You won't get if you don't ask

[BackInTex]

I wasn't sure what to title this thread. Other thoughts:
Deal of the Century
Buy your washer/dryer at Sears
If its too good to be true, it still may be

Anyway, the wife has been wanting a new washer/dryer. While I despise the top load high efficiency (low cleaning power tear up your clothes) model we have, I didn't think we could afford the kind she'd want (front load higher end model).

She pointed out earlier in the week that Sears was having a good sale (up to 40% off). So yesterday, on a whim, I went to their website to see what the deals were.

The site had lots of banners proclaiming "Big Sale", "up 40% off", etc. I selected Appliances, then Laundry, and saw a link for Washer/Dryer Bundles (both washer/dryer priced as a bundle). So I selected it. I saw a nice looking LG bundle, retail priced at $1,600 (I'm rounding), but the sales prices wasn't listed, saying "see price in cart". So I selected it, went through the options of delivery, setup, parts, etc. and then totaled my cart and it said $632. What!?

I called my wife in and showed her, and said we can and should do this. She said "I told you so." The sales had this clock ticking on top showing that the sales ended at midnight. She was going over to a friends for lunch and some pool time and we could do this later. So she left. I went on about my chores.

But the sale kept me coming back to the website. I looked at the next model level up. Regular price $1,800. So I priced it. Then I noticed it was for an electric dryer. We want gas. I found the option. It added $100. Then I go through the selection for deliver, setup, part (hose, gas connection, vent elbow, etc.) and the price was $923. Wow. So I clicked "check-out" and it took me to the check-out page, but the price had changed. It was now $1341. What the heck? So I backed out and walked through the process again, making note of each line item.

What I found, was the website was combining the sales prices with the bundle discount when totaling the cart, but removing the sales discounts at checkout. So I went all the way back and selected each model separately. At check-out I got the sales discounts, but not the bundle discount. It actually was less expensive that way, but it didn't make sense.

So I redid everything up to the cart total that showed the final price as $923. The lines were:

Regular Price: $1,900 (again rounding)
Sale Discount: -508
Bundle Discount: -418
Coupon/Promotion: -157 (not sure what this was but another $157 off)

Deliver: 0
Haul away old units: 25
Part: 81

Total: 923

I then printed the page.
I went to check-out. Back to $1,341.

There is a Sears Appliance Showroom about 4 miles from where I live. When my wife got back, we went there and started talking to the sales guy. They had the models on the floor. My wife liked them and said she wanted them. I showed the sales guy the printout for $923 and told him the problem with the check-out not giving me he bundle discount. He looked at it and asked, "Is this the price you want?". Um, yeah. He said if he could see that price on the website he could give it to me.

I walked him through the process where he got the $923. So I got that price. The guy was really nice and helpful. I did purchase the 5-year full service warranty on the washer. It ended up being almost the same price I paid for the washer, but he didn't recommend the warranty on the dryer.

I truly don't think that price was what was intended but it was what I got as a quote (before checking out) so I felt I should get it. And I did.

I think that $157 promotion was to be added to the bundle discount for the full discount on a bundle. That's the only thing that seems to make sense, but there was no way to get those two together on the website. And for the bundle to end up more than selecting the individually didn't make sense.

Bottom line, I got the pair for 58% off. Much better than 40% off.

They will be delivered in 2 weeks.

Moral of the story: Ask and you may receive, even if too good to be true.

[silverscreenselect]

I see that you've learned some shopping lessons from me, if not any political ones.

[Bob Juch]

I wish I had bought the LG brand in 2009. I got a Whirlpool washer and dryer for about $2000. I've had a warranty repair on my washer and repairs on my dryer wiring twice.

[BackInTex]

I wish I had bought the LG brand in 2009. I got a Whirlpool washer and dryer for about $2000. I've had a warranty repair on my washer and repairs on my dryer wiring twice.

We currently have Maytags. They are almost 13 years old. The top-loading HE washer got high ratings on Consumer Reports but I've never been happy. You can't wash tennis shoes or other items as there is never enough water to cover them and the agitation just foams up the water. They physics of such a washer doesn't work. To get stuff clean you need the water to pass through the fabric as much as possible. This design seems to just pump the water back and forth while "agitating" the clothes at a high speed which tears them up and twists them all around. I'm glad we're getting front load model.

What's funny, I just pulled the image of the invoice for the Maytag's, purchased 11/10/04. I paid $450 more for the pair in 2004 than I did yesterday.

[Beebs52]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has dealt with the weird website thing. Not on appliances but other stuff.

Also, appliances suck, like cars.

[mellytu74]

I wish I had bought the LG brand in 2009. I got a Whirlpool washer and dryer for about $2000. I've had a warranty repair on my washer and repairs on my dryer wiring twice.

We currently have Maytags. They are almost 13 years old. The top-loading HE washer got high ratings on Consumer Reports but I've never been happy. You can't wash tennis shoes or other items as there is never enough water to cover them and the agitation just foams up the water. They physics of such a washer doesn't work. To get stuff clean you need the water to pass through the fabric as much as possible. This design seems to just pump the water back and forth while "agitating" the clothes at a high speed which tears them up and twists them all around. I'm glad we're getting front load model.

What's funny, I just pulled the image of the invoice for the Maytag's, purchased 11/10/04. I paid $450 more for the pair in 2004 than I did yesterday.

Cousin's daughter QUITE happy with recent LG purchase -- I do believe it is the same set as yours.