A Lowe’s customer took to TikTok to ask whether or not he was right to seek damages after a gallon of paint spilled in his car shortly after he left the store.
TikToker T.M. Franklin (@americanlink) posted a short clip showing how the paint cans were stored in his car before and after the spill. In a text overlay, he asks viewers to “help me hold Lowe’s accountable!” The video has garnered over 654,000 views as of Monday.
@americanlink Within this last week the wife and i went to pick up some paint 4 gal to be exact. I put them in the back bench of my truck. I was still in the parking lot and took a right turn into another part of the parking lot at lowes to go to chick-fil-A and my wofe turns to me and says why does it smell like paint. We look in the back seat and this is what it was. I drove the 200ft back to lowes and asked for the store manager at the customer service desk. She comes out with one of her shift supervisors and they clean my truck and give me another galnof paint and replace anything they had that was similar to what got paint on and took my information so they can file a claim with their insurance. I informed my insurance and got it in immediately to get an inspection of damages. Then 2 days later i got a call from the store manager saying lowes wont be taking responsibility because it wasnt on a flat surface and was not secured. Am i wrong for asking for accommodation for the damages? #lowes #clarksville #tennessee #military #jag #help ♬ Come as You Phonk – lofi’chield
T.M. Franklin makes his case in the description: “Within this last week, the wife and I went to pick up some paint. Four gallons to be exact. I put them [on] the back bench of my truck. I was still in the parking lot and took a right turn into another part of the parking lot at Lowe’s to go to Chick-fil-A.”
“We look in the back seat and this is what it was,” he writes, referring to the pool of paint covering his backseat. “I drove the 200 feet back to Lowe’s and asked for the store manager at the customer service desk.”
According to his description, the Lowe’s employees were extremely concerned and helpful. “They clean my truck and give me another gallon of paint,” he explains, adding that they also “replace anything they had that was similar to what got paint on and took my information so they can file a claim with their insurance.”
However, two days later, the creator learned that Lowe’s had refused to cover the damages, claiming that the paint cans had been improperly stored: “I got a call from the store manager saying Lowe’s won’t be taking responsibility because it wasn’t on a flat surface and was not secured.”
He finishes by asking, “Am I wrong for asking for accommodation for the damages?”
Users in the comments almost unanimously agreed that the responsibility falls on him, not Lowe’s.
“If I buy eggs then they [slide onto] the floor while I [am] driving and [brake], is that the store’s fault because I didn’t secure them?” one user asked.
“Lowe’s was not driving the car,” a second added.
“We call that a teachable moment… I’d be really mad, but at myself,” a third said.
“Why didn’t you put them on the floor or use something to keep the cans from rolling around?” someone else questioned.
“Don’t blame anyone but yourself!! Should have secured them in the floorboards. Also, you could have bagged them just in case,” another wrote.
“It’s almost like you could [have] put them somewhere that was separate from the cab, lined in a waterproof material,” yet another commenter suggested.
A few comments supported T.M. Franklin’s belief that Lowe’s was at fault, and shared similar experiences.
“[The] same thing [has] happened to me at Walmart. They covered the cost because they did not seal the lid,” a user said.
“Comprehensive insurance will cover this. We had the same issue, [a] lid wasn’t secure—Lowe’s paid to clean our truck bed,” a second added.
“I have worked for Lowe’s as well and something like this happened and my store replaced the paint and paid for whatever damage was done,” a former Lowe’s employee added.
This isn’t the first time Lowe’s has been accused of failing to provide quality service. A Lowe’s customer in Georgia recently bought a washing machine and paid extra for workers to come and install it. The crew reportedly failed to install the machine properly, resulting in $8,000 worth of water damage.
The Daily Dot reached out to T.M. Franklin via TikTok comments and Lowe’s via email for further information.
