Shopping For A New Washing Machine

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Recently when our “old” (six years old) washing machine died on us, we were faced with the unpleasant chore of finding a new one. Ugh!

After searching online to find a replacement, my wife and I decided to visit our local Home Depot store.

The timeline below illustrates the utter frustration spent in purchasing our new unit.

Wednesday morning-

Arrived at the Home Depot store and was warmly greeted by the store’s representative in the home appliance section.

After many questions and comparisons, the decision was made to purchase a particular washer. Money was exchanged and the delivery was scheduled for the following week. The stores representative assured us that-

  • The new washer would be delivered on time
  • The new washer, if compatible, would be mounted on our existing riser from our old machine
  • The hose which we purchased from Home Depot would be at the installation for hook up
  • The new washer would be installed at no additional charge
  • Our old washer would be removed for the $50 charge

The delivery truck arrived on time and I greeted the three gentlemen and should them the old machine which I had unbolted from our original riser for easy instillation on the new machine.

Then-

  • I was told that they would not attach the new washer on our existing riser
  • I was told that they do not install products, they only deliver them
  • They removed my old washer from the old riser and placed it in the middle of my garage floor
  • I asked them if they brought the hose connection we had previously purchase to which they replied, “No”
  • After questioning the obvious leader of this group (the other two spoke no English) I realized that we had a problem
  • The group’s leader said he would call the store
  • His call went to a person fielding calls like this but was not at the store
  • This person (Axel J.K.) called my home phone to tell me that the new machine would not fit on my existing base to which I asked, “How do you know it will not fit? You’re not here.”
  • Then I was told that Home Depot does not install new appliances and would not attach the purchased product to the old base

By now I had had enough and told them that they could take back the new machine and we would find one from another store.

Without a word, all three men put the new machine in the truck and were obviously leaving, leaving my old washer in the middle of my garage floor. As they were getting into the truck to leave, I asked them if they could help me move the old washer so that I could get my car back in the garage. They said nothing and drove off……. So much for Home Depot.

I apologize for the length of this rant, but the following information might be worth your time to read.

The following day-

My wife and I visited the local Nebraska Furniture store and spent twenty to thirty minutes scoping out their impressive selection of front-loading washers. We were shortly met by the appliance store’s manager and after another twenty minutes all of our questions were answered, and we proceeded to finalize our purchase. Working with this person was very helpful and I was impressed with his no pressure, well informed approach.

Now to compare what we went through at Home Depot as compared to our experience at the Nebraska Furniture store, I will list the facts as I remember them.

Home Depot                                                                                   Nebraska Furniture

Limited inventory                                                                         Extensive inventory

Friendly salesperson                                                                    Friendly salesperson

Free instillation- false                                                                 Free instillation- true

Attach washer to existing base- false                                      Discount given on new base

Delivery experience- extremely insulting                           Delivery experience- professional

Scheduled delivery- five to seven days                                   Scheduled delivery- next day

Cost of washer- cheaper by $200                                            Cost of washer- $200 more

Quality of machine- average                                                    Quality of machine- top quality

Remove old washer- $50 (didn’t remove or charge)          Remove old washer- $35 (removed)

Overal satisfaction- *                                                                Overal satisfaction- *****

Recommend to a friend- never                                             Recommend to a friend- yes

Bruce was a member of the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa, School of Music in Cedar Falls from 1969 until his retirement in 1999. He has performed with many well-known entertainers such as Bob Hope, Jim Nabors, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Anita Bryant, Carman Cavalara, Victor Borgie, the Four Freshman, Blackstone the Magician, Bobby Vinton and John Davidson.

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2 thoughts on “Shopping For A New Washing Machine”

  1. Dan S.

    Wow, what a saga! I’m glad you were finally able to get things squared away. I try to avoid HD and others like it for this very reason — have heard many tales of poor customer service from their contractors who do the actual installation. Like you I have learned that it is better to spend a few more dollars to get a quality product and installation. Happy washing!

    • Bruce Chidester

      Thanks for your comments and yes, we are now doing the wash with a great new machine.

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