Not Costco, Not Lowe’s: Consumer Reports’ Best Place To Buy Appliances – House Digest
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Some people may wonder if it’s worth it to buy appliances straight from the manufacturer to try to save some money. Others, though, prefer the traditional option of visiting a local retailer and working with a salesperson. If so, you want to pick a retailer that will make the process easy and give you great service. Some retailers take extra steps to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction.
The non-profit, independent organization Consumer Reports surveys its members regularly about their experiences (both good and bad) with various products, services, brands, and retailers. In a recent survey, more than 9,700 Consumer Reports members responded to questions about their satisfaction when shopping at large appliance stores (Consumer Reports defines large appliances as things like washers, dryers, ovens, and refrigerators), and ranked the best retailers from which to purchase appliances.
Although many people might focus on shopping at well-known big box stores for appliances, it wasn’t Costco, Lowe’s, or Home Depot that took the top spot. Abt Electronics had the highest customer satisfaction score in the CR survey of 23 retailers that sell large appliances. Abt Electronics is an independently owned retailer with one physical store in Glenview, Illinois. It also sells through its website. Costco placed fifth on the list, while Home Depot and Lowe’s ranked in the lowest quartile of the retailers included in the survey.
Why Abt Electronics ranks highly for buying large appliances
Abt Electronics offers electronics, appliances, and home goods in its 114,000 square-foot showroom. But it also draws customers because of the quirky attractions in its retail store, including a 7,500-gallon saltwater fish tank and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies that are offered on the weekends. Consumer Reports describes it as a “luxury mall and entertainment center,” and those participating in the survey gave it a perfect score for in-store atmosphere.
In the Consumer Reports survey results, Abt Electronics received an overall score that was seven points higher than the runner-up on the list. No other gap in overall scores between adjacent retailers on the list was as large. Abt Electronics received perfect marks in the survey in the categories of selection of appliance brands, customer service help, delivery service and timeliness, and usability of its website. Abt Electronics also received high marks for installation options for its large appliances, greatly reducing the risk of enduring common mistakes that happen when installing appliances. Additionally, Abt Electronics was one of only a few large appliance retailers to receive above-average scores in the category of pricing.
Abt Electronics also topped a Consumer Reports survey for the highest customer satisfaction scores among small appliance retailers (Consumer Reports defines small appliances as microwaves, coffee makers, blenders, and more).
CR: How Abt outperforms big box retailers on appliances
Among the 23 large appliance retailers included in the CR survey, Costco ranked higher than any other national chain or big box retailers. However, when compared to Abt Electronics in the Consumer Reports survey, Costco had lower ratings in five of the seven categories. Costco received above-average survey ratings in the categories of customer service, in-store atmosphere, appliance installation options, and the usability of the retailer’s website, but it still lagged behind Abt Electronics’ ratings in those categories. Costco is known for offering good values, and it can often beat big box stores on prices for kitchen appliances. However, the survey shows Abt Electronics offers similar customer satisfaction regarding pricing.
Home Depot and Lowe’s both were near the bottom of the list in the Consumer Reports survey. Lowe’s received average scores across the board in all seven categories. Home Depot’s scores were nearly identical to Lowe’s, although it received an above-average rating regarding customer satisfaction for its home delivery options. Best Buy was near the middle of the list in the CR survey, receiving above-average scores for in-store atmosphere, home delivery options, and installation options for large appliances.
What may have been most surprising in the Consumer Reports survey was how Abt Electronics outranked Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s in the category of pricing for large appliances. Many people assume the big box retailers offer the best prices across the board, but the CR survey challenges that assumption.
