Southwest Appliance

Complaint Letter for Faulty BlueStar Gas Range Purchased from Durango Southwest Appliance
I purchased a BlueStar 363 RNB with serial# 1806389 stand-alone range from Southwest Appliance in Durango CO on May 2, 2018. We picked up the stove from store on August 2, 2018 earlier than the install date to get the stove to the second floor of our new build house while having a forklift on site. We checked the box for any sign of damage and did not find any.
We’ve opened the container & hooked up gas line by a certificated plumper. Southwest Appliance sent two Service Technicians for initial startup and service to get ready for operation on August 10, 2018. There were number of issues reported back Southwest Appliance, Rhonda B, before the initial service date:
1. No island trim
2. Wrong knob installed on simmer burner
3. Damage to two grill support bars
4. Gas smell from two burners, right front and the simmer
5. Damaged to right side panel; top backside of the panel and protrusion from inside out in the front
The Service Technicians were not able to correct any of the issues above, however they did adjust the height of the cast iron grills, checked the gas line connection, and tested the oven. They also adjusted the burners however they could not correctly adjust the right front burner which releases too much propane and it creates a small blast every time.
A Service Technician came back on November 20, 2018 to service the wrong knob on the simmer burn and brought island trim. He installed the knob however, he did not bring the right screws for island trim. He tried several screws he had; however, the screws were too big and he could not get the screw all the way in. He was not able to remove the screw and he abandoned the installation. He also adjusted some of the burner (air/propane mixture), but was not able to fix the right front burner which the BlueStar Service rep. on the phone said that it could be the values.
I got back to Rhonda B with all the issues again when she suggested we contact the manufacture in order for her to help us. She said that she’s not able to help us since, Southwest appliances has to pay for screws and panels cost of about $400.00 – $500.00 which Southwest Appliances is not willing to cover.
I contacted the manufacture on November 30, 2018 with the issues and representative said Southwest Appliances should not be incurring any additional cost for the parts to fix the issues. The representative noted all the outstanding issues with stove and said BlueStar will provide all the parts to Southwest Appliances and have them comes back out again to fix all the issues.
I contacted Rhonda again and provided the contact information for BlueStar representative with the dispute case number *** and let her know that Southwest Appliance will not be responsible for the cost of the parts and to order all the parts and schedule another service to fix the issues. However, Rhonda did not get back to us about the order or service schedule date. I finally had to call her again after several weeks not hearing back. We always have to call Southwest Appliance to get information on availability of parts and service schedule; Rhonda has never called us with an update even once. This is the worst customer services received from any appliance retailer.
I contacted Southwest Appliance again on Friday, December 7, 2018 and raised issues with another sales person and requested the owner to call back as part of escalation. Roger S, Southwest owner, called back about 9:00 AM on Dec. 8th and restated all the issues again with him. He said that he will follow up with Rhonda on Monday Dec. 10th and will get back to us.
We are demanded Southwest Appliance to fix the following issue by Dec. 15th or replace the unit:
1. Level the stove where right side is lower than left
2. Adjust burners to eliminate any blow up when turned on
3. Replace the right side panel which is damaged
4. Install the Island Trim with correct screws
5. Eliminate the gas smell from right front burner by fixing the valve(s)
6. Replace two support bars under grills
For over 2 months, we had to live with a leaky gas putting our lives at risk of propane poisoning and dangerous explosion. There was no sense of urgency from Southwest Appliance or Bluestar to fix the issue immediately despite numerous notifications from me. In addition, it has been over 3 months now and still not getting closure on rest of the issues. I have now noticed a strong gas smell when in oven in uses. This new problem along with the rest of problems gives strong feeling that BlueStar has shipped us a faulty/lemon product. The poor product quality and unacceptable level of responsive from both parties are adding to the frustration thus not enjoying this expensive gas range.

As result of the above, I am requesting the range to be replaced or refund the unit.

Update: Very satisfactory experience with Southwest Appliance.
The owner of Southwest Appliance contacted me and fortunately, we were able to agree on a solution. The owner was understanding, apologetic, and willing to do the right thing to ease my concerns. After many dedicated attempts to fix my range, we determined the product itself is faulty, and Southwest Appliance is replacing the range because of safety issues. I am a satisfied customer -- while I may regret my brand choice, Southwest Appliance is not to blame at all for that, and they have now gone above and beyond to assure customer satisfaction. I'm happy to continue to support this longtime local business.