You're right, Raynag. As much as I groaned along in instant recognition as I was reading this piece, I also found myself laughing out loud at several points. The author is a great writer with a great sense of humor and, unfortunately, is also so very spot on in analyzing today's appliance market. In fact, the article serves as a painful reminder of how I was able to get 20 years of trouble-free enjoyment out of a 1920's era range I inherited -- when the range was already 60+ years old -- and why I now have my fingers crossed in the hopes I will get a mere 10 years of life out of my ridiculously hyped and shamefully expensive brand new kitchen appliances. (Yeah, I know, recessions have a remarkable way of bringing you back to earth after the fact.) :) Thanks for sharing this!

As you already said, there's ALWAYS another sale. One holiday sale isn't going to give you more of a discount than another holiday sale. A lot also depends on supply and demand. If things are slow, the discounts will be greater. Also, if one appliance model isn't selling well, the discounts on that one will be greater. Or if it's about to be discontinued, you can get a better deal. Those factors influence the price more than which holiday it is. There's a DW I am interested in (for a friend), and every time I check its price on the AJMadison website, the price is changing, kinda like the stock market. Up $40 one week, down $20 the next, up $15 the next, and so on. For the really best deal, I think you do best by talking with your salesperson, or if buying online, calling them, and saying "can you do any better on X appliance?". They often will. What you don't want to get sucked into, is buying appliances too early for install, cause you think the sale is too fantastic to pass up. Most appliances have warranties that kick in upon delivery, not upon installation. If you buy an appliance, say, 4 months before you install it, you will be foregoing 4 months of warranty. And you'll have to store the appliance(s) somewhere if you aren't ready to install--and it is during storage that often things get damaged, by being jostled, pushed, dragged, having things dropped on them, etc.

Chisue...DCS is Dynamic Cooking Systems, a high end manufacturer of stoves, cooktops, ovens, etc. Based in CA, they produce a great product, but have had a spotty record with customer service over the years. When I was shopping for the renovation about 3 years ago, I was steered away from it by the comments I was hearing in here and from the appliance stores. It was never a matter of the quality of the product, but rather the service and support that was lacking. I think they grew too large too quickly. DCS did make some of the Monogram cooktops, and I heard last year that FP was in the process of buying out DCS. Just like for the longest time there were really only 2 American fridge manufacturers...Amana and Whirlpool and everyone else just rebranded those two. Fairegold is right...the warranties should cover your units, no matter who installs them. I just think bypassing the GC on this matter is better in the long run, saves you a bit of money, and gets them in correctly. Most appliance stores, whether high end or low end do offer installation. They may not do it themselves, but contract it out to professional installers. Or if you're GC'ing yourself, have the appropriate sub install each unit. For example, have your plumber do the DW, disposals, and any gas stoves/rangetops (they'll be doing the gas lines anyways). I had my carpenter prep the base cabinet unit for the rangetop, set it in place, then had the plumber follow up with the final install. The carpenter and electrician both installed the hood, and it took coordination between the two of them plus the roofing contractor (for the exhaust) to make sure the wiring and wall studs were placed in the correct position to accomodate the 42" Wolf hood (which took 3 guys to lift into position, it was that heavy).

10% is usually the limit on Miele unless it's a prior model. Or a floor model.