ComplaintsforW.W. Grainger, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Three cases of lambs damaged during shipping .Grainger refused to exchange them . I just wanted them to exchange them for another shipment of the exact same items . They said if I returned them it would be at my expense. They did not hold Oak Harbor Freight accountable for breaking the lamps.Order #********** Order Confirmation # WEB2479183909 Date Ordered: 12/29/2023

  Business response

  01/15/2024

  Please see attached letter in response to BBB Complaint ID ********.

  Customer response

  01/23/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a private house renter and got permission from the landlord to order a ******** natural gas room heater model; ******* A from the Grainger.com website. I ordered the heater on September 26, 2023, the heater was shipped out on September 27, 2023, and was delivered to my front porch on September 30, 2023. the total cost of the ******** heater was $1,755.00. The box was not damaged in any way, but after unboxing the heater, I found four (4) dents and one dent was worse than the other 3 dents. I called the Grainger website service line to make a complaint, and this is basically what I was told on the phone by an associate; After a replacement order is made, I will send back the damaged heater when I receive the new heater. I will have to pay for the total shipment of $1,755.00 using my debit card again, and when the damaged heater gets to the warehouse I will get a refund of $1,755.00 deposited into my bank. I think this is unfair, as I should just get a replacement heater, and have to pay again! I do not have that kind of money, and I am a retired 66-year-old man on a fixed income! The damaged heater is on them, I'm not the one responsible for the damage. I think I should get a replacement with no charge or just get a refund, and keep the dented up heater! I was talked to like I was stupid! Grainger is a low-class company, and they do not have my back!

  Business response

  10/16/2023

  Please see attached response letter and supporting documentation relating to Better Business Bureau Complaint ID #********.  

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 8/28/2021 I purchased Item #: 5DVR8 (downblast vent direct drive roof exhaust fan) from Grainger in Maspeth, **. Within 2 years time (8/21/2023), the fan has stopped running. I spoke to Grainger in Maspeth and was told the one year warranty has expired, I could replace the motor for $290.30 or purchase a new fan for $672.65. Grainger in Maspeth also informed me that the fan should not have stopped working in two years time. These fans last at least 10 years. I called W.W. Grainger, Inc. who makes and/or distributes these products and was given Green **** Fan Corporation's troubleshooting number to call. this phone call was of no help at all. The cost of the fan purchased on 8/28/2021 was $671.92 and it did not last 2 years. Grainger did not offer a discount on aa new motor or new fan to replace the defective product they sold me. I'd like for purchasers of Grainger products to be aware of the defective products they are selling their customers and how you will need to replace their high priced products in a short amount of time.

  Business response

  09/04/2023

  Please see attached letter and supporting documentation in response to BBB Complaint ID ********. 

  Customer response

  09/10/2023

   
  Complaint: 20501742
  
  I am rejecting this response because: (1) Grainger is the nation's leading distributor of used/refurbished goods that, *************, they resell to other customers like me. (I purchased the exact same fan in 2017 and it did not work. Grainger told me to discard the item and come pick up another one. This was a waste of my time and money because I had to pay the installer for putting in the fan that did not work and the new one that didn't last 4 years. 2) The product is a ****** Exhaust Ventilator not a Greenheck. (3) Even if the one year warranty has expired, I asked Grainger for a discount on the motor and/or a newly purchased Dayton exhaust Fan and was told NO. (4) Yes, I spoke with ******, a Grainger **************** representative for about 10 1/2 minutes and we went back and forth about the one year warranty and my receiving a discount but got nowhere. The representative would not admit that their products were inferior and that I have received from Grainger inferior goods since 2017. The fan is supposed to work at least 10 years as per Grainger's technical person. I did not purposely hang up; that was an accident but why stay on the phone when we were getting nowhere. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  09/19/2023

  Please see attached letter regarding Complaint ID ********.  

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 20501742
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I do not accept W.W. Grainger's response to my complaint. They refuse to take responsibility for the defective/refurbished equipment they sell. I will NEVER purchase any equipment from W.W. Grainger because of its defective/refurbished sale of their goods. Thank you for taking me off of your email string.

  Thank you to the BBB for your help. It made a difference and I would appreciate your keeping my complaint linked to W.W. Grainger on your website for others to see.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On May 31st we purchased nine (9) motors from W.W. Grainger. These motors were purchased solely based on the advice of their product specialist as the motors that we wanted to use are no longer manufactured. Seven out of the *********** fit the application. Two motors did not come close to fitting. I called W.W. Grainger on two occasions attempting to return the two motors and I was told that we had to return ALL *********** to get a refund for the two motors. This is a ridiculous request. I am not about to have my men uninstall seven motors. The two motors that I want to return have never been unpacked and they are in perfect condition. I feel theres absolutely no reason why W.W. Grainger should not refund the money for the two motors since it was purchased solely based on the information supplied to us by them. I am attaching a copy of the invoice for your use.

  Business response

  07/10/2023

  Please see attached letter in response to Complaint ID # ********.  

  Customer response

  07/10/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Order **********, a refrigerant 4-Valve manifold came damaged in shipping. The charging port would not open. It was seized. Furthermore, Grainger claimed to inspect before shipping, but only placed the manifold in a box. Grainger also claimed that the hoses were low loss, but are not. That is deceptive advertising. Next, I returned the manifold to the ********** Kinkos, another cost, and never received a return credit. Grainger customer support kept hanging up the phone: I finally spoke with a representative, who dodged and deflected the issue. I reported Grainger to the **** and am in process of filing criminal charges against the ****** Street location, the representative, and all parties for theft and conspiracy to commit fraud, and other charges. Im also contacting my representatives to see if they can investigate and have this company removed from ********. Grainger steals money, and hires people to defend them. I am requesting a refund, and giving the company a day before I file criminal charges.

  Business response

  05/19/2023

  Please see attached letter in response to this complaint. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  SDFFSD

  Business response

  04/25/2023

  Please see attached response. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  There is a problem

  Business response

  03/27/2023

  Please see attached letter in response to Complaint #********.

• Initial Complaint

  09/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I been trying to resolve this issues with Grainger for the past year. Grainger Account ********* XPRESS ****************** has a balance that I did not caused because I did not purchased anything with this company. I called Grainger several times and requested a dispute process an Grainger is refusing to start the dispute process as required. Grainger referred this unauthorized account to a collection agency and instead of investigating and send me the result as I requested they are referring me to the collection agency that is harassing me and violating my rights.

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  Thank you for contacting Grainger regarding this matter.  We are looking into the matter and will respond shortly.

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am filing this complaint as Ive made multiple attempts to contact Zoro to get this issue resolved.We've been buying from Zoro since early 2021 and they just keep blaming you guys ( the parent company ) as the reason why they cannot help us. We spend over 200k+ annually and this issue is causing us major issues We are requested that the packing slips be removed from our packages. This is causing confusion for our customers and causing you guys to get returns that could've been prevented.Please help us get this escalated as we would like to continue purchasing from Zoro.com

  Business response

  07/20/2022

  Thank you for making us aware of this complaint.  Grainger has looked into this complaint and has prepared this response in conjunction with its wholly-owned subsidiary ***************., the entity from which the complainant purchased various items. 
  
  Zoros customer service team has been in communication with this particular customer over the course of the last year, both on general order-related inquiries as well as this specific issue concerning packing slips.  We have repeatedly told this customer that as a matter of both company policy and logistics, we are unable to remove,customize, or edit packing slips for any individual customer.  Zoro.com is a publicly-available e-commerce platform, offering millions of products from thousands of third-party suppliers, and we operate a drop-ship model whereby those third party suppliers fulfill and ship all orders placed on Zoro.com.  Accordingly, our model requires consistent operational directions for our suppliers to be able to efficiently and properly ship products to end users, and such directions (which are contractually agreed to between Zoro and its suppliers) require the inclusion of a Zoro packing slip in all orders.  We are not able to ask our suppliers to modify this simple and consistent step on a customer-by-customer basis, as it would be commercially unreasonable for Zoro to request or mandate this type of an order-level customization and we have no way of knowing which of our thousands of suppliers any particular customer may order products from in a given transaction, meaning there is no reasonable way to manage to this kind of customer request proactively. Furthermore, this customer has made it known to us that their primary issue here is that our packing slips are negatively impacting their attempts to resell products on other e-commerce marketplaces.  We are not obligated to assist a customer with their efforts to resell or otherwise distribute products downstream once they complete a transaction with us.Tell us why here...

  Customer response

  07/21/2022

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  Complaint%3a 17553595%3cbr /%3e
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  I am rejecting this response because%3athank you it is really disappointing as we want have a great relationship and buy in volume from you guys
  Maybe one day you guys can reconsider
  You guys get huge volume of purchases from resellers.
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  Sincerely%2c%3cbr /%3e
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  *********************

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Zoro is happy to continue to do business with your company; however, as noted previously, we cannot adjust our operations in the manner requested

  Customer response

  07/28/2022

   
  Complaint: 17553595
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I understand maybe you guys can consider this in the future..Thank you
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I cancelled my health insurance on April 27 2022. On may first Grainger deducted $486.00 from my checking for the monthly health insurance premium. I contacted Grainger human recources and thy told me they would direct deposit the $486.00 back into my account. I have contacted them 7 times since then and they still have not reimbursed me. I have contacted the supervisor and this is still not resolved. Every time I call I get the same scripted conversation.

  Business response

  06/15/2022

  Good Morning Customer Relations Team:

   

  Was asked to send this confirming e-mail as a follow-up to a call I had earlier today with **** (a member of your Customer Relations Team).

   

  As **** and I spoke, he also referenced the fact that BBB does not involve itself in employee employer relations issues which is the case here. 

   

  That said, having spoken to one of your other customer relations specialists this past Monday, I am able to advise you that the health premium refund that ****************** previously requested as a result of his canceling COBRA coverage with the ************ has been processed.  Again, according to Alight, ****************** received his full premium refund via direct deposit to his account on May 24, 2022.  By way of this refund, I will assume that this file will close.  Please send me confirmation once that has occurred.

   

  Thank you for your assistance.  I appreciated the opportunity to work with your team.  

   

  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩