So this is the first time, and hopefully the last, that I have legitimately been upset at Ryan Homes during this process. It may not seem to be that big of a deal farther down the road but for now, I'm pissed.
When making our initial selections, we were asked if we would like black or stainless steel appliances. We were shown pictures of both. Seemed simple enough at the time. I've always wanted stainless steel appliances so that is what we chose. We were never told of options to upgrade to a nicer set of appliances. I only learned of that option by reading so many blogs where people mentioned which level they upgraded too. Since we are past our 30-day window, I ignored it at first. I thought maybe in our region we did not have as many options as everyone else. Boy was I WRONG! I've been shopping for a refrigerator and I was told by the salesman that GE and GE Profile differ slightly in color and that I should confirm which I was getting for the rest of my appliances.
So I e-mailed my SR and asked her for the pictures and model numbers of the ones we are getting. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The dishwasher and microwave just look so cheap. The double wall oven didn't look as sleek as I was expecting. To make matters worse, I googled the model numbers for each and found extremely bad reviews, for the dishwasher in particular. We are building our dream home and I don't want to have to worry about poor-performing appliances. I want the top-of-the-line appliances to go with my gorgeous gourmet kitchen. I also don't want to have to replace any of them in the next year or two.
I replied to my SR and let her know of my disappointment. I asked her if there was any chance we could still upgrade. I also asked her to send me pictures and model numbers of ALL of my options. I told her which one we wanted, Premier IV Built-in Stainless/Black with the gas cooktop. She said she has to check with the costing manager since we are outside our 30-day window. Hopefully I expressed my disappointment enough for her to make sure this happens. It's not like they already ordered the appliances or anything. Heck, they don't even break ground for another two and half weeks!
I should hear back on Monday and I will let everyone know the verdict.
Serious fail by your SR. You've got every right to be angry. Our SR had a binder with pictures of each of the lines. And then later emailed us a pdf so we could contemplate.
ReplyDeleteAre you getting a gas cooktop and built-in microwave? Did they tell you that they have to put the microwave ridiculously high to meet code? Because of that we passed on the RH supplied microwave; they will wire for it at a normal height (same as if it were above an electric cooktop); and we will buy and install it ourselves later.
We do have a gas cooktop but we don't have the same building codes as other people in these blogs. I asked her about the placement of the microwave and she said it will go right over the stove, at a normal height.
DeleteBe careful with this. I've heard of keypads on the microwave melting because of the heat from the stove. I've also heard that the handle of the microwave gets burning hot from the stovetop as well. Its code where we're at that they cannot mount it over a gastop so we don't have to worry about it. It will be mounted under the cabinets next to the stove.
DeleteWow. I didn't even think about that. I do know several people who have their microwaves mounted over the stove and they have never had any problems with it. At least I know what to look out for!
DeleteWe were never really explained the different options of appliances either. In fact we initially upgraded to stainless and then changed our minds. We opted for basic black because we decided we wanted to buy all of our own (we are planning on selling the Ryan ones.) Then when I looked at our pricing worksheet, I found out that our sales rep have charged us for an upgraded black appliance for $475. I didn't even realize there were different levels of "basic". Why would we upgrade appliances we are planning on selling?? Needless to say, we eliminated that $475 upgrade.
ReplyDeleteOur friends are building with RH too and they decided to not get any appliances. They are getting them all on their own. I didn't want the hassle since they are built-ins. I am getting my own fridge though because I didn't like the ones they offer.
DeleteThis might help a little. I was looking for some more information myself and found the freestanding appliance packages from Ryan on this site. If you look for your 3 digit option code like 4GC you can go down the list and confirm what comes with the package. This matched what I had except that the microwave that I will be getting looks to be a model newer. From your options list you can see what the prices would be you look in the appliances section.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.creatingyourspace.com/PF/usercontent/ryanhomes/comparison/Freestanding-Packages_Product-Comparison.pdf
She sent me the list today of all of my options. The problem is that I am outside my 30-day window. Our selections are locked-in. She submitted a request to the costing manager to see if an exception can be made. I'm just crossing my fingers and awaiting a response. I should hear on Monday.
DeleteShe had us down for the Feature II option and I want to upgrade to Premier IV
Thanks for your offer to send me the images, I appreciate it. It looks like you saw I updated my post with those :-)
DeleteOh, this will hopefully help too with actual images. It looks to be pretty current but might be off just a little like the microwave I mentioned before.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.creatingyourspace.com/ryanhomes/contentpage.aspx?Id=22266
My SR never told me about appliance upgrades either! It was only when I asked her about it because I saw it on another blog did she tell me about the upgrade options. Luckily we were still in our 30 days so I was able to get the ones I wanted but seriously? What is it with them not telling us about ALL our options?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't understand why they don't get over every single option that we have. I know it can get tedious for them because they have to go over the same stuff with so many different people, but it's their job!! I expected to be told about every single option I had, no matter how big or small it was. We shouldn't have to ask.
DeleteThat does seem ridiculous - especially considering that they make more money with the more you spend (assuming they work on commission). Did you all get a master options list? Our SR gave us a 9-page list of all the options. Some of it didn't make sense because of all the codes and shorthand, but it was super helpful in making our decisions.
DeleteThey don't work on commission. They just have sales goals based on how many homes they can sell. It would probably be better if they had sales goals...then maybe they would make every upgrade and option known to us, instead of just skipping over what they don't think is important.
DeleteYou learn so much on these blogs. Had no idea it wasn't commission-based. Still a shame that some SRs aren't giving all the options.
DeleteThat is very dissappointing...hopefully there able to do something for you
ReplyDeletei find that whole "30 day window" thing crap. Somethings get locked in with obtaining permits, but many things can easily be changed up to the point they are ordered. Once they order the appliances, changing is way more difficult.
ReplyDeleteRemember, "persistence wears down resistance"