I'll give them that their sales process was very good. The owner, Ray, went out of his way to answer my questions over the phone. I was shopping for a stacked washer/dryer unit, and I live in a condo with a very challenging utility closet for installation. Ray had one of his guys come and scope it out (free of charge) and made his recommendation that there's no way they can get a regular sized washer/dryer in. So I purchased a space saving one from them, a little narrower than your standard sized ones.
About a week later, two of their guys brought the washer/dryer, but they couldn't maneuver around the narrow space, so two skinnier guys came back later that afternoon to finish the job. They installed it and left.
Here's where the problems begin. The washer refused to work right off the bat. It would fill up with water but not actually wash. I call Ray the day after Thanksgiving, and he tells me he'll have a service guy come out and will call me back with the details. I sense a little bit of attitude/exasperation from him, but I let it go. Of course he never calls me back, so I decide to stop in at the store. Ray had left for the day, and I asked the sales guy there about exchanging the lemon for a new one. He tells me Ray was busy all day and that he can't authorize any return or exchange and to call Ray in the morning.
The next day, I call Ray and courteously ask him if he can do an exchange for a new washer/dryer instead of having a service guy come out. I explained that I purchased something brand new and expect that it would work and not have to fix it immediately. A lemon is a lemon, and there's a very good chance it's a recurring problem. Ray gives me an attitude, says that it was impossible to get the machines in there and needed to send 4 guys to do it (not my fault the first two guys were too big boned), that the problem is probably a 5 minute fix with a faulty lid switch, and that he'll send his guys back to pick it up and issue me a refund. He promptly hangs up on me. I actually have to call him back to inquire about logistics of when they'd come and pick it up. After he tells me that upcoming Tuesday or Wednesday (again with an attitude), he hangs up on me a second time. If it weren't for my level-headed and reasonable wife, I would have gone down to the store and made a scene since that's not how you should treat your customers.
I get that a business's primary motivation is to make money, but you have to stand by your products. If it doesn't work, do right by the customer and keep them happy. I just thank that the problem occurred early and I could get a refund, unlike the woman in a previous review. You also can't give your customers attitude and hang up on them. Just be kind and treat them with respect during trying times. As much as I want to support small local businesses, I would never shop Better Electric again. I ended up purchasing from Best Buy with no issues. And I know if it craps out, I won't have to deal with an attitude and get hung up on and forced into a refund when I really want an exchange. read more