Designer Appliances is a New Jersey appliance dealer with three showrooms and an online store. It sells kitchen and laundry appliances from everyday brands like Whirlpool up to luxury lines such as Sub-Zero, Wolf and Miele, and it delivers and installs for customers in New Jersey and the New York City area.

We reviewed the store's published policies, its BBB and Trustpilot profiles and recent customer feedback. Short answer: yes, Designer Appliances is a legitimate, established dealer with an A+ BBB rating and very few complaints, but its 15-day return window and 20% restocking fee mean it suits buyers who have already settled on a model.

Designer Appliances at a glance

Founded2008, in Nutley, New Jersey
Headquarters280 Main St, Bedminster, NJ (flagship showroom); other showrooms in Montclair and Englewood, NJ
What it sellsKitchen and laundry appliances, from Whirlpool to Sub-Zero, Wolf and Miele, plus open-box and floor models
Shipping (US)In-home delivery and installation centered on New Jersey and the New York City area
ReturnsRequest within 15 days of receipt; 20% restocking fee; many items excluded
Customer service(888) 714-4938 or [email protected]
BBB (as of November 2026)A+, accredited since October 2018; 4 complaints in 3 years; 5/5 from 15 reviews
Trustpilot (as of November 2026)Unclaimed profile with no reviews

Who is Designer Appliances?

Designer Appliances was started in 2008 by John Carey, Tahi Hunter and Metin Ozkuzey, three homeowners with young children who found buying appliances slow and frustrating. According to a dealer spotlight on the True Caliber blog, the business began in Ozkuzey's basement in Nutley, New Jersey, then moved into the Small Business Incubator at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark before taking on larger office and warehouse space.

The company opened its Montclair showroom in 2013 and its flagship showroom and corporate headquarters in Bedminster in 2017. A third showroom sits at 47 W Palisade Ave in Englewood, in Bergen County, and welcomes walk-ins Monday through Saturday. The BBB lists the business as started in August 2008, with its headquarters at 280 Main St in Bedminster.

This is a regional specialist, not a national chain. The True Caliber profile says the company has expanded its network of delivery and installation partners, but that it no longer delivers directly to customers outside the New York metro area. If you live farther away, confirm service before you spend time comparing models.

What Designer Appliances sells and how prices compare

The catalog covers refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers and laundry, plus smaller items such as countertop coffee machines. Brand coverage runs from mainstream names like Whirlpool to premium lines. The store presents itself as an authorized Sub-Zero dealer, and its BBB reviewers mention buying Wolf ranges and Miele dishwashers there.

Comparing prices takes a little effort. On some product pages, the store says its price is below the manufacturer's minimum advertised price, and that the brand doesn't allow it to show that price until you take another step. So the number you see first may not be the number you'd pay.

The store also has a price-match policy. If you find a lower price on the same product at another authorized retailer, it says it will try to meet or beat it. The competitor must appear on the manufacturer's authorized dealer list, the item must be brand new and in stock, the comparison uses the competitor's full price including taxes, shipping and handling, and no other offers or discounts can be combined with the match.

Open-box and floor-model deals

Designer Appliances keeps a separate open-box section with reduced prices on open-box and floor-model units. The store says open-box stock can include items other customers returned, and it describes these units as being in good condition, often like new.

Read the return policy before you buy one. Floor models are on the list of items that can't be returned, and so are products without their original packaging, which may rule out some open-box units too. Ask in writing whether the item can come back and how the manufacturer warranty applies, and look the unit over carefully before the crew installs it.

Shipping and delivery

Delivery is built around the store's home region. Its brand pages describe white-glove delivery across New Jersey and in select parts of New York, including Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the Englewood showroom page says the store also serves Westchester County and New York City. For apartment buildings, the store says its crews will work with your contractor or building management on freight elevators, access windows and floor protection.

Installation is sold as a separate service on many items. The range installation listing, for example, carries a free in-home delivery label, but it warns that installation may not be available everywhere, mainly in rural and less populated areas, and it doesn't include LP (propane) conversion. We couldn't find a published fee schedule for delivery or old-appliance removal, so get the full total in writing before you pay.

Inspect everything when it arrives. The return policy tells customers to refuse a damaged delivery and note the damage on the bill of lading, and to report concealed damage, the kind you only find after unpacking, within 24 hours of delivery.

Returns, refunds and warranty

This is the policy to read most carefully. You have 15 days from the date you receive your shipment to request a return, and the store deducts a 20% restocking fee from the refund. On a $3,000 range, that works out to $600, and delivery and installation charges are not refunded either.

Many items can't be returned at all. The policy excludes air conditioners, dehumidifiers, trim kits, special orders and accessories, and it treats liquids and water filters as final sale. Products that have been used or installed, floor models and items missing their original packaging are also ineligible. In practice, once an appliance is installed and running, a problem becomes a warranty matter rather than a return.

That warranty process runs through the brand. In a 2025 BBB complaint, a customer described a Miele countertop coffee machine of almost $2,500 that kept showing errors after two service visits from a Miele-approved center arranged by the store. Designer Appliances replied that, as a dealer, it has to follow the manufacturer's process, and said a replacement had been authorized and delivered on March 13. The policy details we could access don't say how quickly refunds are processed, so ask when you start a return.

What customers say

Independent review volume is thin. Designer Appliances' Trustpilot profile is unclaimed and had no reviews as of November 2026, so the BBB is the main place to see recent feedback.

There, the picture is strong. The BBB gives the business an A+ rating, and its 15 customer reviews average 5 out of 5. Reviews posted from 2024 to 2026 repeatedly praise knowledgeable salespeople, competitive quotes and courteous delivery and installation crews. One 2025 reviewer mentioned a defective range door, which the store agreed to replace.

Formal complaints are rare: 4 in the last three years and 1 in the last 12 months, as of November 2026. All four are classified as service or repair issues, and the company responded to each one. The complaint published in full is the coffee machine case above, which shows the main risk with any appliance dealer: when a product misbehaves, the fix depends on the manufacturer's service network, and that can take weeks.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A+ BBB rating, accreditation since 2018 and only 4 complaints in three years
  • Three New Jersey showrooms where you can see premium appliances before you buy
  • White-glove delivery crews that work with building management on freight elevators in New York City
  • Price match against authorized dealers, based on the competitor's full delivered price
  • Open-box and floor-model stock at reduced prices

Cons

  • Short 15-day return window and a 20% restocking fee
  • Special orders, accessories, floor models and installed units can't be returned
  • Service is focused on New Jersey and the New York City area, and installation isn't offered in some rural areas
  • Some prices stay hidden until you take an extra step because of manufacturer pricing rules
  • Delivery and installation charges aren't refunded if you send something back
  • Almost no independent reviews outside the BBB

Tips before you order from Designer Appliances

  1. Measure the cutout, doorways, stairs and elevator, and confirm your fuel type, before you order. Range installation doesn't include propane conversion, and the 15-day window leaves little room for second thoughts.
  2. Give the store your ZIP code and building details up front, and ask it to confirm in writing that delivery and installation are available at your address.
  3. Get a written total that covers delivery, installation and removal of your old appliance, since delivery and installation charges are nonrefundable.
  4. For a price match, bring a quote from a manufacturer-authorized dealer showing the full price with tax and shipping, and don't plan to stack other discounts on top.
  5. Check every box at delivery. Refuse visible damage and note it on the bill of lading, and report anything you find after unpacking within 24 hours.
  6. Before buying open-box or floor-model stock, ask whether it can be returned and how the warranty applies.

Is Designer Appliances legit? Our verdict

Yes. Designer Appliances is a real, established dealer with three showrooms, an A+ BBB rating and a very short complaint history. It's a good fit for shoppers in New Jersey and the New York City area who are planning a kitchen or laundry upgrade, want to see premium appliances in person, and value a crew that will handle delivery and installation in a tricky building.

Look elsewhere if you live outside its service area or want flexibility after the appliance arrives, because the 15-day window, 20% restocking fee and long list of exclusions leave little margin for a change of mind. National retailers such as AJ Madison or Best Buy are worth comparing on price, delivery coverage and return terms before you commit.

Visit Designer Appliances

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