Agren — Local services in Norway

So, my review holds both positive and negative… first the positive! Benaiah Said, in the Norway store did a great job! I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder when I walked through the door, and he did his best to knock it off with a positive outcome! He was friendly, got information for me quickly, and was able to expedite delivery so I wouldn’t be without a stove for so long. Great job! The negative comes by the reason I was there in the first place. I bought a stove approximately three years ago, it was not inexpensive. I don’t cook a lot anymore so the ovens were Rarely used. Much to my chagrin, I had to pay a fairly exorbitant service call fee, only to find out that the repairs would cost close to half what I paid for the stove only three years ago. I know they don’t build things like they used to, but come on! So I paid the service fee, as well as a fuel surcharge, ) which makes me crazy!) For basically nothing. I was given a discount if I bought a replacement within 30 days which was appreciated. I did ask if there were any opportunities to reduce the cost considering the fact the stove was only three years old. Unfortunately, nothing was done! They wouldn’t wave the delivery charge, they wouldn’t waive conversion charge, nothing! I try to shop locally to support my community and will continue to do so, but Agren’s didn't come through with good faith accommodations. Yes, I was able to get my delivery expedited, which I very much appreciate! However, taking the hit for the delivery fee, or for installing an LP conversion kit would have changed this mixed review to a gold star exemplary review. Fingers crossed that this new stove will last...

Moving to Maine we were in the market for appliances for our new house. We found Agren Appliance & Furniture in Norway, Maine right in the rural area where we are going to live. Their store was loaded with actual floor models of all the popular models and in all price ranges. And when you you looked at the price tags they compared their listed prices with prices from the big area box and appliance stores. No need to look else where for what what you needed. When we entered the store we were greeted by Howard Dwyer the Store Manager who briefly showed us the layout of the store & the unique pricing structure. Then he said, if you have any questions he will be up front to answer any questions that we might have. We hate shopping for appliances and furniture where the sales people follow you around and push items you really don't want. Well Howard was our perfect salesman and made appliance shopping painless. As we made our selections, he printed out specification sheets that we needed for our builder. The customer service, selection and pricing is so unbelievable, why would you go anywhere. Howard alone is even more reason why you would crazy if you even considered shopping anywhere else. Agren also has its own service department that services what they sell, a must in rural Maine. We have already planned a return shopping visit with Howard to purchase living room furniture and mattresses. Take the time to visit Norway, Maine, a quaint little town in rural Maine, and find out what what appliance and furniture shopping should really be like. Oh yeah, remember to say hi to Howard at the front desk...

Not everyone can buy the top of the line appliances, so we purchased what we could afford. We were not happy with the way our new oven and flat cook top was working. Service man tested everything and said it was working as it should. Second visit it was revealed we should try completely flat bottom cookware. Had to buy new cookware. Still takes 20 minutes to boil water. Everyone tells us it only takes 5 minutes for their water to boil. Can not get top clean and it looks like color has faded in spots around burner. It looks horrible. No one believes it is only a few months old. Serviceman told us to wait another 10 minutes after oven preheats for temperature to come to where we want it. Never had to do that before. Serviceman was very nice, he did what he could. Went in to see salesperson at local store. He told us all about how he has an expensive model and has had one for years and it looks brand new. Well good for him. We asked him what our options were, said he would call his boss and get back to us. That was 3 weeks ago. Feeling blown off. Definitely can't recommend Agrens. UPDATE! My faith has been restored. I received a call from the store manager (the next day) to stop in and talk. Before leaving the store, he had agreed to take the stove back and sell us a different brand. He worked with us and helped us choose one we are fairly sure is a better stove. We of course paid the difference in cost. Since the different brand was a little bit more money. Will once again be able to recommend Agren. THANK YOU Peter and...