Larson’s A-Plus Appliance Care (reviewed)

I’ve been writing this review in my head for a few weeks now, going back and forth on whether it was worth it to actually share my thoughts about the business online. I ultimately decided against it, but figured this would be the perfect opportunity to voice my opinions anyway.

But first, some backstory…

I recently purchased my first house. In the months leading up to it, I attended two open houses for the same home. The first time I toured, the listing agent told me that the washer and dryer were included, and the second time that they were not. When I put an offer in, my realtor recommended including the washer/dryer in the contract, and said that if the seller intended to take them, they could negotiate accordingly. The seller ended up agreeing to the offer, and we went under contract.

Then, at inspection, the listing agent mentioned that the seller would be bringing their washer/dryer with them. My realtor pushed back, stating that they were included in the signed contract. The listing agent said, and I quote (to the best of my ability): “Darn, I probably should have read that contract.” (Note: this part isn’t really relevant to the business review at hand, but I was flabbergasted that the realtor admitted so nonchalantly that she hadn’t actually read the contract. But I digress…)

Listing agent then sent over an addendum that removed the washer/dryer, and I decided I liked the house enough that I agreed, knowing I would have to purchase a washer/dryer on my own.

All of that is to say that I did not want to spend a ton of money on a new washer and dryer on top of the biggest purchase I’d ever made in my life.

So, like for many home essentials over the next few months, I took to Facebook Marketplace to begin my search.

While there were a handful of super-cheap and free options, I was weary of ending up with a non-functioning appliance and also knew I could not fit a washer and dryer inside my very-very-very small vehicle. But I also didn’t want to pay full price for a new set.

It was at this point that I discovered: used appliance stores selling on Facebook Marketplace. While a few businesses were advertising $300 washer/dryer pairs, complete with delivery and installation and 30 or 60-day warranties, they kept turning around and saying “Oh, we sold out of the $300 sets, but I have a $500 one available for you!” (Bait and switch, much?)

Still, I stayed firm in wanting to pay no more than $400 total (at this point, we had already moved into the house but still had access to my old apartment that was functioning essentially as a free laundromat, so I wasn’t in a super big hurry), and eventually came across a listing from Larson’s A-Plus Appliance Care: $300 for a washer and dryer, plus $75 for delivery/installation. Sounded perfect to me!

I contacted the seller, arranged to pre-pay at the store that same day, and waited for a delivery the following Tuesday. They ended up contacting me on Tuesday and pushing delivery to the next day, which I didn’t mind.

Now it’s Wednesday, and they arrive with the washer/dryer. The employee completes the washer installation and starts an empty cycle to test the machine. But when it comes to venting the dryer, he says they’d need an extra-long hose (for an additional fee) based on the way the garage area is set up. He said he would have the owner give me a call later to discuss the options and get the dryer up and running.

He leaves.

….

crickets

….

I never end up hearing back, and when I called the store, they didn’t pick up (or ever call back).

(I also tried to message the owner on Facebook Marketplace as that’s where he had previously been most responsive, only to find I was not able to locate his profile anymore. I think I was blocked!)

At this point I decided to just purchase an exhaust duct from Walmart. We figured out how to install it ourselves. Yay! But then…. we realized that the washer had leaked and there was water all throughout the garage.

(Not a good sign.)

Luckily, my father in law was able to fix the leak and the washer now functions properly as well.

So I ended up with a seemingly solid washer/dryer for what I thought was a really good price. But the company’s business practices seem shady and, should I end up needing to use the warranty I was offered, I have absolutely no faith that I would able to get in touch with them.

My overall rating: 5.5/10