I shop for carpet every couple of years and I can concur that Home Depot is a waste of time. Don’t really have a solution for you as I am in San Diego. Just don’t bother with Home Depot. Poor customer service, not good pricing. If you are bargain hunting be careful. Make sure you have references if you buy from someone like you are describing. It could easily become a disappointment. For me satisfaction with the carpet, whatever the parameters, is pretty important. I actually found Cole’s Carpets on Morena to be a good balance of customer service and price for nicer carpets and I use a discount store in Lemon Grove for less important situations but still decent carpet or other flooring. For tile and stone I hit lots of stores. I also get recommendations, relative to the specific job,
from a tile contractor I know(who usually does the install). On the last job he found slate for $2 that I had only found for $5. He also let me know that the price I had found for porcelain tile was as good as it gets.

I always give the carpet install to the same man I have worked with for nearly two decades now. I guess carpeting install isn’t rocket science and many people can do it well. Just a loyalty thing.