I ordered a complete kitchen set of appliances in August, and was told it would be delivered in September. I took a picture of the delivery date for my own verification. After making numerous non ending calls, and dates being pushed and pushed, I started getting deliveries months later. My excitement was quickly squashed because everything had some kind of damage in transport from NY to CA. I was able to deal with some of the cosmetic issues because I hid them within the cabinets. On the dishwasher, I attempted to get a replacement and they refused. The dents that are clearly visible, I was so desperate to have my kitchen together that Ive just learned to learn to live with them. Then In December I finally received the wall oven that I’d been very anxiously waiting for. Because of my past experiences I immediately opened the box and saw that it looked like it had been compressed and damaged. The delivery company said to send pictures to Appliances Connection for resolution because they didn’t deal with returns. I immediately contacted Appliances Connections and the delivery head quarters. They gave me a number to call so a repair representative could come look at it. I called and made the appointment. The rep came and said it was so damaged that it wasn’t repairable and looked like it had been dropped from at least 5 feet. I sent over the report to let Appliances connection know. At this point because everything coming from New York was damaged in some form, and I had waited 5 months for the oven, I just wanted it returned and refunded. I didn’t want to wait for another damaged product. I prefer to look for an oven locally. Fast forward 2 months of my continuing to call and email, they are refusing to refund me. They have no replacement in stock and forcing me to wait until they do, so they can send another oven from New York to CA. Nothing I have received from Appliances Connection has come free of damage. Sadly had I done my research I would have seen that the items are being shipped from New York. I give a strong warning to anyone purchasing from out of New York to find a local company and to not use Appliances Connection. I’m now 6 months without a complete kitchen and no end in sight.

I've posted this before, but we kept a list of what we ate - it might help inspire you with some ideas. We're lucky to have a basement with a proper sink, and my GC moved the old wall oven down there, put a 4pin plug on it, and I could run it (and the broiler) off the dryer outlet. We also had: rice cooker (which we could boil pasta in, and do all kinds of things and used it as a crock pot) A single electric coil burner (cost $13!) Electric kettle. This is a list of meals we made: Chicken a la King & rice Cassoulet (cheats: canned beans, duck leg from the store) Hamburgers and tabbouleh Cassoulet, fried artichokes and salad and breadsticks Egg fried rice Strawberry shortcake slow-cooked porkribs and tabbouleh Pasta with fish sauce Grilled pork tenderloin and corn and vidalia onions Cauliflower in lemon sauce and brown rice Smoked fish risotto Grilled chicken, mashed potato and broccoli Roast chicken, roast potatoes, peas and gravy Chicken pot pies (two days) and salad Salad with shrimp and ham Beef stew and noodles (two days) Pizzas Tuna salad, tabbouleh and salad slow-cooked pork ribs Stir-fried shrimp and vegetables and egg fried rice Pasta and marinara sauce Steak, corn and string beans soup, roast peppers, breadsticks and fried eggplant Roast chicken legs, new potatoes, beans, eggplant and gravy Chicken in red wine over noodles strawberry rhubarb pie Pizzas Escarole and beans Fried eggplant and courgettes; pasta with vongole; veal rolatini; strawberry shortcake (we had guests) Salad with prosciutto Smoked fish risotto Poached eggs and ham; mushrooms and chips Broccoli vichyssoise; tomato soup (twice) Fried eggplant; courgettes and artichoke Bison burgers, corn and salad Baby back ribs, corn and salad Stir fired pork and peppers; shrimp and vegetables; fried rice Broccoli soup and salad We set out to make it a challenge to eat well and actually had a lot of fun with just the burner and rice cooker. Good luck!

Momma, I wouldn't consider spending money on an extended warranty. Most extended warranties have all kinds of disclaimers and it makes it difficult to actually get the repairs made. I am an authorized service center for a major manufacturer who is truly outstanding. They offer a full year warranty (not appliances) and will always allow me to err in the favor of the consumer, including many times to repair when the product is actually out of the warranty period. OTOH, I am also a service center for an extended warranty center. I have had to go to bat for the consumer many times as the warranty center was more interested in a quick fix rather than a long lasting correction. I always refuse to do a half baked job and I have to be adamant in making the repair correctly even though it costs the warranty center more. My point with this is, not all authorized service centers will go the extra mile for the customer. The end user is truly at the mercy of the repair people to go to bat for them and many just will not spend the extra time to do this. I would squirrel away the amount that an extended warranty would cost and use this towards any repair if needed. A good local repair shop is usually more accommodating and know their business inside and out! HTH. Holly

"The company sent a fireplace that was not pictured on their website and is now claiming that there was an "image disclaimer" on their website." Were the manufacturer and model number on the website the same as those of the product you received?