Rutland Appliances — Local services in Rutland Town

I debated whether or not to share my experience at Rutland Appliance, but after careful consideration, I believe it’s important to document it.

On Monday, I contacted the store through their website chat and email about a portable air conditioner I saw listed online. I received no response, so I went to the store in person on Tuesday. A staff member named Johnathon remained seated when greeting us. I mentioned the unit I’d seen online, and he called Esteban to call a man to retrieve it from the warehouse.

I was asked to provide my phone number, email, and address — which felt unnecessary for an item I was picking up on-site. I later noticed a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link on the website.

The unit was loaded into my SUV by two staff members who tipped it during the process. Once home, we noticed water staining that extended nearly a foot up the box from the bottom, accompanied by a strong odor. This suggested the box had been sitting in standing water or high moisture, raising questions about how inventory is stored. When opened, we found visible mold inside the packaging, and several carpenter ants emerging from the unit — signs of improper storage and potential infestation. These ants have since appeared in my vehicle and apartment. The cost of treatment now falls on me.

Despite these concerns, we proceeded with setup — a nearly 5 hour process due to outdated documentation. The included manual was dated 2017, though the model is listed as a 2020 version. That evening, we plugged it in. The unit produced only hot air, the compressor was delayed, and there was a persistent burning plastic smell.

I messaged the store after hours. The following morning, Johnathon called, and I later spoke to Robert, who told me: “I’ve never heard of this happening this year or any year.”He ultimately agreed to a refund.

We returned the unit on Wednesday. I asked for Johnathon and was told he wasn’t available. A man seated at a raised desk — who did not identify himself or wear a name tag — offered to assist.

I explained the unit was defective and had arrived in a water-damaged box. He said, “We don’t need to do a refund — we found a replacement.” I replied, “I don’t trust the replacement because we already received a defective unit in a water-damaged box.” He responded, “It doesn’t have a box,” as if that resolved the issue. But the problem wasn’t the cardboard — it was what the water damage represented: mishandling, unsafe storage, and product integrity concerns.

He then said, “I don’t understand. I have a replacement. You don’t trust my company because of…” and proceeded to laugh at me — while processing the refund. When my fiancé (male) entered the room, the associate went silent.

At one point, I believed the refund may have been incorrect. I asked about it, was shown the receipt, saw I was mistaken, and apologized. A blonde woman seated nearby avoided eye contact throughout the exchange and did not acknowledge the situation.

Later that day, I noticed the same defective unit had been relisted for sale on the company’s website.

For reference, when we tested the unit, our home was 82°F. After 15 minutes of running it in cooling mode (snowflake setting), the temperature had risen to 84°F, and the humidity increased by 6%. The unit never produced cold air.

This experience — receiving a compromised product and then being mocked for declining a replacement — was unacceptable. I expect that, as with other critical reviews here, the business will respond with deflection or mischaracterizations. That response will also be submitted with my report as evidence. For clarity: I declined the replacement because I had already received a defective unit, and the staff’s response only deepened my concerns.

I’ve been advised to file complaints with consumer protection agencies so this matter can be properly investigated.

If you’re considering shopping here, I recommend doing business elsewhere with a company that prioritizes safe products and customer respect. If you’re a woman, I would advise bringing a...

DO NOT USE Rutland Appliances located in Rutland, VT. They are the ABSOLUTE WORST. I spent $1,330.00 on a new washing machine. When they delivered and installed it, they ran a test. We noticed water (that was not there prior) coming from underneath the machine. The delivery guy looked. He couldn’t figure out where it was. So he ran another test at which time I was told it wasn’t leaking. He wasn’t able to determine where the water came from since I didn’t feel comfortable receiving a new machine that had some sort of problem with it I called the store and spoke to the owner, Robert explained everything and told them to take it back. He was extremely rude. He stated “You had a five-year warranty If anything happens, we’d send a service repair guy” My response was ” This is a brand new machine. I’m not paying to have to have services done in a week two weeks, or even a month from now “ and I told him to it taken back. He didn’t want to take the machine back. Telling me his delivery guys went out of their way to deliver the machine and stating the warranty again. I told him I wasn’t accepting it at which time he said “ i’ll refund you go purchase a machine elsewhere”. His loss, not mine. I went down to PNF Appliance in Manchester, Vermont purchased another machine spending less for the new machine. I dealt with the owner Bill who was wonderful unlike Robert, who I have a few choice words to call, but Ill...

They do not stand behind their products. I have bought 6 different appliances from them in the last 3 years. I left 3 messages with them over 3 weeks ago, asking if I could swap out the washer/dryer I just purchased as it was not performing to the standards they assured me it would. No one ever called me back. Awful customer service. Do your research on anything you are even considering buying here as they will literally sell you anything and then not stand behind it. *UPDATE So after a couple weeks of playing phone tag (my phone and VM work just fine Robert), I finally got a hold of Robert and was greeted with such a cool indifference that I had to ask him "is this a bad time? You seem like you're not in the best mood" - and the conversation just went down from there. I've worked in retail a good chunk of my life - owned my own store for many years - and I have never been spoken to with such a tone of indifference and almost annoyance, as I did when I spoke with Robert. When I told him I had found reviews from people on Redditt who had the same problem I did with the washer I had just purchased, he all but mocked me for using that site for product information. Put it this way, it was so bad, that I ended up hanging up on him as I just refused to be treated like that. So from now on, I will take my business to Best Appliance, where many people in the past couple weeks have...