Buying Appliances online

I might need to buy a set of appliances within the next 6 months - washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, dish washer. Are there good sources for these online? Or do the manufacturers fix the prices for the benefit of the dealers?

You might also look around for local (sometimes family owned) appliance stores.

It looks like there is quite a lock by manufacturer's that don't let the stores sell below list price. But many offer free delivery, installation, haul-a-way of old appliances.

Also, there is frequently damage during shipment... Dealing with a local store may be a bit more productive on getting replacements.

That said, there are some very good deals on the web (wife's friend's husband bought a 50"+ TV online for 1/2 or 1/3 list price--I don't know where though).

-Bill

Let me tell you about my most recent experience..

My dryer started acting up, shutting off about 10 minutes before the end of the cycle. Then it kept getting worse, to the point where it would only run about 15 minutes and then stop. Probably either timer or motor, either of which would have been $200-ish, and the new dryer my wife wanted was $300.

Went all over town and found best price at Home Depot. Get to the part where we pay and they discover that we're not in the "delivery area" - if we were, they'd have us a dryer in 2 or 3 days, but having to ship to the store would take two weeks. I tell them to deliver to me AT the store, I live in the parking lot, but they don't buy it. Wife's upset about old dryer not working, so I tell them to order it and I'll be back in two weeks. Spend the next two weeks walking to the laundrymat with wet clothes to dry them, as there's too much pollen outside to use the clothesline.

Two weeks later, I call the store and tell them that I'm on my way to pick up the dryer, wondering where to pick it up. They tell me that it's not there. I ask where it is, they don't know, and they also can't tell me when it WILL be there. Manager's not in, so I email customer care. It's 4 days until I get an email telling me they're looking into the situation. They call after another 2 days to tell me it will be there the next day. All in all, an extra week..

The dryer comes out in a box that's been torn up in several areas. Manager is still nowhere to be found. I take the dryer so I have SOMETHING and get away from the store. Getting it home it's been smushed up a little, with some scratches and stuff on the side, but nothing you'd see once it's installed properly. Once I get it hooked up, I start it and hear some noises coming from it - taking off the front shows that it's been shook around so much that the plastic rim on the front of the drum was displaced, and once I got that back it's running the way it's supposed to.

Home Depot has called a couple of times while I was gone, and every time I call back the guy isn't there. Customer care has offered me a $15 gift card

I'd find a nice mom-n-pop place to handle things for you. You might pay a little more, but it'll be well worth it..

My wife and I went to Home Depot to check on carpet, we decided on a type that we liked and talked to an employee about having it installed.

We paid $35 to have someone come out and measure our house. Its been 3 weeks and they still have not come out and measured our house.

Other than that I really like home depot, but this experience has been quite annoying.