Goodmorning !
Not sure if this thread will help you but take a look. I think from what I have read an online dealer may also get bad reviews because of the shipping company they use. Read the fine print on their website and see who is responsible if something happens during shipping. From what I have read the dealer is not responsible once the item is loaded up on the truck. Also remember "curbside" delivery means just that ! I paid extra for delivery inside.
Not sure if it will help you but I used Plesser's for delivery of a KA undercounter fridge and Miele DW. They are only about 1 hour away from me and used a local delivery company. I do not know anything about their long distance shipping company.

Here is a link that might be useful: local dealer/limited brands/service

My husband insisted on using an online appliance seller until I read the reviews on yelp. We ended up ordering from a local appliance store which came within $100 of the online price. If you can't negotiate with a local retailer, maybe you could order one or two items at a time to see how it works out.

I've read the reviews for AJ Madison, and mostly they were concerning taking a long time for delivery, have you thought about just ordering them early?

I'm about to place a large order with AJ Madison myself, and the prices just can't be beat locally. They have what I am ordering marked down 10%, and then an additional 5%, and then a 10% rebate off the whole order. Between that and not paying taxes it is saving us nearly $3000...

Thank you so much for answering! I may seriously have been giving myself an ulcer with stress regarding this. To EATREALFOOD, I called them and asked what their free delivery entailed as I just want them to drop off the appliances in my garage and the builder will be installing them, and they told me that was not a problem at all. To Laura12, the reviews I was reading all entailed the delivery, AND how AJ Madison handled the issue if the item was damaged. I just want to do business with a reliable company, and not stress out. I may just call the sales person I have been dealing with and see if he can possibly put my fears to rest. I can understand a few upset people, but I mean there were literally people screaming never to do business with this company. That is what is scaring me. This whole house building process could cost me thousands in therapy....

I am right there with you as I did read a lot of the same reviews. I think one of the problems is that if you have a bad experience you jump on the internet complain, but if everything goes smoothly you never think about it.

My plan is just to thoroughly inspect the units before accepting delivery. The items are supposed to come in factory packaging, how much damage could there possibly be?

Any large retailer,including AJ Madison,is going to have a plethora of bad reviews. They have commercials on HGTV/Food network type cable outlets now.

I have only read one really bad review re AJ Madison. A guy claimed he bought a 48" Range that was never delivered and it was past the time period he could contest/challege charges on his CC.He kept calling and was told another two weeks again and again.

Because somebody makes a horrific charge does not make it true. Sometimes people who have a genuine gripe about a purchase are so angry they add on and make it seem worse than it really is to damgage the reputation of the retailer.

I bought a lot of appliances online. I hope you are getting a really good discount on $10k worth of appliances. I don't think I would have ordered a lot of stuff at once from retailer I have never done business with.

To Deegeaux, well since we live in a small area, our builder recommended a few online retailers for our appliances. I trust our builder. One of the three he recommended was AJ Madison. I never thought to do research on them prior to my order. Probably a fault on my part. I still don't know what I am going to do. They do not reopen until Monday. I am tempted to just call and talk to my sales rep. and be honest about my fears. It's not like I need the appliances right now. Our house won't need appliances until end of March early April. Have you bought from them??

deeageaux,good point about the reviews. I've read of a similar situation with other retailers and I would never let a delivery go over the 90 day mark by which I can make a claim with my credit card.

I think the OP is getting the same deal as me, which worked out to nearly 50% off 4 bosch appliances.

Oh, I should say that my uncle did order a Bosch dishwasher from AJ Madison, and besides them trying to convince him he needed the $99 delivery instead of the free delivery it all went quite smoothly, though they were about a week late in their delivery! :)

My builder also told me not to worry and to go ahead and order from them, but didn't give me an explanation of his experiences.

Laura12..thank you. It is a big purchase, and I am not above saying that I have neurotic issues when it comes with dealing with retailers!! Does anyone know anything about Elite Appliance? Their reviews are very positive from what I have read...

We ordered most of our appliances from AJ Madison, about 15K worth, and were satisfied with the experience, even though we received a factory damaged Dacor downdraft. A quick phone call to AJ Madison and Dacor in California and a new downdraft was ordered and delivered within a week or so. The delivery firm used was also quite good and they facilited the expedited delivery of the replacement. Good luck with your purchase and project!

We just went ahead and ordered appliances from AJ Madison -I'll update this thread regarding how it goes!

I just received about 8k worth of appliances from Elite. All went smooth, thankfully! I had never used them before so I was nervous too. I did my research online and they price matched everything, no tax, free shipping. The freight company they use was awesome. I did not pay extra for inside delivery as my contractors are at the house every day and I figured they could handle it. Well the Liebherr fridge is a beast and so tall. All it took was $20 bill and he let them use his equipment (special tilting trolleys etc...) and he helped them bring everything inside the house. The driver lived not too far from my house so I am assuming it goes to a distribution center near the destination and local drivers take over. The Elite salesman are a bit aggressive over the phone. They try and sell you other appliances. Pay them no mind LOL. The appliances are all installed but we haven't moved in yet. Let's hope they work!!!

just wanted to come back and say that my appliances were delivered by AJ Madison this morning. I ordered exactly a week ago today so I was shocked that they arrived this fast!

I opened up the boxes to check everything, and it is all in new, perfect condition. THey were very easy to deal with, great customer service and great prices.

One odd thing, they delivered at 5:30am! I have never heard of such a thing, but oh well, I'm not going to complain.