Kitchen Appliances-Best Place to Buy
 

As a house hunter in the area, I am seeing a lot of houses where I would need to replace kitchen appliances. Where do you think is the best place to buy appliances in the region? I'm hoping to find a place where they take way the old appliances when they deliver the new ones.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Lowe's in Gilford will deliver the new and remove the old (unless you are on an island) and I think that Sears in Tilton will do the same.
Lowe's normally has a good selection in stock. The small Tilton Sears has a limited selection but will order in anything carried by Sears.

Sears
 

We have had great luck buying from Sears. Their Kenmore "Elite" line is really top quality and seems to last. Servicing and parts are also easy to get on their products. We had one issue with a refrigerator we bought there after having it for almost a year and Sears gave us full credit towards a new one of our choice!!

Dan

Local shops, local reputations
 

I bought a top of the line Samsung washer and dryer from Lowe's several years ago. Upon delivery; the washer didn't work. I had to have another delivered. It broke shortly after also. Lowe's doesn't offer local service, so my warranty service guy had to be booked like two weeks out since he was driving about an hour out of the way, and he's the only guy that could service Samsung machines. (Not sure if that was true or not.) The machines work okay now, but I was *really wishing that I had bought from Baron's Major Brands who - like their ads say - service what they sell. In fact, I had stopped in there before buying, and that was WHY they didn't carry Samsung (they didn't service them).

Lesson learned.

barron's fyi
 

They are local and when our SubZero had problems they would not come fix it because the original owners had not purchased it from them. I would check them out tho because it is sometimes tough to find a serviceman when stuff breaks-if you buy it there they will fix it.

I think it depends on what level of appliances you want.

For the basic mid to high-end consumer type appliances, Lowes and Home Depot will have a decent selection, fair prices, frequent sales, and generally offer delivery and removal of old units.

If you want higher-end stuff, built-ins, etc., then I'd recommend Baron's, or even possibly going down to Concord or Manchester.

Cate,I used to price things at Lowes,Sears and other large retailers until I tried Baron's in Laconia...they also have a Concord location,I believe.
I was pretty surprised at their large selection,savvy sales people and the prices are the same as the box stores.The thing that really sold me was the service.They install,remove old appliances and are back in a minute if you call with a problem.Since I found them I don't even look anywhere else.In the last 6 or 8 years I've bought two fridges,two stoves,washers,dryers and also all the appliances for our Florida home....had them delivered to me and then trucked them down.
Never had a single problem.....plus the $$ stays local.

Baron's Now in Ossipee
 

I just went to the Baron's web site and see they have a new store in Ossipee. That will be a convenient location from Wolfeboro for me. :)

I agree with SamIAm about trying to keep the $$ local.

I was going to suggest Bay Street Discount on Route 16 in Ossipee (just south of the junction with Route 171). I have found them easy to deal with, and they will generally price match the sale price from one of the big box stores if you bring in the flyer. Now you have me wondering if Baron's bought them out. I'll have to check out their web site.

We've also found that if you live in an out of the way location (Wolfeboro/Tuftonboro, for example), Lowes will generally kick Sears' a$$ when it comes to delivery - both cost & convenience.

If you're looking for repairs, we've had great luck with Wells Appliance in Wolfeboro. They do most of the local warranty work for Sears, I believe.

Bay St Discount, Ossipee = Baron's Major Brands
 

I just logged on to http://www.baystreetdiscount.com and was routed to the web site for Baron's Major Brands. Guess I just answered my own question.

I was at Lowe's or Home Depot a few years back viewing appliances.

The appliance lady was on the phone to some distributor/wholesaler of appliances.

It seems that someone from Bristol purchased new a GE washer and dryer set within the last 12 months. One of the GE appliances had a problem. Warranty work needed. BUT:

There was no company or repair person available for GE appliances that would travel to Bristol. This was warranty work and the repair place had to be an authorized GE repair company/person. None went to Bristol area.

I heard part of the conversation then I asked the sales lady and she told me that the only solution was to have the Lowe's/Home Depot go to Bristol and pick up the machine and replace it with a new one. But she did not have the authority to authorize this. I never found out the end of this story.

But it raises a good question. Make sure you understand the appliance warranty and find out who does the warranty work. There are many that can do repairs but only a few that are authorized to do warranty work.

I'd kinda stay away from any appliance manufactured overseas whether Asia or Europe.

I think things have changed I just had my dryer motor catch on fire, it was only 15 months old and we bought the extended warranty through Lowes. They sent out techs from A&E who also do work for Sears after 4 visits they finally gave us a new one (still waiting for the check) its been almost a month, June 29 it caught fire and they just delivery the new one yesterday. We also had Mr. Appliance for our washer but that's a whole new story!!

Big Box vs Sears and the others
 

I'm going to throw this out there and see what sticks...maybe even get flamed a little too.

Everyone should know that an appliance bought at Lowes and/or Home Depot is NOT the same quality as one purchased at an appliance store and even Sears for that matter. The same goes for a grill or lawnmower or snowblower.

The manufacturers ( GE, Amana, John Deere, Ariens, Jenn-Air, you name it) make units especially for the big box stores, namely Lowes and HD. They are not the same quality, corners are cut, and although when you shop for a specific model number of a particulat unit at HD, you will not be able to cross check it against the exact same unit at the "appliance store". Apples and oranges for sure. They cost less for a reason.

I've heard countless stories of "quality" problems with big box store appliances and the "non service" that comes afterwards. In my own case, I purchased a Stainless Steel Jenn Air grill from Lowes several years ago. It was a $600 "who's your daddy" grill. It was the worst "cooking" grill I've ever owned and it used a tremendous amount of propane compared to other grills I've had. The cast iron burners failed in less than a year, Jenn Air replaced them at no charge and charged me $75 shipping. The "new" burners failed even sooner ( I use it alot, obviously) and they said "see ya" we already replaced them and the warranty does not cover the warrantied burners.

Enough lamenting, you get the point. Just know what your getting into if you choose to buy big box store appliances or power equipment.

BT

With all of the problems we have had in the last few years with our Electrolux washer, dryer, dishwasher and fridge I can honestly say stay away!

These came from a local appliance store, not a big box. If it wasnt for extended warranties I would be screwed. Don't buy an appliance these days without one. They don't make them like they used to...:laugh:

This is absolutely not the case. If it's got a major-brand logo on it, the manufacturer is not going to risk their reputation, nor their warranty repair liability, by "cutting corners" on the product. There are some specialty cases where a company may sell a "house brand" product under their own logo, which would be built by a large name manufacturer, but done to the retailer's specifications, which could certainly include cost-cutting.

Service
 

Regardless of where you buy the products or what product you buy. Service is most impotant factor in appliances.

Lowes, Home Depot etc. usually outsource service calls to service companies like GE. Sears also have their own service department.

Baron's service was a miss, twice for me. 5 years ago I bought a large ac that they installed for me. Within a few days it stopped blowing cold air. A call to the store and I was told to return the ac! It took two of us to carry it to the truck and deliver. They were aware I needed the ac for my elderly mother and it was in the middle of July. They would not loan us another ac. I borrowed an ac from a friend. I called toward the end of August for status on the ac. They have not even touch it! In fact, they called me in January of next year to pick up the ac! They were going to charge me $350 for it but when I pointed out that the ac was only a few days old. They waived the bill. That hit a nerve!

Like a fool, I bought an over the range microwave on clearance sale from Baron's three years ago. They installed it for me. Within a month, I called the store that the microwave stopped working. The store told me to call the manufacturer as it is under warrantee. The manufacturer sent a GE repair guy over to repair. Baron's cut the electrical cord and splice the cord to the electrical wire from the wall. The GE guy said that void the warrantee. A call to Hotpoint confirmed it. I called Baron's and they denied that their installation crew would cut the cord and will not take responsibilty. This incident was reported to the BBB. Luckily the microwave was fixed for the $80 minimum fee. The spliced wires were loose.

When I remodeled my kitchen 7 years ago, I bought all kitchen appliances from Home Depot. They also did the install. No problems.

I don't know about appliances but I do know that Blue Thunder is right about some things. For instance, the John Deere tractors are made especially for HD. Andersen windows do not have the same screens and hardware as at independent lumberyards. Doors from the big boxes also are sold with different hardware, etc.

Not looking to argue with ya....but it's true. The major manufacturer's make stuff specifically for the big box stores at a lesser quality and for less money. That's why it's "cheaper" at those places. Just saying.....

So the John Deere tractor at HD is cheaper, has the same warranty, *and* can be serviced by any authorized JD dealer? Sounds like a bargain.

The Andersen windows (and similar building products) is really more of a different product line altogether. The consumer home stores typically carry a lower-priced product which caters to their DIY shopper. Anderson has a very wide selection of hardware types and finishes, as well as a few different screen options. Last time I check though (2 years ago when doing replacement windows in my house) I could buy the *exact* same kit as what HD had from an independent Andersen dealer, but that dealer also carried a product line that was not available to HD.

State Street Appliance in Portsmouth....
 

Shopped Barrons, Bay Streeet, and Lowes and found the best selection, best service, and most important..the best prices. Delivered and set up...

Ours was a new lake home and we had very rigid requirements ( wants and needs) and the had an incredible selection. Also bought an extended warranty which we've used over the years and it has paid for itself. You can look up their web site. We've recommended State Street to others and have been thanked....a fun time in Portsmouth while on a shopping excursion. Good luck as there's not alot of markup on name appliances....alot being made by one company under several names. We also bought some of our larger appliances from Direct Buy....but that's another story....another enjoyable buying experience.

I have a neighbor (Mass) who bought a John Deere at HD last summer. He called a John Deere dealer also here in Mass and they wouldn't take it back for repairs. Supposedly he was told by them they will not take in and work on "big box" JD products. I was told the dealer went on to explain JD used to try to make their dealers take on the big box work but they stuck together or something like that and got that policy overturned. Now it's a dealer by dealer decision. I've never had this confirmed but was told this...:confused:

The JD at Home Depot/Lowes is the same JD you would get at the JD dealer. The difference is as dpg states...good luck getting it serviced.

Same with Ariens snowblowers. I was talking to the local Ariens dealer. He flat out told me that the ones on sale at Home Depot are the same, but good luck getting service, as he would take his own customers as priority over customers who bought elsewhere.

Sounds a lot like many marinas on the lake.

Interesting, I've always understood (or at least thought) they were inferior in some way. I really don't know just in my head I guess. I've always bought lawn mowers at "dealers."

When I was shopping for a new lawn mower just a couple of months ago, JD was one of the brands I was seriously considering. I was specifically told by the local JD dealership that the JD mowers sold at Lowes, HD, Sears etc. are the VERY SAME mower that they sell. In fact at the time, the sale prices at the big box stores and the JD dealership matched up exactly with the JD website.
So as far as John Deere making 2 differant versions of the same models, I say HOGWASH.

Nope
 

This is the original intent of my post. The tractor/mower/snowblower you buy at the big box stores is not the same item you would buy at the local JD/Ariens dealer. For example you can put an Ariens 824 snowblower bought at HD side by side with one bought at an Ariens dealer and although they look the same they aren't. The most notable difference is the gearbox that drives the auger. In the bigbox store machines those are made of aluminum. The other one will be made of cast iron or steel. This and other unnoticeable cosmetic and mechanical changes make the machine less expensive to manufacture and therefore less expensive to buy at the BB stores.

I'm not making this up, folks. I've seen it time and time again on mowers, tractors, snowblowers and appliances.

BT

How do you explain that ?
Personally, I'm sticking with HOGWASH

Google it...in 2 minutes I found this...

click the link to read the entire story but the fifth paragraph states:

To avoid alienating existing dealers and please the wants of the box stores many lines have created specific low-cost product for the box stores. John Deere and Cub Cadet are both prime examples. Both companies offer a line value tractors that are specifically engineered to meet the required price points of mass merchants. These models are of far lesser quality than the core product that these companies built their reputation on. Independent dealers still sell the better, longer lasting product in addition to the price point tractors.
One common myth is that because of their size the box stores are selling at lower prices. In most cases this is not true. Independent dealers sell both the quality models, and the inexpensive tractors at the same price points as the super stores. Infact your more likely to get a deal at an independent dealer because many do not charge any setup or delivery fees which are levied by all box stores.



http://www.backyardboss.com/articles...tChainSaw.aspx

BT

Off topic
 

Since when did we change from kitchen appliance to outdoor appliance? :offtopic:

Ariens
 

I bought my Ariens from a dealer in Nashua 2 years ago. I specifically asked him if it was the EXACT SAME as the model available at Home Depot. He said YES IT IS...and he was selling them for the same price....guess where I bought mine... Oh...he also told me that he serviced Ariens blowers that were bought at Home Depot. If the part number/model is the same, then it's the same product regardless where you bought it. Many manufacturers make models specifically for and only available at the big box stores. Sears has been known to do this for years...others do it too.

Assuming the article you mentioned is indeed true facts it would explain the dealers statement and the fact that the price's were all matched model for model.
It looks like I may have to eat my HOGWASH.:emb:

Not if you look at my OP. We may be on a tangent with power equipment now but my OP was aimed at appliances as the same applies to them.

BT

Mark,

You don't have to eat anything......I'm just putting out there what, in my experience I know to be accurate. Not all Big Box store stuff is inferior especially when comparing exact model # to exact model #. I just don't want someone like CateP or anyone else on this forum to get burned thinking the BB stores are selling the "same" stuff.

BT

We're the same man, we're the same!
 

To begin my opinion, I've seen display models in the big box stores that are different than what's in the box. So I don't put much credit in your Ariens gear box comparison.

I have also read the article that you referenced later in the thread and it does mention that the there is a difference in quality of some products sold at a dealer as compared to the dealer. I have no problem with that actually happening. But the article clearly does NOT mention that the product being compared has the same model number! The article is simply stating that a white GE washer in Baron's isn't necessarily the same as a white washer in Lowes. And it's because they are different with different model numbers and the quality may/probably differ. (Ever try comparing mattresses from store to store? Can't).

Getting off subject (I do that from time to time), manufacturers also make changes throughout production and keep track through model numbers. We are currently trying to sell our old JD Model 111 lawn tractor on Craigslist (about vintage 1985) and noticed someone up in the lakes region selling the same model (about vintage 1900's). Identical looks, no; same replacement parts, no; my exaggerated comparison, yes. But may be similar to the Ariens comparison.

Just my two cents