Wiseman’s Appliance

Very disappointing customer service from a neighborhood store. Multiple phone calls with one excuse after another: the truck broke down, the delivery guy is sick, the owner is out of town, we did not get your message, etc. At the time of purchase we were told multiple times that they would remove the old appliance, no problem. We told them more than once very clearly that it would take 2 guys, and again they said no problem. Until they got my money… Then they sent 1 guy who brought the new appliance but could not remove the old one by himself and left it here. When we pressed the issue they acted like we were at fault for not helping the delivery man (not physically able to help him!) and then they wanted to add additional charges to come back and remove the old appliance. Never mind Wiseman, you are not worth the aggravation, you won’t be seeing us again.

I bought a set of five major appliances from Wiseman’s about ten years ago and got good, solid customer service back then. The «on» dial on the dryer finally cracked and broke (meaning I needed to use a pair of pliers to dry our clothes) and just before I went on line to see if I could order the part from the manufacturer, thought I’d drop by Wiseman’s. Lo and behold, the salesman went into the back room for a few minutes and came back with the part in hand! Even gave me a break on the price. Bye bye, pliers! A great old-​school company that knows the appliance biz backwards and forwards.

Great customer service, will go here again! They were prompt, professional and friendly.

What is happening at Wiseman? About a year ago, I bought a stacking washer and dryer. Took the measurements to the store. Upon delivery, they had sent the wrong size, and the installer told me to reorder. Finally received the correct size.
Fast forward to 2015. Called to tell them I needed a water heater. Said they would get back to me. They did not, so I called again. Said they would send someone to see what I needed. The «someone» did not have the correct address thanks to an employee that did not write my address correctly. That person then told me my water heater was 27 years old. Not so. Just a ploy to frighten me into ordering a water heater. He took the information back to Wiseman. Never heard from them.
Called Fischer Plumbing. They were in and out of here in five days. Fabulous service. Friendly service.
So sad to post this. I am a West Seattle native. I always support local businesses.
Kay

This is my 2^nd time with this company, and both were excellent experiences, and quality products. Thanks, Dan.
(We walked out of the store, and had a dead battery. Dan hopped in his truck, and came around to give us jump. That’s service.)

My husband decided months ago to upgrade our fridge and dishwasher. It took some time to find the right pieces for us and we were extremely happy to be able to patronize a locally owned store. I wasn’t involved in the purchase discussions but I know that my husband was pleased with his experience.
I am writing this review specifically to praise Wiseman’s delivery service and the delivery men Juan and Marco. Delivery and installation of our new appliances took over two hours due to the difficulty of the location (kitchen is upstairs), old fridge ended up leaking all over the kitchen, and the fact that the previous owners of the home had installed the new kitchen floor OVER the legs of the dishwasher. Both gentlemen were exceedingly professional and refused to give up on getting the old dishwasher pulled out without damaging the floor and ensuring that the new one was installed properly. They even took the time to make sure that the dishwasher was flush with the counter, which the old was wasn’t.
Would heartily recommend purchasing from Wiseman’s.

Appliance purchases can be tricky and often you don’t realize it until the delivery. Dan helped me be sure that I measured the space correctly (don’t forget the hinge to the refrigerator that is usually higher than the refrigerator). When the new refrigerators did not appear to fit my space he helped me find one that did and then gave me ideas about how I can shave the cabinet, etc if I wanted to purchase a larger refrigerator.
That was not the best part! They called before the delivery and I had mixed up the date. No problem. We rescheduled and then they called that morning to be sure I was ready and then again when they were an hour away. These delivery guys were pros. They were polite, clean and respectful of my home. Moved the old refrigerator to the garage (as requested), and moved the new one into place. These two guys worked as a team and talked to be sure they did not once touch the carpet, scratch the floors or nick the door. One hooked up the refrigerator calling out what he did and then the other cross checked and they both talked about «is there a leak?» If I do have a leak, I would bet it would be the refrigerator and not their install because they were so cautious and cross checked each other. They wiped down the refrigerator inside and out and then made sure I had no questions and did not need further assistance. They installed the appliance as if it was their own appliance and installing it in their own home.
It was a pleasure doing business with Wiseman’s Appliance of West Seattle! When I need my next dishwasher, washer/​dryer, wine cooler I may find one less expensive at a big box but I will never get the attention at the time of the sale or the delivery and install I received from Wiseman’s Appliance of West Seattle. Thank you, Dan Wiseman and team.

Speaking as a regular reader of consumer reviews, I know that a lot of people will probably skip over the lowest ratings as they tend to be outliers, unless the overall ratings are low. Having said that, I hope that the owners of the business read this so that they can help them help themselves.
My husband and I bought a replacement dishwasher from Wiseman Appliance a few years back. They were great: responsive, communicative, clear in their pricing, price-​matched a competitor’s price for the same unit, professional and timely installation. They hit all of the high marks in our book and when we recently moved to an old house and the dishwasher died on us, we had no hesitation: we called Wiseman to have them install the same dishwasher for us.
This is where things went south. I told them our situation, that we were only too happy to support a local business in our new neighborhood and that they had done us well in the past. They didn’t call me back; I had to call back. When I spoke with someone they said that they didn’t have me in the system and didn’t know what model we had. No problem, I still had the information and gave it to them. I asked if they would price match and they said they would not. Puzzled, I said that I still wanted to give them my business and have them install the unit, even if I bought it from one of their competitors. They said they would not; that they only install units that they sell directly to their customers.
I am not sure why they wouldn’t price match when they did so in the past, nor do I understand why they wouldn’t accept the business that we were trying to give to them in having them install the unit. Sadly, they’ve lost a customer for life. As I said, we just moved in to an old home with older appliances which, over the years, are going to be replaced, and when we do replace them, it won’t be Wiseman’s Appliance that gets our business.

This place is great. I bought my washer drier and Electrolux vacuum here, and it’s really refreshing to have good, personal service. All the sales people really know what they are talking about, and it’s about 1000% easier and less stressful walking in to their small store than dealing with a Best Buy or other big box retailer. When a part on my new washer had issues, wiseman connected me directly to the manufacturer’s service people in town and it was fixed within a few days. I’ll be back when I need a refrigerator etc. and wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone in Seattle.

I called to see about fixing my washer and was told it wasn’t worth the money I would spend on it and I would be better of getting a new washer. He recommended the brand and type that I should get. Free advice is a lost service. This guy was honest and very helpful.

I had three appliances break in two months, so I now have plenty of experience with Wiseman’s. I highly recommend this place. The salesman knows about his products – which is something you won’t get at a big-​box store. He was able to match the prices I’d found at other stores. He was courteous and attentive. Delivery was arranged within one week. The deliverymen were friendly and knowledgeable. They hauled off my old appliances for free.

We had a great experience with Wiseman’s and further confirmed the advantages of supporting local businesses versus the big box stores. They were friendly and helpful but did not put on the full court sales press. They carry very high quality appliances such as the Fisher and Paykel refrigerator we purchased. The delivery was prompt and painless and the guys that came out were friendly and careful. A great experience that we will repeat when the time comes.

Being the repair guy for my family and also having rentals, I have purchased more appliances from Wisemans than I care to count over the years. They have been there seemingly forever. Dan (Wiseman) and Dale are the main people I deal with. I was told they belong to a national dealers group for purchasing appliances, and most times they can match or beat the big box store prices, and include personal service. The main install guy has been there many years, and knows all there is about installations. They will listen to what you want, and wont try to upsell you unless you ask. As far as im concerned, they are one of the last local dealers with personal service, in this age of big box stores.

Over the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve purchased several appliances from Wiseman’s for two different houses in West Seattle. A dishwaher, wall oven, electric range, refrigerator and washer/​dryer. Some had very difficult installation due to the small kitchen in my old house. Wiseman’s took care of everything. The installs were done right and the old appliances hauled away. Taking into account their price includes everything (delivery, etc.), I was quite happy vs. dealing with the ineptness I’d expect at a big box store.

I went in looking for a new fridge — a challenge since the space provided for it in my old home is both shallow (24″ — or «counter depth» in appliance lingo) and narrow (32″ wide, max). My internet research produced nothing except for the same crappy, low-​end fridge I have now — or a Sub Zero fridge, which fits those dimensions, but costs more than some cars.
I walked in and explained the situation to Mr. Wiseman, and he was immediately familiar with my dilemma — probably because of all of the older homes and apartments in the local (N. West Seattle) vicinity blighted with the same problem. Better yet, he had a solution — a line of fridges from Fisher and Paykel — a New Zealand outfit that specializes in higher-​end fridges with this particular footprint.
Of course, upon leaving there I went to the Internet to see how competitive the prices he quoted were. Turns out I could save at the most $ 25 by ordering from some faceless clearing house. I’d just assume buy local — out of neighborhood loyalty, and in case some issue should arise upon delivery.

I spent a lot of time researching what types of appliances I wanted. The ones I finally decided on were not easy to find. The manufacturer’s website listed Wiseman’s as a distributor so I drove over there one Sunday and they were closed, so I went back the next week all ready to purchase my new appliances and get rid of the refrigerator who talked back to me.
The shop was small and kind of Mom & Poppy. This made me happy. When I told the guy what I was looking for he told me I’d have to look through the catalog and find it for him. OK, fine, no problem.
I showed him what I wanted and he replied with «Well, that’s not even made in America.»
Confused, I just looked at him and asked if he would recommend anything else. Because, ya know, maybe he knew something that my OCD Internet research hadn’t come up with.
He then handed me his card and told me to come back when I knew what I wanted. I looked down on the card and saw his last name was Wiseman I decided that this probably wasn’t the place for me. Sigh…