Aitoro Appliance, Mattress & Outdoor Living — Local services in Norwalk

In 2007, we purchased our kitchen appliances (Bosch and KitchenAid) from Aitoro as part of our kitchen remodel. We asked our salesman, John Pantalena, what he would recommend if his Mother was buying appliances. We were very pleased with the appliance quality and the overall price.

For 9+ years we had no problems with any of the appliances. Ten days ago, the refrigerator and freezer developed a problem; we lost cooling in both. I called a local repairman who diagnosed the problem but I was not comfortable with his recommend repair.

I then checked with the Aitoro Service manager, Bob, on how to proceed. Bob confirmed that we still had a parts warranty on the sealed system. He advised that based on the problem with the sealed system that the compressor should be replaced. He explained that they would need to look at the refrigerator to confirm the problem.

Two days later, Paul came to my home to look at the refrigerator. He confirmed the problem was the loss of freon due to failure of a copper tube. He confirmed the solution was to replace the copper tube and compressor. He advised a 2 to 3 day time frame to get the parts from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, the factory was back-ordered on the copper tube but had the compressor. I was able to get the copper tube from an alternate source for $52.00 including two shipping.

Paul came back to my home to complete the repair three business days after the initial diagnosis. He replaced the compressor and the copper tube as well as cleaning the area where the compressor was installed. Paul did the work very professionally and answered all of my questions about the repair process.

Within 5 hours of the repair, both the refrigerator and freezer were back to their correct operating temperatures.

This experience demonstrates the benefits of dealing with a well-established, local business. This experience also demonstrates how Aitoro takes care of its customers after the sale (even after 9 years).

The service cost to repair my refrigerator was approximately $460 for labor and the part that I had to purchase. This is far better than spending ~$1300 for a replacement refrigerator.

My compliments to Aitoro Appliance for being there to help me, especially Bob and Paul.

Highest recommendation to Aitoro for both sales...

In mid-June, my dishwasher broke down, followed by my microwave two days later. I contacted Aitoro because other major retailers told me delivery would take at least two weeks. Jason P assured me that a silver dishwasher was available immediately (though I wanted black). I agreed to stop by the store on Tuesday to check that the silver color matched my kitchen. He had instructed me to come on Tuesday (because he would be off the next two days) so I waited until then but it turned out that he had taken that day off, too. I had someone else help me instead that day but Jason calls me angrily for not waiting for him the following day. As I didn’t care who serviced me (I just need the merchandise, asap!), I provided Jason with pictures of my kitchen, dimensions and payment.

When the installer (James, who was excellent) came, he immediately told me the microwave Jason sold me wouldn’t fit. I had to reorder the correct one. By that, Jason P says I was a "picky" customer, inferring I was being difficult but also mentioned that a black dishwasher shipment was due in early July. I agreed to wait.

That “one week” turned into two months of empty promises. I have pages of texts where delivery was pushed back week after week. Meanwhile, I discovered other retailers had the same item in stock—some could deliver within three days. The final straw: while Jason told me no dishwasher was available, Aitoro's own website advertised the identical item as “in stock” with “quick delivery.” But Jason refused to switch my order unless I paid $200 more. Same brand, same series, nearly identical specs—just a different model # and different decibel (48 not 50). Classic bait-and-switch?

Only after I mentioned filing a complaint with the BBB did Jason finally offer a refund. I’ve been patient and understanding about shipping delays (this isn’t the pandemic anymore or, is it??), but what I experienced was misleading sales, broken promises, and a refusal to make things right unless pressured.

If Aitoro cannot deliver, they should not take payment and string people along. As someone who lives nearby, I very much wanted to support local independent business but ended up feeling extremely insulted and disappointed. Awful experience and I hope no one ever goes...

ABSOLUTELY STAY AWAY. IF THEY SELL YOU A DEFECTIVE APPLIANCE YOU ARE STUCK WITH IT. BELIEVE THE OTHER ONE-STAR REVIEWS. CHECK YELP!

We purchased a defective Miele dishwasher from Aitoro last year. We were able to speak with Aitoro exactly once regarding this issue, when Rhonda (their head of "customer service") made clear to us that they bear no responsibility for merchandise once it leaves their warehouse. She deployed the line that other reviewers here have mentioned about "driving a new car off the lot makes it your problem, not the dealership's", told us to take it up with the manufacturer, then hung up on us. We tried contacting them multiple times afterwards and they refused to take our calls or answer our emails.

A couple of things:

1. You have the right as a consumer to expect new merchandise purchased from a dealer to be fully functional. All retailers are subject to an implied warranty of merchantability for new goods sold. A retailer CANNOT sell you a defective product and claim no responsibility. Their attempts to disclaim this responsibility anywhere on their website or on any document are void. We reported Aitoro to the CT attorney general, and I STRONGLY recommend anyone who had this experience with them do the same.

2. We contacted Miele and they informed us that this is NOT how their dealers are supposed to conduct business. They told us they will review their relationship with Aitoro.

We eventually had no choice but to do a chargeback on the dishwasher with our credit card company.

Save yourself the frustration and go to literally any other appliance store that cares even a little bit about their customers. I related our story to other Miele dealers in the area and they were stunned. This...