I have no expectations that this review will turn a light on for anyone, or change behavior, or…read moresales practices. But perhaps it will. I've been saving for a new washer/dryer for about a year now. I've had positive and good experiences with Appliance Warehouse before, so I went back. I had my sites set on a specific stacked unit but the salesman was easily able to convince me otherwise, in that, if one part blew the whole thing was lost. So it was easy to change my mind about buying the washer/dryer as separate units instead. We discussed the height of the stacked units and would that be a challenge for me. No big deal. The additional space I'd gain was worth standing on my toes.
The entire process was not without commentary about "the Chinese taking American jobs, Ukrainians trying to scam us, and even his wife who apparently doesn't load the dishwasher correctly".
Did he think he was in the company of someone with similar ideologies? I was here to buy appliances, not discuss the global impact of capitalism. And for the record, I believe every human, void of territorial boundaries, deserves the right to work, earn an income, and care for their families.
Fast forward to delivery of goods. All went well until it was discovered the cables and hoses weren't going to be long enough given the desired placement. I had already put out $600 to move the plumbing for this renovation job, so yes, I wanted it where I wanted it.
These specs should have been part of the sales process, those specific questions should have been addressed then-how big is the room, where are the outlets, where is the access point for the drain and inlet hoses? If I had known I needed something other than the standard sizes, I would have been prepared, as I had a very limited window of time for this project.
I'm an expert in my own field and I did expect expert level inquiry from someone in the appliance field. My bad. Do you ever just want something to go your way?
The delivery guys left (a trail of mud through my house along with a puddle of water from a dripping hose-but it's March in Maine and I can't exactly fault them for that-it's just one more mess for this overworked teacher to clean up) and advised me to just buy new stuff on Amazon. Ok. What? What do I need? What's the amperage and voltage needs? Will the warranty still be in effect? Will you be coming back to do the installation?
Instead of making a phone call, I opted to go back to the store. While there, we reviewed the final fees, subtracted out removal fees, added the stacking fees and I requested additional credit, given that the units I had just bought days before, had now gone on sale. That took some of the sting away.
But. I'm still left with two heavy stacked appliances in the middle of my 6' x 6' room that I now need to install, move, and level myself? Can I? Yes. Is it frustrating to me that I have to? Also yes. First world American problem? Indeed.
So, my new cables and hoses will arrive next week...from China. In the meantime I guess I will be tripping over my tool boxes and other laundry room detritus until I can take a break from teaching my liberal college agenda, to finish the work a man said they'd do.
