Last fall, we decided to treat ourselves to a high end kitchen appliance (gas range). Immediately, we started having problems and the dealer has been terrible to work with. I also reached out to the manufacturer and their support is even worse.
It took six weeks to resolve (no fun to be w/o a stove during the holidays). I made over a dozen calls and emails (most went unanswered). During my angriest time, they promised to compensate us for our troubles, and now have decided not to.
I've never left an online review, and I wonder if it's worth it?
Difficult to know if it's worth it, however, your experience might save someone else the same bunch of headaches you went through. It depends on where the review gets published and if it will be allowed to remain online.
It's hard to boil 6 weeks of incompetence down to a short paragraph. And I think I need to use my real name on a Google review or it will be taken down. We live in a small town and the dealer is in this town.
Your two opening sentences in this post are perfect. Brief and descriptive. I think you would do just fine.
Was the problem with the gas range itself? Or was the problem with the installation? That would make a big difference in the content of your review. If it's going to be a Google review it sounds like it's a review for the dealer. For example, it wouldn't be fair to write a bad review about the range on the manufacturer's site if the problem lies with the dealer installation.
Should I be doing something else?
Sounds like you've exhausted every normal avenue to get the problem resolved. If it's a Google review and it's about the dealer you might write the review and then show it to the dealer. Tell the dealer you're going to publish the review unless they make good on their promise to compensate you.
Do you leave online reviews for good/bad experiences?
I write reviews for exceptionally good products. I sometimes write reviews on Amazon for products that exceeded my expectations or to add information that might be helpful to other customers. For example, I buy clothes on Amazon and it's incredible the number of people who write reviews and don't include basic stuff like their height and weight, their usual clothes sizes in other brands, what size they purchased, etc.
A couple of years ago I bought an office chair on Wayfair for $149 which was under the Serta brand name (yes, same as the mattress company.) It was rated 4 1/2 stars out of 5. I thought it might be better than the generic Chinese office chairs you see on Amazon under a dozen different names for $79 to $99. Turns out it was the same cheaply constructed stuff on Amazon, just had better padding and slightly better fabric quality. I wrote a review stating these facts, gave it a 3 out of 5 stars. The review was taken down within a day or two. I republished the review. Again, taken down in a couple of days.
I don't think your Google review can be removed unless the offended party raises a stink with Google, and I imagine that would be a fool's errand.
