Replacing Ancient Household Appliances

I am convinced that we bought our household washing machine and clothes and dryer from Sears, while Richard Nixon was still in the White House.

It should come as no surprise to me that yesterday, the Sears appliance repair guy informed us they no longer made parts for our antiquated clothes dryer—it is more than 35 years old. It had finally died, and its sister, the washing machine, was also on its last leg. In fact, both the washer and dryer have been dying a slow death, requiring more frequent visits from the household appliance repair guys.

I knew this was coming so in anticipation of having to replace these appliances, I had actually searched for washers and dryers online about six months ago—so, I was already somewhat familiar with the process of ordering big-ticket items online-- without having to actually go onto the show room floor.

Because we are brand loyal to Sears, I went directly to Sears’s website to search for washing machines and dryers.

Since there are so many models with a variety of features available, it can be an overwhelming experience to review and compare them all. Without the aid of the expertise of an appliance sales person to answer my questions, I could easily make a mistake.

Fortunately, Sears has added a new feature: an online assessment tool that guides you through the major choices and that helps you determine which model will best suit your family's needs. Some of the questions it asked our about volume of laundry, size of loads, gas or electric for the dryer, and price ranges. I carefully answered the questions and was delighted to see that my choices had been narrowed down to only six models.

My next decision-making tool was to read online evaluations and ratings (1-5«) from customers who had actually purchased those models. I found this to be immensely helpful. (As it is helpful for choosing books, hotels, computers, cameras etc). It made it even easier for me to settle on my choices: The Whirlpool, Super Capacity Plus gas dryer and Whirlpool Super Capacity Plus washing machine.

I purchased items that were on sale, I ordered delivery service, and I bought five-year warranties/maintenance agreements from Sears. I also paid an extra $10 per item to have the delivery team remove the old machines.

I ordered the items at 5:30 p.m. Eastern standard Time on Thursday; they promised delivery on Sunday. I'm surprised to know they have Sunday deliveries. I suppose they are appealing to working families who need access to services both Saturday and Sunday.

My next steps are to ensure that the Sunday daytime caregiver knows how to open the door in the back yard that leads to the basement and that she has access to keys to the backyard gate.

I will see the new items when I arrive on Tuesday for the Thanksgiving holiday (11-22-07).