like he lives in a parallel universe with it's own space-time continuim. Then again... I admit to being somewhat impetuious. Makes for an interesting dynamic.....

Here is our own extremely annoying appliance experience at HD, while we never had anything like this at our good old hometown dealer. Dad bought a new home and went to HD for a stove, thinking he'd save. When the stove arrived it was the wrong size. Had to argue with them to even agree to pick it up for a fee to exchange. Then they wanted Dad to bring the stove down the stairs himself! (He is 74). He had not yet moved in and waited 12 hours at the house for them to show up. Called numerous times during the day and they said they were close, but they never showed! Fed up, we drove out, picked it up and delivered to their front door. They took it back with a 25% restock fee? Why? Well we have to ship these from 3 states over and it will take another week or so to get a replacement they said!!! Went to the local dealer and he had the right stove delivered in two days, no outrageous delivery fees and excellent customer service. They also knew their appliances.

You can search for your Home Depot and give it a review much like the one I going to list below. There is a lot of difference between the stores which reflects the store managment. This is the actual online review of a Home Depot in Austin Texas .
Worst store in Austin
Normal Home depot . But probably the poorest run store I ever seen in my life its more or less out of control do as you wish there . Use the driveup loading as covered valet parking who want there vehicle sit in the scorching Texas Sun and who wants to walk through the parking lot fom hell . This is Home Depot AKA Austin's Auxiliary Mexican Embassy Pick from well over 100 daylabors chasing your car around the parking lot . Find a prostitute or just buy drugs . Then you can shop inside usually you can find all your shopping needs in one area of the shelf cause they just throw anything into a bin could be over 30 different items in one square foot bin.
.Fiskbus.September 8, 2007
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Count me as NOT irritated with Home Depot.

I needed an undermount lavatory back a few years ago--before undermounts got popular. Priced a special order from Menard's...Yikes. Went to Home Depot in the next town, they shipped one directly from their warehouse, directly to my door, and in record time (vs the weeks that Menard's estimated delivery.) All totaled, I also saved around $50 & got the convenience of doorstep delivery in the bargain.

Remodelfla -- Are you my wife? You sound just like her! Ha ha.

The words "customer service" and "Home Depot" are antonyms. The latest experience with HD is to wait for one of their reps while he is on the phone or with another customer and have them not even acknowledge your presence. I can feel my blood beginning to boil and I have to walk away, my wife will make a point of waiting, but I find it futile. Is it that difficult to look at someone and nod or say "I'll be right with you"? I walk away because I know that by the time I do get their attention I can figure it out myself, why wait around to be given the wrong answer or just have some idiot shrug and walk off.

I never count on sales reps for anything, whether it's purchasing a new car, electronics, or home appliances. I do all my own research and consider the retailer just a point of purchase, not a source of useful information.

I stopped going to the HD's in our area after finding service at our local Lowes far superior. HD is fine when it's convenient to my "errand loop" and I can find what I need on display.