When buying appliances, a lot of the time you are placing so much time, attention and focus on what appliance will work best for you, the installation of the appliances feels like it is just a simple add-on at the end of the transaction. Lucky for you, we have put a lot of thought and care into designing an installation process for all of our customers that will enhance their purchase.
First, we should talk about third party installation. Third party installation is when you purchase an appliance at a store, and another company that is contracted to work with that appliance company does the installation. This is not inherently bad, but if you encounter some issues during installation, it may take longer to have the issue resolved to your satisfaction.
This is partly due to the fact these installation companies are generally large and very busy. When initially scheduling that installation, you could be looking at wait times of four weeks or longer, while with Metropolitan Appliance, your wait time for delivery and installation is likely to be 2-3 weeks, or possibly sooner. Why is that? Well, we have our own installation and delivery team! That is right, every one of the delivery and install technicians that come to your home are Metropolitan Appliance employees and we have a combined 90 plus years of appliance installation and delivery experience.
One of the greatest benefits of this is that we can ensure that our technicians are kept up to date on installation requirements, as well as going through all required training from Wolf ranges, Subzero refrigerators and Thermador appliances. Our delivery manager also conducts regular training sessions with our team.
Given that we have our own installation technicians, our delivery and install scheduling occurs in-house, so if there happens to be any issues with installation, you will likely be able to see us back out to your home within the next 24-48 hours. We know that you have likely waited a long time for your appliance and to have it installed, so we want to get back out and complete your installation as soon as possible. Now, sometimes the issue may require a plumber or electrician to fix the issue and then once that is complete, we will be out to finish your install in that same time period.
Let’s look at the steps of delivery and installation as you go through the purchasing process.
The Purchase:
After you have reached your decision on what to buy, your Appliance Specialist will give you some estimate of when your appliance will be at one of our warehouses. If you have purchased an item that we have in stock, your Appliance Specialist will immediately schedule a date in our shipping system and give you a date at that time. If you prefer a morning, afternoon or weekend, this is where you will tell your specialist that. While we can guarantee a general part of the day, or a weekend day (Saturday’s only… for now!), we are not able to guarantee a specific time that far in advance. If your appliance is in stock, you are only going to be waiting a maximum of three weeks for your installation. Depending on actual business needs, it is very possible it will be much sooner than that.
If your item is not in stock, you will receive a phone call or email from your Appliance Specialist when your appliance(s) arrive at Metropolitan Appliance. Now, if you have more than one item, we will hold your items for you until all items are available to install. If you would like to have them installed at separate times, we are certainly able to do that as well, just talk to your Appliance Specialist to work out that arrangement. What we like to do as well, when you have multiple deliveries, is to send the same technician that installed your appliances the first time. That way the technician is familiar with your home and its layout. When you receive that phone call, that is when you will work with your Specialist to select a date for delivery.
We should also touch on our delivery and installation fees. These fees will vary depending on the scope of work that it will take to install your appliance. At first glance, comparing our delivery fees to other retailers, our fees may seem higher. There is a reason for that. We do not charge for parts that are needed for installation. We will haul away your old appliances for free (which then are taken to a facility for recycling of parts and materials). Often when purchasing through other companies, the delivery fee will be separate, as will the installation fee, the materials needed for installation and the haul away of the old appliance (assuming that they even are able to do that). So in the end, our delivery and installation fees will be competitive with any other appliance retailer in the area. Also remember, these are our own employees, so you will receive a level of customer service and care that is not generally seen with a third party installation team.
Preparing for Installation:
Depending on the appliance that you are having installed, will effect what you need to complete before we arrive. Here are a few things to have completed before we arrive for some appliances:
- Refrigerator – Check to make sure that the measurement of the new unit will fit in the space of the old unit. If you are replacing a built-in refrigerator, your Appliance Specialist should have gone over the connections with you.
- Make sure that you have a water line for your new refrigerator to connect to. If you do not, you may need to hire a plumber to complete this step.
- Electric Range – Check your measurement to compare to what you have with what you ordered.
- If moving from a gas range to an electric range, please have a plumber cap off or remove the existing gas line and make sure that the electrical outlet that is in place is the correct voltage for your new range.
- Gas Range – Ensure the gas connection is in the correct spot for your new range.
- Ensure that your electrical outlet is the correct voltage.
- Make sure the measurement of your space is going to work with the new unit.
- Laundry – Again. Measure the space for the new unit(s). Additionally, measure the doorway into the laundry room to ensure the new unit will fit.
- Make sure your electrical connections are correct.
- Ensure that your dryer is gas or electric. Based on what you ordered, you may need a plumber or electrician to complete the work needed for the new appliance.
- Ventilation – Always measure your space to ensure the proper fit for the new unit.
- Make sure your vent connection will match what is equipped on the new unit.
These are just a sample of the MANY things that should be done before your appliance arrives. We have pre-installation checklists available here. Following these checklists will greatly reduce the risk of us having to leave your home without installing your appliance.
The Day Before Delivery:
The day before delivery, you will receive a message in one of three ways when the schedule is complete. You will first receive a text message asking for you to confirm your appointment. Then, if you do not respond to the text message, we want to make sure that you are aware of the Two days before delivery, you will receive a message in one of three ways when the schedule is complete. You will first receive a text message asking for you to confirm your appointment. Then, if you do not respond to the text message, we want to make sure that you are aware of the appointment, so we will send you an automated phone call. If for some reason we are not able to get a hold of you via that automated phone call, our scheduler will call you directly at the phone numbers that we have listed on file for you. You will be given a 2 hour window of when we will arrive.
The Day of Delivery:
About 20 minutes before the technicians arrive at your house, they will call you and let you know that they are about to arrive. When they call, if you have any special instructions for parking or where they should enter, please let them know at that point.
Upon arrival, they will prepare your new appliance to bring it in. They will also review the space with the old appliance and begin disconnecting it for removal. Then, they will prepare your home. This includes cardboard placed on any stairs or flooring to minimize damage, moving blankets and skids that the appliances are placed on to slide the appliance into place.Now the technicians will remove the old appliance first, place that in their truck and then bring in the new appliance. In the meantime, when the old appliance goes away, you should have plenty of time to clean out the empty space.
During installation, if something comes up connection wise or if they are not sure about the operation of the appliance, our technician will call your salesperson directly and work with them to get the correct information.
Once the technicians have installed the appliance and tested it to make sure it is in working order, they will show you how to operate the appliance and ask any questions you may have on the operation of it. If they do not have the answers to your questions, they will call your Appliance Specialist and have them answer your question!
You also might notice the Installation Technician taking photos on their phone as well as typing there as well. These are for notes and photos on the progress of the installation. This allows your Appliance Specialist to follow along with the installation and will be better able to answer your questions as the installation goes on, if you have any.
After Delivery:
At this point you should be very happy with your appliance, and everything should be in working order. We would always love to hear your feedback about your experience on Google or At this point you should be very happy with your appliance, and everything should be in working order. We would always love to hear your feedback about your experience on Google or Facebook, but that is not a requirement. We are going to be glad that you are happy and that we have done all that we could to assist you with your new appliance.
Now, if there is an issue with the installation or the operation of the appliance, simply call us! If there is an installation issue, we would request that you reach out to your Appliance Specialist to schedule a time that we can come back out and fix whatever is wrong. Again, this should happen within a few days.
If there is a problem with the operation of your new appliance, you should call your Appliance Specialist and they will troubleshoot the issue with you over the phone. If that does not get the appliance in operational order, you will be transferred to our Customer Service Specialist. They will get in touch with the company that manufactured your appliance and schedule a repair appointment to have someone come out and look at your appliance to figure out what is wrong and what is needed to fix the issue. This appointment generally happens within a week, but it really depends on the repair company’s schedule.
That is our delivery and installation process! You can view the entire delivery team on our About Us page on our website. Metropolitan Appliance’s main goal, when you purchase from us, is to ensure that your new appliance is installed with expert care and that you are happy with your purchase. If you have any questions on this process, our Appliance Specialists are available to chat with you on our website, over the phone or you can also text us at 206-623-8811.
Great article and thanks for sharing the appliances articles , specially the kitchen appliancesare the very important .