Okay, "death of a salesman" is a bit of an exaggeration. But "death of a sale" is dead on.
Our dishwasher is in the advanced stages of dishwalla lymphoma, with demise imminent. Given that the dishwasher is the only thing that has kept us from murdering each other over the past 20 years, we went shopping this morning for a new one.
A friend recommends Pacific Sales in San Dimas, so we headed on down there, with the intention of making a decision. And we did make a decision -- but not about a dishwasher. The fellow who helped us really put the screws to us, and when we mentioned that we intended to do research on whatever model we decided upon, he launched into a 15-minute tirade against Consumer Reports that a detonating grenade couldn't have interrupted.
Thus it was that we left Pacific Sales with the intention of buying a dishwasher somewhere else. All the advice I've gotten suggests that Lowe's and Home Despot have special sub-par models manufactured for them, plus I'd rather purchase locally in any case.
We'll probably check out Cagle's, over in Ontario, but does anyone have suggestions for other local appliance retailers? Experiences to share? Recommendations, warnings, or dire predictions?
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21 comments:
i actually haven't used a dishwasher in many years... uncountable. the rule has always been, if one person cooks the others must wash. otherwise wash your own dishes. Now living with my girlfriend it has become Andrew washes ALL dishes.
The Great Indoors in Chino Hills, you may get a really good deal since they are going out of business. Dual Drawer is the way to go.
i used to be an appliance sales specialist
i smell a field trip!!!!
seriously, i can go and help you guys for a fee of celebratory drink after acquiring a new machine
your not alone Andy she cooks I wash what the hell thats life
oops, I used Consumer Reports.
I have a Bosch. Works great. Cabinet front. So quiet it shines a red light on the floor to tell you it's on. Energy star (no heating element).
Downside: pricey :-(
Good Luck!! Should I admit that I bought it on the internet?!
the thing to consider when purchasing a machine is the installation- seems simple, until you pull out your old machine to find you have a recessed floor situation or damaged/uneven tile...
finding a good model is easy, but not everyone wants to install it...
Sears.
Appliance Central.
This is what you MUST KNOW about Sears.
They will match any price on the internet, especially from sears.com. Just bring in a printout.
And they're Sears. Which still means SOMETHING, tho not what it usta-
when it comes to major appliances I consider warranty issues STRONGLY...
Do your shopping @ http://www.Sears.com first so you see what's important and available and general price ranges.
Sears also at least used to have a distribution center (on Mountain so. of the 10???) that might allow you to get a much better machine than you expected...
wow- shamelss plugging
shameless*
forgot to mention. Hand washing save WATER and ENERGY guess REN and I are the only ones who care about the environment! (jk, i'm not judging you)
Actually, all the stuff I've read says that dishwashers save enormous amounts of water over handwashing dishes. Also that the rinse-and-hold cycle is a massive savings over sink-rinsing.
Energy, yes, definitely -- no question there.
We had a great experience with Howard's Appliances in UPland/Montclair. Not sure if they sell dishwashers tho. Be sure to repair any damage around the walls/floor surrounding the dishwasher while you have it pulled out. That's where rodents have come into our house the two times we've had them.
G of P
Bought a dishwasher from Cagle's a couple of years ago on the same theory--buy local. If your salesman is Bill--the guy who tells you you can wash the rims off your car in THIS tall tub model--walk away in a straight line. We ended up with a $400+ Maytag which failed after 51 weeks. Cagle's first guy couldn't figure out what was wrong, and we limped by with soapy dishes for another month. They then sent the Dishwasher Expert--I forget his name, but his tribute letters are all around the front counter at Cagle's--who arrived at week 55. He knew about the known bad too-thin shaft which reliably broke early on this model, and fixed it in about 20 minutes. Wrote us a bill for $140 which I handed back to him with one word, "Warranty". He called the Home Office and after some discussion, and only because my first call had come in under the one-year wire, they left me alone and said they'd try to get it out Maytag. Ratings: Cagle sales-1/5; Cagle service-1/5. Cagle expert service-4/5. Maytag--0/5 (our previous GE lasted 17 years w/o a problem).
Cagle's, Asko Swedish dishwasher - only dishwasher we could find in which the pipe to speed the water to the whirlygigs is actually one continuous closed pipe. If you find yourself left with soapy dishes it is probably because whirlygigs are not spinning because the typical design does not allow for enough water pressure.
I like Sears quite a bit as well. We love the w/d we bought there. Their Kenmore brand is quite good. I would steer clear of Kitchen Aide--we've not been happy with the DW, fridge, or convec micro we got with them. I wish we'd bought a Bosch, as our kitchen aid is quiet by not as silent as the bosch. Also, I strongly second the rec for the 2 drawer dw--at least in theory, I have no real experience with them. I thought the great Indoors was a Home Depot cousin, but maybe I'm confusing them with someone else.
i may just need to reevaluate my lifestyle! actually there is a lot of discrepancies about hand washing vs. dishwashers. a lot of it has to do wether you prewash/soak/rinse before washing using a dishwasher. if so then there is not much water savings, but if u got one of those fancy high heat ones. you're set. then it's about valuing energy vs. water. well in CA water is more valuable. we have tons of sun to convert the energy.
You were close,Great Indoors is actually part of Sears.
Andrew: You haven't figured out a way to hook up a stationary bike and run a dishwasher while you peddle? I'm sure Ed Begley could do it.
To understand how convoluted the appliance industry is, read this segment at Consumer Reports.
Costco is another option to consider, but I don't know what their return policy with dishwashers is and you might have to install it yourself.
I love everything about the drawer dishwashers but the price.
Costco doesn't do installation, but the unlimited return policy applies (assuming you can get it back in the store).
Ed, actually a friend of mine has developed plans for that, he lives at the Regen Co-ops in Pomona(i forgot if it's for dishwashing or clothes washing). I do have a spare bike but i have other plans for that. I think when I have my own home and my own yard I may make one for clothes washing. get my exercise and clean at the same time!
Don't know about Home Depot, but I have purchased dozens of units from Lowes with no problems. I am not talking about the cheapest units they offer, instead I tend to purchase the mid-range price units. Any unit can go wrong, so the warranty comes into play.....
Has anyone been to the Redwing Glass Co. located at 177-E. Monterey in Pomona? After threatening to check out their merchandise for far too long, I finally stopped in last week. So glad I did because I bought a beautiful framed glass suncatcher (Meg, I hope to having it hanging on the front porch this weekend so please come by.) Their work is exquisite and their inventory
ranges from huge doors to small pieces.
The business is owned by Rhonda and her husband Mike. Rhonda shared a little of her personal history that I thought might be of interest to those of us who try to shop Pomona whenever we can. She grew up in Pomona and the business she now runs was started by her father in "our town" in 1952. Her father used to own the building next door which used to be a medical building. Now that's a building I would love to get into!
Anyway, Rhonda and Mike are very nice people in addition to being very artistic and creative. Mike also does repairs on historic pieces. Their store is more than worthy of a "pop-in." With the variety of designs that are displayed, it should not be hard to find something to please everyone's tastes.
Kate Valdez
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