As Black Friday approaches, consumer advocacy group CHOICE has revealed the best and worst appliance stores, ranking retailers based on customer service, product range, and value for money.
CHOICE surveyed 3,500 supporters about their experiences buying appliances in the past 12 months and asked whether they were satisfied with the stores they visited, in person or online.
"With Black Friday right around the corner, we want to make sure you have the best experience possible while shopping for a new appliance, whether that's a washing machine, a fridge or even just a toaster," says Director of Reviews and Testing, Matthew Steen.
"For physical stores, we asked our survey respondents to rate the range of products and brands, value for money, customer service, delivery, and after-sales service. For online stores, we also included ease of using the website, payment options and the returns policy," says Steen.
The best and worst online appliance retailers in 2024
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The best online store: Appliances Online
Overall score: 86%
Range of products and brands available: 84%
Value for money: 84%
Ease of use of website: 84%
Payment options: 82%
Delivery: 90%
Returns process: 76%
After-sales service: 77%
"Appliances Online topped every online category in our survey. Many noted it had a great range of products and praised the company's willingness to price match. Our survey respondents also noted the website was easy to navigate, and many liked how you could select a specific delivery window for your order," says Steen.
The worst online store: Kogan
Overall score: 59%
Range of products and brands available: 74%
Value for money: 70%
Ease of use of website: 67%
Payment options: 69%
Delivery: 68%
Returns process: N/A
After-sales service: 35%
"Kogan scored 27 percentage points lower than Appliances Online, and received the lowest score in the after-sales service category with a poor 35%. Survey respondents also expressed that deliveries were sometimes slow," says Steen.
The best and worst in-store appliance retailers in 2024
The best in-store: E&S Trading Overall score: 89%
Range of products and brands available: 87%
Value for money: 80%
Customer service: 88%
After-sales service: 91%
Delivery: 89%
"E&S Trading took the top spot in this category with an overall score of 89%. Many survey respondents praised its after-sales service, which received an impressive score of 91%. Its available range of products and brands and delivery service were also commended," says Steen.
"It's worth noting that E&S Trading only has stores in Victoria, plus one in the ACT. If you live in other parts of the country, Retravision, Winnings and Betta also scored well in terms of in-store experience," says Steen.
The worst in-store: Big W
Overall score: 62%
Range of products and brands available: 57%
Value for money: 67%
Customer service: 50%
After-sales service: N/A
Delivery: N/A
"Big W consistently rated lower than other stores in nearly all categories. Our survey respondents said it was difficult to find customer service in-store, and it also scored
low for the range of products and brands available," says Steen.
