Money Monday: Don’t Get Sent to the Cleaners

After my last money post about Black Friday scams, I got caught up in one.

On Wednesday, the washer went kaput. So DH and I decided to check out the Black Friday specials in the paper. Sears had a great ad for some Kenmore combos and although we did not need a new dryer yet, we thought that it would be good to invest in a new one since the deal was so good. Sears opened at 4 a.m. on Friday, so DH decided not to go to sleep and just stay up doing research. Around 4 he came to wake me up to tell me the Kenmores did not rate well. Neither did most front loaders since they seem to mildew. The one place we did not have an advertisement for was Home Depot. We looked online and saw they opened at 6 a.m. and they also had a great Maytag washer/dryer set on sale. The washer received great reviews and was listed at $500 instead of the normal $800 or so.

DD was staying at the hotel with the in-laws, so we woke up DS and went to Home Depot. At 5:55 a.m. there was a line out the door. When the doors opened, most headed to the shop vacs. There was a line in the appliance section. We were the second ones in line at register 1 and the third couple to be helped. Somehow, by the time we got to the register, all FIVE washers had been sold at that price. They showed us the next model up which, guess what, was ALSO sold out. AMAZING! What a freaking scam! We were livid! They could sell us the floor model with no extra discount or we could get a new one delivered on December 20. Screw that.

DH dropped me off at Wal-Mart so I could get a couple of things. By that time the store was not crazy, I got what I wanted and was in and out in no time. While I was shopping, he went to Lowe’s. They also had run out of washers like what we wanted. But, the appliance guy said that since Whirlpool is now owned by Maytag that their version of the washer we wanted should be just as good. Instead of taking his word for it, we went shopping at a local appliance store. They did not have the model we wanted and what they did have was expensive. DH did research on the Whirlpool and guess what? It reviewed horribly!

Debate. Debate. Debate. We went home to rest and talk things over. We went back to Home Depot. They could not order the washer for us because they were now out, however, the floor model was still available. So that is what we got.

First lesson: Have an emergency fund for such unexpected events. We do and it helped!
Second lesson: Do your research. Do NOT be pressured into making a decision right away. Do your homework. Go in with a plan. It is better to have to go to the laundromat than have to pay later for a poor choice.