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bridgehook

appliance brands from the service dept's point of view?

bridgehook
16 years ago

I spent a long time with a salesperson yesterday. Seemed very knowledgeable and seemed to be talking straight. My wife and I are weighing whether to step up for a real "commerical-style" range or to make do with a consumer model, so we were looking at entry-level DCS, Thermador and Capital as compared with something like a Bosch or Jenn-Air.

When I asked about BlueStar, our salesperson told us that his store USED to stock Bluestar but dropped it-- not because they didn't like the product, but because the company didn't adequately support the store's service staff. (?) He said it was too hard for his service people to get in touch with Bluestar and that when they did get in touch, they often had a hard time getting the information they needed.

I also noted that they had no GE stuff anywhere on the floor, even though they are listed as a GE dealer. He told me that they don't push it because, in our region, any GE warranty repairs be done by GE's own servicepeople. So the store doesn't control the after-sale experience, which they're uncomfortable with. Furthermore, when major problems crop up under warranty, he said the GE service people issue cash vouchers that can only be used for purchasing GE replacement products. So if someone has a bad experience with GE, they can't jump ship to another brand without paying a premium.

Do these stories sound reasonable? He just mentioned these quickly in passing, and I may have some the the details wrong. But I'd love the forum's opinion about whether this is sales B.S. or whether it's a good sign, indicating that the retailer is truly committed to building long term relationships with its customers by trying to make sure that their after-sales support is as good as it can be.

Thanks in advance.

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