Inspect the appliance before you sign anything. Damage, a wrong model or missing parts are easiest to sort out while the delivery crew is still in your driveway. After that, the most common delivery-day mistakes are leaving washer shipping bolts in place and loading a refrigerator before it has had time to cool.
Do this first
While the crew is still there:
- Check the model number on the box or rating label against your order: size, color, gas or electric, and door style.
- Walk around the appliance with the packaging off. Look for dents, scratches, cracked plastic, a bent door or a broken handle, and look at the back, which people forget.
- Open every door and drawer. Check shelves, bins, racks and accessories against the manual's parts list.
- Photograph any damage with the crew present, and note it on the delivery paperwork before signing.
- Ask how the refrigerator traveled. GE says a refrigerator that lay on its side should stand upright for as long as it was on its side before being plugged in, and for 24 hours if it was on its side for more than a day. French-door and bottom-freezer models must always stay upright, though they can be tilted through doorways (GE Appliances).
In the next few hours
- Make sure washer shipping bolts are removed. Front-load washers ship with bolts or locks in the back that hold the drum still. Bosch says transit locks and bolts must be removed before you use the appliance (Bosch). Keep them for a future move.
- Let the refrigerator cool before loading it. Whirlpool advises waiting 24 hours after installation, and loading groceries once the fridge is at or below 37°F and the freezer at or below 0°F. Ice production can take up to three days to fill the bin (Whirlpool).
- Check water connections at the fridge, dishwasher and washer for drips after the first fill, and again an hour later.
- Confirm the anti-tip bracket is installed on a freestanding range, and ask whoever connected a gas appliance to leak-test the connection.
- Run a short first cycle on the washer, dishwasher or dryer while you're home and watching.
- Peel off protective film and remove foam blocks, tape and shipping clips inside drawers and drums.
Before the technician arrives
If something isn't right after delivery, note:
- The model and serial number from the rating label. It's often inside the fridge, along a dishwasher's door edge, around a washer door opening, or behind an oven door. Photograph it.
- The delivery date and the retailer. Keep the receipt and delivery paperwork together for any warranty claim.
- What's wrong and when it started: from the first minute, or after a day of running.
- Photos from delivery day.
What not to do:
- Don't sign "received in good condition" before you've inspected it.
- Don't run a front-loader with the shipping bolts in.
- Don't load groceries into a refrigerator that hasn't reached temperature.
- Don't move a gas range out to fix something yourself after it's been connected.
How to keep it from happening again
For the next delivery:
- Measure the doorways, stairs and the appliance's spot before the truck comes, including the depth with doors open.
- Have water valves, outlets and gas connections ready, and replace old supply lines and dryer ducts at the same time.
- Keep the manuals and register the appliance with the manufacturer.
- Keep the shipping bolts taped to the back of the washer or in a labeled bag.
If you're moving rather than buying new, read what to do when moving appliances in Texas summer heat. For warranty and out-of-warranty service on most makes, see the brands we repair.
Sources
- GE Appliances: Refrigerator moving instructions
- Bosch: Washing machine transport lock
- Whirlpool: How long to wait before adding food to a new refrigerator
Keep in mind: Most delivery-day problems are much easier to resolve when they're written on the paperwork before the crew leaves.
Call ProFix Dallas at (469) 886-1122 if a new appliance doesn't run right after installation.