McNair’s Appliance

Couldn’t figure out how to give NO stars, because that is what I would I would do. I’m getting ready to do a complete home overhaul, which includes two bathrooms and a kitchen. I walked into this store around 10:30 on a weekday. There were only a couple of customers in the store and I counted four people sitting at their desks in front of their computers and not on the phone. I walked around for a full 10 – 15 minutes and basically covered every nook in the store. I was not greeted when I came into the store and NOT ONE time did anyone even acknowledge my presence. One employee went so far as to greet a couple that was in the same area that I was, totally ignoring me. As I was heading toward the front door to leave, I stopped and approached a salesperson and told him what had happened. As he started to offer to help me, I told him «no thank you, I’m leaving.» There are plenty of places in Austin to spend my money. Kiva will never be one of them. When I got to this page to write my review, I realize that someone said it perfectly, «if you want to feel invisible, go to Kiva.» Couldn’t have said it better.

I bought a new dishwasher from Kiva to replace my crappy (4 year old) Bosch and am very happy with the end result. I went in thinking I knew what kind of dishwasher I wanted (Miele) and worked with Felix on the sales floor. Felix showed me the Miele and laid out the pros and cons. He also showed me another one that he described as the dishwasher he would recommend if his mom came in for a new one (cute) and that one was a much better fit for me based on the attributes I told Felix I was looking for.
There was a problem with the initial install and I ended up emailing 4 days later to relay the message about the unsatisfactory install and tell them that the dishwasher was no longer working. The email was forwarded/​copied to all the necessary people, and they responded the same day to assure me it would be addressed to my satisfaction. They ordered me a brand new dishwasher instead of offering to service the one that was not working and not properly installed. 10 days later I have a wonderful new dishwasher that was expertly and painlessly installed by Kierry and Damon.
Kierry and Damon were wonderful. They came with all the tools and expertise they needed to get the job done right. Kierry was very knowledgeable about the wheel positions on the dishwasher; he measured the opening under the counter and set the wheels to the correct position prior to install so that it wasn’t tilting forward like the last one. Both guys were friendly and patient with me while I looked at the dishwasher from different angles and asked for adjustments to make sure it appeared straight and level to my eye. They were very mindful of my wood floors and making sure that water didn’t spill out everywhere when the removed the old one that still had water in the hose. They also watched under the dishwasher and under the sink to make sure there were no leaks or drips while they ran a rinse cycle to test it out.
Overall I’m VERY happy with the experience even given the initial install issues. These guys are definitely committed to customer service; I would absolutely use Kiva kitchen and bath again.

If you want to feel invisible, come to Kiva.

I stopped at KIVA because I pass it often AND it was a whim (I was on my way to Home Depot). I was days into research of comparing appliance brands and reviews of the various major outlets… Sears, HomeD., Lowes as well as Consumer Reports and 10Rate. I was trying to run in and not get into a lengthy sales pitch… but to my surprise, I found myself wanting to listen to Felix and Jay’s remarks because they seemed to confirm many things I was learning in my research, in addition to giving me some well-​rounded facts that I needed.
I had to have a downdraft cooktop which I really don’t like but am stuck with… they gave me advice on brand association (who owns who and which are better lines even though owned by same co.) and told me installers can constrict the down flow so it doesn’t pull the flame! In 16 years, no one has ever offered that advice. I was hearing some negative things about certain brands and these two gave me some back story to the brands that now makes me a little more comfortable.
I was in the market for a cooktop and dishwasher because for 23 years, I’ve been a SEARS girl… always had good experiences with Kenmore brand. NO MORE! In the last 3 years, I bought an expensive Kenmore refrigerator (recall on the ice machine in a year), dishwasher (bottom drawer NEVER stays on track), and downdraft cooktop (all the wording scrubbed off in cleaning and had 2 GAS leaks from it in a year and a half!!). My mistake that I didn’t buy the extra and expensive «purchase agreement» for replacement! If you do buy from them… please do yourself a favor and get that thing!
Maybe McNairs is a little more money… but you’re not being pushed to purchase more «warranty» or «agreements» which kick the price up anyway. Time will tell if my decision works out. I’ve seen some real negative remarks on their shop and some really happy people too… all seem a long time ago though. The guys said if a problem arises… just call them… that they rely on word of mouth so they want to make sure we are happy… and that they have stopped carrying certain brands after seeing the company wouldn’t help the customer on certain issues. We will see how the customer service works out after a couple years.
Good Luck!

Huh. My architect sent me directly here to get some initial ideas about appliances sizes. We’re in the beginning stages of design, will be getting quotes from three builders he’s worked with before, all who work with this appliance store. I didn’t need anything complicated, just a couple of kitchen appliance measures. I already know the 2 brands I’m considering.
The greeter said that she couldn’t let me work with anybody without a specific builder’s name. Don’t want to start working with a commissioned salesperson only to have to turn it over to somebody else. Wouldn’t even really matter had I said I was buying them myself, because that might not be the case. A waste of their time. So I took a quick peek around the showroom, and of course there’s no sizing information on the models. I asked if I could get some help on sizes, and was told no.
I was classified as a «lookie-​loo», I guess, and determined that this whole trip was a waste of my time, as well. I get my mistake– should have brought a tape measure. But I also think it was a real mistake for this business not to have somebody talk to me, determine that I needed sizes on just a couple of things for now and spend the 5 minutes it would have taken to tell me what they must be able to access easily on floor models. I was a referred customer, and had the greeter asked I could have shown her my design contract with the architect as well as the names of the three builders who are our finalists. Could have narrowed it down a bit, at least, and perhaps determined that I was a real customer.
I get process as well as commissions. But when a business can’t take 5 minutes to deviate from it, they lose me. But McNair Appliance was so busy «doing the job» of protecting the salespeople and process that they couldn’t be bothered to find anything out about me. Until today, thought I’d be buying as much as possible for my custom build home from this store. Now? I’m going to do everything I can to avoid this vendor.

I’ve lived here all my life and I’m sadly approaching 50. These guys are old school, honest people that are very knowledgable and experts at customer service. My parents have bought appliances from them so that goes back many years. We bought a fancy stove years ago and they fixed a light under warrenty as promised.

I have purchased here before and gotten better prices than the big box stores. This time I purchased kitchen sinks and faucets, the woman who assisted was not nearly as helpful as before and wanted to try to wait on 5 people at once rather than answer my questions. After I received the products, I found parts missing, again the same sales lady offered no support (these were top dollar pieces) and I had to get parts from the manufacturer. The level of service has deteriorated considerably and the prices have increased — I will take a look at the products there and get better customer service on Amazon in the future.

I just bought a refrigerator today from Jay at McNair’s Appliance (now named Kiva McNairs or just KivaHome). So far, so good. We got a fantastic price and we shopped heavily against Lowe’s, Sears, Conn’s and Fry’s. If we have any problems, then I will update my review after several months or years of ownership. Jay was the main reason we bought here. He was experienced, direct and not salesy. He knows his facts and he is clearly intelligent and honest.

I’ve used the salesperson «Dallas» here 4 seperate times to buy toilets for my home and rental properties. She’s highly competent on the phone and I’ve never even had to go into the showroom to get assistance from her. They have a convenient pick-​up location near MoPac and 183 where I can pick items up directly from their warehouse to avoid delivery charges. The loaders are super-​nice and fast. I would definitely recommend this company.
On a seperate note, If you’re researching companies from which to buy plumbing fixtures, I would absolutely avoid Austin Plumbing Supply (please see their reviews for further information).

I heard this is a family-​owned business and has been in Austin for a long time, so I went in to check it out. I’m looking to change out some of the ancient appliances in my place and am trying to do as much research as I can. The showroom has been recently updated and had a good selection of what was available. They had several complete kitchen scenarios set up showing some of the new kitchen «must haves» including wine fridge, etc. The salesman was knowledgeable, not pushy and showed me options that might work for me. Prices were maybe slightly higher on some items, lower on others compared to the 5 or 6 other big box stores I had been to. I will probably buy from this store when the time is right.