Home Depot and Lowes raise haul away fees for appliances
Updated: Oct 18, 2022
Big Box Stores like Home Depot and Lowes advertise free appliance delivery, but what is really the cost of free? Recently these retailers raised the price of their appliance haul away service and are now charging $40 per appliance to remove your old appliances.
For a typical four piece kitchen (refrigerator, range, over-the-range-microwave and dishwasher) that's $160 in just haul away charges. And what else are you supposed to do with your old appliances? Unless you have strong friends and a pick-up truck you either have to pay or leave them in a pile in your garage or yard.
When we heard that Home Depot and Lowes had raised haul away pricing, we had our research team reach out to several locations to confirm the increase and see why the price had gone up. The big box company stance was that they were only charging what the recycling facilities were charging them.
If this sounds sketchy, it's because it is. Our researchers also reached out to local recycling facilities to confirm cost and what they learned may shock you. Most of these facilities actually pay out on scrap metal!
This used to be a free service, but now seems to be a case of corporate greed and increasing profits at any cost. These companies already make a profit selling the scrap, but it's not enough. They want to line their pockets at the expense of middle class consumers who are already dealing with inflation.
Have you ever separated Home Depot and Lowes' appliance delivery and installation reviews from their overall reviews? An appliance is a major purchase and it's important to separate those reviews from reviews about buying paint or nails. Our study shows they average about a 1.4 stars on appliance specific reviews.
Although Home Depot and Lowes sell the most major appliances in the U.S., that doesn't mean they are customer favorites. In fact, Home Depot was ranked near the bottom, coming in at 19 out of 22 rated retailers in the most recent Consumer Reports survey. Appliances were also one of the five things this CBS news article recommends to avoid buying there.
What are your time, energy, and sanity worth? Many customers report spending hours on end trying to sort out their appliance delivery and installation issues with both companies.
You also have to buy numerous parts and accessories for their delivery teams to actually put your appliances in place and install them. If you have a dishwasher, microwave or gas appliance they charge for that as well through a separate outside contractor, and it isn’t inexpensive. Usually the appliance is not coordinated with a delivery and install at the same time.
So what is the actual cost of “free delivery?”
Do you have an experience to share about buying an appliance from the big boxes?
If you are buying a major appliance, make sure to check our store reviews before you buy: