"I have bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Build.com over the last 10 years. When I first started buying, they had excellent prices and prompt, efficient customer service. Over these years, prices have increased dramatically. I can often find the same items at the local big box and a considerably lower price.
Customer service has also declined. The most frequent answer I receive now is to contact the manufacturer. I've had reps disconnect me from chat when I was trying to get answers to problems. There is little follow through. I have a return pending now and hope for a full refund because the items were described incorrectly on their Web site. I'm through with them now. Too bad - it WAS a good place..."

"I ordered an $899.00 shower enclosure from build.com through amazon. The item was late in delivery so I reached out to build.com and they abruptly informed me that my item had already been shipped back to them because of my failure to contact their shipping carrier. They also informed me that I owed 150.00 of shipping charges to them and that they would not be sending me a full refund. No call from their shipping company at all. The fact that they blame a customer for not contacting their method of delivery by taking the item back and charging a fee is ridiculous. Not only is it terrible customer service, but I only heard about it after reaching out for a late item. I have reported their behavior to amazon and highly discourage anyone from dealing with this company."

"I have primarily purchased bathroom fixtures, plumbing supplies, kitchen small appliances, lighting fixtures, faucets and plumbing supplies. Their advice is usually good, and as no company is perfect, a good way to judge a company is how they handle problems...and Build.com is exceptional. I always order on the phone which avoids confusion, misunderstandings and can confirm what is in stock and not. Over reliance on web sites can lead to unreasonable expectations and problems. Having spent many thousands over the past 4 years, I trust Build.com and their terrific employees, and recommend them without reservation. Having read some of the bad reviews, I bet some people who have been unhappy have unwilling to take ownership of a problem. From 4 decades of personal experience dealing with suppliers of building products as a general contractor, I know their employees are typically better informed and more concerned about giving good advice and good service than the norm today: combined with very competitive pricing - Build.com is a great internet store. "

"Placed an order on Thursday the site indicated I would have it for Friday. Friday came and went without my item. I contacted support the following Monday at which point they informed me that item was on back order. I never got an email or call informing me of the status of the item. They were unapologetic and didn't really seem to care. Blamed it on an IT error which would be fixed. A week later the site still says that item has 38 in stock and I would receive it in tomorrow if I ordered now. "

"During a recent remodel I had several contractors say not to go to local big box stores because many of the items sold in brick-n-mortar stores have cheap internals for supposedly the same stuff purchased at a commercial supplier (i.e. plumbing.)

So I did some research and started buying from Build.com. At first, all seemed well and the customer service on the phone seemed great - the reps are willing to spend extended periods of time on the phone with you during the research/sales portion of the project. Phone reps tell you 'Call me directly with any questions or concerns, design and other needs and I'll help you directly.' That's great when you get them. Problem is, when there's an issue with an order all you get is the opportunity to leave unreturned voicemails and marginally returned emails. I've worked with several reps and the experience is consistent - you want to spend money? we'll stay on the phone with you for hours! You have an issue with an order you've already spent money on? we are nowhere to be found and avoid you like the plague!

I've spent many thousands of dollars with Build at this point but no more.
One rep who I spent at least an hour on the phone with creating a detailed order of items for bathroom remodels (toilets, light fixtures, shower plumbing, etc.) added a lot of things I didn't need, never asked for and was not made aware of until I received the email confirmation to my order - toilet plumbing supplies for instance, which I already had. These hoses, bezels and valves added an extra $100+ to my order yet he never mentioned ANY of them!
Next, a light fixture I had picked while on the site and on the phone with the rep was fulfilled not with the actual fixture but by the rep assembling SIMILAR but not the same individual parts, resulting in my receiving something VERY different and unusable from the PART NUMBER I gave the rep over the phone. As soon as I opened the box, I immediately put it right back in the box and processed a return because it would not work for our needs. Build issued me an email containing only a single return shipping label but the parts for the assembly came in two separate boxes. They received both boxes and even sent me acknowlegement of such but only refunded the base of the light fixture (cheapest part) but CANCELLED the return on the more expensive shade! I spoke with another rep about this several times who claimed she was going to get the refund processed but never did/could over MONTHS of me bugging them about it. So basically Build STOLE $70 of my money and refuses to have any integrity around it - so now I have to turn it over to my CC company to fight it out.

SEVERAL toilets I recieved came damaged in shipment, one so severely, it was hard to tell it was a toilet. The shipper they used refused to allow me to refuse the delivery, even though I opened the box with the driver standing there - who also took lots of photos of it.

Basically, you MIGHT find some prices that are less at Build.com but you'll spend more time chasing issues, attempting to get any follow-up help, and being extremely frustrated; - not to mention the major impact on your project's timeline - by using them. Do yourself a favor and buy your supplies locally. It might cost a little more but at least you'll have some recourse when it goes wrong - something severely lacking with Build.

I can NOT recommend using Build.com for anything more than window shopping as in the end, it's simply not worth it."

"Whatever you buy and whatever they advertise, keep in mind that the "free andf easy returns" does not apply to just about anything. They simply state that your item is not eligible for the general return policy and that's that. You'll never see your money back. And no, they don;t warn you at the time of sale that the item sale is final. A scam designed to steal your money. "

"DON'T BUY FROM BUILD.COM - they hide the 'return shipping' charge - say 'free returns' so I bought a few fixtures from Build.com. I need to return one as it did not fit as well as I had hoped. Now with the return costs - which is higher than if I just shipped it using my corporate FedEx account the cost is closer to 25% restocking fee. Home Depot will match their pricing - and you can return it there at no charge!!!! Now that the internet charges taxes DO NOT buy from Build.com."

"If you let them take your money just don't expect them to delivery the product. Nothing but LIES"

"Received an over the range microwave that was damaged but the damage was not obvious in the packaging. The installer found the damage and tried to work around it, but the microwave was not able to be used. It cost me $100 minimum charge for the installer and the damaged microwave is in my garage. There is a fee to dispose of it in my township, which build.com needs to pay or they can make arrangements to have it disposed of. I'm already $100 bucks in the hole on this $280 microwave. "

"Twice now I've called Customer Service on behalf of our clients orders coming to us, the builder. They have been extremely accommodating to help fill a back-ordered item AND to reship an order I had mistakenly declined. Each Rep always has complete notes from previous calls and follows through with the next steps. Thank you kindly for being a company of integrity. "

"Completely satisfied with my hardware order from Build.com. Prices were reasonable and shipping was quick. Love the hardware!"

"In connection with a massive home reconstruction project, I have bought thousands of dollars of merchandise from this site, from marble to chrome plumbing fixtures, and have had uniformly good service. Their product lines are very comprehensive. My complaints have been minor: on one occasion a china sink was broken in transit and I wasn't notified, which led to a short delay; however, a new item was shipped right away. They are unduly strict about returning items beyond 90 days--if you are doing a really big job, you may have a piece of hardware on site without opening it for 90 days, at which time you can't return it. But I still don't hesitate to recommend this merchant.

I rarely need need to ask for advice from online merchants, but their service reps are reasonably knowledgeable."

"Over the course of several purchases for reno work one light fixture arrived with broken globes, and I received notice that only part of a hardware order was available to ship immediately.

I dealt wih two different reps and each quickly resolved the problems. With the light fixture they contacted the mfr directly to request (free ship) replacements - and kept in touch with me so that I jnew the status, tracking info, etc.

With the hardware some pieces had shipped; as I couldn't wait for the rest I reordered in a different finish that was in stock - and promptly received it. They arranged for free return of the partial shipment, too.

I am planning additional work in the near future and will definitely shop build again."

"Their representatives push you to make a purchase immediately almost like a car salesman. I was promised that a $1200 microwave would fit in my island cutout. When I tried to install the microwave it was 3 inches too tall. I tried to set up a return but they do not accept returns on appliances even when their rep promises you that it will fit.
They run a shady business and I will never purchase anything from them again."

"Ordered a light fixture from here. Fixture came in and it was extremely poor quality. I couldn't hang it due to safety concerns. Fit and finish were so poor that the product would have been considered defective. They refused to cover return shipping so I ended up having to pay nearly half the cost of the fixture to return it."