How NOT to Have a Microwave Installed!

This is the state of my kitchen right now, after multiple attempts to purchase and have a microwave installed. When it comes to buying appliances, I’m snakebit and starting to develop a case of ASPTSD–Appliance Shopping Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If that’s not an actual medical diagnosis, it may be time to suggest it.

 

In June, my microwave started making bizarre noises, like a grumbling, angry ogre had moved in and was passing the time throwing tennis balls around. I’ve never heard noises like that coming from any appliance. After assessing the microwave, previously purchased at Best Buy, was just a few months out of warranty, I started shopping online for a new one. I decided to go with an Amana microwave, having had great luck with those in the past. My first ever microwave was an Amana, purchased in 1980 from Davisons Department Store (which later became Macy’s) for the cost of around $600. Another reason I wanted to go with Amana is because I like how their microwaves are designed so you can easily turn off the annoying and incessant beeping that occurs when the cooking is done. That’s always the first thing I deactivate when I purchase a microwave, except a lot of microwaves don’t have that feature–like the GE that I’m currently replacing.

Having ordered the last microwave from Best Buy, I decided to give another store my business this time. I found an Amana microwave I liked at Home Depot, but delivery was showing several weeks out as it was currently out of stock. I checked a few other stores and Best Buy was the only store showing it in stock. Not wanting to wait for weeks, I went ahead and ordered it there on June 23rd. The very next day I received an email stating that it wasn’t available and my installation was being moved 5 weeks out to August 1st. Argggh–the old bait and switch strikes again!

 

Thankfully, I use my air fryer way more than my microwave these days so I managed without it during the month of July. On August 1st, the day of the appointment, I received a text stating the microwave would be installed between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. That time frame came and went, and still no microwave.

 

The installers finally arrived late that evening just before 8:00 p.m. As one of the installers was removing the new microwave from the box, he noticed a big dent in the side toward the front edge. The dent was large enough that it actually caused the side panel of the microwave to angle outward, creating a gap between the side panel and the front panel of the microwave.

 

The installers went ahead and completed the installation saying, “I’d at least have a microwave while a new one could be ordered.” Side note: I used that microwave a handful of times over the coming days and it worked fine–if only it hadn’t had a big dent on the side.

I was told someone would be calling shortly to schedule another delivery. Someone did call that day, but they sounded as if they were in an automobile based on all the wind noise and commotion in the background. The call ended up being dropped and they never called back. Having heard from no one, two days later I called Best Buy, and a new appointment was scheduled for Saturday, August 5th. The morning of August 5th, I received a text saying my appointment was scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

 

By 1:30 p.m., the installers still had not arrived and I had not received any calls or texts. I called Best Buy and was told that they had no additional information since the company that was supposed to do the installation was closed on Saturdays. Later that day, I received a text saying the installers were en route. They finally arrived at 4:43 p.m., over 3 hours outside the installation window, offering no explanation or apologies for being late.

I asked the installer who seemed to be the lead, why they were so late. He said that his paper schedule had shown one route and a second schedule he was given had shown an opposite route, so he looked at both and chose the one he wanted to do. Knowing I had been scheduled for a morning appointment and ended up being his last appointment for the day, I asked if that meant he had done every appointment in the reverse of how it was actually scheduled. He replied, “Yup!”

The installers shoved the microwave into place and were gone in a matter of minutes. They had only been gone a few minutes when I gave the microwave its first test run. It ran for maybe 2 seconds, made a very loud thud noise, shut down, and never worked again. I checked my electrical panel and all was well. The next day I called the company I’ve been using for all my electrical updates in the basement recently and described the situation. They had me test the outlet the microwave was plugged into (in the cabinet above) with a blow dryer. The outlet worked fine. The electrician said it sounded like the issue was a defective microwave.

That day, I called Best Buy and asked them to schedule an appointment to have it removed. During the call, they told me they didn’t have any more of that particular microwave in stock. I liked the microwave, at least the one that had worked with the dent in the side, so I ordered the microwave again, this time from a different store–The Home Depot. It’s out of stock there too, so the installation appointment is set for August 24th.

Yesterday was the day the dead microwave was set to be uninstalled. In the morning I received a text saying my appointment window was between 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

The installers never showed and at 8:00 p.m. I gave up and put on my pajamas. At 8:35 p.m. I received the following email. What?! All I could think was that this had to be a mistake–surely they weren’t going to show up at 9:45 at night to uninstall a microwave!

 

I seriously thought about not answering the door if they actually showed up–but then, at 10:05 p.m. my phone rang and it was the installers asking if they could still come and uninstall the microwave. Since I was still up and really just wanted to get this whole nightmare over once and for all, I agreed. I turned on the porch light and the installers arrived at 10:37 p.m. I asked why they were so late and they gave vague excuses about running into issues throughout the day with other installs.

The installers, or I guess I should call them the uninstallers, had a very difficult time getting the microwave out. After loosening the screws in the cabinet above, they struggled mightily trying to lift the microwave up and out. As the struggle ensued, multiple large screws and other hardware came crashing down onto the top of my glass-top stove. At one point, a screwdriver fell from above onto the porcelain edge of the stove, but luckily it didn’t chip it. The installers briefly paused for a moment as I attempted to place a dish towel over the glass.

The process got really intense with the lead installer repeatedly telling his helper to lift up on the back of the microwave on his side, but he just wasn’t understanding. Finally, the lead installer, balancing the half-uninstalled microwave on one hand, used his other hand to show his assistant where to lift it. There were horrible ripping sounds and in the midst of the chaos, they ended up ripping the metal mounting strip half off the back wall. When it was all over, the lead installer complained that the previous installer had just “jammed it in there,” saying that it wasn’t hanging correctly on the metal mounting strip. I asked what had kept it from falling out and he said “just the screws in the cabinet above.”

Per my Ring doorbell, the installers left my home at 10:53 p.m. I didn’t go to bed until well after midnight, too wound up from the events of the evening. Do you sometimes feel like life is testing you?! Do you have any appliance installation horror stories or un-installation horror stories to share? If so, I’d love to hear them–please share them in a comment below! I’m sure I can’t be alone in my Appliance Shopping-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!

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Comments

  1. Susan, your whole microwave experience has given me second hand anxiety!
    I have given up buying any kind of large appliance from a big box store. The installers always seem to be under trained and over scheduled. I live in a fairly small college town and fortunately we still have a family owned appliance store. There sometimes is a wait as they can’t keep a big inventory, but at least they show up on time and know what they’re doing.

    • The main reason I was trying to purchase it from a big box store was in case something didn’t work, I knew they would back it up. When I had my Speed Queen delivered, the small, local store where I purchased it washes their hands of handling the installation. They flat want nothing to do with it. Instead, they give you the name of a few installers and tell you to call them. I had no idea who to call and was about to walk out and go to another local store, but when I called the other store, I found out they do the exact same thing…let you arrange the installation. The sales guy, fearing he was about to lose his sale, called one of the installers whose card he had given me and he arranged the installation. Of course, I paid for the installation. Anyway, when they came out, they put a big gash in the frame around the door into my kitchen from the garage. I know they did it because it wasn’t there before they arrived but was there afterward. When I had some painting done in the garage a week or so ago, he repaired it, filled in the gash, and painted it so now you can’t tell where it was. My biggest fear of buying from a small local store (which I do like to do) is if something goes wrong with the installation or the appliance doesn’t work after the installation, I’m afraid the store will blame me or the installers I hired. If the installation doesn’t go well with HD or the microwave is damaged or doesn’t work, I guess I’ll see if someone in my area carries that microwave and try to buy it from a small, local store. Hopefully, HD won’t let me down.

  2. I haven’t personally used Home Depot as I have heard nothing but complaints from friends about the installation process. So sorry you had to deal with this. Very stressful. Hope they got it right this time.

    • I’ve had good luck with them in the past with door installations but I haven’t had them install anything in a long time. The world is so different now, has changed a lot in the past few years, so I’m not sure what to expect.

  3. Susan, I feel your pain. My AC has a serious problem. Having to deal with other people and business is more than I can take right now. I think I am on week five. As I read your story, it reminded me of my home warranty people after I bought this house. I heard every excuse possible that day about him being late. When the guy arrived he asked to use my bathroom. No way you are going in my bedroom, so I showed him the guest bathroom. He immediately went in the medicine cabinet. Didn’t even fake flush the toilet. Service techs aren’t properly trained today. The ones going to tech schools are
    led to believe they can earn more than the owners. My friend owns a business, one of the applicants had a meltdown because she told him to draw a one inch square on graph paper. The teacher called her and asked if she would talk to his class. She said “No. That’s your job.”
    In the meantime, my cell phone went crazy and had to be replaced. The clerk was on drugs and I lost 300 contacts, all my photos and she changed my plan. Monday, my service was cut off for not paying for something I didn’t know I changed.
    Yeah. I feel your pain. Women unite. Enough already.

  4. Paula Ryan says

    What a terrible experience for you, I can’t believe the installers turned up so late at night and then did such a terrible job.
    I hope it can be resolved.

  5. When I did our kitchen remodel we needed to purchase a new fridge. I ordered a Samsung. To shorten the story, I had to reorder 3 sets of doors due to marks on them that were clearly done at the factory when the painting was done…..they were like the marks where maybe the doors were moved on a conveyor belt by magnets after being painted…..only they obviously were not dry enough. Even though I asked each time to check the door before delivering them, they did not. When the installers came to install the fridge, they tried to tell me it wouldn’t fit into the space. Mind you the exact same size fridge came OUT of the space. There were two men who just didn’t want to WORK! I have a tight area, I agree, but I had to physically show them how they simply had to scoot the fridge in front of the space and then push it back! It wasn’t rocket science! I couldn’t believe it!

  6. Oh my goodness – what a nightmare. It would be funny if it weren’t so maddening! Crossing fingers for the next install, and Happy Wednesday anyway!

  7. I will never have Home Depot install anything for me ever again. Late hubby and I had them install French doors at the back of our home. One young, small guy came, he did have to call another guy to come and help him carry the doors, then the other guy left. He put the doors on backwards/inside out, the door handle never worked right and there were times I couldn’t get the door to even lock, after hubby passed. Friends came to try and fix it. Finally it would lock. Then it wouldn’t after a while, so my son had to work in it a few times. The door never latched right, so a big gust of wind would blow it open, thus resulting in having to keep it locked at all times unless it was summer. Finally that lock/handle broke last month, could lock the house from the inside, but couldn’t from the outside went I went away. So got a smart lock and my son but that on for me. Eventually those doors will be replaced but it won’t be by Home Depot! I felt just as much anxiety reading about your microwave nightmare as I’ve had with my door! Never in my life have I heard of service people coming that late when an appointment was scheduled or coming that late at night! But I would have let them come too, just to get rid of the dang thing. I sure hope your Home Depot does you better than ours did us. Hugs, Brenda

  8. Run don’t walk to a small family owned appliance store! They have trained techs who know what they are doing, unlike Lowe’s and Home Depot etc. who hire the cheapest people they can find. They don’t care about customer service or the quality of their work, just get it done. Several years ago I bought a washing machine from Lowe’s, they didn’t bring the water hoses with them and wanted to leave it in the middle of the mud room, long story short I made them take it back. A week later they came back for the install with the hoses and didn’t bother to hook up the dryer, just shoved it in place. I now drive one hour to a family business to purchase appliances and they are great. Just built our daughter a new home on our farm and all of the appliances arrived in good order and the install was perfect.

    • 100% agree! We’ve been using the same family owned appliance store for over 35 years. Never have had any problems with deliveries, installations, etc. Fingers crossed they don’t ever go out of business!

  9. Jon Anne Winstead says

    That’s why I order local! They love our business and are people we know! We learned our lesson(s) the hard way!

  10. Tina W Reynolds says

    Dear Susan, I hear you! I still have delayed stress from my roofing project 5 years ago! It was such a nightmare. I had an over the range vent hood installed that year and it, too was a very nasty job and delayed by several months. Because of those horrible experiences, I dread having to replace or repair anything. No one cares these days. Quality, workmanship and customer service are a thing of the past. Everyone says they do not have enough employees. Surely the ones they do have were not trained, either! I have also taken to placing moving blankets on anything and everything I think workers or “installers” will come into contact with. I got some cheaply at the Harbor Freight store. Again, this comes after the roofers damaged my homes vinyl siding, gouging holes in it with their ladders. Now, mind you, some folks do call me a bad name that begins with a “b”! But those moving blankets have saved some damages, I am certain. I would have cloaked my range in those blankets! Ha! I am very much dreading the day when I have to replace my refrigerator. I bought it in 2001 and I still love it. I so dread the day it gives up! God bless you. These things are never easy. We have a running joke that goes, “All home repairs will take twice as long as we have maximally allowed for and cost four times as much as we planned.”

  11. We had a similar nightmarish experience after placing an order for a washer/dryer in May with Costco. I started to detail it here, but it takes forever and is frustrating. I think all appliance providers have similar problems.

  12. I had a new dishwasher installed. The installer did not punch out the area between the dishwasher hose and the garbage disposal. Which meant the dishwasher did not drain. Second dishwasher installed, same issue. I thought maybe it was my plumbing and not the dishwasher and called my trusted plumber. He found that they hooked my dishwasher up as if I did not have a garbage disposal and therefore there was nowhere for the water to drain. Incompetence on the installers created so many issues for me!!!

  13. Horror story for sure. I feel your pain. You were brave to let two men in your home alone that late at night. Sadly, the day of good, dependable customer service is long gone.
    Do you have a reliable independently owned appliance store in your area? We have one that has been in business for over 40 years. It might pay to call them. Since it’s only a microwave, and you could narrow your selection, surely they would do a better job of replacing than the big box stores. And, wanting repeat business, would always be available for service in a timely manner.

  14. Teresa M. says

    OMG! I give you credit for patience. How does the store make any money? Lowe’s doesn’t charge a big amount to install. I used Lowe’s at a property to install one over the range similar to yours. The first crew had difficulty installing too because of the plate.
    Then they forgot to punch out the plate for the vent and left. However, some time later, It caught my attention that the vent was not removing cooking odors. So a second crew months later returned to make it right and punch out the plate.
    That’s one good thing about these small jobs that the big box stores will return until you are satisfied. I can commiserate with your frustrating situation.
    Good luck on the rest of your renovations: bath & laundry…can’t wait to see and hear the results. 🙂

  15. Michele M. says

    WOW. Just wow. I have no words. Holy cow, Susan, that is a nightmare.

    I am so sorry. Hope this weirdness ends soon for you. It’s unbelieveable.

  16. I bought my microwave from Best Buy and had a private electrician do the install.
    I hate getting new things! I also hate the microwave but kept it.

  17. Margo Kuhn says

    Oh Susan, I too had a nightmare with the companyBest Buy uses to install appliances. I bought a new LG washer and gas dryer from Best Buy. They delivered it and had installation in jusyt a couple of days. The washer installation went quite well and quickly, however, the gas dryer was a horse of another color. First of all, one of the installers, told me he brok the gas shut off valve on the line and they weren’t getting new one for me, so I went to Home Depot to pick up a new one, taking my old one. When I arrived home, they were ready to leave. They told me they had managed to install the gas line without the gas shutoff valve, which is illegal, but if I wanted it on they would install it, so I said yes, I want it installed. After about 30 -45 minutes working on it, they said it was done and left. I could faintly smell gas, but thinking it was just excess from the installation and that it would go away. By the next day the gas was stronger, so I called Best Buy and they said they would send another installer out to re-do it, but it would be 5 days. When the second installer came, he spent about 15 minutes, then sprayed something on it and said it was done. By this time there was a much stronger smell of gas.

    Again I thought it was gas residue from opening the gas line and then installing it, but as the day went on it got worse. I had the windows open and my whole house fan on drawing the fumes up and out my vents through the attic. I was getting a headache and couldn’t be near it.

    So about 4 pm, I talked to my son and we agreed I needed to call the gas company. They arrived in about 15 minutes after I called. The man from the gas company removed the gas shut off valve, and capped off the line. He told me the moment he walked in my front door, he was very concerned as the fumes were so strong. Mind you, my cooktop is also gas, and fortunately I had enough sense not to use it or my house would have blown up from the gas leak.

    The next day I called Best Buy and they tried to tell me it was a defaulty dryer and they would order me another dryer. I knew that was not true. I had scheduled a plumber already to come out and look at my upstairs gas fireplace in my bedroom, as it has a slight leak when it was on, but no leak when off. So I had him fix the dryer gas line and no problems.

    I tried to get Best Buy to at least reimburse me the installation fee they charged me and they told me they would, but never did and when I called I got a voice mail and no returned calls.

    Their installation service company is really bad. They need to find another company.

  18. My 17-year-old dishwasher died on Saturday (two weeks ago). I decided to purchase a Miele dishwasher and searched online to see who carried them. Lowe’s indicated they did; however, when I got to the store I was told it was in a warehouse and would take about ten days to get it to the store (I’m in Kentucky and wondered if the warehouse was in Montana…or some place even further away). On top of that, an installer would have to be scheduled and it would generally take about another week for that to happen. Long story short, I went to a local kitchen design store, purchased my dishwasher that same Monday I had gone to Lowe’s and it was installed on Friday. The really interesting thing is that the price at Lowe’s and the local store were exactly the same. My installer actually showed up early (after having completed five other installations already). He was very careful when removing the old appliance and profusely apologized for any drips on my hardwood floor (which were promptly wiped up). I also have another story regarding faucet replacements in the master bath. Two sinks, two sets of faucets…Kohler. They were original to the home when it was built in 2007. They still make the same faucets…also found at Lowe’s. BUT they aren’t carried in the store…they have to be ordered from lowes.com. I ended up ordering them from Amazon and they were delivered in two days. Interestingly enough, no company discounts these particular faucets. They’re $408 per set—even on Amazon. Kohler guarantees faucets for “life”, but only the “guts” of the faucets. That wouldn’t work for us as the “guts” were corroded from the water and the plumber seemed as if he had to use the “jaws of life” to get the things out. All in all, it’s been a VERY expensive (and educational) couple of weeks in our house! I feel the pain of everyone who replied.

  19. Donna Howell says

    From listening to my friends who have purchased new appliances in the past few years they all have a nightmare story. One friend is on her second year waiting on the refrigerator she ordered. In my area of South Carolina to get anything repaired is all but impossible. Repairmen just don’t show up.

  20. Well, I was very hesitant to use Home Depot installers for new appliances for our vacation home in a rural area, so I didn’t arrange for delivery. I planned to use a local handyman, but when the appliances got delivered, I asked the delivery men if they were able/willing to install and I’d give them a big tip. They installed meticulously, hauled away the old appliances and I was using a new range, microwave and dishwasher that night! What a shock! I’ve had terrible experiences with big box installers near our primary home…I can’t believe the incompetence you’ve encountered! They don’t know how meticulous you are!

  21. I would begin drafting a letter to Best Buy and Home Depot corporate to outline the events. It is totally, ridiculously unacceptable. I have had so much work done on my condo since I purchased and NO ONE is behaving as they should be – not plumbers, electricians, stores where I purchase, no one. I don’t understand it and I know I am not alone. I hate to say the word “pandemic” anymore, but really it is since the pandemic that everything is upside down. People just don’t care about their work ethic, and the price for labor has become outrageous because companies think either pay it or go away, they don’t care. And the dishonesty I’ve encountered too. I talk to friends and family and this is a phenomenon being experienced by everyone. I am completely nervous about using any company anymore. I’m sorry for your experience and I would have been very angry, especially with a company thinking it was OK to send someone late at night. I know now not to deal with Best Buy for appliances.

    • I haven’t had any issues with Home Depot, just ordered from them. Their install will be on the 24th. Keeping my fingers crossed that it goes well. I agree, things have really gone bonkers since then. Keep hoping the supply chain will finally catch up and things will improve.

  22. Susan
    My husband and I had our masterbath tub removed for shower only.
    The sales man came out at 8:30pm, he had been at a job in Virginia.
    He left our home after showing us samples etc, at 1:00am the next morning.
    He was not from a major hardware store, though reading what you are going through brings back memories of horror and tiredness.

  23. I second the suggestion to use a local family owned business if possible. A few years ago our washing machine bit the dust and against my better judgment I did go to Lowes but didn’t see what I wanted. I went across the road to a family owned business (in business over 40 years), found exactly what I wanted, had it delivered the next day and installed. The installer even gave me time to clean the floor behind the washer! They also have a policy if something goes wrong with the appliance and they have to repair it, they bring an alternate one to use while yours is being repaired. The cost was slightly more but the peace of mind knowing it would be done right was well worth the cost!

  24. I hope things get better soon, Susan! Ordering anything is a hassle now. Our recent experience involved waiting weeks for furniture, receiving an incorrect item, waiting longer, etc. In June we ordered a Bosch dishwasher from Home Depot. It’s allegedly arriving next week, but we’ll see. Like everyone, I’m leery of clumsy installers. We’re currently in the midst of getting a new roof after the hail that hit Austin in June. Our current roof was put on in 2009 when the $ figure was around $14,000. Today the estimate has risen to $35,000! With insurance our share should be $4400. Oh! I need to tell you about my recent fence experience . . . next . . . .

  25. I have a severe case of ASPTSD–Appliance Shopping Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When my dishwasher died I decided the frustration, stress and anxiety I experienced with past appliance replacements was not worth it at this time in my life. I now enjoy washing the dishes and looking out the window to my flowers and birds. It can be the next homeowners problem.

  26. I’m in the middle of my own horror story. My 10 year old Kenmore range had always been a little wonky but a few weeks ago the double ovens started with problems. Preheat had always not worked properly to come up to temp, and now the ovens would go into its regular cycle for about 10 minutes and then would act like it blew some sort of fuse or sensor and would cut off the oven / clock / timer, all of which blinked until everything was reset. Another approximately 10 minutes of baking and the cycle repeated. OK, arranged for a Sears repairman who was scheduled for 2 weeks from then. Grrr! Schedule date was July 28 from 8am to 5pm. The repairman was a no-show. He contacted me late that day to say he wasn’t coming. Between the two of us we determined I needed a whole new computerized oven control panel, which had to be ordered and he would come then. Had he come it was an $89 mandatory “come to the house” but not fix it which was additional money. Range repair was now rescheduled for August 11. By that time I will be out of any oven for 4 weeks, with no guarantee the repairman will show or that he will have the correct part, if at all. Grrr I’m waiting for the bill and if I get charged for that “no show”, I will be protesting.

  27. What a nightmare! I usually order my appliances from a reputable dealer in the area. It is worth it to pay a few extra dollars to have reliable service.

  28. Nancy Lou Hauge says

    I think it is the cute little ghost on the back wall of the install area…I think we should call him Casper…understand your frustration..I think you are showing great restraint not going ballistic! Good Luck!

    • I had not even noticed that! Too funny! That must be it because no one could have this much bad luck trying to have a microwave installed. lol

  29. Patricia Lapp says

    In my relatively new kitchen, I have replaced a Bosch dishwasher with a Whirlpool because I couldn’t find a repair person, had the glass door on my oven shatter and waited six months for a new door, had the transformer blow on the same Kitchenaid stove, which controls the oven and again waited for parts, had my refrigerator repaired 5 different times for a damper, crooked doors, and various electronic parts. Appliances today across the board are expensive and unreliable. And all these short lived pieces of junk wind up in a land fill. It truly is stressful. Speed Queen should be held up as a model, but sadly we seem to be going in another direction. I feel your pain!

  30. I’m so sorry about the microwave nightmare. I would write to the President of Best Buy. I suppose they have a contractor to install and uninstall, and he/she needs to know. Home Depot hires a contractor to do that, and we had lots of trouble with one. Now we buy from locally owned appliance stores in neighboring towns. We have excellent service.

    • I need to find one that sells Amana microwaves…I may look for that tomorrow and cancel my order with the big box store. Or, maybe I’ll go ahead and give the big box store one shot at it since I’ve already ordered, and if it doesn’t go well, then try to locate an independent small appliance store.

  31. When we re-did our kitchen a few years back….we dealt with Home Depot…and had not problems. Until I got to reading our contract…and read the charges for setting in the appliances – they weren’t going to charge us for putting in the fridge…we could roll that in ourselves. But to slide in the dishwasher, wall oven, counter top range and microwave…they had charges listed. Confused I called…and was advised…they don’t actually hook them up…they just slide them in place. So…I’m supposed to pay them to slide the dishwasher in….only to have the plumber slid it out to hook it up. I was told “yes”. Um…no. Take those charges off…deliver the appliances….and we will have them hooked up and put into place. I think HD was trying to charge us about $1,000….for absolutely something so ludicrous…but were happy to remove the charges…no problem. Still shaking my head over that one! Pays to read the contract carefully….

  32. I recently had an experience the opposite of yours. Two days after ordering a replacement nuker, I received an early morning call from the installer. “We can be there in 20 minutes. Does that work for you?” I was so taken aback that I almost said, “No that’s too soon.” lol

    They got here 5 minutes early, put a board over my glass-topped stove, removed the old nuker, installed the new one, and were out the door less than an hour after the initial call. The whole affair almost made up for all the bad service I’ve gotten over the years. Almost. And the GE micro works perfectly (so far).

  33. I feel your pain! My husband and I recently replaced a daughter’s microwave. Those suckers are heavy and need to be raised up into place and tipped forward to catch the strip on the wall like a French cleat. We are both in our 70’s and try and do everything we can without calling for any installers, etc. As I age it is taking one of our daughters on my end of things as I don’t have the strength I used to but there seems to be no customer service or service workers that care about their job.

  34. After reading all of the comments and misery, we need to unite Susan. Maybe we need a petition to send to all of the big box stores. They can’t sell much without women. Perhaps when someone writes a letter, they can refer back to the blog.
    What a sad state of affairs. Everybody needs to be a little hungry, a little broke, and have a lot of humility at some point in their life. I don’t think anyone has to work to eat today.

  35. Beverly Anderson says

    Yes, I do! And they’re all recent nightmares from Best Buy, too! Both a dishwasher and a range. I will NEVER buy appliances from them again, because of service and installation incompetence. Shopping in their stores is easy, but afterwards just try to get someone to answer on the phone! The wait times for many appliances are ridiculous to begin with, then to have to deal with gross incompetence for installation from a “delivery driver” had me at my wit’s end. Lessons learned: Try to buy from a local appliance dealer with their own service department and technicians, rather than a big box store.

  36. My husband has always installed our new appliances and I’ve been his loyal assistant. But we’re in our golden years and I wasn’t sure that we were up to the task of removing a deceased microwave and hoisting its cumbersome replacement up above the cooktop. For the first time ever, we scheduled installation.

    The tech from Lowe’s was Superman; he single-handedly removed our old microwave and installed the new one with ease. And then he tested it. It did not work. He determined that it was defective, so he removed the new microwave, lugged it back to the store, retrieved a replacement from Lowe’s warehouse, hauled it into our kitchen, and installed it. And then he tested it. It did not work.

    Since microwave #2 was defective, the tech decided it would be prudent to test the third microwave before leaving the warehouse. Nope. Defective. He opened the boxes and tested all SIX of the microwaves in Lowe’s warehouse. Every single one was defective!

    Ultimately, the tech returned to our house with a free upgrade. He had negotiated for Lowe’s to give us a top-of-the-line replacement!

    Can you imagine how this would have played out if we had opted to install the microwave ourselves? We potentially could have installed/removed SIX defective microwaves! And Lowe’s undoubtedly would have attributed it to our total incompetence.

  37. Irene Potter says

    Oh Susan I feel your pain! I just went through something similar with new windows. 4 out of 16 were installed last August with defects (scratches, fogging etc) and the window company was utterly useless in honoring the warranty-I had to deal with PGT myself and it took literally a full year to finally have those 4 pieces of glass replaced. It’s given me home improvement “PTSD” too-you’re not alone, unfortunately!

  38. Oh no, Susan….what an ordeal. But can relate. I will be brief: replaced a new fridge that had a small dent on the front…while taking it out of the front door, the delivery men tore the wood casing off the frame….had to reframe and then paint. Hoping you have a better experience ahead!

  39. Holy cow! I wouldn’t have let them in at that hour because I would’ve been in bed!! My sister had a similar issue with microwave replacement.

    Back to washers….I had a guy come out and level mine, but haven’t tested it yet. He said if he has to return he won’t charge service call. I said if he has to teturn I may just replace, and he mentioned the Fisher & Paykel brand is a top of the line (even though very few service them). I asked why he’d recommend if I replaced….No hesitation, he said Speed Queen. But he did recommend not the TR7, but the TC5, simply for its dial and controls behind. Still just limping along, seeing if this adjustment works.

    • The only thing I’m not crazy about regarding the TC5 is it still has the true agitator which is a bit rougher on the clothes. Instead of pushing water through the clothes as the agitator does on the TR7, it actually agitates the clothes, which is really good if you get extra dirty each day–like doing construction work or farming. At least that’s what he says here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOjJXZySPQY
      I wonder if he meant the TR5 instead of the TC5.
      The TR7 does have a lot more cycles/features but I think the TR5 is a great choice, too! Watch that video above again Rita before you make your decision. It’s the best video I’ve found for breaking down the differences in the various models.

  40. Lots of stories here about nightmare installs and yet no one mentions why we are having these issues. I think the problem is with who these installers are. Are they educated in any way to do the jobs required? I think not. Many are just helpers and can’t even communicate in English which has been my experience many times and that is a major issue when important and expensive appliances are being installed.I believe the lack of skilled workers that have had actual training other than on the job could be the problem. There is a shortage of well educated people in the workforce I am sorry to say and it’s getting worse not better. The days of pride in one’s work are over and now it’s a laissez faire , whatever, who cares, attitude for the majority. Very sad. I also wonder, do you tip the good workers? My husband always does and I am curious if others do too.

    • All the installers I dealt with spoke fluent English, so no communication issues in this case. I often tip delivery people, but not in this instance because Best Buy charges a hefty sum for the installation. The installation fee is almost as much as the microwave itself. The microwave was $179.99 and the installation charge was $139.99.

  41. We had similar problems with an installed microwave, but the absolute draw-the-line-in-the-sand moment was when the last installer notified us that the building codes had changed since the last one was installed. Apparently we are no longer permitted to have a microwave that is less than 24 inches from the cooktop, when the distance used to be 18 inches. That left us with wall repairs and no microwave, which we now happily live without.

  42. Susan, I feel your pain! For our family (3 separate households) Best Buy not only triggers PTSD, a few choice words, & the retelling of 4 separate horror stories. Suffice it to say we will never again do any business with Best Buy!
    I sincerely hope your HD installation goes smoothly! We have had a few minor hiccups with them, but many more successes.
    We have learned with appliances, to use a Chicagoland company that not only shows how many are in stock, but exactly when it can be delivered(if you don’t choose some day pick up).
    It’s interesting to read that many of your readers have found that independents are the better choice. I believe it’s their name from beginning to end on the line, that makes the difference—I’ve found that big box stores have barely informed sales people sales people, impatient, frustrated schedulers & completely unmonitored installers. Sadly, no pride in workmanship has pervaded our culture in many areas.

  43. Melissa D Kitchens says

    The quality of installation from box stores since they usually contract it out to someone local. We fortunately have a great local hardware/appliance store where we purchase and they install.

  44. Truthfully, I don’t think all installers are the same. We’ve been fortunate enough not to have had any trouble at all. But, Best Buy I’ve always been leery of and don’t ever consider them at all.

  45. I suffered from Post Traumatic Appliance Syndrome also! I ordered a new Viking stove/ovens with the wait time of ten months and full payment at the time of the order. Supposedly, Viking had to build the stove per order. So I waited. The day arrived for delivery and my beautiful stove was installed. But when the installer turned on there was a horrible noise and the entire stove/oven stopped working. Long story short, over the next three months, many emails and phonecalls, I received a total of three Viking stoves and many computer boards for the ovens, none would work after the oven was turned on. Viking would not cooperate with the local appliance store where I purchased it. I went through Thanksgiving and Christmas without a stove. No one cared that we did not have a way to cook food for three months. Finally one employee at the appliance store “let” me apply my money towards a GE, and refunded the difference in money. I love my stove!!! Never will I ever work with Viking again. After this experience, I was jittery, upset, got scared to turn on the oven. Its amazing what stress does to you. These computer boards in the appliances are made overseas and the quality is not longer the same before the pandemic.

    • Karen, that sounds like an absolute nightmare. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It should have been an exciting wonderful time, not the stress that you went through. I think you’re right about the computer boards…that may be why the microwave didn’t work.

  46. SharonFromMichigan says

    Oh you poor thing! I wouldn’t have allowed them into my home after 8pm. We’ve purchased from Lowe’s, HD, and local throughout the years, and one thing we found out was that HD & Lowe’s don’t hire with a “contractor service”. Installers and contractors put their names on a list when they need extra jobs & they send out the next in line to do installs. That means you may or may not get a good crew. We’ve had both bad and good crews through them. You’re almost better using Angie’s List to hire an installer yourself. I had ordered wall to wall carpeting for my bedrooms from Lowe’s and took their install service. I was a single Mom at the time with a 5 year old son. The installer did show up when promised, but the carpet for one of the rooms had a crease going down the middle. I let him talk me into thinking it would go away after the carpet relaxed in a couple days. It never did. Then the installer shows up in front of my house about a week later & called me on the phone saying he was there to install carpeting. My inner radar went off & I told him he already installed it & he was insisting he didn’t. I never let the guy back into my house and I don’t know what he was doing with the extra carpeting? Maybe billing Lowe’s twice or something – I just got a creepy vibe off of him & I never ordered carpeting from a big box again. (I wonder if a good handyman would be able to do an install for you?)

  47. I am surprised that they make appointments that late. Sounds like one big headache! A few years ago we bought a new kitchen stove. You know how they instruct you to turn the oven on high to burn off whatever it is that creates an odor? This oven kept smelling like that every time we tried to use it for weeks. It was a very strong odor which was concerning and it was basically unusable. Even heating frozen chicken strips tasted like the odor. Called the store and they said call the company. The lady who answered wanted to send someone to repair the brand new oven. That was not acceptable to have a repair since the problem was there when it was new out of the box. This lady would not let me speak to anyone else. Every time I called, I got the same lady. She kept repeating the same thing (broken record technique) and wouldn’t let me speak to a supervisor. Finally we went and talked to Lowe’s and they took it back and let us exchange it (for a different brand). I would never buy anything in that brand again because of their horrible customer service.

  48. Susan, I am so sorry to hear about your microwave mess. We now only buy our appliances from a local store that installs and repairs any appliance you purchase from them. They have been in business for years and have an excellent reputation and reviews.
    I would suggest you research if such a local store is in your area. They may be slightly higher in cost but their service is well worth it.

  49. As a kitchen designer, I repeatedly tell my customers to avoid the big box stores. This includes plumbing supplies. The brand names are the same, the products are not. The big box stores demand lower prices from the manufacturers. The manufacturers cut cost by cutting quality. Go to a store dedicated to appliances or plumbing.

  50. I, too, purchased an Amana microwave for $500 in 1980 for my new house. Ten years later I sold the house and moved to a smaller older house taking my Amana with me. Years later, I sold that house and gifted the new buyers with it, still working just fine. I would be willing to guess that the Amana is still working. I later bought a condo and after 5 years the microwave that was over the stove died. Since then I have gone through 3 smaller microwaves. I would bet the Amana one is STILL working. They don’t make them like they used to.

  51. WOW !!! That is awful….I hope you get the new one soon and the entire process works out much better. Last house we had a GE dishwasher, called service and gave them the model #, told them the problem ( a little leaking), and scheduled a service call. The service person came on time, said it needed a pump, did not have it ( even though I told them the model) and would order it. Got charged for that visit, and a return visit and the pump. I could have had a brand new dishwasher for that price !!!

  52. Susan, So sorry for all your appliance challenges. We have had similar experiences in the past, and feel your pain. I did want to mention, that we recently needed to purchase a refrigerator for our laundry room. I looked at reviews online regarding the refrigerator and was shocked that most of the problems reported were caused during delivery or shipping directly from the LG manufacturer. Most of the positive comments, plus the positive experience from our son who recently purchased a refrigerator, was from the local Lowes so we ordered from there. Our delivery/install guys were great, and although at first they were reluctant to try to fit the refrigerator thru the door to the laundry room, when we reassured them that we had checked all the measurements, they were able to make it happen (I think they had to remove both the room door, and the refrigerator door). We were amazed with their service. I don’t know if that is typical of Lowes in other areas or if we were just lucky but we are very thankful. Also, our Lowes allows dogs in the store, so our pup was very happy to get to help pick out the refrigerator. Sure hope you have luck with getting your issue resolved. – Patty

  53. Yes! I’m having an ideal with my AC, and since we’re in the middle of a dangerous heat wave I tried to order a window air conditioner from home depot to keep me alive until its fixed. They delivered the unit to me, but after they left I opened it and realized it was a USED returned item they tried to pawn off on me. The unit was dirty, back coils all bent and I mean all of them! Pieces were missing, the remote control gone from the box. Trying to get them to pickup this bad unit they sold me as new and get a replacement has been a nightmare! I’ll spare you the saga, but it’s been stressful to say the least. And because everyone is buying up AC units in this heat wave, no one else around has any in stock. The latest promise from them is that they’ll pick it up next week 8 days after it was delivered. I might as well try to see if it works and use it this week but a used AC is icky. It’s so hot though I’m feeling I have no choice. Customer service has gone out the window since pandemic. Everyone is understaffed and cutting corners at every chance to save money.

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