So, What Happens When A Large Appliance You Ordered Online

[MineralMan]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the General Discussion forum).

arrives at your home? I was wondering that, ever since I ordered a new gas range from Wayfair. Shipping, with delivery to the desired room in your house is free. So, yesterday, the range was scheduled for delivery. I got a phone call the day before from whoever was delivering the range, telling me a time frame for delivery. Half an hour before the delivery, I got a call from the truck driver that it was almost there.

The shipping also included removal of the old unit at an extra charge, which was not a surprise. It didn't include installation, so I paid for that, too. A plumber will come on Tuesday, if the schedule is correct, to actually install it. I don't like working with natural gas appliances, frankly.

The truck pulled up in front of the house and two guys jumped out. I came outside to greet them. One of them unboxed the new range and lowered it onto the street in front of my driveway. While he was doing that, the other guy came in the house, pulled the range away from the wall, disconnected the gas line and electrical cord, and put the loose burner grates in the oven. He checked to make sure the shutoff valve wasn't leaking any gas, as well.

Next the other guy joined him, and they used those nifty shoulder lifting straps to pick up the range and took it outside, as I held the storm door open. Down to the truck it went, where they put it on the lift gate. Then, they picked up the new range with the straps and brought it in, where they set it out of the way so I could clean the floor under the old stove. Wow! That was nasty under there, after years of sitting in that spot. Took me almost an hour to make it look like new again. (I recommend Formula 409 and lots and lots of paper towels for that job. A ScotchBrite sponge also helps.)

Then, they loaded the box and packing materials in the truck, along with the old range, and they were gone. They were there for about 20 minutes. Polite and efficient, too.

Now I don't worry about such orders. Those "final mile" delivery people seem to have it worked out pretty well.

[marble falls]

1. A local on-line company?

[MineralMan]

12. No. Wayfair. They use regional and local shippers to deliver

stuff within a smaller area. Those local shippers pick things up at a warehouse and deliver them to residential and other addresses. It's a specialty shipping thing. I'm pretty sure it is a flat-rate process for Wayfair and other online vendors. I'm not sure how profitable it is as a business strategy, but there are those local shippers everywhere. Many are contract shippers for larger, national "final mile" shippers, as well. Some also are local moving companies that contract to do this type of shipping.

[marble falls]

23. I am surprised that they took the old stove though there is a good market in easily rebuilt gas ...

... stoves and good steel for recycle for the rest. Sounds like a good choice.

[MineralMan]

24. There was an additional fee for that.

It will go to the scrap metal yard for recycling, no doubt. It was an old range. Nobody would want it. the other option was to put it on the curb and let a scrapper pick it up, but scrapping is officially illegal in St. Paul, so I don't like doing that unless I advertise free scrap metal on Craigs List.

[marble falls]

32. There are big used appliance stores in a lot of big cities. I might trust a rebuilt refridgerater ..

I'd trust a rebuilt washer with a new agitator drive and suspension, I'd buy a rebuilt gas stove/oven because they are simple and safe with new valve parts and reconditioned burners and add-on piezo igniters to eliminate pilot lights.

Rebuilt restaurant kitchen ranges are an economical way to go also.

[MineralMan]

36. But, see, I'm putting in a new range because I'm going to sell the house.

Same with the washer. I'm not going to be the one using it. I'm choosing basic, white, contractor grade appliances. No frills. No electronics. Who knows? The buyer of my 1950s house may completely remodel the kitchen, but I have to have a decent-looking range in there for showings. Same with the washer. It works, but it's ugly and old. A nice, shiny new one might make the difference between someone making an offer or not making an offer.

The differences between contractor grade appliances and the kind people buy when remodeling are huge. Installing premium appliances when you're selling is a big mistake. Maybe the new owner doesn't like stainless steal, or wants an expensive, professional range. I can't guess. So, contractor grade stuff is fine if you're not remodeling the kitchen before selling. Cheaper, by far, but perfectly functional, too.

Craig's List is full of such appliances that new owners are pulling out to replace with higher-end ones. However, buying on Craig's list is a PITA, since you have to handle transport and set-up yourself, and the prices of those otherwise new units are not that much lower than buying new and having it delivered.

It's all a bargaining thing, really.

[marble falls]

50. I got that, I was responding to the idea old gas stoves are only scrap. You're doing what I'd do ...

... I'd be doing right now if our stove was more than 5 years old.

New appliances will sell a house.

Added: I've really enjoyed your whole journal with your move and your parents. Thanks for showing the in the field stuff of what we geezers need to think about.

[MineralMan]

56. Thanks. When life gets complicated, think harder.

That's my rule. That's the only way to get through it and come out on the other side better than you started.

We all have stressful times. When that happens, it's really important to slow down and think about what you need to do and what you need to avoid. It's easy to act based on emotions before thinking about what will be the best course of action.

Where to start when there are so many things that need to be done? Prioritizing in terms of importance and timing can help you get through stress better than just seeing all the things that need doing and becoming too paralyzed by complexity to do anything.

I learned that from my late father, who always paused before acting to think how best to approach a situation. Thanks, Dad!

[Mr.Bill]

41. I worked at a Sears franchise store about 20 years ago.

We charge $20 to haul the old appliance away. The store owner also owned a used appliance store across town. He had a couple of old retired handyman types working there. They would repair the old appliances and sell them. Some months that store made more money than the Sears franchise did. This was a good deal for everyone. It provided part time employment for the handymen, old appliances were kept out of the landfill, cheap used appliances were made available for folks who couldn't afford new ones, and the Sears owner made money.

[NullTuples]

52. Where we are, the delivery company technically takes them to the county recyclers

The recyclers in turn have relationships with companies (including sole proprietors) who refurbish & resell them, as it's always better to follow the hierarchy of: reuse, refurbish, recycle. There seems to be some intermediary step like a special yard for transfer?

[moniss]

37. Used to move furniture and

appliances. Straps are called "hump straps". Hook up and you are kind of "humped" over I guess. They've always just been called that I guess. A usual old phrase is something like "we'll really have to hump to get that done" as an example. Maybe it goes back to the Middle Ages. Maybe at least as far back as people being humped over throwing out the dead in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

[luvs2sing]

2. I've met some of the nicest people..

delivering and installing appliances and furniture. And my experiences are exactly like yours. They know their stuff.

[ripcord]

5. When I first got out of high school I delivered and installed appliances

I always enjoyed meeting older people, they actually carried on polite conversations and their places tended to be cleaner, I will be nice and not describe some of the kitchens I had to work in.

[DENVERPOPS]

25. Usually, they are great guys

I go out to the truck when they arrive , BEFORE THEY START, I thank them and tell them they have one of the hardest jobs on planet earth. I tell them, that when they are finished and leave, I would like to buy them both lunch and hand them each a twenty...........Money Well Spent, believe me...
Some of these guys have fifteen more deliveries to go, and just want to get the hell out of there. When you buy them lunch, they take their time, adjust the legs of the appliance, balance the doors, level the appliance, etc etc etc.

Unless you are a plumber, or knowledgeable about gas appliance installation, you should never install/vent your gas appliance yourself. Period. You and your families lives are not worth the money you are gonna save.......And same thing goes for installing your own furnace or gas water heater.............

[Dan]

46. We always give the delivery people

(And they install too) an extra $20 per person.

[BadgerKid]

3. How long between order and delivery?

I ordered a refrigerator and it took 6-8 weeks to come in stock, due to covid’s havoc on supply lines.

[MineralMan]

13. Just over a month. I knew there would be a delay, so I ordered early.

We're going to be moving, and I'm putting some new appliances in our current house before we sell it.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Home Depot was the same for me

Ordered a new washing machine. They arrived and got the old one taken away and the new one into the basement and installed in a half hour. Very efficient.

[MineralMan]

14. Yes. I have a Home Depot washer coming next week. Same thing.

I ordered it on the HD website, so it could even be the same two guys, I suppose.

[snowybirdie]

6. I ordered two

recliner chairs. Amazon free delivered them to the sidewalk at the bottom of my stairs. I live on the second floor Left in the rain, boxed and available for anyone to haul them off. Had to hire two guys at $50 to bring them up and unbox them. Never again!

[Maru Kitteh]

9. Amazon delivers via USPS and UPS. You expected USPS or UPS

to deliver your recliners two floors up and unbox them for you? You should have made alternate arrangements with the delivering service if you expected something different.

Not Amazon's fault. Your order was delivered in the manner they specify and tracking is always available so it shouldn't have been some big surprise.

[MineralMan]

16. It's important to notice what the shipping information says.

Typically, you have to pay extra to have things delivered inside, rather than curbside. It's worth paying the extra charge. Look for things like "White Glove Delivery," or "Delivery to Room of Choice." when you order. that's usually not free, but it's less expensive than hiring people to bring it in later.

[snowybirdie]

20. I would gladly have paid extra

for white glove delivery. However it wasn't mentioned in the website. Didn't see any alternative delivery source. So I assumed wrong. Guess its my bad. Perhaps it was a result of our isolation for a year when I ordered them? Who could think straight? LOL!

[MineralMan]

21. Well, if it's not mentioned, it's probably outside delivery.

Sometimes those extras only show up on the shopping cart page under shipping options. It's easy to miss. It's important to read everything on those shopping cart pages to make sure you're getting exactly what you want.

[csziggy]

60. Yes - though sometimes "white glove" is not in the delivery people's lexicon

Years ago I ordered a recliner from J C Penney and paid extra for white glove delivery. I checked on the web site and it said delivered inside and set up. Since I'd just had knee replacement surgery and my husband was working full time, I needed that service.

The delivery guys got here and unloaded the chair onto my front porch. Then they got ready to leave. They'd unboxed the chair before unloading it, so there was my new chair sitting outside - and they were going to drive off.

I called them out on it and they said they didn't have t bring it in. I pointed out the "white glove" designation on my invoice - they still didn't want to bring it inside. So I called J C Penney. Meanwhile they called their bosses. After a half hour stand off, they finally brought it in and put it where I needed it. I gave the guy each a $20 for their "inconvenience" but I was pretty pissed.

I had talked to the people at Penney's so I hope people after that didn't have the hassle I did.

Now, appliances - never a problem. The delivery people brought them in, set them up, and when we were replacing old units, hauled them off for a low extra fee.

I need to replace that recliner - it's over ten years old and showing it's age badly. But I will NOT be buying from J C Penney!

[C_U_L8R]

7. Did you tip them?

I'm never sure, especially when paying extra. But if the crew is awesome, I try.

[MineralMan]

17. I offered a tip. They waved it off.

[madville]

33. I usually tip delivery and moving folks

Just got a new fridge delivered and installed a couple of weeks ago from Costco, gave them a $20 to get lunch on me or whatever.

[UGADawg]

8. I buy local. There is an appliance store where I live**

*

[ampm]

15. Nevada checking in

I buy local when I can and service is always the nicest part of it.

[Lucinda]

10. When I designed our house I made the hallways and stairs extra wide - but

I dont think it would have slowed the delivery guys down one second when they delivered and removed an upstairs washer and dryer set - if they had been normal width. They hauled those pieces up and down the stairs in the same amount of time a normal person would take to just walk up... Crazy impressive. Those strappy things are brilliant.

[MineralMan]

19. There is a reason most appliances are 30" or less in one dimension.

Sometimes it's width, and sometimes it's depth. Big refrigerators, for example, have removable doors so they'll go through a 30" door sideways. It's also why the backs of recliners can be removed after taking out two bolts.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. I prefer a local dealer, or even local big box

The price might not be the lowest, but they can usually be talked into something extra like picking up an old freezer in the basement when you replace the fridge, or some cleaning samples. And I know they'll be there if I need them for service. This is especially important with things that require repair such as chain saws, mowers. Household appliances are virtual toss aways. If I can't repair them myself out of warranty, I've probably made a bad choice, had bad luck, or something. Put new money into new equipment.

[GETPLANING]

18. Be sure to leave them a positive review.

[MineralMan]

22. Yes. However, I have no idea what local company delivered it.

I didn't have to sign a delivery slip or anything, and the truck said, "Enterprise Truck Rentals" on the side. I'll write a review on the Wayfair site, though, praising the delivery team. Wayfair knows who they are.

[Nevilledog]

26. Did you get the complementary child will your order?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53416247

[MineralMan]

28. No children were included in my delivery.

I didn't know there was such a false claim against Wayfair. MQRQNS?

Wayfair is a pretty good place to buy home goods at very reasonable prices, it seems to me. It's not local, of course, but you also can't find a lot of the things they sell at local stores without hunting long and hard for them and using up fuel for your car.

The two guys who delivered that range are local workers, besides. With the exception of big box home goods stores, you end up buying what the store has in stock if you shop local stores. If that's not what you want, tough luck, really.

Wide selection and almost unlimited choices are what keep Amazon and other online sellers popular. That and free shipping. It's really an unbeatable business model. Smaller retailers simply can't offer those things. It's impossible.

[ironflange]

27. Moving and delivery people are always super nice

Believe me, I've had plenty of experience with both lately.

[MineralMan]

30. Looks that way.

One of the points a lot of people miss is that those people are local people, making a living delivering what you order from some online retailer.

[George II]

29. Back in September we needed a new washer, so figured we'd get a dryer and refrigerator....

....at the same time to get a little discount on all three. When the salesman looked in up on the computer, there was a THREE month backlog due to factory cutbacks. As it was we wound up getting them in less than two months.

But the point is we had a similar experience. The people who delivered it did a decent job of delivering them and putting them in place (even gave my wife some time to clean under the refrigerator!)

But, they weren't as good as your guys. They didn't connect the new vent hose for the dryer ("we can't get in there&quot so just connected the old vent hose. And they didn't hook up the water to the new washer ("we aren't allowed to touch pipes in case we break one&quot

So basically the "installation" that was included meant they were only put in place and plugged in. We wound up getting a plumber to hook up the pipes.

But they did take the old appliances and the boxes and packing material.

[MineralMan]

31. Yes. They won't hook up gas appliances, either.

There's a good reason for that. In fact, they disconnected the flexible gas line from the stove, rather than from the valve. If they had messed something up at the valve, they wouldn't be qualified or equipped to deal with that. They deliver stuff. They don't set it up, as a rule. They did shut off the gas valve, of course, and checked for any leaks, and double-checked to make sure.

As for the washer, I don't care if they connect the hoses to my water supply faucets or not. I can do that just fine. It's just that they're not plumbers and won't do anything that might damage plumbing fixtures, because they couldn't repair any such damage. In fact, I'll disconnect the hoses on the washer before delivery and unplug it. I'll even move the washer ahead of time, so I can clean under it.

[George II]

34. The dryer vent is what bugged me. The water hose fixtures were tight on the faucets so I could....

...understand that a bit. If they used a wrench and it broke that would be a problem.

That's why I got a plumber - I didn't even want to try it myself. After 25 years in designing and selling industrial valves and pipes, I know things can easily go wrong. Worth the plumbing visit (plus we coupled it with a new bathtub fixture anyway)

What really surprised me was the lead time - 3 months was shocking even though it turned out less than 2. Our experience is that large outlets had most appliances in stock. It never dawned on me that manufacturing plants were really geared down last year because of the virus.

[MineralMan]

38. Yes. I was surprised at the time delay, as well.

Even when I checked at my Local Best buy and Home Depot, they were out of stock on most appliances. They could order it for you, but didn't have any to actually deliver.

Weird. In the past, I've never experienced that, especially on the contractor-grade stuff I buy.

[CaptainTruth]

35. The ShoulderDolly straps are awesome, no damage to your door threshold.

In one house I renovated for a customer (it was an extreme makeover, built trusses in the attic for a cathedral ceiling, took out existing ceiling & interior walls to make 4 rooms into 1 large room, added skylights, lifted the roof off the back wall so I could take out the whole wall & rebuild it with shear walls on the ends, a huge 18' gluelam header, & a row of French doors, etc etc etc) I moved the front door to a new location & had just installed the new front door when the guys delivering the refrigerator brought it in on a hand truck with solid hard rubber wheels & dented/scratched the new threshold. It's the reason I only use a hand truck with large pneumatic tires, I won't damage customers' thresholds when I use it to move things in/out of their houses. The great thing about the ShoulderDolly straps is that they don't roll anything over your threshold, they just have to be careful to not hit your door or door jamb. I keep a couple moving blankets in my truck so if I'm moving something large (like a washer or dryer) by myself with the dolly I can throw a padded blanket over it just in case I bump something.

[MineralMan]

42. In my younger years (I'm 75 now), I've helped to move friends

several times. I actually still have a set of those shoulder straps. The only trouble with them is teaching someone how to use them the first time. The concept of both people pushing the item away doesn't seem to register with some people. Setting the straps up for stairs, too, is tricky if you're not experienced.

I used to have pro-grade moving hand trucks with pneumatic tires and ratchet straps, too. I've even moved several pianos.

I simply don't do any of that any more. I sold off all of my moving gear a few years ago, after moving here. I loaded our moving van alone in 2004 for our move from CA to MN. We bought a used 24' UHaul truck for the move. That was my last time. When we got here, we stored the truck in a storage yard until we found and closed on a house. I did not unload it. I hired three freelance movers to unload and place everything. Once we were moved in, I resold the truck and all the moving gear for what I paid for it so someone else could move. I was 60 years old then, and decided that I would never participate in another move as a worker. It's a job for younger guys than me.

[left-of-center2012]

39. "final mile" delivery people

A number of companies including Amazon have them.

[MineralMan]

43. Yeah. They're all contract companies.

Many are local, but there are national "final mile" companies who franchise the work out to local movers or delivery firms. I'm pretty sure Amazon and other big online retailers use those national companies who assign the actual deliveries to local contractors.

[maliaSmith]

40. Free delivery and free take away of old appliance

I prefer to shop at Lowe's for my appliances. They deliver free, take awy your old appliance for free and you have 30 days to return it for free.

Home Depot is the worst because if you have issues with your new appliance, you only have 48 hours to get a free return.

Lowe's also has veterans discounts.

[Dan]

47. +1

[Marthe48]

44. We ordered a new electric stove online

The crew that delivered it attached safety rails to the floor, connected the stove and slid it in place. We gave the old stove to someone through our local Freecycle group. We had the old stove out of the way and the walls and floor clean and ready to go. I use worn out clothes, cut up for rags, when I clean, especially jobs like that.

[MineralMan]

45. I'm going to be washing all of the walls in our current house as prep for painting.

Once we've moved and everything is off the walls, I'll wash all of the walls with a paint prep cleaning solution. I'm not going to do the painting, but I don't mind doing the cleaning.

What I do is go to a Goodwill outlet or some other thrift store outlet store and buy old towels from their bargain bins. They make wonderful cleaning rags that cut cleaning time by at least 50%. Even better, toweling scrubs well, too, and you can use a two-hand technique to speed up the job. When each towel has done its job, it goes into the big black Hefty bag for disposal.

[Marthe48]

53. My rag bag is a carryover from my Mom

and Gram. We also had a sock box. I use my old towels for drying my cat after a bath. When they are too worn for that, they go in the rag bag. Sometimes I think I'll never run out of clothing to recycle

[MineralMan]

54. Yup. Everyone needs a rag bag.

[flying_wahini]

48. I've never ordered from Wayfair because of this reason; delivery woes.

I will add that if you are doing a big job that it pays dividends to have a commercial credit acct at one of the big box stores.
Having redone 6 homes (every time we moved over 25 years) I have saved tons of $$ just on deliveries because no matter how much you order it is $20. (Lowe’s) a truckload or one thing.
I usually get a list of products from my crew and it is already here when they start, so it saves time too.

[calimary]

49. I was actually expecting to read about how the kids crawled into the box and made a fort out of it!

[MineralMan]

58. LOL! That's what we did as kids, too.

[paleotn]

51. Same here. HD and Lowes. Zip, zip, done.

Recently, both have started using outsourced delivery outfits for some items. I worried about that a year ago, but it's turned OK for the couple of deliveries we've had so far. Just as quick and efficient as the store delivery guys.

[jrandom421]

55. We had a different experience

Bought a refrigerator from IKEA's as-is department. It was delivered, the old fridge was moved out of its alcove (was donated to a local food bank) and the new one was moved in. We stocked it with all the goodies we bought that day for it. The nexy morning, we disovered that in bringing it in, the local movers had accidently punctured the refrigeration coils and all the refrigeration coolant leaked out and about $500 of food and medicine were ruined.


IKEA was on the receiving end of our wrath, and as an apology, they sent us a new top of the line refrigerator delivered by a different company.

[MineralMan]

57. Good for IKEA. Bad for the delivery crew, though.

There are always bad examples, along with good ones. It can be a crapshoot, for sure.

[jmowreader]

59. Please tell me...

...that they punctured the coils while the fridge was still outside. New refrigerators don’t use CFC refrigerant and CFCs to make the polyurethane insulation expand. They use propane as refrigerant and cyclopentane to expand (or “blow”) the foam. It’s perfectly safe if it’s contained in the fridge, but Cthulhu help you if it escapes.

And as an aside, I find it humorous that my iPad autocorrected “cyclopentane” and accepted “Cthulhu” as a valid word.

[jrandom421]

61. They used a handtruck to move the fridge

Apparently the tongue of the handtruck broke off the coils near the compressor as they were bringing iy in,

[LetMyPeopleVote]

62. I just got a new fridge from Lowes and had a similar experience

[MineralMan]

63. Glad to hear it!

[Omaha Steve]

64. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

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