Appliances

As I referenced in the last blog, we stopped en route to the final apartment summit to look at appliances. I think I may mentioned this, but in Delhi, an unfurnished apartment has nothing in it.  No refrigerator, no appliances, nothing.  Typically, they do not even have light fixtures or air conditioning installed.  One of the huge bonuses of this place was that the air conditioners (and lights) were installed and the kitchen had the minimum requirements including a cooktop.  I only had to supply the refrigerator, oven, microwave, water purifier, dishwasher, and washing machine.  So basically, all the really expensive bits of a good kitchen remodel.  


Delhi's shopping is divided into markets which, for the most part, specialize in specific products.  There is a market for clothing, a market for fabric, a market for home furnishings, a market for weddings and, of course, a market for appliances.  


There are actually a few markets for appliances, but we went to the one Amrita, the consultant, felt would give us the best price.  We started off in the brand showrooms which is the process here.  These are shops that are sponsored by a particular brand and have all the products from said brand - from TVs to dishwashers to irons.  All the big names are in India, Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, but there are some lessor known brands, as well.  One uses these larger stores to get a feel for what is out there (in the absence of an Indian Consumer Report), but they do not really negotiate deeply, so they tend to be more expensive than the local shops.  You always have the malls, though, but you will pay 20% more without a doubt. 


So, we looked at the Samsung, Miele and LG showroom and I got an idea of what I needed and what I would be paying.  It was not pretty, but cheaper than eating out for 2 years. Appliances here are roughly 60-100% higher than what you would pay in the states.  A basic microwave is roughly $200 and an electric kettle will set you back about $80.  As well, some of the items that we take for granted are rare and outragously expensive here.  A very basic refrigerator with one crisper drawer is roughly $800, but if you want the fancy features insides, you just moved yourself into the $1200+ range.  The big price move, though, is from a two door (freezer on top) to a side-by-side.  The same features in a side by side will cast you 1/3 more just for the design.  Needless to say, we went for a basic fridge.


The washing machine is another gem.  There is no room to put a dryer in a Delhi apartment, so most people hang their clothes to dry.  If you want a dryer, you need to buy a combo washer/dryer that washes, then changes the cycle to dry.  There are only two companies that have this product available in Delhi, LG and Miele and the Miele combo is $5000.  So we went with the LG.  Ironically, it looks the same as the LG we have our basement currently.  Right now, they only sell the larger 9kg LG combo in India, but the smaller one, 6kg, will be available on July 14th.  I plunked down my money to hold it and it should be delivered before I leave.  


I decided to hold off on the oven until the boss arrives, so that she could help with the decision making processes.  You have two options - you can go with a separate oven and microwave or you can go with a convention microwave.  The latter is a neat little gadget that allows you to cook as a separate oven or microwave or combine them to cook more quickly with the ability to brown.  As well, some of the nicer models have halogen heating elements (radiant heat) which are very quick and efficient (no preheating).  One actually has a feature that you can scan the barcode of the product and it knows exactly how to cook it.  These ain't cheap, though, so we will see what the wife wants. 


So I picked out my products and went to pay. I whipped out my credit card and received a big, fat and slightly embarrassing - Denied!   I so should have seen this one coming.  I may have forgot to tell the credit card company that I was moving to India and apparently a few thousand dollar charge from a developing nation sends up some flags.  I would be disappointed if it didn't.  I called the number on the back of the card and walked through the 450 automated menus until I finally got a human (who was probably in the building next to me).  I told him the issue and we went through the obligatory 50 questions to verify who I was.  Then, in the interest of customer service he decided this was a great time to update my personal information.  I took the first couple questions in stride, but when we got to the mailing address and would it be OK if he sent me Credit Card offers, I snapped.  I loudly explained to him that I was in an appliance shop in New Delhi India, it was 109 degrees and I was on a cell phone.  I wanted to buy my appliances and go home.  His response? -  "I totally understand sir, there are only a few more questions."  Really, that was the answer! "Are you trying to piss me off," I retorted.   I asked to speak to a supervisor which I thought would help, but only drew out the process.  The supervisor, adding insult to injury, wanted to review my last 5 purchases to ensure they were legitimate.  Finally, the ordeal ended and the card was cleared.  A nasty email to Capital One will be forthcoming.  


In the end I bought the appliances and went home to take a well needed shower. 


Another check off my list.