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P.C. Richard & Son

P.C. Richard & Son • Oops, Wrong Model • Lowest Price Guarantee • Extended Warranty • "No Payments, No Interest" • Delivery & Set-Up • Returns/Refunds

Every city has a retailer like P.C. Richard & Son, "The Appliance, Electronics, Computer Giant." Many have an interesting story behind them. P.C. Richard is no exception. It was established as a hardware store in 1909 by Peter Christiään Richard ("P.C."), an immigrant from Holland, who came to America in 1889 at age of 18.

Now, many air conditioners, washing machines and gadgets later, the humble hardware store has grown to 42 stores in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, Long Island, and New Jersey.

Despite all the platitudes and BIG BOLD CLAIMS! on its Web site, the P.C. Richard of today has pretty sharp elbows and skates a fine line, like most mass marketers. It may often have the lowest prices but as the complaints in this section show, consumers need to be sure they get the model they order, that they understand the terms and think twice about that extended warranty.

Here are a few of the more recent complaints:

Helen of Little Neck NY (06/30/08)
On June 7, 2008 I purchased an Air Conditioner from P.C. Richard & Son. It was delivered and installed on 6/18/08. It was a 12,000 BTU Air Conditioner for my living room. After installation (we live in a co-op) the maintenance men from Deepdale co-op came to check the air conditioner and said we need a 16,000-18,000 BTU air conditioner in the living room. We were not informed of this before we purchased this air conditioner. Now the maintenance people say we are going to get a fine from Deepdate Management Board of Directors if we don't remove this air conditioner.

I called P.C. Richards a number of times and the store manager said they will not take it back and refund us our money! I called my credit card company and they said it would take a month to dispute this charge. In the meantime, P.C. Richard has our money, which is $606.65 and we cannot return this air conditioner and we will get a fine soon from Deepdale Management. What are we supposed to do?

My husband and I are 72 years old. My husband suffers from Parkinson's disease and I have osteoperosis and three collapsed vertabraes in my back. This is very upsetting and stressful for us. I can't keep calling P.C. Richard every day. They won't even answer the phone now as soon as I tell them my name.

James of Franklin Square NY (06/26/08)
I purchsed an air conditioner, Friedrich model #SS10L10,on 11/26/05 from PC Richard for $599.97 plus tax and also purchased the extended 5 year warranty for an additional $119.99. On 6/6/08 the air conditioner fan was making a very bad noise and the A/C was not getting cold. We called PC Richard service and they had Complete Appliance call and they said they would be at our house on 6/10/08 to look at the A/C. Complete Appliance came to the house on 6/10/08 and said the A/C is broken and they would have to take it to the shop to fix it but the longest it would take to repair would be 7 - 10 days. We started calling Complete Appliance on 6/21/08 only to get a busy signal all the time.When we called Complete after work hours we heard a recording telling us to call during work hours and that due to the large volume of calls we could not leave a message.

We started calling PC Richard 0n 6/24/08 and they gave us other numbers to call.This did not help until 7:30 pm when a woman from complete called and asked if PC Richard called us, I said no and she said Well then I can tell you that they are going to give you a credit toward a new A/C because we can't fix yours. When I asked why she did not call me to let me know what was going on with my A/C she said they were very busy and why didn't I call them. I said we tried to call you but the phone is always busy and we can't leave a message because you have too large a volume of calls. She then said we wouldn't get our still broken A/C delivered back to us until 6/30/08 at which time we can cart it back to PC Richard for a credit toward a new A/C. When I asked her if she thought that these were good bussiness practices she said Well- we are very busy.

I am a blue colar worker and understand things don't always go as planned, but at least call the customer and let them know what is going on with their mechandise and if you forget to do that then at least be courteous when you do speak to them. Just a little common respect would be nice.

Had to borrow an A/C from a relative since 6/10/08 to be able to sleep during two heat waves due to mild asthma.

Carol of 9 West 64th Street NY (06/14/08)
An A.C. was installed W/O legal brackets. Paid for A.C. Rac kit.They are not taking care of this issue,I have been waiting to hear from them all day.New York has made it that all A.C. must have brackets,now I maybe fined.I paid someone to house sit that person was told that the brackets where not needed.My building wants all A.C.to have legal brackets.I'm left holding the A.C. rac kit.Who pays if fine is issued?

Alan of Oceanside NY (06/08/08)
bought ge washer delivered hooked up didn't spin. second machine comes spins but dances all over like it wasn't attached third machine comes works 3 loads doesn't spin any more model #wbsr3140g1ww

inconvenience of having to wait for replacements as well as having to go to laundramat for 3 weeks as well as expense of machines at mat

Ashley of Brooklyn NY (06/08/08)
I Purchased a Frigidare Washing Machine and Dryer on May 9th 2008 at the Pc Richards store online. Pc Richards had a mothers day special for which I took advantage of. The deal was if you brought 2 frigidare products, you were eligible for a rebate. As soon as I ordered the products online, I called my bank to see if the money had came out. Within minutes the transaction was completed and the funds were taken out of my account. Before I place my order online, I was told that it would take 2-3 days for delivery.

On May 15, I called the online store and asked them, are my products on its way for delivery. The representative told me that the dryer is on special order and that it would take 2-3 weeks for delivery. So I said to myself, ok its just another 2 weeks and I could wait. After I told my mother the story, she was furious and told me to call the store.

I called them back on 05/22, and asked if i could switch dryers? The representative said, she could switch the dryers. The representative sent me a Maytag dryer and a Frigidare washing machine on 05/24/2008 at around 8:30 am. I told my mother to deal with it because I had to go to work. I called pc Richards as soon as I went on my break. I told them this is not what I ordered and wanted to know If I could get my money back for both products. They asked me if the boxes were still on. I told them no. I was under the impression that washing machines and dryers didn't come in boxes. She asked me where do I live? I said, the washing machine and dryers were going into an apartment. She said, well they probably took the boxes off so they could fit in the elevator. I said ok. Can I get my money back? She says well because the boxes were taken off that they would be a 15% restocking fee. I said thats absurd.

They didn't even give me the chance to see the boxes. We have someone in our building who is an electrician. According to him, I can't use the dryer because it pulls 220 volts and the development that we live in can't hold that much electricity.

I now have a dryer that I can't use, I have to pay 15% of the original price for the stocking fee (of which was never explained to me when I made the order) and I lose my shot at getting the rebate. In order to get the rebate, you have to pay for 2 frigidare products (which was not explained to me.

Barbara of East Hampton NY (06/02/08)
About 5 years ago I bought a dishwasher, a microwave, and a stove. All were top of the line. All broke in one way or another. They didn't stand behind any of them, and kept referring me to GE. Six months ago I bought a washing machine (what was I thinking?). They hooked it up wrong, mixed up the hot and cold water lines, and now the front panel has literally fallen off the machine along with a number of bolts. When it runs, it sounds like a cat is caught inside and is screaming its head off.

I called for service, and they could only schedule on the one day I couldn't make it, which is a week away. The next available appointment was ten days out; that means ten days without a washing machine. They insist on giving you a window of 8AM to 5PM, meaning a lost day of work. The manager, Phil, was rude beyond belief, only to be outdone by the Scheduling Supervisor, Carmine, at corporate.

I want this machine replaced. They refuse to do so and are making it impossible to get it services. I was on the phone between them and GE (so why is that my responsibility for more than 2 1/2 hours only to hear "If you raise your voice I'll hang up on you.") Where do they get their nerve?

Rosa of Deer Park NY (02/22/08)
My husband bought me a stainless steel G.E profile refrigerator and range for Christmas 4 years ago with a 5- year warranty on it. P.C Richard technician had to come and install the range and also adjust because we converted to propane gas (had to pay extra for that). My oven has been throwing soot every time I use it. In the beginning I did not realize but then gradually became worse, and I thought is was normal to an extent. Then it became so bad that my kitchen ceiling, white cabinets and the inside of the oven became black, and I could not completely take the stains off. I decided to call P.C Richards service dept since I still had the warranty. They had a G.E tech come in and check the unit; the tech told us the reason we were having this problem was because P.C. Richards did not install the range properly the first time.

He fixed the problem, but my oven in the inside is damaged with black soot which I've tried to clean as best as I can but still looks dirty. I called the supervisor and told him what G.E. said; of course he made it seem like it was my fault if I was having this problem--why I did not call them before? I told him we paid a lot of money for this range on top of the installation fee, and it was done wrong. Why should I keep this range when the inside looks horrible, and it's their fault they did not do a proper job the first time? We have been getting the run around and nothing has been done. My warranty expires in December of 2008.

We paid a lot of money for the range. I asked them if they would send someone to get it professionally cleaned; their response was they don't do that. The supervisor sent a guy from P.C. Richards to look at the unit. The guy came on a Thursday.  My husband was home; I wasn't. He told my husband definitely the oven on the inside was cosmetically damaged, he would write a report which should be in the system by Tuesday, and someone would get back to us. They never called.

Randi of Berkeley Heights NJ (02/21/08)
I purchase a Kitchaid Stove model KGSA906PSS June 2007. First there was a bad smell like plastic or chemical burning. I proceeded to use the self clean and the control panel went black. A service man deamed the stove as dead. PC Richards gave me there floor model of the stove and here it is 8 months later and now their are error codes on the stove and the panel beeps. I unplugged it and plugged it in and it reset. I used it but could not shut it off. Scary. This stove is a nightmare. Why wont kitchaid do anything are they waiting for a fire.

This stove is a fire harzard. How can you make a stove that you cant use the self clean or else it blows the control panel. 4 months later their are error codes. I dont understand why kitchenaid would make such a product and if so why wouldnt they honor a replacement that has been perfected. I wont use the stove afraid of a fire.

Brenda of Farmingville NY (02/08/08)
I purchased a camera, and in return I get a free Canon printer. The deal was I had to pay $80 up front, then I get it back through the mail in rebate. I filled out all the forms with the upc labels attached to them. It has been 3 months and they are giving us the run around. They mailed us free ink for the printer for our inconvenience, but still no rebate of $80 dollars. This is wrong. I will never buy a Canon product again or a product that has a mail-in rebate. They're all a scams.

Barry of Bay Shore NY (04/25/07)
So they say service is their business. I purchased a refrigerator from this slime bucket of a company. 6 weeks later it dies! So I called for sevice and the authorised repair guy shows up. 2 weeks later this piece of crap FRIGIDAIRE is still sitting here broken. Boy do I get stories from PC RICHARD & SON. I call and complain. They treat you like your stupid.

Lupe of Brooklyn NY (01/31/07)
On January 15 I purchase a washing and dryer combo machine Malber brand name. The sales man introduces the store credit card for me to open a credit, which I accepted and I got approved. He told me that the guys who deliver the machine will going to instructing me how to use it, the 2 men who deliver the machine came and through the item in the kitchen like animals, they didn't even took the machine out of the box and as follow didn't give instructions at all. I call the store and ask the sales man Willy what happen with all the instructions he had promise. He apologizes and told me that probably the delivery guys never removed the screws from the back of the machine, so he said that he has to call to make an appointment for them to go to my home to instruct me how to use the machine.

I went yesterday to the store and he told me tomorrow they will call you at work before 12:00pm to schedule an appointment for Thursday or Friday. I called the store like 3:30 pm to tell Willy that nobody called so far and he said they will be there in 10 minutes. I feel like this guy is playing with a client who purchases a machine for $1,050 plus 3 years insurance.

Tomasz of Bayonne, NJ (09/03/06)
I bought most my electronic appliances from PC Richard & Son. One of those appliances, a 42 Plasma TV, needed repair. PC Richards took the TV and returned it in 3 weeks, fixed, but the frames were beat-up.

Another problem occured in the following month so we called the repair and they took the TV. They returned it with nothing fixed, so they took it back. Now its almost a month without the TV. 

I've called the service every week, they said it's fixed and they scheduled a delivery.  I took a day off, waited for a call in the morning, but they didn't call.  At one o'clock I called and they told me it's not fixed. This situation occured three times and I have lost a lot of my vacation days. 

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