Alexander Robertson
1/5
I would give negative 5 stars for Albee's if it was an option.
I was seeking to place a simple order for a Whirlpool refrigerator w/ top freezer and have it delivered to my apartment in Silver Lake, and my landlord had directed me to Albee's. I visited the store, which was in complete disarray, and talked to one of their representatives, Sabino. We picked out the fridge and scheduled a delivery for the following Wednesday.
What followed over the the next three weeks constituted the worst customer service experience I've ever had or heard about, and I can't describe how strongly I recommend against ever purchasing from or interacting with Albee's.
I called several times to confirm the order and delivery status, and every time I would was put on hold for 15+ minutes waiting for Sabino. Each time Sabino answered, he would assure me that everything was on track and give an approximate timing window. Then, when I would call the morning of the delivery for a final confirmation, they had either forgotten about my delivery altogether or say that they were too busy and needed to reschedule. Several times, Sabino wouldn't even remember who I was and/or mix up my order with someone else. I gave him my name, address, and phone number on at least 5 different occasions, and there were 4 separate supposedly confirmed delivery days.
Today was supposed to be the final delivery day, and yet again Albee's turned in a horrific, baffling, infuriating performance. I was told the delivery driver would call me in the morning and give a dropoff time. No one called. I called in mid-morning (spending 30+ minutes on the line for a 2-minute conversation), and Sabino assured me everything was on track for delivery between noon and 2. I called again after noon to check on it and again was assured the prep was in process.
No one showed up and I called again at 3:30 after getting off a work call. Sabino was scrambling and out of sorts yet again, having clearly forgotten about it. They promised to call back within ten minutes, yet I had to call 45 minutes later after not hearing anything (being put on hold 4 different times). Finally Sabino said that they have a driver and a fridge, but that the driver can't do it today, only the next day, and that the only fridge available was the floor model. I requested either a discount on the floor model (in the middle of COVID, keep in mind) or a waiving of the delivery fee due to the multiple reschedules and hours of time I had sunk into all this, and Sabino refused. I spoke to his manager, who turned out to be a shareholder in Albee's, who also flatly refused and said there was no one else I could talk to. I shared the extent of my dissatisfaction and my amazement at how they treat their customers, and still, no support offered.
I ended up canceling the order altogether. The fridge, delivery, and removal of my old fridge would have been ~$825 through Albee's. Within 15 minutes of getting off the phone with them, I had the same exact fridge (but brand new, not a floor model) on order, with the same services, from Best Buy for a grand total of $705. If you offer higher prices, unimaginably weak customer service, and an awful in-store experience, as Albee's does, then you need to re-evaluate yourself from the ground up.
I typically go out of my way to support local businesses over chains, but Albee's is a disgrace to local businesses everywhere. What a joke. I'll be sharing this experience on every online review site possible and with the Better Business Bureau.
I don't know how Albee's is still in business, and I expect they won't be for much longer. Stay away and save yourself from hours upon hours of wasted time, elevated prices, and interaction with a terrible organization in general.
