Appliance Direct Reviews

Original Review: Aug. 13, 2014

I understand I bought a used dryer and the heating went out. What I don't understand is why it will take 2 weeks to send a service tech out to fix it. The dryer is less than a month old. We live down the road from the facility that repairs the products. However when I called they could only give me an appointment 2 weeks away and just apologized. I offered to bring the machine back for a refund but the Manager told me they would have to service it before that. There was no solution for me as a loyal customer. I got upset and told him that 14 days into a 60 day warranty is not acceptable and he proceeded to patronize me.

The more I said "no this is not acceptable and it is not the customer's problem that you are busy" - 2 weeks is not an acceptable time line for a product I paid for in full and picked up myself. If there were other factors involved then I would understand. However I did not expect this type of treatment from a Manager/Owner. He then hung up on me. Customer service and quality assurance is completely lacking. I will now only seek out businesses with high quality service.

Now here is the kicker. We have to every two weeks defrost our freezer manually or else the ice is building in the back of the freezer creating a loud buzzing noise so we called Appliance Direct Corporate Offices and told them that from Day ONE we have had problems. Now they have come to a point of not livable anymore. I was promised a call back but no one has even bothered. I bought my Stove, Dishwasher from them in the past and they also have problems. I will never buy another appliance from this store because it seems odd that they don't replace items that are not working when you first get them and obviously in my case don't last. We spent quite a bit of money on this refrigerator that has never worked right now not working without hours of work every two weeks putting our freezer food in a cooler and defrosting it the old fashioned way for hours just to have a functional freeze and don't forget having to use a hair dryer to get all the water out of this fairly NEW appliance. Disgusted In Winter Garden, Florida.

Also the dishwasher capabilities were fabulous and news to us. The garbage disposal plus the microwave were also much more modern than we dreamed. All in all, the selection; the experience of selection, and the total price came in well below our expectation and our budget limit. Hallelujah that we found Appliance Direct. Now for the 'rest of the story'.

The next year, my husband retired, we put our townhouse up for sale. We sold it to a lady from NYC who was blown away by the fabulous appliances which included the washer and dryer on a base that raised it up to make it easier to do the laundry - this was something our salesperson recommended. Well our place sold when most were not selling and we moved to a gated community in Central Florida, and yes you guessed it! We went to the Appliance Direct nearest to us in this new location... Fruitland Park, FL. We selected appliances that fit our new budget as retirees. We picked out a refrigerator that has a scratch on the side that is up against a cupboard so it will never be seen. The old dishwasher was not able to get the glasses sparkling clean but the dishwasher the salesperson highly recommended turned out to be perfect for us. Not only does it wash the glasses, leaving them sparkling clean, but it holds so many dishes of various shapes and sizes. It is so much better than any we knew was on the market.

The total cost was well below our retired and fixed income budget limit. I don't know what better recommendation we could give when purchasing what we consider to be major purchases. God bless the salesperson and store manager and also the delivery men who certainly made these purchases a good deal for us, for sure! Delivery and setup was so smooth. Those men took away the old appliances we did not know what to do with and did it so easily. They know how to move big heavy appliances with ease. They even smile while moving them. We wish we would have taken pictures of us watching the new dishwasher slide into place just perfectly, and the new refrigerator being hooked up to the water line so only pure water would come out of the ice maker. The look on our faces would have shown that we had made the very best purchases possible. So glad we kept looking until we found Appliance Direct.

First, refrigerator, (no complaints) other than it was the floor model (looked at it in-store and marked it with UV marker, black light showed it was the same one) but works great.

Second, dishwasher (so far so good) delivery arrived took the old one ($25.00 fee) (installed the new one for the low low sum of $110.00) slid under counter, hooked power up, connected the water line for that fee.

Third, in wall range, took measurements in, gave measurements to mgr. no problem... Found the model and size. Delivery installer driver arrives. Comes in and says it's $200 to install the new range and they're gonna have to cut the hole bigger, he says they see this a lot... I have them remeasure the new range 3" wider & 3" taller than the one in wall now. Driver says, "You're gonna need new cabinets because this isn't gonna fit or lose the under drawer to have the correct fit"... (That would be $200+).

I then explain to the driver the Appliance Direct Store did not mention the delivery, install, removal fees at the time of purchase. The Driver explained they are a sub contractor for the store and they charge a fee. (I can't type what I told the driver here on this site) But did tell him to take the range back... He explained they don't normally take the appliances back, but since the unit wouldn't even fit with out remodeling the wall unit they would take it back. The driver then explained the fancy appliances only last 5-7 yrs, unlike the units made 30 yrs ago (funny that's what I was replacing, 40 yr old appliances).

I called the store, spoke with a mgr, they are going to try and find one the right size or will refund my money... Judging from the other comments here on this site that may become an issue, but we will see... Judging from the fees, one would think it's better to go to the name brand stores as in the end you're not really saving any money... Buying from Appliance Direct really is WACKY NU NU...

The local Minneapolis firm, Island Deliveries, did not cut the box off the wood pallet but instead turned it over damaging the dishwasher and took the crate off it and left it still boxed inside our home... We thought it was undamaged and signed for it!! LESSON - Buy locally!

I emailed the company, complaining about this matter, and 30 minutes after, I received a call from a person saying that he's the spokesman for Sam Pak and a store manager, indicating that the right price for the stainless steal fridge is $1777 and that Sam Pak is giving body language to the audience saying the price of $1377 is the black fridge which I think is bull. Sam Pak said very clearly that the price for all 3 LG refrigerators colors.

They said I'd need to contact the company via email to dispute the amount. So I emailed the company via their website and 45 minutes later or so I got a phone call from Steve (apparently the East Colonial store's manager) saying that "Sam" (the guy in the commercial) was pointing to the black refrigerator during the commercial. So I asked why the white was the same price then? He didn't have much to say except those are the prices. So they are advertising the fridge for one price but not selling for that price. They are not willing to clear up the issue either.

A few days passed and the fridge does the same thing. So I call back. This time, I am told by Carol to call Frigidaire since my 4 year extended factory warranty is not covered by Appliance Direct. I call them and call another number to get an automated list of service technicians. I call one. I called Johnson’s Appliances. I asked him if I needed to call Appliance Direct. He said no. He said he could look on his computer and put the info in it. He comes out, replaces the thermostat. He calls Frigidaire to get paid. They tell him he needs to have the contract number.

He starts giving me a sad story that he won't get paid. I asked him if I paid him and would I be reimbursed. He said yes. All I have to do is call and wait forever to get the contract number. That means waiting forever again to get a human.

Since my time is not valuable, I pay him and proceed to call and get the contract info, etc. I get the info and call Frigidaire. Then they tell me that the warranty is through Bankers Warranty. So, I call them. Hours of waiting, being transferred and lied to, another roller coaster ride of uncertainty unfolds.

The bottom line is; Appliance Direct referred me to Frigidaire instead of Bankers Warranty. Nobody wants to accept responsibility. I have been transferred so many times. I have never had a problem like this in all of my 40 plus years with any company. Nobody will call me back when they say they will. Nobody will give me a name, address or phone number of a corporate office. The people that I spoke to refused to give me their business address or last names. They all have mine though. The real kicker is, my fridge is still not working correctly. I am out 170.93 dollars. I have lost food due to improper temperatures. I have spent approx. 8 hours trying to get somewhere. Bankers Warranty will not come out because I had an unauthorized technician work on the fridge, which means I have to pay for any additional parts/labor for the unauthorized technician. Will someone please help me! I am sick to my stomach over this whole ordeal. I am out money, time and patience.