More appliance fun. GE Dishwasher died for the third time in 8 months. This time it's a control board, so time for a new unit. Did some research, wife wanted to stick with GE because the rest of the kitchen is GE. We're super happy with the Profile range, and honestly the DW worked fine, was quiet and we had no issue, other than it just stops working and has no power to the control panel. And it's done the same thing three times now. It's about 4 years old, fwiw. Some research shows this model has a history of burning out control boards and it may just repeat. No water leakage at the board area though. Cause unknown.
So fine, identify a GE Profile DW that's a bit nicer/quieter and locally it's in stock at HD, BB and Lowes. Lowes has the least expensive install fee. Off to Lowes I go. Oh, in stock doesn't mean HERE, it's at the Distribution Center, (DC). Great, how long to get it. Sales guy checks the computer and says there are 7 in stock at the DC and one is already sold, should be no problem. 7-10 days to get it to the store and the installer contractors should call you w/in 2 business days of it arriving to schedule a date. Not awesome, but ok. I do the deal. That was on 7/15. Sales guy tells me if I don't hear anything by the 22nd to call and check with installation services for an update. (In the glory of hindsight, I should have walked out and paid a little more for one of the ones in stock at a different store.)
7/22 - No call. 7/23, I call the store, automated menu, get to installation services and give them the info to look it up. Your DW is being delivered to the store tomorrow, 7/24. Cool. That's Friday and who knows when it will show up at the store, so I pretty much assume it's going to be Mon/Tue before I get a call from the installer.
7/28 - No call. I call the store and get to installation services again. Query WTF. Now I'm told that my DW is "out of stock" and has been ordered directly from the manufacturer, not from the DC and that the DC has zero stock on hand. I gather the paperwork and off to the store I go. Sales guy pokes the computer and it shows the last one received was in April, it's sold and sitting in the warehouse waiting for pick up. No, I can't steal that one.
Computer also shows a stock change on 7/24 when my unit was supposed to be delivered. Sales guy doesn't know for sure, but suspects that means it wasn't on the truck. I suspect maybe it was, but arrived damaged and the warehouse receiver refused it as un-sellable. Regardless, no bueno and no more in the DC. Now I'm a bit aggravated. I just want the DW I paid for. I tell sales guy to find me one. He wants to give me a different unit that's in stock and a discount or work something like that. There are a lot of Lowes stores so I suggest he checks to see if another store has one. 3 in MS do, at least on the computer. I leave him to find me a DW and tell him to call me before he leaves that day. All the sales end that day, so if I have to try and get one from another retail outlet, it needs to be done that day.
No call. I call at 4:45 to see WTF. So far he's struck out, but is waiting for the last store to return his call. That store is notorious for not calling back, or so I'm told. Says he will call me before he leaves for the day. Just after 6pm he calls, says he still hasn't heard from the last store and is handing me off to his supervisor, whom doesn't come in until 1 pm the following day.
7/29 - Sales all done, current price at a store that has one is $291 more than what I paid already for the same unit. After lunch I'm heading down to the store to speak with the supervisor and see what we can work out. I really don't want to have to spend the extra cash elsewhere on an already over priced DW. I have identified a couple of alternative units from Kitchenaid and Maytag, but I'd really just like the one I bought already, but I'm not sure if they can get it any more and if they can, how long it will take. The wife will not be happy with us hand washing dishes until Sept, for example.
I'll try not to leave you hanging and will post an update. I might have a much more fun post next week, if things pan out well on other fronts.