That is a lot of $ to have to use for taxes, txcyn. And it takes a big bite out of your budget! I must not have considered those in the equation!! I had a great experience w/ Pacific Kitchens, but I probably would have gone w/ AJ had they had all of the appliances I wanted. You'll always hear a lot of negative feedback when ppl are unhappy. They want everyone to know about it. It's rare that you hear from the happy ppl. Maybe tell the person at AJ's that you read some bad reviews & get their thoughts on it. Maybe they'll work hard not to have anything go wrong w/ your order. Just a thought! I used Renaissance for my countertops. I wasn't as happy as I would have liked to have been. I went thru 2 slabs of marble w/ them...1st one was delivered & leaned up against a stone w/ iron in it, & it rusted all over my slab! Big disappointment! But, they did a great job cutting the 2nd slab. It's beautiful. No seams & a simple ogee edge. But....there's always the but...they did a horrible hack job installing my sink. I think the guys were in way over their head. Here's a link to a post I did when I saw how badly it was installed: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2827352/personal-preference-or-function Not pretty! I had stopped them from doing anymore & called the owner. He saw what a bad job it was & said he'd come back & do it himself & anytime I wanted him to. I just needed to say when & he'd be there. I didn't want to have to take another day off work, so we agreed that following Saturday. Guess what? He called on Friday & said something came up, of course, so for me to pick another day. He showed up on Monday w/a new crew, they stood around & talked about it pulled the whole countertop on that run out & told me they'd be back. They had to take it to the shop. The crew came back about 2 hrs later, but the owner was a no show the rest of the job. I had to kick the guys out at 8:45 PM! They drilled the faucet holes at the very end & unfortunately, they weren't centered perfectly! I don't think most ppl would notice it, but I do! And, the holes weren't the most even apart or in a straight line! Again, it's not that bad, but it would have been nice for them to finish w/a cherry on top after all of the other mistakes! The sink looks great now & they put a sink harness on it like Treb recommends on here for situations like mine. Again, the counters are beautiful! I've been talking to a designer about paint colors & she has a couple of fabricators she uses. I can see who she suggest if you'd like me to. I noticed I can't private message you. I'm not sure I can be private messaged to either, but I'm trying to figure it out. I posted a message in Kitchens to see if anyone could help me w/ that & I see there are suggestions on there how to do it. I'll message you w/ the names if you get yours set up too.

bayareafrancy, should have picked up your location by your name. I'm in the southbay and they use Central Valley Appliance here. Not sure if eastbay or peninsula are different but it seemed very disconnected. The people I talked to on the phone seemed nice enough but it was pretty much their schedule or nothing at all. We already put up with day long appointments for a 30minute job and now we're expected to put up with them switching days? I think not. Also the guy that showed up was bordering on rude and literally dropped is toolbox to the floor from about 2 feet off the ground. Check out Atherton Appliance (peninsula) or Airport Appliance (eastbay). They are not exactly "low end" but they've been pretty good when I've worked with them. I used University Appliance in SJ once and the guy they referred me to messed up a tile cut, duct install, and couldn't do a cabinet adjustment that took me less than an hour to do myself. Mind you this was not just an "installer" but kitchen contractor who was supposed to be able to do all this work. The other option is to find a local handyman and have the store deliver and them install. I know several people that go that route and have very good experience because they've formed a relationship with they person in the house doing the work. Good luck.

A few months ago I needed a dryer - immediately - my old one had just stopped working. My MIL was coming to live with us and she was bedridden and incontinent so I knew there would be some serious washing. I found the dryer I wanted and called AJ. Sears and AJ had the same price but Sears was offering free shipping but they could not deliver it until Monday.When I asked AJ if they could help with the price by delivering it for free, my salesman said "no, not on an item this inexpensive". HELLO.... this was a $600+ dryer, that's not "cheap" in my book - seriously, money doesn't fall from trees at my house. He could deliver it next day though, so I agreed to pay all the charges. Next morning the delivery people arrive and said they did not have any install and removal instructions and were incapable of doing it. I showed them the copy of my email sales slip with the charges with no success. That weekend my daughter installed the dryer (who knew???) So all ended well, except for all the aggravation. I should have just refused it but with all the stress of MIL's arrival I just wasn't thinking straight. I understand mistakes happen but what I am most upset about is that I called AND emailed my salesman and did not get a response or apology for the mixup. I also email'd a letter to the company and again I did not receive a response. They have now lost my business - there are other good online applicance people - and I will never recommend them to anyone again. Just be cautious.

Bad experience with these guys, won’t use them again. We purchased an appliance (induction range) and found out before delivery that it wouldn’t work in our apartment. My bad for not understanding this in advance, or for seeing the fine print about the 35% (!) restocking fee hit for canceling the order. But they wouldn’t even work with us to apply a reasonable share of the price we paid to purchase another product from them instead. Just basically told us we’re out of luck. Absolutely their right, and fully disclosed, but seems like really bad business to lose a customer through zero flexibility and understanding. Obviously won’t buy anything from them in the future. Learn the lesson from me: do all your homework, double-check your measurements and installation requirements, and check with your building superintendent before you buy a new appliance. Otherwise, at least with these guys, it will be costly and they will take your money and won’t try to help you out in any way. Thanks for nothing AJ Madison.