5 minute readUpdated
1. Quoting
Delivery is priced per order rather than at a flat rate, because the honest cost depends on distance, the appliance, and what has to happen at your end. A dishwasher going into a ground-floor kitchen ten minutes away and a refrigerator going up two flights of stairs forty minutes away are not the same job.
Give the ZIP code, the appliance, the floor it is going to, and whether there are stairs or a tight turn. You will get a real number instead of a range.
2. Scheduling
Same-day delivery may be possible for an extra charge, depending on the day and whether a truck is already heading your direction. Calling early in the day materially improves the odds.
You will get a delivery window rather than an exact minute. Somebody over eighteen needs to be there to let the crew in and sign for the unit.
3. Preparing the space
Do these before delivery day, not during
- Measure the opening, then measure every doorway, hallway and stair turn the appliance has to pass through. The path is what fails, not the opening.
- Clear the path completely — rugs, furniture, the box in the hallway you have been meaning to move.
- Empty and defrost the old appliance if it is being hauled away. A freezer full of water is not going anywhere.
- Disconnect the old unit if you can, or arrange for the crew to do it when you book.
- Confirm your hookups match: 240V outlet type for an electric dryer or range, a gas line for gas, a water line for an ice maker.
4. Installation
Installation is quoted separately from delivery because requirements vary so much. A laundry hookup, a dishwasher install and a gas range connection are three different jobs with three different prerequisites.
The single most common blocker is a mismatch between the appliance and the hookup — a gas dryer bought for an electric hookup, or a 4-prong cord meeting a 3-prong outlet. Cords are cheap and swappable; a fuel type is not. Check before you buy, not on the day.
5. On arrival
Inspect the appliance before the crew leaves. Compare it against the condition described on the listing — the disclosed damage should be exactly what you were told, and there should be nothing new.
For refrigerators, let the unit stand upright for a few hours before plugging it in if it was transported on its side. This lets the compressor oil settle back where it belongs.
Questions
How should I prepare for appliance delivery?
Measure the appliance opening and every doorway, hallway and stair turn on the path to it. Clear that path. Empty and defrost the old appliance if it is being hauled away, and disconnect it if you can. Confirm that your electrical, gas and water hookups match what the new appliance needs, and make sure an adult will be home for the delivery window.