<p>If you are working with some kind of professional–a contractor, a designer–you may have access to a local “to the trade” wholesaler. That would be your best bet. Failing that, a good local appliance place. Failing that, perhaps BestBuy. Many manufacturers produce lesser quality items for Home Depot that are sold under the same name. (Andersen Windows, for example.) I don’t know whether that is the case with appliances, but I wouldn’t be surprised. They also don’t have much of a selection of brands.</p>
<p>I have a contractor/designer who will do hauling and installing. The wholesaler the designer work with was the highest in price, for some item it was twice as much. That got me started to look around. Has anyone bought appliances from an online store? What was it like? Was there any warranty issues in case it doesn’t work?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It worked out great. I bought a Bosch double oven from them for my prior house. They delivered directly to my garage. It was very well wrapped and had no damage at all. The price was cheaper than anywhere else I found and shipping was free. That was back in the days of no internet sales tax, so I saved money there as well.</p>
<p>My neighbor bought this beauty from AJ Madison:</p>
<p>[Bertazzoni</a> X304PIR 30" Pro-Style Dual-Fuel Range with 4 Sealed Burners, 3.4 cu. ft. European Convection Oven, Pyrolytic Self-Clean, Temperature Probe and Indicator Lights](<a href=“http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/X304PIR.html?brand_store=1]Bertazzoni”>http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/X304PIR.html?brand_store=1)</p>
<p>For my current house I bought a Bosch dishwasher (800 series) that DH loves.</p>
<p>Igloo if you have a Sears Outlet nearby you can get good deals there. These are often scratch & dent models, but sometimes they’re just display models with no damage. I bought my Electrolux 30" range online. The website tells you what store the range is coming from, so I called the store directly and confirmed that there were no scratches or dents on the front or top of the range. I saved about $500 on it even with shipping across the country.</p>
<p>[Sears</a> Outlet: Discount appliances, refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry equipment](<a href=“http://www.searsoutlet.com/]Sears”>http://www.searsoutlet.com/)</p>
<p>I should also mention that I had excellent service from [FaucetDirect.com](<a href=“http://www.faucetdirect.com/”>http://www.faucetdirect.com/</a>) and their associated websites. I had to return items that were past their normal return timeframe and they gave me full credit with no questions asked. Communication with customer service was outstanding.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That probably means that the contractor is pocketing a large markup. These wholesalers have prices and other prices, if you know what I mean.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I found it useful to see the exact model I was buying in person. This went for faucets (if possible), sinks, vanities and all major appliances. Sometimes it wasn’t possible, but it helped narrow down some choices. With a model number it’s very easy to compare prices.</p>
<p>I also checked out user reviews and avoided sites that had mostly negative experiences. The one exception to this was the flooring outlet where I bought my bamboo flooring. It was a risk because there were so many negative reviews, but I spoke multiple times to the sales people on the phone, got the address of their distribution center, and decided to go for it since the savings were so significant. It turned out fine, I got exactly what I ordered, and they even rushed a couple of extra boxes to me when my flooring installer realized he’d calculated wrong.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention I bought an [Elkay</a> EGUH2816Rx 31" Undermount Single Bowl Stainless Steel Sink with 18-Gauge, 3-1/2" Drain Positioned Right Rear Corner](<a href=“http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/EGUH2816RX.html]Elkay”>http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/EGUH2816RX.html) at AJ Madison as well as an over-the-counter microwave. The sink was a single bowl and had the drain on the side so I could put the disposal on the right side of the 36" cabinet and install a pullout trash/recycling bin on the left. The microwave was one of the only ones that was set up for installing over the counter (not over-the-range with a hood). I couldn’t find that in any store but knew exactly what I wanted so ordered it online.</p>
<p>[Sharp</a> R121 1.5 cu. ft. Over the Counter Microwave Oven](<a href=“http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/R121.html]Sharp”>http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/R121.html)</p>
<p>We’re very spoiled because we can drive to Abt Appliance, where they have excellent service and you can bargain to match online (like Amazon) prices. I know they sell online via their web site
but have no experience doing that. I believe they got high ratings from Consumer Reports on major appliances.</p>
<p>Another vote for FaucetDirect dot com. We ordered our sinks, disposals, faucets and more from them. Very easy to deal with and much less than local pricing.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes!!! When we replaced all of our appliances just over a year ago, we did a lot of comparison shopping… Sears, Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. No one could beat Abt, once you included delivery, installation, etc.</p>
<p>my local appliance dealer matched or beat the lowest prices I showed him from online sellers…and they even found some rebates I wasn’t aware of. Keep it local IMO</p>
<p>As much as I wanted to buy from the one local shop, they only display the high end products (SZ, Miele, Wolf…) I was running all over to compare friges. Yesterday we returned to hhGregg, where I bought a range and d/w. When they went to remove old broken d/w, the walls of cabinet crumbled. This led to complete kitchen redo, except I was stuck with the range. To keep this post short, once I knew I was buying new frige and MW, I didn’t want to keep the new d/w sitting in my garage the last few months. </p>
<p>hhGregg, it turns out, carries all the brands of friges. Because I was buying so much, they agreed to take back the d/w. I will soon be another proud owner of a Bosch 800 series. BB and others like theirs so much, I am truly excited.</p>
<p>The salesman matched all the prices of competitor stores, but not the on-line stores’ prices. Current promotion includes 10% off and no delivery charges.</p>
<p>vballmom - Thank you. Great tips! I am also getting an over the counter MW. In my case GE spacemaker, and a sink with a right-side drain. I may steal your idea of installing the garbage can under sink if enough clearance.</p>
<p>No Sears outlet or abt in my area. </p>
<p>I’ll visit hhGregg. If they can match ajmadison price, I don’t mind paying the sales tax. I am also getting a Bosch 800 series, SHE8PT55UC. I find it easier to pick out a model online than from a salesperson. I end up knowing more than a salesperson about my chosen model.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for great info!</p>
<p>I purchased my W&D from Best Buy online a little while back. If you use a website like fatwallet.com you can usually get an extra 1-5% off (plus using Best Buy’s rewards program will probably get you a few bucks in store credit). Both when I bought the W&D online and a fridge in store delivery was very inexpensive, and no surcharge for doing it on a weekend. Always showed up right on time, too.</p>
<p>I bought my range from another website (I forget the name at the moment), and it was a little bit of a rough experience. Purchased it on Black Friday because it was an amazing sale (~$400 cheaper than anywhere else on a $1500 stove). They wound up being massively backordered, and I didn’t receive the stove until late January. It wasn’t a huge deal for me since we were moving into a house and there was work being done in the interim. When it arrived one of the side panels was dented by the shipping company. Shipping company immediately got me on the phone with the retailer and I was given the choice of waiting for a new stove (probably going to be a few more weeks since they were still backordered), getting a $50 credit, or having them pay for a repairman to come out and fix everything. Since a few brackets were busted up and it was more than I cared to fix myself, I had them send out a repair guy. It was fixed in a few days without any problems. Range has been working pretty nicely since I love the fact I was able to get both dual ovens and convection within my price range. It has a setting for convection roast which makes the best steak fries I’ve ever had.</p>
<p>Igloo it sounds like GMTA :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is quite common, especially among gardenweb posters and readers.</p>
<p>I am a landlord so I probably buy more appliances than the average person. If I have time, I look on Craigslist in the fancy areas, because those people will rip out perfect appliances simply because they are not stainless or whatever the new thing is that year.</p>
<p>If there is no time, I have discovered that Lowes is faster in delivery and installs free (during sales). Sears is a no for me because they are too expensive and slow. The repair department is a nightmare to deal with and takes forever. </p>
<p>Online is fine if you can handle maneuvering the item into place and installing it yourself. My husband is so busy that he doesn’t have time, and I can’t really do that now, after a few surgeries. So I hire it done.</p>
<p>I am a big supporter of the mom and pop kind of small business. They will ( at least in my area ) match the price of the box stores . I also use a local appliance repair guy since he will tell you straight out what not to buy for brands. Give the little guy a chance</p>