I spent most of yesterday afternoon buying appliances. Thank goodness I don't have to do that everyday.
We needed four refrigerators, and two stoves to be delivered at two different locations.
I walked into a leading retailer, not Sears, after trying unsuccessfully at Lowes and another contractor kitchen company with an order that I thought would at least get their attention.
Nada. The kitchen contractor company informed me a lot of big apartment houses are buying from him already and he really wasn't willing to give us any kind of discount. Sniff, sniff.
Lowes didn't seem to care one way or another. I guess they don't work on commission.
So we ended up at the leading retailer who will remain nameless, because I'm just too polite to call their name out in this blog.
There has been a great big price increase so that nonsense that inflation hasn't hit us yet is a bunch of baloney served upside down.
A typical apartment refrigerator is now around $469 or so on the average.
We did hit their "sale" if you can call it that, so we received $50 off each frig.
Then they tried to get us to take the 10 year warranty, which is exactly, you guessed it, $49.95.
"But it covers everything," the salesman said. "Just think how much a new compressor will cost."
I don't need reminding, thank you very much.
But I refused a new Chinese brand they kept trying to push.
I don't know anything about the brand and I wasn't taking chances. They had plastic shelves in the doors that looked about as substantial as copying paper. Our tenants would have torn those apart the first week.
But I guess the biggest problem always has been delivery. Don't get me started…
I managed to knock another $50 off per delivery charge, which I felt pretty good about. I just looked the man in the eyes dead on and told him I was very upset about what happened last time.
"We had two sets of frigs and stoves delivered to two condos in the same complex, very close to each other, and you all charged us full delivery for both. That's times two. How do expect a good customer to react to that?"
"We almost didn't come back and buy these appliances because of it," I said.
This time I hit pay dirt. He cared.
It's amazing what you can get if you'll just ask for it. That's my tip for today.
If you don't ask, you don't get.
Which goes to prove that "stimulus plan" better start kicking in soon. These people are hurting enough to actually knock off that ridculous fee.
Which brings up the question how many other fees can we get knocked off if we just start negotiating with everyone…
Popularity: 12% [?]
Related Websites -
Scott Wins Texas Open Adam Scott earned his first PGA Tour Victory in 2 years on at the Texas Open on Sunday, ending with a 14-under 274 and taking home the $1,098,000 prize pot. He defeated runner-up Fredrik Jacobson by one stroke. Texas is apparently a great place for Scott, as it's the only...... -
Magnetic Sponsoring Review Magnetic Sponsoring Review The old network marketing sales routines of cold calling on the telephone, getting people into hotel conferences and the pals and family plan went the way of the dinosaur once the web came into play. Magnetic Sponsoring is a relatively new system of creating leads fast. It...... -
Lladro Collectibles Collectibles -> Decorative Collectibles -> Lladro-> Figurines When you look at the beauty and grace that is customary with Lladro collectibles, it’s hard to believe that the company originally specialized in jugs and basic kitchenware. It wasn’t until the mid 1950’s that the three original founders of the company, who...... -
Tesla/Toyota Partnership The market for electric vehicles is strong, as companies jockey to be the first to come to the market with an impressive offering. While the Chevy Volt will be the first mainstream and somewhat affordable electric car to hit the market, companies are still working to knock that company and...... -
Investing For Sustainable Dividend Yield The following is a guest post by Saj Karsan. Saj regularly writes for Barel Karsan, a site dedicated to finding and discussing current value investments. Stocks with higher dividend yields do outperform the market. Having said that, however, it's important to be able to determine if a company's dividend yield is sustainable.......