Aus-Tex Appliance

They are very competitive. I have only bought a couple of appliances from him but I have sent people to this company and I know people who have bought from him before and they are very competitive and willing to work with you in order to get you things quickly as well as save you some money. They are easy to work with even though they don't have a showroom; it is a warehouse-type situation; that's what helps them with their pricing. When you go there you have to be familiar with the product because you may not be able to see the product you are looking for.

I was not especially impressed with Aus-tex Appliances. My situation was a little different, as I bought the oven over the phone. We're living in France, and our house is being rented. Our tenant called and said our 15-year-old GE oven was broken, and that the person who came out to look at it estimated about $500 to fix the control panel. We did not want to waste $500 on a control panel, so we decided to buy a new oven - no small feat when we live thousands of miles away from our home! I spoke with John at Aus-tex, and he was very nice. He gave me several options, and we finally settled on a Bosch oven which retails for about $2000, and he sold it to me for $1100. He did tell me it was a floor model, but neglected to mention that there were paint chips in the black enamel on the top. As far as I was concerned, it was in like-new condition. I had arranged to have them deliver the oven and install if possible. Since it was a different brand than the original, he warned me that it might require a bit of cutting of my cabinet to make it fit, and that he knew of several people who would do it for me at a reasonable price. The Aus-tex people delivered it, but for some reason didn't install it. They said it would't fit, so I had to arrange for someone else to come and cut the cabinets - but when they came, they did not need to cut anything, and just slid the oven into place. Not sure why the Aust-tex guys couldn't do the same thing. I first emailed Ben at Aus-tex to inform them of the paint chips, and even sent a picture. I never heard a word from anyone there in response to my email. Several days later, I spoke with someone else, and he basically said that since it was a floor model, what else should I expect? That's why it was discounted...but I've bought several floor models of other appliances, and none of them were damaged in any way. I should have been told of any damage beforehand, so I could then decide if I wanted to buy it. Bottom line is, they have good prices, but make sure you see the product in person.

Their price was good and I got a 6 year warranty. I like them much better than a big box store and they will come an fix it. They beat Lowe's price by at least 10%. They installed the appliances, too.

When I hooked them up one washer and one dryer were very badly damaged due to massive internal damage, I would guess they were dropped. When we called Aus-Tex to make a report and ask for working units we were told that once they were hooked up they could not be returned. In fact, once they are out of their packaging they cannot be returned. The only recourse I had was to get factory service. The closest approved repairman was in either Houston or Dallas. I am in Austin. Fortunately I am handy at repairing appliances and the manufacturer was friendly to the idea of sending me the parts I needed, and there were many! The repair to the dryer required complete disassembly and reassembly, about 3 hours of work, and the washer required two men half and hour to get the damaged part replaced. Unless your too are very handy, have the time and can do your own repairs, or wait to get someone out, I suggest you shop at a store that will make sure you are happy with your purchase. If an appliance that is represented as new is not 100% right when installed, you have many retail stores that will bring you another right away. My suggestion: Just ask point blank BEFORE you buy. Or enjoy your customer no-service. Two out of six units being non functional is far from acceptable. Will yours be working when you get it home?

Bought a new LG steam washer and dryer set after seeing it advertised on Craigslist. Was worried due to bad reviews. Went by to check them out though. Great prices - better than anywhere else in town. Friendly sales guy, Robert. Delivered within a couple days. Good delivery and install services, though they did dent the wood floor, so that lost them a star in our book -- but overall a good value and worth looking into if you want a great deal. We saved about $500-600 at AusTex versus Sears or Lowes.

A LIAR AND A THIEF. Ben is the most EVIL businessman I have ever dealt with. Check out the BBB--tons of complaints and he doesn't even acknowledge them, let alone attempt to resolve them. My 80 year old mother purchased a dryer to match the front loader washer we had bought elsewhere. She was told the dryer was a manufacturer's "scratch and dent." She was told that the dryer sold for $1200 and they would sell it to her for $800. The next day I picked up the dryer, took it to her house and set it up. We excitedly dried our first load in it--it left the clothes damp. Even on the "more dry" setting the clothes still came out damp. We tried to return the dryer. Firm no returns policy, even though it had been less than 8 hours. We told him it didn't dry. He set it up to test dry a towel. The sensor dry ended and the towel was still damp. Then he said he had accidentally had it set it to "less dry." He started dryer up again with "more dry" setting. The timer immediately dropped from 50 minutes to 3 minutes (time left) and indicated it was in the "cool down" stage. We were waiting the three minutes for it to finish but then, oops--he "accidentally" stopped the dryer. HE TOLD US THESE DRYERS WERE MANUFACTURED FOR THE EUROPEAN MARKET, AND THAT THE EUROPEANS LIKE TO LEAVE THEIR CLOTHES A BIT DAMP AND FINISH DRYING THEM ON AN OUTDOOR LINE. He got on the phone and pretended to talk to the manufacturer's customer service. They supposedly verified his "European" story, but alas, he couldn't hand over the phone because they were not allowed to talk to consumers, only dealers. After pitching a huge fit, we gave up and took the dryer home. It was a scratch and dent, so we could still get warranty service, right? But, according to the manufacturer it was NOT a scratch and dent it was a return. The manufacturer kindly sent a service man anyway who replaced the sensors. The dryer still leaves clothes damp--you have to set it on "more dry" and then restart it twice after it finishes to actually get the clothes dry. A $200 dryer would do a better job. AND, the $1200 retail? Actually $999.99.

Purchase was very straightforward. Delivery and installation was quick and professional.

The day of our repair appointment no one came. We contacted Ben and were told that the appointment had been forgotten and we could expect someone out the next day. Again, our appointment was not kept. This scheduled - missed appointment cycle continued for another month always with an excuse about why Aus-Tex was absent. At this point we were trying to be patient and understanding even though we had appliances that were completely non-operational. During the second month, we increased our calls to Ben to request service to several times a week. Finally a repair person from Aus-Tex showed up (hours late). He left saying he needed to order parts and would be back in a few weeks. Weeks pass and no contact. We call Ben and he now says that there was confusion and the parts were not ordered. More weeks pass and we recontact Ben. He says that there must be some misunderstanding - our appliances are not covered under his warranty and we will just have to live with them.