The Pros And Cons Of Buying A Fridge At Costco

Costco is a one-stop shop for everything you need, from food and prescriptions to clothing and optometry. The company also sells appliances, both small and large, and that includes refrigerators. Costco's policies regarding refrigerator purchases are generally beneficial, but the process has some issues that you need to be aware of before you buy.

Costco's policies can differ depending on how you make your purchase, with some restrictions applying to one type of purchase but not another. For example, people in different states and territories may see massive differences in what their purchases are eligible for. Whether you buy online or in-person is another issue that can lead to some big differences in how you take advantage of returns. Some policies, like working with the warranty, require specific actions that you might not have even thought about. Still, Costco loves to make its customers happy, and once you know the pros and cons of buying a fridge at the warehouse giant, you'll be better prepared to make a final decision.

If you like long and free warranties on appliances, then you'll like what Costco has to offer. The company extends all manufacturer warranties out to two years at no cost, and if you need to use the warranty, all you have to do is contact Costco's Technical and Warranty Services. Costco is clear that the help you get through the warranty depends on the original manufacturer's warranty. This means that whatever restrictions the manufacturer has on the warranty are in place throughout the two years, and your warranty will vary according to the brand you buy.

That doesn't mean that everything always goes smoothly. Some customers have complained that reaching customer service to use the warranty is difficult, while others who were due a refund had difficulty getting their payments.

Part of this could be due to how the extended warranty is treated. As long as the refrigerator is within the manufacturer's original warranty period, you'll have to contact the manufacturer to use the warranty. Once that runs out and Costco's extension kicks in, you'll work with Costco. Costco offers three-year warranties, too. However, these protection plans are not free.

A big "con" regarding refrigerator purchases at Costco is that the in-warehouse selection is minimal compared to what the company has online. When looking at the website, options can run into the hundreds, although that number likely includes different colors of the same model. Filter the search results to see what's available in your local warehouse, and that number of options plunges. As an example, when the website was set to the Vista, California, warehouse location, the number of models available for delivery was 140 at the time of writing. The number available to buy in warehouse? A measly five.

This might not seem so bad if you like ordering online, but if you prefer to check out appliances in person — open doors, measure interior dimensions, and just generally see what the thing looks like without worrying if your laptop screen is displaying the color correctly — then this smaller selection is a real problem. It also doesn't help if you need to get a refrigerator now and can't really wait that long. You can always seek out another large store that has your preferred model on the floor, so you could check it out and then order from Costco online. However, this adds the extra step of taking that trip to the other store, and not everyone wants to do that.

If you do decide to purchase that refrigerator online, you're going to get a whole range of free services that will help you get that fridge up and running. First, there's free delivery, which itself is amazing, but then there are also several set-up services. The delivery team will connect everything from shelves to tubing and water lines. Some restrictions do apply; for instance, the water line has to meet building requirements, and there has to be an accessible shut-off nearby to be eligible for the hook-up service.

Reviews for these services online are, as you'd expect, kind of mixed. Some people have excellent experiences, where delivery people call to keep the customer up to date, and they take care of all the installation services that they're supposed to. Others, of course, have some mixed experiences. As one person online pointed out, however, people are more likely to say something if the experience was bad, which can skew perceptions of a service. Keep that in mind when reading reviews regarding delivery and installation.

We need to point this out again because, if you missed it in the last section, you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise if you buy the refrigerator at a warehouse. The free services are for online purchases only. If you buy a refrigerator at a warehouse, in person, you have to take it away yourself. Furthermore, you don't get those installation or other services at all (unless you arrange them with an outside company).

That may sound easy, but it isn't necessarily so. You'll have to make appointments to have someone install the refrigerator and take the old one away. If the contractors in your area don't have great reputations, that makes things a lot harder. In the very least, it will make the process more time-consuming and require you to find people qualified to work with water lines. If you're purchasing a basic refrigerator that doesn't have an ice maker and doesn't need a connection to your home's water line, then it should be a lot easier.

Costco's got a pretty sweet 90-day return policy for major appliances, and that's regardless of whether you bought the appliance online or in person. Where the method of purchase comes into play is in how you return the fridge. Purchases made at a warehouse are your responsibility to haul back to the store for a return. However, if you purchased the refrigerator online, you can bring the item to a warehouse or you can arrange for the return online. When you opt for the latter, Costco will arrange to pick up the refrigerator.

Costco generally doesn't go past that 90 days except in two cases. One is if the manufacturer has authorized Costco to accept the return. The company will send the authorization to Costco's Technical and Warranty Services, which in turn helps you with the return. The other is if you're using the warranty from Costco during the second year — the company will just refund you for the appliance instead of repairing or replacing it.

Free shipping is nice, but it's not always possible, given the cost of fuel and the time involved in some forms of transport. For residents of Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, this translates into extra shipping and handling fees that can become rather expensive. Online reports say that fees for appliance delivery in Hawaii, for example, can range from $99 to $199. Installation and haul-away services were included, but that's cold comfort when you're trying not to spend too much to begin with. Of course, you won't know the shipping charges until you enter your address, so you could find a lot of variation when comparing your order with someone in another region.

Costco also notes that some items aren't eligible to be shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico at all. However, the items you're looking at should have a note about shipping to these areas on the page. As difficult as it can be to haul a refrigerator home yourself, it may be worth it if you live in these regions and find an acceptable model at a warehouse.

One very big benefit to buying a refrigerator at Costco is that, if you buy the refrigerator online and have it delivered, you can have that same delivery team haul the old refrigerator away. The service isn't available everywhere, so you'll want to ask first if you can get that service for your address.

You'll also want to ensure the haul-away service is in writing on your order form. One customer said that their delivery people claimed they didn't have orders to take the old appliances away, but when the customer showed them the confirmation email listing haul-away services, the delivery people took the old appliances away without any disagreement.

People do have good experiences with the haul-away service in general, but like any service, others have had some issues. For example, one customer note that the delivery people refused to haul away an old fridge with missing shelves, even though Costco's customer service had guaranteed the fridge's removal. Overall, the haul-away service is a very helpful benefit, but it looks like the best way to avoid issues is to ensure you have as much in writing as possible.

Costco promises a lot regarding what the delivery people will do when they bring you your new refrigerator. The company's page on refrigerator and freezer delivery is clear about what can and can't be done, and that some services aren't available everywhere. However, the list of what the delivery people will do is much longer than the list of what they won't do.

The success of the delivery and installation depend on the specific team handling your delivery. While there are many positive reviews of Costco's appliance delivery services, there are also negative reviews in which people say deliveries went awry. In one case, a customer claimed that, when they briefly went into their house, the team left, leaving the buyer's new refrigerator in a garage. Another customer, who had purchased a dishwasher with delivery, installation, and haul-away services, wrote online that the delivery person rescheduled several times, ripped the customer's kitchen cabinets from the wall, cut the wires to the garbage disposal, drilled holes in the wrong spots, and damaged a tube so that it ended up leaking water.

Costco notes that it may use third-party delivery companies, and these are going to be the same companies that deliver for anyone else willing to contract with them. In other words, if you had a bad delivery experience from another store, you might end up with the same people when you order a refrigerator from Costco.

Costco has a policy of price matching (or price adjustment) when something you just bought goes on sale within 30 days of your purchase. If you buy your refrigerator for, say, $800 on June 1 and it goes on sale for $600 on June 25, you can contact Costco to get those $200 refunded to you.

There are some limitations. For example, if you're a reseller, meaning you've purchased something that you're going to sell (e.g., buying snacks in bulk for your vending machines), you can't take advantage of the price adjustment. Members, regardless of reseller status, can't adjust prices between the warehouse and an online price.

The most important things you need to know are that Costco can refuse to adjust a price at its discretion, and Costco won't do any price matching with other stores. That means Costco won't refund any money to you if you suddenly find your refrigerator model on sale for a better price elsewhere. Also, customers have claimed online that you might not be able to get an adjustment on a warehouse item if the warehouse is out of stock. Whether or not you need a receipt is unclear, as some customers have reported needing them on occasion. Finally, while you can ask for an adjustment in person, online, and via phone, some customers have said the phone gets the fastest results.