appliancezone.com - Jim Allen - Appliance Zone Appliance zone Jim Allen Charged for part and waited two weeks to find out they ahd none Internet

After 10 days with no sign of part I had ordered from Appliance zone I was worried. But I had received emails from Bizrate.com that the part had supposedly been shipped.

Well I have to assume that Bizrate had been duped too. When I returned to the web site after 2 more days -- the only actual email that Appliance zone had sent me -- the obligatory email confirming that they had billed my credit card, was from an unattended mailbox.

So, on to live chat. where I am told, wait for it ... the part is on "manufacturer" back order and is not available for at least 6 more days. So would I like to cancel?  I am a little curious at this point, so I look back at the order page, and sure enough, there is a notification that you have to contact customer service to verify stock availability.

This seems unusual, and a quick check of other parts sales web sites confirms that other sites clearly mark "out of stock" items and "back ordered" items.

what is also clear is that many other sites have this part in stock, including the manufacturer -- Whirlpool -- that Appliancezone claimed did not have the part. Back to Appliancezone, where the part is still not identified as back ordered, but! the price has jumped from $66 to $93!

Well with no part and with the refrigerator sitting empty in the corner of the kitchen I decided to cut my losses and get a refund. I fill out the online form.

The next day I get an email that says that my refund will be processed as soon as the credit department processes my refund:

Good Morning

   We sincerely apologize for the delay. This order has been cancelled and will be forwarded to the Credit Department to credit your account. This process is normally done within 1 week and you will be notified via email once a credit is applied to your account.

Credit department? I go back to the web site, OK, 20 employees and they have a credit department?hmm, back to online chat where I am assured that my refund "should" be faster than a week, and not only that but I can follow a link to check my refund status. I follow the link where i reach a dead-end generic message that i will receive my refund 2 to 3 weeks after my part is shipped back to them.

Back to online chat where I am once again told by a third employee that they are very very sorry and it will surely be less than a week, but they don't know when, thank you very much and I am disconnected.

Appliancezone has no posted email address and no phone number. go ahead and google "appliancezone.com complaints" most of the good reviews you will find appear to be from company stooges. my next stop is the attorney generals office.