I recently purchased a KitchenAid professional series stove KDRP707RSS with Steam Assist from Garner TV & Appliance, in Garner NC. (At the same time, I also purchased a KitchenAid range hood and KitchenAid drawer-model dishwasher.) This is a high-end stove and it cost $3,723.
The stove arrived with the oven door pushed to the far left side as far as it could go, and it was locked shut. Some components needed for installation, along with the installation instructions, were locked inside the oven. The door itself could not be moved in any direction.
I called KitchenAid and requested a replacement stove, since the stove that was shipped to me was not usable. KitchenAid Customer Service informed me that their warranty is for repair, not replacement, and placed a service call to A&E Factory Service.
I then called Garner TV & Appliance and described the problem to them and told them I wanted the stove replaced. They told me they had to send a technician out first before anything could be done. They placed a service call to Appliance Connection.
On Monday, February 20, 2006, the technician from A&E arrived at 8 AM. He worked for two hours and although he partially dismantled the stove, he could not get the oven door to budge. He gave me a service ticket when he left (copy attached). Since he specifically said he could not repair the stove, I assumed it would be replaced.
At 4 PM the same day, the technician from Appliance Connection arrived. One of my friends let him in and ended up holding parts of the stove while it was being repaired. The technician was there for 2 hours. He was able to force the oven door open and then exchanged the oven lock mechanism, which he said looked defective. After replacing the mechanism, the stove immediately locked again when it was powered on. It now displays an error code immediately after powering on and cannot be left with power because it beeps incessantly. It is actually in worse condition than before he arrived.
When he left he told me that the stove was obviously DOA and to give Christy at Garner TV & Appliance a call about an hour or so later to get the stove switched out.
When I called Garner TV & Appliance and asked when a replacement stove would be provided, I was told that they would not provide a replacement and that they would place another service call.
I have called KitchenAid at least a half-dozen times. When I spoke with KitchenAid, two different representatives told me that the dealer could provide a replacement stove, at the dealers discretion.
When I repeated this to Amgad Saad, the manager at Garner TV & Appliance, he told me there was no way they were going to replace the stove. I had two choices: have it repaired, or return it for a refund less 25% restocking fee (which is $930.75). I told him I have no intention of providing their business with almost one thousand dollars with nothing in return, and that it will not be repaired. Mr Saad also told me not to call the store again regarding the stove (that is, his word is final and there is no further discussion about it).
I did not purchase a floor model, sample, scratch-and-dent model, or reconditioned unit. I paid the full retail for a brand new stove from the factory. I am not paying nearly $4,000 for a reconditioned unit, and with the 4 hours of work already done on this stove and at least 2-4 more (a modest estimate, since there is now more than one problem evident), the stove I have qualifies as a reconditioned model.
KitchenAid needs to stand behind their products. All I get from them is stonewalling and a run-around that the dealer is the one to help me, not them. KitchenAid made the product and it is obviously defective.
I am mobility impaired and do not want a stove in my home that might prove to be a fire hazard. The stove is so defective upon delivery in my home that I do not want it here. I have asked both KitchenAid and the dealer to do the right thing and replace the defective unit. Neither will do so and both claim its the fault of the other party.
I have filed a lawsuit on February 27, 2006 against Garner TV & Appliance to recover the money paid for the stove, delivery, installation, and so forth.
KitchenAid has failed miserably to do the responsible thing and replace a stove that came through my door obviously defective. After four hours of repairs, it is in worse condition than when it arrived. It is so badly defective that it cannot be left powered on. I do not want a reconditioned appliance, nor one that is obviously defective, in my home, and since I paid for a new appliance (which I expect to arrive in perfect working condition), I asked KitchenAid to replace the stove.
At this point, I want a full refund of the purchase price. I do not want a replacement stove because I will not have any further interactions with Garner TV & Appliance after being told not to call them further about a defective product that they delivered to me. I have no faith that they will not do some damage to a replacement stove because of the nasty, rude, and belligerent tone taken by their store manager. I want no further interaction with them.
I will be posting my experience with KitchenAid on every Internet website that I can find that offers a forum for consumer complaints. I am also spreading the word locally about the reliability of KitchenAid products and the fact that the manufacturer refuses to stand behind their product.
I doubt that this letter will provoke either KitchenAid or Garner TV & Appliance to do the right thing at this point. However, as a consumer, I will not sit back and allow myself to be fleeced when spending four thousand dollars to buy what I thought was a premium product - and then finding out that K-Mart would have been the better source for my new stove.
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