"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" > wrote in message
6.121...
> Went to Best Buy last night to look at some fridges they had on sale.

Michael, it would be advantageous for you to open your yellow pages, find a
few locally owned dealers that also offer repair service, and consult with
one or more on this purchase. About 15 years ago, these dealers had a choice
of either finding a way to compete, or facing extinction. The result was the
formation of nationwide buying groups, similar to Ace & Tru Valu hardware.
When I shopped for new appliances 2 years ago, I checked a couple of big
discounters, but as usual, ended up with a local independent whose prices
were within a few percent of the big chains, and in the case of my
refrigerator, actually cheaper.

This is important because if you need repairs, the big discounters are not
involved, other than recommending someone unconnected with their company.
Best Buy may have some sort of "deal" with local repair-only companies, but
the fact is that neither party has a reason to provide great service. If
you're OK with "We'll be there a week from tomorrow", then by all means, buy
from a big store. But, the independents have a very good reason to be at
your house today, before your food spoils: Survival of their business.

JoeSpareBedroom > wrote:
> "Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" > wrote in message
> 6.121...
> > Went to Best Buy last night to look at some fridges they had on sale.

> Michael, it would be advantageous for you to open your yellow pages, find a
> few locally owned dealers that also offer repair service, and consult with
> one or more on this purchase. About 15 years ago, these dealers had a choice
<snip>
> When I shopped for new appliances 2 years ago, I checked a couple of big
> discounters, but as usual, ended up with a local independent whose prices
> were within a few percent of the big chains, and in the case of my
> refrigerator, actually cheaper.

Let me second this recommendation. Local appliance stores that do
repairs will not only know which brands and models are the most
trouble-prone, in my recent experience they can meet or beat the
big box store prices and will haul the old one away for you. The
one I've dealt with locally seems able to get things in a few days
if they don't have exactly what I want, and I live pretty far out
in the sticks.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> "Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" wrote:
> >
> > Went to Best Buy last night to look at some fridges they had on sale.
>
> Michael, it would be advantageous for you to open your yellow pages, find a
> few locally owned dealers that also offer repair service, and consult with
> one or more on this purchase. About 15 years ago, these dealers had a choice
> of either finding a way to compete, or facing extinction. The result was the
> formation of nationwide buying groups, similar to Ace & Tru Valu hardware.
> When I shopped for new appliances 2 years ago, I checked a couple of big
> discounters, but as usual, ended up with a local independent whose prices
> were within a few percent of the big chains, and in the case of my
> refrigerator, actually cheaper.
>
> This is important because if you need repairs, the big discounters are not
> involved, other than recommending someone unconnected with their company.

I think where to buy appliances depends a lot on where one lives.
Typical small town mom/pop appliance stores are a crap shoot, there's
an even chance they can be responsible or not (that's my experience).
When I lived on Lung Guyland I swore by P.C.Richards, but they are by
no stretch of the imagination a small operation, they operated many
large stores in the tri-state region, their prices and service were
beyond excellent. But now that I live in a rural area there are only a
very few small privately owned appliance stores nearby, none of which I
liked their atmosphere or their prices, or selection... everything
seems to require special ordering. I don't really like the big box
emporiums either (no service). But I do like shopping for appliances
at Sears, excellent prices, beyond excellent service. Sears maintains
their own service centers, they service what they sell and in a no
nonsense, no questions asked manner. I bought my new Maytag dishwasher
from Sears, it was delivered on time, it was installed and installed
properly, all new connection parts (hoses/fittings) were included,
tested through all it's cycles, the old one hauled away, well worth the
$30 delivery/installation charge. The installer arrived in a Sears
truck, wore a Sears uniform, was very professional and extremely
pleasant, a middle aged fellow who did appliance service for Sears for
more than 30 years, he obviously knew what he was doing... not some
pimply faced kid with attitude.

I think it really depends where one lives what kind of treatment you're
going to receive. Service is a people business and people are all
individuals, with service it's all luck of the draw. If you are
fortunate enough to find a store that treats you right then stay with
them, even price is not so much a consideration compared with service.
After all, none of the appliance retailers produces the product... no
matter which you choose they will swear is great.

I also think with some people regardless what they buy or from where
they seem to always have problems... not all people treat products
equally, many are very abusive... no fridge will last very long when
it's constantly opened and left open excessively. Some folks just seem
to break everything they touch, I've known people can't friggin' flush
a toilet lest their shit gets stuck... nine times out of ten those are
called tenants... I don't invite renters to my home.

Sheldon

"Sheldon" > wrote in message
>
> I think where to buy appliances depends a lot on where one lives.
> Typical small town mom/pop appliance stores are a crap shoot, there's
> an even chance they can be responsible or not (that's my experience).

> I think it really depends where one lives what kind of treatment you're
> going to receive. Service is a people business and people are all
> individuals, with service it's all luck of the draw.

When I moved to a small town in Connecticut, there were two appliance
dealers. They both sucked. Finally, the one arrogant SOB went out of
business, the other arrogant SOB sold his. Oh, the times are a changing.

The new owners joined Brand Source, a buyer's co-op. They were pleasant
and treated customers as they should be. They price the same as the big box
stores, but they offer superior service.

When our freezer broke beyond reasonable cost repairs, they did not have the
one I wanted in stock. So they brought another, helped transfer the food,
then brought the new one the next day and did the transfer again. Would
Best Buy do that? When the 23 year old washing machine broke, I was going
to repair it, but found it also not worth the effort. I had bought some
parts for it. I went back tot he store and told them my plight. He showed
us new machines, offered to take back the parts at full refund, then
delivered the new machine in three hours, hauling the old one away. Would
Home Depot, Sears, or Lowes do that?
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Oh pshaw, on Fri 09 Jun 2006 08:25:22p, Edwin Pawlowski meant to say...

>
> "Sheldon" > wrote in message
>>
>> I think where to buy appliances depends a lot on where one lives.
>> Typical small town mom/pop appliance stores are a crap shoot, there's
>> an even chance they can be responsible or not (that's my experience).
>
>> I think it really depends where one lives what kind of treatment you're
>> going to receive. Service is a people business and people are all
>> individuals, with service it's all luck of the draw.
>
> When I moved to a small town in Connecticut, there were two appliance
> dealers. They both sucked. Finally, the one arrogant SOB went out of
> business, the other arrogant SOB sold his. Oh, the times are a
> changing.
>
> The new owners joined Brand Source, a buyer's co-op. They were
> pleasant and treated customers as they should be. They price the same
> as the big box stores, but they offer superior service.
>
> When our freezer broke beyond reasonable cost repairs, they did not have
> the one I wanted in stock. So they brought another, helped transfer the
> food, then brought the new one the next day and did the transfer again.
> Would Best Buy do that? When the 23 year old washing machine broke, I
> was going to repair it, but found it also not worth the effort. I had
> bought some parts for it. I went back tot he store and told them my
> plight. He showed us new machines, offered to take back the parts at
> full refund, then delivered the new machine in three hours, hauling the
> old one away. Would Home Depot, Sears, or Lowes do that?

That's wonderful and exceptional service and, I'm sure, rare.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
.net...
>
> When I moved to a small town in Connecticut, there were two appliance
> dealers. They both sucked. Finally, the one arrogant SOB went out of
> business, the other arrogant SOB sold his. Oh, the times are a changing.
>
> Ed
> http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Checking out your site to see where you live in CT. DH's father lives in
Branford.

You say,
"Where do I buy my wine making supplies? Local stores are getting rare.
The only one in this area is Zoks, in Willimantic, CT..."
The last time we were in Branford, a few weeks ago, we went to Zoks in
Willimantic.
The guy was really nice and people who came in really liked him.
We took a short walk across the Frog Bridge -- and didn't make it to the
brewery, we were on our way to another town.
Dee Dee

Dee Dee

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>
> That's wonderful and exceptional service and, I'm sure, rare.
>

Actually from my experience (and from those of friends who live in othr
areas) it isn't. All of the continuous marketing spin from big box
places seems to make people think that big box places are better than sex.

On Sat, 10 Jun 2006 03:25:22 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>
>"Sheldon" > wrote in message
>>
>> I think where to buy appliances depends a lot on where one lives.
>> Typical small town mom/pop appliance stores are a crap shoot, there's
>> an even chance they can be responsible or not (that's my experience).
>
>> I think it really depends where one lives what kind of treatment you're
>> going to receive. Service is a people business and people are all
>> individuals, with service it's all luck of the draw.
>
>When I moved to a small town in Connecticut, there were two appliance
>dealers. They both sucked. Finally, the one arrogant SOB went out of
>business, the other arrogant SOB sold his. Oh, the times are a changing.
>
>The new owners joined Brand Source, a buyer's co-op. They were pleasant
>and treated customers as they should be. They price the same as the big box
>stores, but they offer superior service.
>
>When our freezer broke beyond reasonable cost repairs, they did not have the
>one I wanted in stock. So they brought another, helped transfer the food,
>then brought the new one the next day and did the transfer again. Would
>Best Buy do that? When the 23 year old washing machine broke, I was going
>to repair it, but found it also not worth the effort. I had bought some
>parts for it. I went back tot he store and told them my plight. He showed
>us new machines, offered to take back the parts at full refund, then
>delivered the new machine in three hours, hauling the old one away. Would
>Home Depot, Sears, or Lowes do that?

Your original independent owners wouldn't either, which gets back to
Sheldon's point about independent service being a crap shoot. In
theory I'd like to patronize small independent stores, but it's not
that simple. In practice, the service people that Sears uses are
local contractors who obviously welcome the association.

Other than food transfer service and 3-hr delivery, Sears stacks up
very well. I've bought all my appliances from them and, with the
exception of a wall AC unit which did not perform to the ratings
(which they came and picked up), I've been very happy with the service
and products.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

"George" > wrote in message
...
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>
>> That's wonderful and exceptional service and, I'm sure, rare.
>>
>
> Actually from my experience (and from those of friends who live in othr
> areas) it isn't. All of the continuous marketing spin from big box places
> seems to make people think that big box places are better than sex.

But surely they know better than that.
Dee Dee

Curly Sue wrote:
>
> Your original independent owners wouldn't either, which gets back to
> Sheldon's point about independent service being a crap shoot. In
> theory I'd like to patronize small independent stores, but it's not
> that simple. In practice, the service people that Sears uses are
> local contractors who obviously welcome the association.

I think with Sears service masy be different regionally. In this area,
and how it was on Lung Guyland, appliance service people are actual
full time Sears employees. Power tools, electronic entertainment
equipment, lawnmowers, snow blowers, and such would be serviced at a
Sears Service Center... those are actual Sears employees too. But if
you opt to have home renovations through Sears, ie. roofs, gutters,
windows, kitchen cabinets, central air, vinyl siding, etc. those are
outside vendors contracted by Sears to install Sears products. Perhaps
in other regions things are different. I tend to shy away from store
supplied contractors... anything goes wrong you become their yoyo. I
recommend that with any home renovations to deal directly through your
own contractor... keeping in mind Sears produces no building materials,
they only place their label on those products... so why pay inflated
prices for material, and why pay a huge premium to Sears simply because
they brokered the contractor. And keep in mind that if ever there's a
dispute that the marriage is between Sears and the contractor, they'll
both cover for each other leaving you to drown. You are always better
off finding your own contractor for home improvements.

Sheldon

Sheldon > wrote:

> Curly Sue wrote:
> >
> > Your original independent owners wouldn't either, which gets back to
> > Sheldon's point about independent service being a crap shoot. In
> > theory I'd like to patronize small independent stores, but it's not
> > that simple. In practice, the service people that Sears uses are
> > local contractors who obviously welcome the association.

> I think with Sears service masy be different regionally. In this area,
> and how it was on Lung Guyland, appliance service people are actual
> full time Sears employees. Power tools, electronic entertainment
> equipment, lawnmowers, snow blowers, and such would be serviced at a
> Sears Service Center... those are actual Sears employees too. But if

I have to agree with Sheldon here. If there is no good local store
for appliances Sears seems to be the next best thing, and in my
experience in NJ, PA, and VA the appliance delivery and service is
handled by actual Sears employees. In fact, I have a Sears Service
Center closer to my house than the Sears retail store. They have
a lot of the commonly needed parts and accessories for appliances
and yard equipent, etc. We got a new washer and dryer from them
when we first moved to this house over 10 years ago. Sears truck
with guys in Sears' uniform delivered. The nice thing about Sears
is you can find them everywhere in the country and they seem to have
parts available for the stuff the sell for a long time.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

wrote:

>
>
> I have to agree with Sheldon here. If there is no good local store
> for appliances Sears seems to be the next best thing, and in my
> experience in NJ, PA, and VA the appliance delivery and service is
> handled by actual Sears employees. In fact, I have a Sears Service
> Center closer to my house than the Sears retail store. They have
> a lot of the commonly needed parts and accessories for appliances
> and yard equipent, etc. We got a new washer and dryer from them
> when we first moved to this house over 10 years ago. Sears truck
> with guys in Sears' uniform delivered. The nice thing about Sears
> is you can find them everywhere in the country and they seem to have
> parts available for the stuff the sell for a long time.
>
> Bill Ranck
> Blacksburg, Va.

I won't buy from Sears because of a parts issue. We had a Sears fridge.
When I got up one morning I noticed the box was warm even though the
compressor was running. I noticed the evaporator fan motor wasn't
running. I gave it a spin and could fell it binding. It wasn't spinning
because the bearing was shot. I called Sears and they said it would take
two days to send someone out. I asked if they could check if the fan
assembly was in stock and I would drive over and buy it. Guy puts the
phone down and when he returns he said he was holding one in his hand
and there were more in stock. I asked him to write my name on the box so
that it would be available and he agreed.

I drove 45 minutes to the store. I went over to counter and gave the guy
their part number and mentioned I had called. Ten minutes later he
returned and said that they didn't have them in stock. I asked what
happened and could I talk to "Bob". He said "Bob" wasn't there. I
politely asked him what he could do for me. There was another store with
parts about an hour away. I asked him if he could call that store to
check if they had the assembly. He said they weren't allowed to do that.

Sears is famous for using unique parts. I drove over to the local
appliance repair parts place and showed the assembly to the counter guy.
He mentioned Sears is noted for unique parts but if I didn't mind
modifying something he could sell me a motor that would work. I had to
drill 2 holes in and reuse the old bracket.

Thats why I will never buy anything from Sears.

>
> Thats why I will never buy anything from Sears.

I've felt that way for years, but I find myself thinking of buying a Sears
Kenmore Elite slide-in stove.
DH has no problem with them, though, so I guess it will be my decision.
Dee Dee

George wrote:
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I have to agree with Sheldon here. If there is no good local store
> > for appliances Sears seems to be the next best thing, and in my
> > experience in NJ, PA, and VA the appliance delivery and service is
> > handled by actual Sears employees. In fact, I have a Sears Service
> > Center closer to my house than the Sears retail store. They have
> > a lot of the commonly needed parts and accessories for appliances
> > and yard equipent, etc. We got a new washer and dryer from them
> > when we first moved to this house over 10 years ago. Sears truck
> > with guys in Sears' uniform delivered. The nice thing about Sears
> > is you can find them everywhere in the country and they seem to have
> > parts available for the stuff the sell for a long time.
> >
> > Bill Ranck
> > Blacksburg, Va.
>
> I won't buy from Sears because of a parts issue. We had a Sears fridge.
> When I got up one morning I noticed the box was warm even though the
> compressor was running. I noticed the evaporator fan motor wasn't
> running. I gave it a spin and could fell it binding. It wasn't spinning
> because the bearing was shot. I called Sears and they said it would take
> two days to send someone out. I asked if they could check if the fan
> assembly was in stock and I would drive over and buy it. Guy puts the
> phone down and when he returns he said he was holding one in his hand
> and there were more in stock. I asked him to write my name on the box so
> that it would be available and he agreed.
>
> I drove 45 minutes to the store. I went over to counter and gave the guy
> their part number and mentioned I had called. Ten minutes later he
> returned and said that they didn't have them in stock. I asked what
> happened and could I talk to "Bob". He said "Bob" wasn't there. I
> politely asked him what he could do for me. There was another store with
> parts about an hour away. I asked him if he could call that store to
> check if they had the assembly. He said they weren't allowed to do that.
>
> Sears is famous for using unique parts. I drove over to the local
> appliance repair parts place and showed the assembly to the counter guy.
> He mentioned Sears is noted for unique parts but if I didn't mind
> modifying something he could sell me a motor that would work. I had to
> drill 2 holes in and reuse the old bracket.
>
> Thats why I will never buy anything from Sears.

Write your name on the box... who do you think you are anyway, that
egotistical "two bags of peanuts" Drive Insurance *******? LOL

Your story is what's full of holes... Sears products use no unique
parts because Sears manufactures NOTHING! Everything under the Kenmore
label is made by one of the major national brand manufacturers... a
Kenmore fridge is Whirlpool... most any appliance repair shop would
have that part. You made that fercocktah story up as you typed...
you're probably prejudiced against Sears because they wouldn't hire you
to clean their lavatorys.

Sheldon Craftsman

Sheldon wrote:
> George wrote:
>
>
> Write your name on the box... who do you think you are anyway, that
> egotistical "two bags of peanuts" Drive Insurance *******? LOL
>

Ummm, that would be called customer service. Good vendors do that all of
the time even for smaller purchases.


> Your story is what's full of holes... Sears products use no unique
> parts because Sears manufactures NOTHING!


It seems you have a very limited knowledge of how manufacturing works. I
totally agree that Sears produces nothing. But that doesn't mean there
can't be unique parts. Sears goes to manufacturers with a specification
and a price point. The manufacturer then devises a method to meet the
specs and price. Sometimes that method would be to use unique (usually
cheaper)parts.


Everything under the Kenmore
> label is made by one of the major national brand manufacturers... a
> Kenmore fridge is Whirlpool... most any appliance repair shop would
> have that part.


See above clueless one...

You made that fercocktah story up as you typed...
> you're probably prejudiced against Sears because they wouldn't hire you
> to clean their lavatorys.
>
> Sheldon Craftsman
>

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" > wrote

> Here is what we decided to do about the fridge. We went to American and
> bought a fridge with similar specs as the fridge that crapped out except
> we
> have an ice maker in the new one. Within the next 12 months we will have
> the cash to gut and remodel the kitchen. Steven and I want a built in
> look
> in the kitchen so we decided to get an inexpensive model for now and it
> will eventually go into the garage. We'll buy a really nice fridge for
> the
> remodel and it will most likely not be in the same spot the fridge is in
> now. The new one is a Frigidare with 18.2 cubic feet, 3 crisper drawers,
> 3
> door shelves, glass shelving and it's pretty okay for a $600 refrigerator.

Perfect, Michael. Good job. When I remodeled my kitchen, I kept
the old dishwasher and refrigerator, but had the standard opening in the
cabinets to fit any average refrigerator. I didn't need a new one at the
time, so it was fine for a number of years. But the extra space was
available for the new larger refrigerator. A 25.1 cubic foot side by side.

In other words, the kitchen wasn't designed around a specific appliance,
no problem changing out the refrigerator or dishwasher.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" > wrote
>
>> Here is what we decided to do about the fridge. We went to American and
>> bought a fridge with similar specs as the fridge that crapped out except
>> we
>> have an ice maker in the new one. Within the next 12 months we will have
>> the cash to gut and remodel the kitchen. Steven and I want a built in
>> look
>> in the kitchen so we decided to get an inexpensive model for now and it
>> will eventually go into the garage. We'll buy a really nice fridge for
>> the
>> remodel and it will most likely not be in the same spot the fridge is in
>> now. The new one is a Frigidare with 18.2 cubic feet, 3 crisper drawers,
>> 3
>> door shelves, glass shelving and it's pretty okay for a $600
>> refrigerator.
>
> Perfect, Michael. Good job. When I remodeled my kitchen, I kept
> the old dishwasher and refrigerator, but had the standard opening in the
> cabinets to fit any average refrigerator. I didn't need a new one at the
> time, so it was fine for a number of years. But the extra space was
> available for the new larger refrigerator. A 25.1 cubic foot side by
> side.
>
> In other words, the kitchen wasn't designed around a specific appliance,
> no problem changing out the refrigerator or dishwasher.

That sounds very sensible Nancy. That is how I did ours too.

"Ophelia" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> In other words, the kitchen wasn't designed around a specific appliance,
>> no problem changing out the refrigerator or dishwasher.
>
> That sounds very sensible Nancy. That is how I did ours too.

Here's a funny thing, there is a cabinet between the oven and the
refrigerator, with a countertop of course. Measured Measured
Measured for the new refrigerator, it should fit. Just. It's big.
Suddenly realized the counter extends into the refrigerator opening
by 1 inch. S***, and they are on their way.

Quick, unscrew the countertop, we'll deal with that later. Took
the countertop over to a cabinet making place nearby thinking,
maybe they can cut this countertop for me. Guy took one look,
you want an inch off this side? Yes. Joe!! cut an inch off this
side and don't mess it up!

Zip, he did it. No charge. To this day the countertop just
sits there held on only by it's weight. Never bothered to
reattach it.

Countertops are the one thing I learned about in my remodel,
the guy made a couple mistakes measuring.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ophelia" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> In other words, the kitchen wasn't designed around a specific appliance,
>>> no problem changing out the refrigerator or dishwasher.
>>
>> That sounds very sensible Nancy. That is how I did ours too.
>
> Here's a funny thing, there is a cabinet between the oven and the
> refrigerator, with a countertop of course. Measured Measured
> Measured for the new refrigerator, it should fit. Just. It's big.
> Suddenly realized the counter extends into the refrigerator opening
> by 1 inch. S***, and they are on their way.

ackkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk(((((((((


>
> Quick, unscrew the countertop, we'll deal with that later. Took
> the countertop over to a cabinet making place nearby thinking,
> maybe they can cut this countertop for me. Guy took one look,
> you want an inch off this side? Yes. Joe!! cut an inch off this
> side and don't mess it up!

)

>
> Zip, he did it. No charge. To this day the countertop just
> sits there held on only by it's weight. Never bothered to
> reattach it.

LOL excellent)

>
> Countertops are the one thing I learned about in my remodel,
> the guy made a couple mistakes measuring.

Well you got it sorted you clever lassie))))

Oh pshaw, on Sun 11 Jun 2006 07:44:02a, Nancy Young meant to say...

>
> "Ophelia" > wrote
>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> In other words, the kitchen wasn't designed around a specific
>>> appliance, no problem changing out the refrigerator or dishwasher.
>>
>> That sounds very sensible Nancy. That is how I did ours too.
>
> Here's a funny thing, there is a cabinet between the oven and the
> refrigerator, with a countertop of course. Measured Measured
> Measured for the new refrigerator, it should fit. Just. It's big.
> Suddenly realized the counter extends into the refrigerator opening
> by 1 inch. S***, and they are on their way.
>
> Quick, unscrew the countertop, we'll deal with that later. Took
> the countertop over to a cabinet making place nearby thinking,
> maybe they can cut this countertop for me. Guy took one look,
> you want an inch off this side? Yes. Joe!! cut an inch off this
> side and don't mess it up!
>
> Zip, he did it. No charge. To this day the countertop just
> sits there held on only by it's weight. Never bothered to
> reattach it.
>
> Countertops are the one thing I learned about in my remodel,
> the guy made a couple mistakes measuring.

Interesting you should bring that up. In the one kitchen remodel we did,
I had the coutertops that abutted both the range and refrigerator left off
until the appliances were put in place because I wanted the edges to fit
tightly flush against them. The countertops were sized afterwards and
secured in place.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________