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greazythumbs

Best place online to buy Appliances??

GreazyThumbs
12 years ago

Any recommendations on the places to shop for best pricing and service for appliances?

Comments (29)

  • willtv
    12 years ago

    We bought our appliances from Plesser's. I don't know where you live but, we went to their store on Long Island. In addition to rebates, they were having a Memorial Day sale and refunded the sales tax. They are great people to deal with and have a reputation for great customer service. They also have an online presence and an extensive website.

    Here's a link.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Plessers.com

  • funfarm
    12 years ago

    I agree with giving the local guys a shot first. I try to do that whenever I can. However, if they won't - or can't - compete, then I would look at the online retailers.
    I happened to have a very positive experience with purcahsing my whole suite of appliances from AJ Madison. I know some have had less than great luck with purcahsing appliances online and having them shipped, but I would do it again based on my experience.

    Good luck, Dean

  • harrimann
    12 years ago

    I went into Sears with the AJ Madison and Plesser's prices, and they matched it.

  • segesta
    12 years ago

    I'll pile on. I just ordered several appliances from a local bricks and mortar store after doing lots of online investigation. They basically reduced the price to eliminate the sales tax bite, resulting in the same price as I'd found online.

    For a multi-thousand-dollar purchase, I feel better knowing there is a human being across town that I can smack upside the head if things go wrong.

  • GreazyThumbs
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Wow, so many votes for the local brick and mortars... That is surprising, I would not have expected that response.

  • vinjah
    12 years ago

    For my major appliance purchases I was set on purchasing through online sources. My stove decision was Bluestar so I was forced to look locally at a higher-end appliance store. The salesman asked if I was looking for other appliances, and after telling him about the other appliances (lower-end than Bluestar... Frigidaire fridge and M/W, KA dishwasher, Kobe hood, he matched the lowest prices I had found locally and gave me a great price on installation (beating my GC's bid). Now I have a high-end appliance shop handling *all* my appliances and feel like I'll be well taken care of. Check out the local guys.

  • rob from nj
    12 years ago

    Another vote for going local if you can. We went in armed with the best prices we could find online and they beat those prices, even after allowing for sales tax.

    I was dealing with someone I could drive over and talk with if there were an issue, not someone I'd have to shoot an email to or leave a voice mail. If the item has to go back, they could just send a truck over - I won't be paying return shipping on a 400 lb. appliance.

    If you're in a rural area without a retailer that carries what you want, or if your local shop has a bad rep, certainly shop online.

  • sayde
    12 years ago

    There is no one local who carries Blue Star so I bought from Don's Appliances in Pittsburgh. Also got the Miele DW and speed oven from them. They were very responsive and I am happy. The appliances I bought were all MSRP, so no discounts, but they did provide free shipping.

  • segesta
    12 years ago

    PS for example: coincidentally I am to have a Fisher Paykel refrigerator delivered tomorrow. I got a call earlier today from my salesman explaining that the only one in stock was damaged, and that they will order another and it will be here next week.

    Am I disappointed? Of course. Am I angry? Not at all. Had I ordered online, I might not have found out about the damage until it was unloaded in my driveway. These are the little nuggets of customer service that you get when you buy from a local dealer.

  • JimT_OH
    12 years ago

    I agree with giving the local guys a shot. If that does not work out, AJMadison is great. The appliances I bought were not available locally, so I bought all five of them from AJMadison. A very expensive transaction. AJMadison was great. They made some recommendations, but not pushy. I bought them on a Monday and they arrived Friday night. The delivery guys were also great. Brought everythign into the house checked model numbers, put down tarps, the full 9 yards. I could not have been happier.

  • jscout
    12 years ago

    Another vote for giving the local guys a shot. But definitely shop online to find the best prices first. Arm yourself with everything you can find online. The worse that can happen is the local guy says no and you have solid online vendors to fall back on. As mentioned before, AJ Madison is a great place to start. Don't forget Lowes and Home Depot for mainstream products.

    That's exactly what I did. I armed myself with as much info as I could find. Then I walked into my local "high end" place and played dumb. I told the rep what I needed and let him show me around and "earn" my trust. Sure I found some misinformation here and there, but that was due to ignorance. So I lead him with questions and let him look things up to find the answers. He even used AJ Madison for reference in his own research and showed me their posted pictures, specs and prices.

    He said he would not match AJ Madison because they weren't in our region. But I knew my target prices so I negotiated and mentioned several times that I had no fears of buying online. The most compelling factor is the "tax free" component of buying online. In my case, at almost $20,000, that's enough taxes to cover a whole appliance or two. That's hard to overlook.

    In the end, I think I got a good deal, because, including taxes, I ended up paying about $500 over what I could get it for online without any taxes. I guess you could say that $500 was my tax.

    As mentioned in another post, there were distributor sponsored rebates and discounts that could be worked in. In the end, I also got free deliver and free haul-away. They would also hold all my appliances until I was ready for them. Even if that meant separate deliveries based on the timing of my project.

    All in all, I have peace of mind knowing that I'm getting exactly what I want when I want at a fair price. I got everything from one vendor so I will only have one face to deal with. As long as they stay in business, I'll have a relationship to lean on should I require service.

  • maninthefridge
    12 years ago

    The only thing I have purchased online was a 50" Samsung television. It was DOA right out of the box. The online retailer we were dealing with made it very difficult to exchange, despite their satisfaction guarantee. The exchanged unit finally arrived after 3 weeks and also did not work. We finally just went to a local Best Buy and bought the set. It made it home and worked right out of the box. We are still waiting for a refund from the online retailer. Buying online just didn't work for us. Besides, window shopping gets us out of the house, plus you get the benefits of the hands on experience.

  • funfarm
    12 years ago

    I know this has been mentioned on this forum before, but there are 3 things I can think of that bear repeating if you choose to buy your appliances online:
    1. Do thorough research into spec's, sizes, clearances etc. before ordering. You can typically view .PDFs of just about any appliance that gives these specs. Davidro1 has also given very good advice with regard to using the customer service 1-800 numbers for questions. getting the wrong item (wrong size, wrong spec's, etc.) can be very costly to return with the customary restocking charges
    2. Recommend you purchase with a major credit card and arm yourself with information regarding your credit card bank's "chargeback" policy and procedures. This is a very important tool on your side if you get sideways with the retailer. Some people abuse the tool and I'm not recommending that - just educate yourself about it and how to use it if necessary.
    3. Ensure that you will be allowed the time from the delivery company that your chosen online retailer uses to unbox and inspect your appliances upon delivery. Make sure you make every effort to be there to conduct this inspection and don't sign for anything until you're satisfied that everything is in proper condition.

    Just my $.02 from my recent experience.

    Good luck, Dean

  • aliris19
    12 years ago

    I don't think there is any one good place. Many online retailers are brick-mortar IRL, even. You just happen to be buying via the phone, essentially.

    I think it's a process. Use the net to get ideas and ball-park prices, shop around locally (if you can); keep your eye out for sales and coupons, go talk back and forth; internet retailers will bargain as well.

    I had good luck with Sears but I think you have to be willing to deal with Sears - not an inconsequential handicap! I had good luck with ABT mail-order. They resent a fork-lifted item, no problem.

    I didn't much like homeperfect, but not sure how representative that experience was. Just got heavy-sale'd.

    IME, none of these guys seems to really have much loyalty to you, either brick-mortar or online. I had a brick-mortar place screw up and refuse to make it right. I've actually so far not been left high-and-dry by online folks, but I'm sure it could happen. I'm not quite so sure that the we'll-take-care-of-you-dear attitude ascribed to brick-mortar places is quite what it's cracked up to be. I dunno, maybe ... I think there's a lot of luck to the whole equation. But as they say, good fortune favors those who are well-prepared. Or something like that.

    Overstock screwed up, they're trying to make it right (but can't, which isn't their fault).

    Good luck! Would that there one clear winning way to go....

  • sconway11324
    12 years ago

    My 2cents:

    I bought all my appliances from AJ Madison. AJ MAdison, Sears and local ADU matched prices so it came down to getting everything from one vendor, AJ Madison, because they were the only ones to sell BlueStar.

  • numbersjunkie
    12 years ago

    I went with AJ Madison also - no local store carried every brand I wanted, including a Fagor dishwasher and Bosch induction. I was very happy. I called and the prices they gave me were even better than on their website.

  • talairys
    12 years ago

    I'm buying appliances right now too. AJ Madison seems to have the best prices, including 10% discount on many brands and free shipping. I am going to take into Abt and see if I can get them to match. I love the Internet! :-D

  • ApplianceSalesVet
    12 years ago

    I work for a local independent store. We also have an on-line site run by the same site administrator as AJ. In less than a month, our site should be easier to navigate and explore options in appliances (I'm crossing my fingers that it will be as easy as AJ's).

    We are constantly matching local and on-line competitors.

    I encourage you to find a store/salesperson you are comfortable with, and who is willing to work with you.

    I've worked for a big-box store and I've worked for two independents. I think there is room in the world for both, but ultimately I believe I can serve my customers better working for an independent dealer.

  • joyce721
    12 years ago

    I've been trying to give the local dealers a shot. And if it was down to just a few hundred dollars, I would do so for the peace of mind alone. But we are looking at substantially more due to the number of appliances we need. We have gone to one highly reputable local store, per our designer and contractor's recommendations, as well as others. All I am quoted is the 'list' price -- same as at any other local dealership or on-line dealer -- plus any appicable manufacturer rebates. Didn't even give a break through our designer or our contractor. This, plus sales tax, and not even delivery thrown in. We are being told that's the best they can do. I am doing much better shopping online. Not only is there no sales tax, but I am getting better all-around prices. In this economy, for the local dealerships to survive, they really need to make some accommodations.

  • F15rezast
    10 years ago

    Get an Idea about the Best Place to Buy Appliances

    Here is a link that might be useful: Best Place To Buy Appliances

  • bpollen
    10 years ago

    I don't understand how anyone would order a large appliance. What do you do when you have to return it? It's not like I could box up the fridge and put it on the front porch for UPS to pick it up.

    I order appliances only from brick & mortar....a place I can go to and complain, if necessary. A place that will send someone to pick it up and take it back to their warehouse, & bring another one to me from their local warehouse (if it's in stock). I know some brick & mortar retailers outsource their servicing and delivery & install, but they are still responsible for it and they are the ones the customer calls about it.

    If a brick & mortar store has an online presence, I'd still go to the store & order it from there...they will match any online price I find.

  • bpollen
    10 years ago

    I don't think I'd feel comfortable ordering a large appliance online, unless it had a local brick & mortar, and I merely placed the order online for convenience. What do you do when you have to return it? It's not like I could box up the fridge and put it on the front porch for UPS to pick it up.

  • vedazu
    10 years ago

    I bought a Lacanche stove via the internet back in 2005, I think, from England, self importing it and dealing with shipping as well. Total cost for the Cluny, Portuguese Blue, including shipping was under $4000. This is actually a very simple stove. It was installed in about 4 minutes, and I have not had any trouble in all these years. My point being, if you know what you want, and you can get significant (emphasis on the significant) savings, and you don't have a "touchy" product, of course you should use the internet. If you anticipate that the appliance will need frequent servicing, perhaps you should re-consider purchasing the product.

    I'm re-doing my mother's house in a very rural area and will buy a Verona on-line since there don't seem to be any dealers there. On the other hand, there is a somewhat "upscale" appliance dealer within 100 miles which has a service department so in a pinch they could come up to handle it.

  • baltomom_gw
    10 years ago

    I bought my appliances online and at a local store. The local stores I tried did not have the appliances I wanted, so I purchased two of them through Amazon. No problems whatsoever. One of the appliances was damaged in transit, and the sellers took it back before it got to my house, and sent me another one. Prices were very good from Amazon. I did buy floor models from the local place -- could not beat those prices anywhere! I bought my sink online from Home Depot. I ordered it on a Thursday afternoon, and by Friday afternoon it was on my doorstep! Great price too. You just never know.

    My advice: do lots of research both online and locally, figure out what you want, and don't close your mind to anything.

    Good Luck!

  • lynn566
    10 years ago

    I am using Goedeker's, I spent many hours and multiple trips to local retailers and could not get models I preferred. Goedeker's carried all the brands and products I wanted. I have been pleased with the ordering process I hope the rest of the experience is as good. We are taking delivery in October.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    We're seriously considering Goedeker's as well. I compared their prices against AJ Madison's this morning, and Goedeker's was less by several hundred dollars on several items. We will give our local store a chance too.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    8 years ago

    I see that I posted on this thread in 2013. FWIW we ended up getting our appliances "locally" at Pacific Sales (I used quotes because it is a chain). and got a better overall price than anything we had seen online.

  • Marshs3 jay
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Amazon has good prices http://www.amazon.com/


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