Does John work or own a local appliance store? I have purchased on line for years and only once had to return a damaged item and that was done with no cost to me. People are free to shop as they please but we have saved a lot of money by shopping on line . There are times we have paid the sales tax because it was still cheaper then buying locally. Not having to deal with sales people in the retail stores is worth it for us.

John doesn't own or work for a store. But I do work in a store, and personally, I think its best for the consumer to have one on one contact when making such a large purchase. To me, it's like buying a car. Yea, some people buy a car online from far away and everything works out and they save a grand. Awesome! But when I went to buy my new car this last spring, I chose to pay a little more for it, because a.) I don't like taking a risk on a 20k purchase and b.) because I also wanted to have someone I could go back to and beat up should something be wrong after the sale.

I don't know that the article was saying that if you buy online you're def going to get scammed or screwed or anything. I think it was just trying to educate on some of the risks you take when buying online. You can have five great experiences in a row, but it only takes that one time when things go wrong to wipe away all the savings you made in the past.

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide

My friend who just did a remodel tells me that a major local appliance dealer will meet online prices. Since they will also store the purchase for a while, it makes it easier to coordinate appliance delivery with the cabinets being ready.

Anthony - I hear you , but consumers find it frustrating when the sales weasel at the car dealer has little or no clue about what he is pitching, let alone as much knowledge as the customer standing in front of him. In those instances he is dead weight in the process and there is not need to pay the xtra grand, much of which is the sales commission.

Sorry to say that this article is just too one sided. Dishonest sales people and tactics exist in both online and local dealers. In my personal experience, I've run into more shady tactics with local sales people because many sales people are trained to look for "the mark" when someone walks into the store. Online, visitors are just nameless hits to the website and most blanket tactics are pretty obvious to spot.

Yes, free shipping is mostly curbside but so what. If you want delivery and install, then pay for it. You still pay for it at local stores one way or another. Ultimately, the difference in what happens once you hand over your credit cared is not that different for these large items. It's not like you load your $8k range into your trunk and take it home if you buy local. Most of the time, local shops contract out the delivery and install so the item never even hits their location. The item is picked up by the third party installer from the distributor and trucked to your home. If you pay for installation with an online retailer, it's not that different.

My advice to local retailers is to be competitive. If you expect me to pay 20% more, then the service needs to be better. For instance, I was in the market for a beverage fridge and was willing to buy local even it it cost a bit more. I contacted two local retailers and one couldn't get the item even though it was listed on their website and the other wouldn't even return calls and emails. Ended up ordering it online with free curbside shipping. Oh and he helped me unpack it and bring it into the house *before* I signed for it. All I had to do is ask nicely. I even offered him some water/beer/soda and he declined. The guy who delivered my range had call his dispatch to get an ok but that's all it took. In my experience most will do so if you just ask nicely. The statement that "no freight carrier will uncrate before you sign" is simply false.

I do agree that all factors should be considered and there are certainly times where I look at online prices with shipping and determine it's just not worth the risk if I have to return the item. Just remember that most local shops won't take an appliance back without a restocking fee either and most defect issues are handled through the manufacturer warranty whether you buy local or online.

The best advice is to do your research and factor in all costs before making your decision.

What exactly are the credentials Mr Blair has to pen such an article??

@antss and @amcook -- that is true. there are alot of places out there that hire people who don't know anything about any of the products. And the knowledge needed takes years of working within in the industry. I still believe there are many independent retailers out there that do have knowledgable sales staff that are looking to make a fair sale to their customers.

People look at appliance salesmen like they do car salesman, but its just not even close to the same. Appliance salesmen do not make even half of what people think they do on a sale, and that is reflected by the sheer amount of sales people out there who don't know the products. You're never going to run into a car salesman who doesn't know the car he is trying to sell you. He has serious incentive to know.

But that aside, if you know what you want and you go into a dealer -- more often than not they will work to give you the best price they possibly can because they want the business. And IMO there is a big difference concerning recourse after the sale when dealing with a local dealer than when dealing with an online retailer.

While it may not be the easiest mode of purchase - it is the safest in my experience. Everyone has their opinions and experiences. We all draw from what we know.

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide

What exactly are the credentials Mr Blair has to pen such an article??

@trevorlawson --I believe Mr. Blair has a PHD in Appliance Purchases from Yale.

I'm not sure what credentials one would have to achieve before being allowed to pen such an article. Maybe you can fill us in.

Anthony
Appliance Buyer's Guide

You posted that Mr Blair does not work in an appliance store nor does he own an appliance store.

Maybe credentials was the wrong word to use. I should have said what experience does he have in the appliance industry to pen such an article.

I agree with amcook, but I usually do:-) Also not everyone lives where high end appliances are sold, get past Sears/ Lowes and yer done. Drive to an area where they are sold and because there isn't any competition the prices are stupid high, CS stunks. Yes I will buy local and I will even pay a bit more IF the CS is good. On the flip side I will also pay a bit more and buy though an online company with good CS.
As far as curbside and freight cos., like amcook we have found that asking nicely gets stuff in the house and pushing something up our drive ain't easy. Don always helps and we always offer the driver something extra.

Both online and brick and mortar have their place. We also don't go 'shopping' we have already done the research and know exactly what we want we are there to buy, Don detests sales people anyway:-)