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buying kitchen appliances on line

15 years ago

Folks

I am thinking of buying appliances for my kitchen remodel - buying the whole lot (fridge, cooking range,oven, dishwasher)so the savings would be substantial...

Has anyone used AJMadison.com? what do you think?

is there a good online place for reviews of these online appliance companies?

Our local appliance store will deliver all pieces in one day, bring them in the kitchen, take off the packaging and remove it... does online companies go this far? or just leave the appliances in your driveway?

then there is the issue of warranty?

Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • 15 years ago

    I think there have been mixed reviews, but did you do a search for AJMadison?

    One thing I have heard is they will not/cannot sell certain brands in some areas, and also do not deliver to some (rural?) locations.

    I would suggest you call them and ask about their delivery options in your area, and whether they can in fact sell you the brands you want. They do have what they call white glove delivery that sounds similar to your local store, but the website says this is not availabe in all areas.

    Also, if you are buying a number of items, I believe the sales rep may offer you an additional discount. Ask for it.


  • 15 years ago

    I have not installed the appliances yet, but I did buy many of my new remodel appliances from AJ. They were delivered quickly and with care. They now reside in my basement until the remodel is done.

  • 15 years ago

    try epinions.com, i wouldn't use aj madison if they were the only dealer. but thats me. i did use dvorsons rest. equipment in ca. i live in n.j.
    john
    917-842-1809

    Here is a link that might be useful: reviews of aj madison on epinions.com

  • 15 years ago

    Well, during the research phase, AJ Madison's Web site was about the best research tool I could find for narrowing down my options and viewing the relative pricing.

    They were also one of the few dealers that carried every brand we were considering, and after talking to one of their sales people by phone I was able to get an additional discount that put them way ahead of any of my local options on the pricing.

    I looked over their BBB ratings and incident history, looked over many of the most negative reviews about them on epinions.com (many of which made me side with AJM :-). So we just ordered bunch of stuff from them. We'll see how the delivery process goes, but I'm obviously optimistic.

  • 15 years ago

    As long as you buy from an authorized dealer, you'll get a manufacturer's warranty on any appliance you buy.

  • 15 years ago

    When you read of the problems consumers inevitably run into these days with at least one of their major purchases, or you are fearful of making a decision because of on-line postings of problems, wouldn't you rather purchase from a local appliance shop who would then be your representative and work with you on resolving a problem that may come up?

    I think of a purchase as a vote with my dollars. I vote for local companies who employ local workers and spend their salaries in our local economy. In turn, they want me to vote with more consumer dollars by returning to them or referring others to them, so they provide me with good customer service.

    After being almost paralyzed in deciding which new refrigerator, for example, to buy, we decided to buy one from a store that was competitive in pricing, but also was an authorized factory store that could fix anything they sold, carried many parts for what they sold, and had proved themselves to us in the past by fixing other appliances at a reasonable price (even ones from other manufacturers).

  • 15 years ago

    I recently purchased my dishwasher, refrigerator and range from AJ Madison in January after reading so many positive reviews. Delivery was great (don't be in a hurry it took 2 weeks). I didn't find any damage. The appliances were installed in March and they all work great. If they didn't work, the manufacturers warranty would have covered. I didn't have to pay shipping or taxes.

    The prices were better than all the local retailers so I really had to vote with my wallet for the cheaper option. I saved over $500 with this option and it worked out fine. It's kind of nerve racking being this was the first time I bought so many big ticket items online. The refrig I bought w/o even ever touching at a store. I looked at all the reviews from Consumer Reports.

    It worked out for me and I'm very happy with the purchases and the money I saved.

    AJ Madison's website is excellent and easy to use/compare different products. They had a wide selection.

    One note, don't be rushed to buy your appliances if the website says you only have one day left on the current sale. There will be another sale the next day. Just do your research and make sure you know what you are getting.

  • 15 years ago

    I did a lot of research online and had narrowed it down to Big George or AJ Madison, but ABT was also in the running. Prices were very similar. My other option was my local wholesale distributor who supplied my builder when we built the house in 1998. I took the prices into them and while they did not price match they were within $25 on every item (DW, cooktop/pop up vent, double wall oven and microwave). Ultimately I went local, and it cost me about $700 more in tax. But I got a lot of help from them, free delivery to inside the house, and a great deal on installation. I paid a TOTAL of $300 for install, and that included hauling off my old applicances. One item, the blower for my pop up vent, was delayed and the installer even went by and picked it up himself on the day of install. They also referred me to a granite guy who came out and recut my opening to accept the new cooktop. In the end I was able to get a $400 rebate so all in all I am OK with the prices I paid.

    I considered ordering some things online and getting others from the local source, but in the end I just went local. Sometime it boils down to more than just the initial out of pocket costs. Peace of mind is worth something to me as well. You have to do what you feel comfortable with so every situation is different. If I was doing a complete kitchen redo, I might get the appliances online and let the General Contractor worry about the install, etc.

  • 15 years ago

    I am interested in the GE PT925DNBB it is a "double single oven" Basically double oven that takes up the space of a single.

    I called one local appliance dealer and he said he could order it for me but wouldn't match the online price. If I can find a place with the actual model, I will consider buying if they give a decent discount (maybe not match internet, but close).

    My experience with Sears with their top of the line Kenmore dish washer turned me off to them. It broke after 1 1/2 years and while it is true I hadn't purchased an extended warranty the sales person wouldn't even consider giving me a price break on a new machine. So I bought else where. Another think I found out years ago is if you fax your local appliance stores, they will often give you a better price than if you walk into the store.

    It would be good to hear about other online appliance purchases and peoples experience. I have bought the instant hot water dispensers on line without a problem. (with the purchase that is, the InSinkErator I got 2 years ago is broken now).

    Here is a link that might be useful: GE single/double wall oven

  • 15 years ago

    These are the best prices for the GE single-double oven I want to get. The MFSR is $2699. Has anyone bought from the sites listed? What was your experience? Good? Bad?

    Number1Direct.com
    Warehouse Discount Center (http://www.wdcappliances.com)
    AppliancesConnection.com
    BuyersEdge.com
    HomeEverything.com
    US Appliance (http://www.us-appliance.com)
    Abe's of Maine(abesofmaine.com)
    NY Home Appliances (http://www.nyhomeappliances.com)
    Appliances Buy Phone (http://www.nyhomeappliances.com/)
    Rainbow Appliance
    AJ Madison

    These are listed in the lowest prices to highest. All are within $250 of each other.

  • 14 years ago

    I went to the local appliance stores to touch and feel everything, then ordered from AJ Madison (everything except for the fridge). Their prices are great, I learned a ton from reviews, there was no tax (which really adds up), and they're delivering for free. I also noticed on the web site that they'll give a discount if you order multiple items, so I called them two days AFTER my online purchase and they gave me the extended warranties I had already paid for (which were $200 altogether) free -- took it right off of my bill. In addition, according to their web site, they could not deliver the KA dishwasher that I wanted to my area, but after talking to the rep, he took care of that too. So, so far I'm very pleased with their service. I'll give my final stamp of approval after delivery.

    Oh, and just as a side note, if you sign up for ebates.com and link to AJMadison through the ebates website, you'll get 2% of your purchase price back in cash.

  • PRO
    14 years ago

    a few years ago, I order appliances from US-Appliance.com, prices were good and everything arrived as expected, but I ended up ordering one thing incorrectly, which cost a ton to reship and fix.

    I just plugged the plug TODAY and placed my order for our kitchen appliances. I shopped online, and went to local stores as well. The local stores came in actually less, but with sales tax.. about the same. I do however like the fact it is local, and that if a problem should happen, they will have me covered. That said, if your local stores can't/won't match or beat the online prices, I wouldn't hesitate purchasing online!

  • 14 years ago

    You hit a sore point for me. I decided to get my Culinarian range and ventilation hood from an appliance salesman that I learned about from this forum. Our credit card was charges months ago and still no range. The incorrect hood was sent and we were promised the new one would be sent soon. Lots of promises over email and by phone and no delivery yet. We went this route to save money and now I am wondering what is going to happen. How much more of my time will be taken up trying to shake our appliances loose? We are reaching a critical point in our renovation and now need our appliances. Is this a cautionary tale? I don't know because I have not been given a reason or an explanation of the delay. The contractor told me not to get stuff on the web for this very reason. I did get some costly things at good prices for our renovation from Overstock and from Faucets Direct. These came promptly and have performed well.

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