Sunday 4 March 2012

Shaking my head ...

Our 4 year old dishwasher was recalled 2 years ago.

We were offered $150 towards a new one or a repair guy would come out & replace a part.

We declined both.

Why, you may ask?

Because the recall was related to a fire issue & we've already been thru a massive house fire.

So we weren't willing to take a chance that a repair would fix such a big issue.

And the $150 could only be used towards 3 different models of their choice, which turned out to be higher end models than the midline we had chosen. And listed between $800 to $1100, before the money offered. We had paid around $450, so spending more seemed more like a ploy to line the pockets of the appliance company.

We've washed dishes by hand for the last 2 years but decided it was time to look for a new unit so we can sell our house at some point. I'm sure the new owners would like this feature included in their newly renovated home.

Last month, we stumbled across an amazing sale & bought a new dishwasher literally minutes after finding it. A Bosch high end model, on sale for $499. Everywhere else we looked, it was listed for over $1299. The only thing I don't like is it is stainless steel & our other appliances, all matching, are brushed nickel. Looks like stainless but no finger marks. My dear husband convinced me we'd make out just fine but if it really bothers me, we'll replace the rest in time.

Great, more expense!

Anyway, back to the dishwasher.

Trying to find a plumber to uninstall the old & install the new has been more challenging than I thought. Missed appointments for a quote, quotes on the phone & our latest, a quote that didn't make any sense at all. We were expecting a quote of around $200 & the latest sits at $480. The plumbers explanation for being so high?

"It's a Bosch & if you can afford to buy one, you can afford to pay a higher install fee."

What???

So I asked if there was extra time he would need or extra parts, but he honestly said, "No, it's easier than most to install. I just charge those who can afford higher cost appliances a higher fee. I have to make up the difference for helping out those less fortunate by charging them less."

Lovely. So because I have made a good purchase of a highly rated appliance, saving my pennies to do so, but I'm perceived as let's call it "rich" then I have to pay the penalty.

The guy wasn't too pleased when we told him we honestly couldn't justify spending almost the same amount for the install as it cost us to buy the unit. He was astounded to hear how much we paid but wasn't willing to budge on his price. I told him how much we had already been quoted & he wasn't impressed with the, as he stated "low ball price." His next statement was the one that got him kicked out of the front door:

"You have two new cars in the driveway & you can't pay me better than the other guy!"

One is leased & paid for by my husband's company. And the other we saved & saved & saved, then paid invoice & that car is still worth more than what we paid because of the lower price we were able to get after hours of negotiation. So yes, we have 2 nice cars but not high end. A Honda & a Kia are pretty middle of the road for pricing. Actually, both were lower than our previous 2 cars, so he has no argument there!

But that shouldn't be an indication of what we can pay. I'm reporting this guy to the company he works for on Monday.

And will spend another day looking for a decent plumber to do this small job at a decent price.

6 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! I can't believe someone would have such business practices.... and openly admit it to you on top of that!!!

    Please, please watch the latest episode of Marketplace if you haven't already. Do not leave the repairman alone in the kitchen.... one on this show peed in a mug and poured it down the drain and put the mug in the sink to be washed!!! I almost threw up!

    http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/whentherepairmanknocks/

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  2. What a crock!!!! You might be surprised how easy it really is to put the dishwasher in yourself!! Hubby and I had a recalled dishwasher as well and waited until we could find what we wanted and could afford at a later date, luckt for us the company gave us a cash refund. We were able to install it on our own, a pain in the rump but worth the savings!!

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  3. We were going to watch Marketplace the other night but ended up being out instead. Will watch on line now. Thank you!!

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  4. Debby, we hadn't thought about that actually. I'll dig out the book & see if it's something we can do ourselves. We're pretty handy, having installed new flooring throught the house, our kitchen install, some of teh bathroom plumbling & all the painting & woodwork. Might be workable. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  5. Oh.my.word. Really? What a jerk! I would have kicked him out long before his last statement. REPORT him for sure!! Some people are so dishonest...

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  6. I am truly not an evil person in any way shape or form, but I'm quite looking forward to calling the company this morning! The one reason we called this company is because they advertise that they are in place to make sure that the consumer does not get "ripped off" in pricing & in workmanship .... really? Interested to see what they'll say. Will update later!!

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