Bill Vandegrift Inc — Local services in New Britain

Before moving to Doylestown 26 years ago, we had always purchased appliances from one of the big box stores. We walked into Vandegrift’s and had them replace our kitchen appliances followed by a washer and dryer.

Vandegrift’s excels in all aspects of a well run appliance dealer. They sell only reliable quality brands and products and they’re very price competitive for the same products regardless of where you look including the big box stores. If we happened to ask for a particular model and Vandegrift’s informed us that they had performed an excessive number of service calls on it, they’ve always been straightforward with us and have recommended another product without us ever feeling they were upselling. On the contrary, we always felt they had nothing but our best interests at heart.

Over the years that we’ve purchased appliances from Vandegrift’s, there has been a total of only two service calls and they were both covered within the warranty period. Vandegrift’s responsiveness has been nothing but incredible by scheduling and performing the repair by one of their very well trained and experienced service technicians within two days of our placing the call. They’re truly the best one stop appliance shopping experience from the point of sale, installation, warranty and general information support, repair and overall customer service. These are characteristics that simply don’t exist at a big box retailer or at any of the other local independent dealers. As a result, we’ve referred many people to Vandegrift’s and we’ll continue to do so.

Our most recent experience involved replacing our kitchen appliances again due to a remodel during 2021 in the middle of the pandemic. While most of the appliances arrived and were installed by Vandegrift’s careful and well experienced installers within four to six months of placing the order, one of the appliances was a nightmare to obtain with absolutely no fault of anyone at Vandegrift’s. The manufacturer (Bosch/Thermador) provided no communication whatsoever to Vandegrift’s or us regarding an estimated arrival date regardless of the number of inquiries. Regardless of how many times we asked Vandegrift’s to inquire (which we were doing almost biweekly for over a year!), Vandegrift’s was always optimistic and willing to try to help and never gave us the feeling that we were a bother. This was all during a very unique time when people are continuing to be completely unreasonable by taking their frustrations out on the dealer for matters that are completely out of the dealer’s control. These people should take the time and call the manufacturers directly regarding their order and they’ll quickly learn where the problem lies. Everyone at Vandegrift’s wanted our kitchen complete as much as we did. After 17 months of placing the order, the appliance finally arrived last month and our kitchen was finally complete. The staff at Vandegrift’s was just as happy as we were to the point that it was if they were the ones waiting for the appliance in order to complete one of there own kitchens!

Regarding the negative reviews posted in this forum, people choose to ignore the advice that they’re given by the dealer because they simply don’t like what they hear, take matters into their own hands and then turn around and blame the dealer when things go south. If Vandegrift’s told us that they couldn’t do something, we heeded their advice and worked with them towards an acceptable alternative approach.

In summary, working with Vandegrift’s all these years has been a great experience and we wouldn’t have picked anyone else to help us put the dream kitchen together we now have. We started working with Bill 26 years ago and he has handed business operations over to his daughter, Lindsay, who has done nothing less than a superb job continuing to run the business. She is supported by the same great people, Daryl and Faith, that we have also come to know very well over the past two decades and we wouldn’t recommend anyone other than Vandegrift’s for any or all of your...

I sincerely regret having to write such a negative review, as Vandegrift came highly recommended to me by my parents, who had a good experience with their company about 5 years ago. However, I suspect the company has not fared well since Mr. Vandegrift stepped away from running the business.

My installation was complicated by the need to install a new oven, and gas cooktop/downdraft vent into an existing kitchen. As such, prior to ordering anything, I meticulously read the appliance installation manuals and measured my existing spaces to ensure a smooth installation process.

Despite these preparations, Vandegrift's staff never paid my needs and advice any regard. Their installer made a superficial survey of my house after the first part of the order had been delivered, telling me the job couldn't be done, informing me that the appliances should be returned minus a restocking fee. I easily countered every point he made. Moreover, when I asked if he had even measured, he said he just eyeballed it from 20 feet away. Of course, he was wrong in his assessment.

Then, multiple phone calls were needed to coordinate the appointments of the granite cutter and Vandegrift's installers. They let 6 weeks pass after all the appliances arrived in their warehouse and ultimately, I was responsible for coordinating these appointments, even though I couldn't attest to their installers' availability when scheduling with the granite cutter. Multiple additional calls were required to straighten out the dates.

Then, they only partially completed the installation, refusing to connect the gas cooktop until a new cabinet faceplate was installed. Of course, I told them I needed this faceplate the day I ordered the appliances and multiple times thereafter. Indeed, I was able to fabricate a temporary one in an hour, the night after they partially installed the cooktop. If only they had been more organized and on top of the project, this confusion and delay could have been avoided. In fact, they delayed finishing the project for a whole week, all the while demanding I pay for their second visit to finish the job. They even asked me to pay a restocking fee on an unnecessary part they mistakenly ordered! When I refused, Lindsey (Bill's daughter) told my wife they would not service my appliances in the future. No concern there -- as I would never consider using them again.

And these are only some of the issues I experienced during this nightmare.

Be forewarned. I recommend ordering online and finding a local installer who is easier to work with, and charges less than their hourly labor rate --...

Our experience with a variety of appliances has been great. As a long-time property owner I know how frustrating it can be to deal with vendors who make you wish you could leave a no-star review. I feel badly for those on here whose experience has not been as excellent as ours. Given all the issues that we know can arise, we haven't the confidence that another retailer will be as responsive. Vandergrift came out free of charge to measure and insure that our new stove will correctly fit. Indeed, they advised against a much more expensive stove that would have fit issues. Their price for our purchase was no more than anyone else's and were actually cheaper after adding the install/take-away. They did not upsell us on the necessity of a new power cord that elsewhere was a $40-$60 charge. Their installer made the modifications to the space that was needed for a proper fit without charge. We have always been pleased with their in-house service. We have found everyone nice to work with. We are disappointed that the GE stove we just bought is not serviced by Vandegrift but they told us that up front. Meanwhile, they got it promptly at a very competitive price. I will add for those who will read this review that many of the very "high-end/high dollar" appliances are poorly rated by Consumers Reports and that is consistent with our own anecdotal experience. No amount of service, no matter how well-meaning, will compensate for an expensively constructed but poorly...