Witbeck Appliance

Full review
Update April 2006 - Ouch!! Sorry to read all the recent bad experiences on Epinions about Witbeck. Not sure if this is a sign of bad times to come but I received a call totally out of the blue from Witbeck recently asking about my appliances and if I would be interested in purchasing 3rd party extended warranty. Does this mean they are hurting for $$$ and looking for extra revenue?

I still stand my great shopping experience with them almost 2 years ago. As always, please buyer beware. If you're reading this, then hopefully you are doing so BEFORE you make the big plunge to spend $$$. As much as I loved using them, I would hesitate to use them again if I keep seeing less than stellar write-ups. A lot can change in 2 years.

Good luck shopping.

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New to writing reviews so please excuse if not clear as others I have read however I find this site very helpful and would like to become a regular contributor.

How I came to use Witbeck:

New homeowner in the Bay area, CA. Needed to upgrade my appliances (gas range, built-in microwave, dishwasher, fridge, washer and dryer) and naturally compared online prices to local store prices. Came across Witbeck on one of the online price searches. Wanted to purchase all GE Monogram gas range, microwave, fisher and paykel double drawer dishwasher, maytag neptune washer and dryer. Since this is approx $10,000 worth of appliances, I was nervous about ordering online. Shortlisted several stores and called Witbeck which happened to be first on my list. All websites claim they are trustworthy but how do you place your trust in a company thousands of miles away?

Ordering Process:

Well my fears were placated when I spoke to customer service at Witbeck. Unfortunately I did not write down the gentleman's name but he is to be commended for his product knowledge and helpfulness. No pushy salesman here!! I had my shopping list in hand and he quoted me the prices. Then he recommended the Dacor range and matching microwave as a better product and cheaper alternative... but again no pressure to buy. I thanked him, hung up and called back in 30 minutes to place my order. Same person answered the phone. He still had notes written from our previous phone call and with a discount of $600 ($100 per item), the total came out to be just over $8000 (all inclusive). Still nervous about shipping and receiving anything but he assured me that they trucking company they used was very reliable. Was told it would be about 3 weeks to delivery and my credit card would not be charged until they shipped. I also asked about after market warranty and got told that he could sell them to me if I wanted them but "in his experience", I was buying good stuff and the normal warranty should be fine". He told me to "save my money". What a surprise!!!.. I was cringing at the thought of having to negotiate high priced aftermarket warranty and it never happened!!

Delivery experience was A+++:

To my surprise, I got a call on my cell phone from the trucking company asking when I would be available to receive my order. There was a 2 week delay with the trucking company delivering as they had to schedule 4 delivery guys together to unload all my new purchases.

At this time, my CC had not been charged yet and when I called Witbeck, it appeared that my order had shipped but accounting did not get the paperwork so I did not find the $8000 charge on my credit card until a month later. A mixup in my favor so this is merely an observation and not a bad comment on their reputation at all.

The delivery guys were fantastic also. I did make sure to tip them :) White glove service was top notch (and included as free from Witbeck since I order over $2500). Because I had a small entrance to my kitchen, the delivery guys were there for over 4 hrs moving everything into place for me. Every detail was taken care of: range and fridge did not fit in the doorway so they took off external doors and hinges, moved everything inside and put them all on again. Some grumblings as they were VERY heavy but all was moved into place with no scratches.

Overall Satisfaction:

Even after the items were delivered and installed, I was still worried about gray market, warranty support and quality of products. The lightbulb in the fridge went out after 2 weeks so I called GE who registered my products on the spot and shipped me a replacement bulb with no issues. My fears lessened tremendously since it appears US warranty is not an issue. Just for my own peace of mind, I also called Dacor, Fisher & Paykel and Maytag to check on the validity of the serial numbers. All passed with flying colors. Other than the lightbulb issue, everything is working flawlessly. It's been 3 months since I've had them installed. If something should break down, I have no problem with calling the manufacturer directly. The cost of purchasing all the items locally was closer to $11,000. Free shipping and cheaper prices meant I saved almost $3,000 for the same items.

Would I shop from Witbeck again? As one of the previous reviewers said.... I'm a Witbeck customer for life and highly recommend them to my friends.