Consumer

Jan 5, 2021

Buyer beware

On November 28, 2020 I purchased a KitchenAid dishwasher from the American Freight store in Amarillo and paid to have it shipped to my residence just outside of Houston. I was looking for a specific KitchenAid dishwasher model, and in a hurry to get it delivered and installed before Christmas. American Freight had the model advertised without scratch or dent at their Amarillo store, so I purchased it in haste without properly vetting American Freight or Sears Outlet. The dishwasher was delivered in a reasonable time; however, when my installer removed the cardboard that had been haphazardly taped around the dishwasher, he pointed out four major dents and multiple scratches on the door. The damage includes both sharp and creased dents, so either the dishwasher was not properly packaged for shipment or had an extremely rough ride. I immediately called the Amarillo store and spoke with an assistant manager, who assured me the unit left the store without scratch or dent and that this must have happened during shipping. He also assured me that I would be compensated for the damages. Since I needed the dishwasher, I agreed to install the unit and deal with the cosmetic damage later. My installer promptly installed the unit and was testing it when he discovered water leaking from the pumping module assembly. I immediately called the assistant manager back at the Amarillo store, and he said he would have a Kenmore repair person contact me and schedule an appointment. He also said, if I had not heard from Kenmore repair by 2pm Monday of the following week, to call him back. I never received a call from Kenmore repair and called the assistant manager back late Monday for his assistance only to be informed that he was off Mondays and Tuesdays. The fact that he was scheduled to be off must have slipped his mind, so I called back on Wednesday and was informed this individual had taken the day off, but they did take my information so he could call me back. Never called. When it was obvious that the store was not going to help, I called the customer service number on the purchase order. I explained my situation to customer service, and they informed me that I would have to deal with the Amarillo store directly. If customer service is not going to provide customer service, why is their contact information on the purchase order? Subsequently, I called the store and customer service multiple times never to find anyone that could help me. During my final call with the store, the person I was speaking to told me that American Freight had filed a complaint with the shipping company and that their manager would call me within 24 hours. I asked for the manager’s name, but this person could not recall. Never called. I am deeply concerned for the staff at the American Freight Amarillo store, not only do they forget to return calls, but they also cannot remember their days off or recall their managers names. What are the odds they will remember they sold me a dishwasher that was delivered damaged and does not work? A reputable company would take responsibility for their sub-contractors and if something is damaged during shipping, American Freight should have attempted to reconcile the damages with their customer regardless of whether they file a complaint with their shipping sub-contractor. Scratches and dents aside, the dishwasher leaks and therefore is not usable. American Freight should have had someone out to assess this problem and either repair it, replace it, or refund my money. It has been almost three weeks since I initially reported this issue to American Freight, and they have yet to communicate their intentions regarding this matter. As a Quality Auditor, I am tasked with assessing organizations to determine their ability to deliver what they promise. No organization is perfect, so how customer complaints are addressed is a major factor in my assessment. Incompetency and poor communication are often the root cause of customer dissatisfaction; however, the continual runaround and level of deception in this matter would lead me to conclude they are not just incompetent but unethical as well.