Shopping with Appliance City
Who this is for
Appliance City began in 1986 as Appliance Warehouse, a father-and-son business in Bunny, and it still trades from the same site with a showroom, now in its third generation of family management. The range covers cooking, laundry, dishwashers, refrigeration, extraction, sinks and taps, plus TVs and a smattering of small appliances and coffee machines. I would treat it as a place for big kitchen and laundry purchases rather than a quick gadget shop.
Multibuy is the reason to look
If you are buying more than one thing, this is where it gets interesting. You add products to a Multibuy list, send it in, and get a personalised package price by email. A small deposit locks the price in, and the shop will store your goods for up to six weeks at no charge. That last part is a quiet gem for a kitchen refit, where the oven arrives long before the fitter does. The flip side is that the quote is not on the page, so get a rival quote before you commit.
Delivery: mostly good, with a few extras
Standard delivery is free to most of mainland UK and is done in the shop's own pink vans alongside courier partners. Its delivery page says two to five working days, though its terms say one to four, so plan for a few days rather than a promise. You get a three to four hour slot the evening before and a call about 30 minutes out. Drivers carry the appliance to the room you choose on the ground floor, up to three steps.
The extras: upstairs delivery is £75 for up to 20 steps, packaging removal is £5, and taking away your old appliance is £25 to £40. It is mainland only, so the Highlands, Northern Ireland and Scottish islands are out.
Returns: the part that stings
You have 14 days from delivery to send back an unused appliance in its original packaging, and nothing made to order or personalised can go back. Collection is charged at actual cost and taken from your refund: £65 for small appliances, £90 for standard fridge freezers and £150 for range cookers over 70cm and American or French style models. Rescheduling a collection adds £25. Visible damage must be reported within 48 hours. I would measure twice and check the door swing before ordering, because a wrong choice here is expensive.
Warranty and paying
Extended warranties run to five years in total including the manufacturer's guarantee, and are priced per appliance on the product page, with a 30-day cooling-off if you change your mind. You can pay by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal, and PayPal Credit is offered. Funds must clear at least 24 hours before dispatch, and cards from foreign banks are not accepted.