Hard to believe that I could be so blindsided, especially by COSTCO, everyone’s favourite warehouse. People all over Canada have made an exception to the “buy Canada” rule, just so they can continue to stop by at COSTCO and pick up a BBQ chicken or an outdoor shed. But not any longer – not in this house!
Our old dishwasher is the cause. It stopped working last Monday after dinner. Of course, it was full of dirty dishes, so we had to find our dish drying rack and clean up the mess, in our pyjamas. It was a late night. The next morning was full of stress too, with questions such as: how to eat cereal off a paper plate, or whether we should make a mad dash to Timmy’s for or morning coffee. Our old dishwasher was our lifeline, our friend.
We hesitated about what to do next. The dishwasher was a gem, but a 14-year-old gem, ad we all know what happens to parts as they get older, don’t we? We had already had the drainage pump replaced, and this time it seemed like an electrical problem. So we tried our luck with a repairman and he confirmed our worst fears: “Don’t spend any more money on this one. Buy a new one instead. COSTCO has the best prices and they might even install it for you.” I checked on the COSTCO website and found a dishwasher on sale for under $600. Then I posed this question on the screen: Why buy a dishwasher at COSTCO? Here is the answer I received:
Can you see why I didn’t quite read down to see the small print about how installation is included except for gas appliances and dishwashers? Anyway the delivery man was very speedy. He dropped the box in the centre of the kitchen and had me sign a paper saying that I had received delivery. Then he headed for the door, as I called out “How about the installation?” “Oh that’s not my department” he said. “You have to call somebody else for that. The phone number is on your order confirmation.”
He sped away as I frantically searched for the phone number. Of course there was no phone number. I had to search through the COSTCO website to find the Customer Service Number. After 10 minutes of arguing with the clerk, I asked to speak to his supervisor. I argued, I begged, I pleaded. I even blurted out our advanced age! Finally the supervisor offered me a $100 gift card as a “good will gesture” if I kept the machine and called Home Depot for installation. She said it was Easy Peasy. But when I called Home Depot the clerk almost laughed out loud. “What? You want us to install a machine that you didn’t buy here? HA!” Even the supervisor had scammed me.
Dear readers, I admit that I was almost in tears. Meanwhile the boxed dishwasher sat in the middle of the kitchen, blocking the stove. In desperation I texted 2 neighbours, asking if we could come for dinner. No, I’m kidding. I asked them for the name of a reliable plumber who would not be into scamming customers. Finally I called the Appliance Pros and got an appointment for this morning.
So, if there is no blog post next Tuesday, you know where I’ll be – at the kitchen sink washing dishes.
And PS I still have not received the $100 “good will gesture” from COSTCO.
Sue
Seventy In the City 
Yup, I know, I know! And sighed a sigh for you…
I just had an ordeal when, in the middle of winter, my old 2nd-hand fridge tried to set the house on fire. Luckily I was home. I went on line and hunted a new one down at The Brick, on sale, went to see it, told my story. It would be shipped a week later. Or not! The third party delivery company would not descend my long, steep, winding farm driveway. So my neighbour obliged with his pick-up, brought it down, but the lads would not carry it the ten steps across the lawn. After a cold-shoulder visit to the store, they agreed to credit me for the price but not for the non-shipping. A polite, eloquent letter to head office in Edmonton netted me a credit of the $100 “shipping” fee.
Oh that’s not the end of the story. I immediately went to the good old Best Buy, explained my situation, even showed them a photo of a well-salted/sanded driveway, got the exact same fridge within 5 minutes and a promise of delivery a few weeks away. Okay. I could wait with the bar fridge (lent me by the neighbour) and the cold porch. Not five minutes down the road, the automated phone call came that “…delivery was not available to remote locations.” I called back and got Useless Stoopid #1. Then when I called Head Office in Montreal I got Useless Stoopid#2 who was offended because I did not choose to speak French. She hung up on me, but then a Prince called Donald came on line, who assured me that AI had believed I lived on Baffin Island, and that my fridge would arrive as promised. Needless to say, I did not sleep soundly during the weeks of waiting. Then two Jamaican Princes phoned the day of, rolled down with a GINORMOUS van, did the deed within 10 minutes, installed the fridge and instructed me to wait 15 minutes for the coolant to settle before plugging my new pet in. Perfect service – a 10!
But all I can say is phew!
Is everything so complicated these days?
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What an unfortunate experience! We’ve not had much luck getting repairs done either. We’ve bought replacement appliances from Canadian Appliance and they always quote installation and removal of the defective item. Their prices appear to be reasonable as well. Cosco is often too good to be true. I’m always suspicious if there’s a lot of fine print. I think they rely on people not reading it.
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Oh boy, what an experience. Hope by now your dishwasher is successfully installed. Thank you for letting your readers know so that they don’t repeat what happened to you. ________________________________
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