Miele charged me $300 to deliver fridge & freezer columns, cooktop and dishwasher. My ovens cost me $80 for delivery. I paid a separate company for installation. Not all the appliance stores here offer free deliver so I asked about the cost for delivery / installation when I purchased them, hence, there were no surprises for me.

What's the difference between shipping charges and delivery charges?

Not sure but i guess shipping would be to the store and delivery to my house

I'm pretty sure that where I live they have to disclose the fees. That may not be true where you are. Generally, when you buy from a store, they pay the shipping to the store, unless it's a special order, for which the additional shipping should be disclosed (if the store are Wolf dealers, and you weren't pressing for an early date, it shouldn't be a special order). Installation is usually a separate fee, but, here, they ask if you want an installer. Many people do their own installation, though sometimes the insurance requires a pro or electrician, and the maker, as in Miele, may give warranty incentives for having their own people do it.

I don't blame you for being unhappy about the undisclosed fees. If it isn't required there, talk to your state legislators or equivalent.

What does the sales contract say? If the first time you heard about the fees was when you recieved a bill after install and your sales contract doesnt say anything then you probably dont have to pay it. You have the product so the worst they could do is file a lien which might be difficult without even a verbal contract.

My guess is that shipping is getting it to your driveway. Delivery is bringing it into the kitchen.

But they should have been disclosed up front.

This kind of thing is unusual in my experience. Not the fees themselves, but the fact that they came up this late in the process. Usually you pay for delivery, installation, etc. at the same time you buy the appliances.

To Kat Bennett, the original posted, those fees are not out of the norm. I'm referring to the US Mid Atlantic region. The only thing that is questionable is the shipping fee, that sounds like the dealer charged you some to (supposedly) cover the their cost of shipping from Wolf Warehouse {or whatever} to the dealer's facility. Yes, installation is usually extra IME, and yes it is a good thing that you have the dealer's installers do it, then the dealer or the manufacturer cannot slip out of a warrant obligation by saying 'it was caused by an install problem.'

sherri1058, assuming you are using Miele's Concierge Service (they have a separate website devoted just to this service, look for the delivery areas) and not an authorized dealer, then Miele's delivery charges are $95 per delivery, no matter if you have one item or a full truckload delivered . So it sounds like you used a dealer not the Concierge Service.

For anyone questioning these costs, especially for high end appliances, yes it's well worth it to have professionals do it, (certified, factory trained or actual manufacturer's installers). You are going to use the appliances for ten, 15 or 20 years or more, and you want the install to be done right the first time.

Please...putting a range into a house takes just about the same amount of time in just about every house. Hitting a customer with charges after the fact is not honest. Trying to charge extra time because the install team didnt have the right part even though they were able to talk to the plumbers is doubly dishonest. The appliance dealer can absolutely include it in their costs just like the company I purchased my range from.

@future_retiree Miele's Concierge Service is not available in my area. My appliances were shipped directly from Miele's warehouse to my house, and this was their charge, not a dealer charge.

Geoffrey, that is unduly harsh as well as inaccurate. Although Kat Bennett is cost conscious, the point of contention isn't the fees, but the lack of disclosure.

As others have said, standard practice is to discuss delivery and installation at the time of purchase. Some people fetch their appliances themselves (perhaps with a truck full of nephews), have the contractor (if not GC, perhaps plumber or independent installer) pick it up, use a truck company they have a relationship with, etc. Other people pop for white glove delivery. Many people opt for standard, drop it at the curb delivery. Each of these has a different price, but it usually is a set fee, either based on an average run, or calculated by the mile. Some have a surcharge for stairs, winding paths, and non-standard openings, such as having to remove doors, shove through large windows, erect a block and tackle, or use a crane. These potentialities are known and usually have a price schedule. There may also be a disclaimer about an hourly fee if undisclosed difficulties arise.

Similarly, installation is charged either as a set price for a standard call, or hourly, or a combination of both. Given inside delivery and unboxing, the installation is often quoted at $xxx for the hookup, plus $yy/hr. for work past the initial time estimate.

Even if all the variables are not known, the pricing structure is. A properly trained order writer knows how to interview the customer to get a feel of the scope of the job, and provide an estimate based on the price schedule. Again, usually with notice of what the charges are if the job is more complicated and takes longer. Professional installers are expected to have commonly needed hardware with them, though having to get a specialized something may come up, and may not stop the clock. Given that the electrician called ahead to make sure the installers had everything, the refund for getting the part was appropriate. The charge occurring in the first place is likely due to the lack of authority the people in the field have for waiving charges.

If the above sounds familiar to you, it should. It's really no different from fixing the pipes, or your car, or any other kind of professional service. There is a price schedule and an estimate and they are disclosed to the customer before the work is done.

It is also true that some stores, selling some goods, offer free delivery and installation. Expecting the fees to be disclosed when the services are offered but not free, is not outlandish. It is, in fact, normal. The OP would have been justified in saying, "I didn't agree to pay that. Take it back." By not disclosing the fees, they lulled her into thinking she was going to be paying less, and pounced when she had no choice but to let them go forward and pay or refuse and be without a cooktop. I totally get why she's miffed.

@pillog: Are we arguing over $65?

Nope. The $65 was refunded. It's the $225.

I agree that it's the lack of disclosure that is the issue, not the fees themselves. The OP has not responded to Barnaclebob's question, what did the contract say? Everything I have ever bought in my life that needed a delivery or installation had those fees as a line item on my receipt. If the receipt does not show these charges, the OP should get refunded. If they do, then the OP should have noticed them.

If the fees are on the OP's credit card, and the receipt at purchase did not show these charges, the OP can dispute the charges with the credit card company and get a refund for the fees that way. If the fees are on the receipt at purchase, the OP will not be able to dispute them with the credit card company.

As an aside, I usually try to use the delivery and installation fees as a negotiating point when purchasing. Some manufacturers of appliances brands like Wolf do not allow discounting, and nothing the store can do about that. But you may be able to get a price break by negotiating with the store to remove some or all of the delivery/shipping/installation fees.

Something I just learned from the local appliance store. If you order from their website, your delivery goes by common carrier to first entry point (gate, garage...whatever comes first). Half a step better than curbside, but essentially useless if you don't have a crew working. I called to make sure, because if I'm going to need a posse to get the item inside (a relative's house), we can just pick it up at the warehouse. Turns out that since it's local (if you call a 40 minute drive "local"--they do business nationally), they can do inside delivery at the same price by their own truck. The fee is worth the time and gas and need to round up said posse. We can handle the uncrating. It's just a freestanding compact fridge, so the installation instructions are remove all packaging materials, adjust feet to level and plug in. :) Simple instructions for reversing the door as well. The first thing the order taker did, when we got to the delivery fee part, was check that inside delivery would not be an additional charge. No hidden fees!

ETA, I just got and e-signed the contract. In the small print, it says that delivery is curbside then goes on to say the circumstances under which they'll deliver inside (basically easy access), and the fee for inside delivery if it's not easy access, doors have to be removed, etc. All well disclosed, but as I said uptopic, I think it's required by law here.

The company should have made you aware of the fee's upfront. It should have been in writing on your invoice/contract. If nothing is written on the invoice/contract you are not obligated to pay them.

You are not wrong for feeling miffed.