# Buying appliances and getting them installed in Paris area



## DC12345

Hi. Just wondering where is a good place to buy new appliances (refrigerator, stove, cabinets, etc) in the Paris area and how to find people who will install them? I was thinking maybe IKEA?...has anybody had experiences buying appliances in IKEA France and having them also design/install your kitchen? I hear there's shortage of good repair/handymen in France (just like US) and I was thinking IKEA might be a good one stop shopping solution for someone who does not speak the language. Any other suggestions would be great. Merci beaucoup.


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## Bevdeforges

Darty is my go-to spot for buying appliances. And I normally buy them from the website, where you can schedule delivery - which includes installation and hauling away any old appliances. Have found the Darty delivery guys to be super friendly (though not usually English speaking - not that I've asked) and after installing your new appliance, they run you through how to use it and take away the packaging material. Prices are normally pretty good, too.


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## DC12345

Bevdeforges said:


> Darty is my go-to spot for buying appliances. And I normally buy them from the website, where you can schedule delivery - which includes installation and hauling away any old appliances. Have found the Darty delivery guys to be super friendly (though not usually English speaking - not that I've asked) and after installing your new appliance, they run you through how to use it and take away the packaging material. Prices are normally pretty good, too.


oooooooooh.....I love that. So many selections too!!! MErci Bev!!!


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## dpdapper

Bevdeforges said:


> Darty is my go-to spot for buying appliances. And I normally buy them from the website, where you can schedule delivery - which includes installation and hauling away any old appliances. Have found the Darty delivery guys to be super friendly (though not usually English speaking - not that I've asked) and after installing your new appliance, they run you through how to use it and take away the packaging material. Prices are normally pretty good, too.


I’ve used Darty for several new appliances as well but have had decidedly mixed experiences (plural) with their installation services. If all you need is for them to remove your old fridge or stove/cooker, roll a new one into place, and hook it up, no problem. Anything else (e.g., installing a custom door on a built in dishwasher or fitting a built-in microwave), good luck.


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## DC12345

dpdapper said:


> I’ve used Darty for several new appliances as well but have had decidedly mixed experiences (plural) with their installation services. If all you need is for them to remove your old fridge or stove/cooker, roll a new one into place, and hook it up, no problem. Anything else (e.g., installing a custom door on a built in dishwasher or fitting a built-in microwave), good luck.


Hmm ok. Do you have view on them vs IKEA? (have you also looked into IKEA as well?).


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## Bevdeforges

dpdapper said:


> Anything else (e.g., installing a custom door on a built in dishwasher or fitting a built-in microwave),


Darty terms and conditions specifically state that the regular delivery service folks will not do installation of "encastrable" appliances - i.e. built ins - unless you're having your whole kitchen done by Darty (so that they're handling the "design" aspect).

To answer the other question on the table - does IKEA actually do delivery and set up here in France? It has been a while since I've been to our local IKEA, but I believe they ALWAYS charge for delivery and there may well be a separate charge for set-up, too. Again, unless you have IKEA do the design work for your kitchen and they are installing the cabinets and the whole deal - in which case it's included in the project estimate.


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## BackinFrance

dpdapper said:


> I’ve used Darty for several new appliances as well but have had decidedly mixed experiences (plural) with their installation services. If all you need is for them to remove your old fridge or stove/cooker, roll a new one into place, and hook it up, no problem. Anything else (e.g., installing a custom door on a built in dishwasher or fitting a built-in microwave), good luck.


Generally you need to go to local spécialist suppliers for that service, there is certainly at least one supplier where I live who will do it whether or not you get the kitchen supplied/designed by them and they are very reasonably priced, which is why I would not go Darty etc, or more precisely it is one of many reasons.


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## Lydi

If your appliances are standard size and you are just replacing like for like, Darty will install them.
We've had our built-in fridge, oven, dishwasher and hob replaced. The only problem was with the dishwasher door cover - they didn't have what we wanted in stock. We bought one from Leroy Merlin and OH fitted it.


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## Bevdeforges

Not sure what you have against Darty, but for a newly arrived expat, it's probably the handiest place I can think of to get "start up" appliances. The "demo" of how the things work is particularly useful (even if you don't understand every word) because the functioning of quite a few of the "major" appliances here in France can be very different from how the same appliances work in the US.

Once you're set up and have a working knowledge of French, it definitely pays to check out the local suppliers, as the follow up customer service can be much more personalized.


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## DC12345

Just to give a more color, we will be moving to a new apartment and there is nothing in the kitchen - no cabinets, no refrigerator, etc (I guess it's common in France???). So we have an empty kitchen and need someone to install things -- I guess it will be less work in that nobody needs to take away old appliances that you dont' want but it is more work in that it's a blank sheet and we need to start from scratch- new design, take measurements, etc (which is fun for my wife but all I see is more $$$$$.....!!!).


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## Bevdeforges

I wouldn't call it "common" but it's not that unusual - certainly not in Paris. It was definitely the "norm" back when I was living in Germany, though. There was a good market in Germany for complete kitchens - either to simply transfer to your new flat, or sometimes you could buy the kitchen the former tenant had installed. When I left my last place in Germany, the landlord bought my kitchen, which allowed him to raise the rent for the next tenant. 

This is one of those situations where not speaking French (or much French) can make life really difficult. Otherwise I'd suggest that this could be a great opportunity to meet some of your new neighbors to ask them where they got their kitchens from. Though you will have to hire the appropriate tradespeople to install the electrical and plumbing based items so they can "certify" the installation. (Or at least I had to in Germany.)


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## bhamham

dpdapper said:


> I’ve used Darty for several new appliances as well but have had decidedly mixed experiences (plural) with their installation services. If all you need is for them to remove your old fridge or stove/cooker, roll a new one into place, and hook it up, no problem. Anything else (e.g., installing a custom door on a built in dishwasher or fitting a built-in microwave), good luck.


Darty came Wed to deliver my new fridge. I had ticked the box that said there were more than three steps to climb to the level where is was to be installed. There's maybe 7 or 8 steps that are not very steep and really wide as they go to the front door. The delivery guys hemmed and hawed and then said they had to call the boss. Boss man said no and they stuck it in the garage. I went down to the Super U this morning and got a couple of the store workers to do it.

I'd use Darty again but as said the installation or delivery to its final resting place can't be too difficult.


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## Nunthewiser

bhamham said:


> Darty came Wed to deliver my new fridge. I had ticked the box that said there were more than three steps to climb to the level where is was to be installed. There's maybe 7 or 8 steps that are not very steep and really wide as they go to the front door. The delivery guys hemmed and hawed and then said they had to call the boss. Boss man said no and they stuck it in the garage. I went down to the Super U this morning and got a couple of the store workers to do it.
> 
> I'd use Darty again but as said the installation or delivery to its final resting place can't be too difficult.


So, you told them there were more than 3 steps in advance, they showed up with it and then freaked out. That really seems bizarre. Why didn't they just decline the transaction in the first place? Or charge extra? In the US , you would b!tch and moan about it to management but in France...?


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## Peasant

DC12345 said:


> ...has anybody had experiences buying appliances in IKEA France and having them also design/install your kitchen?


Both I and my sister have had Ikea design and install kitchens (and their appliances) with great success. You do some initial measurements with photos and meet with one of Ikea's designers to get something laid out to your satisfaction. Then an installation contractor assigned by Ikea comes in to do exact measurements. If you need any electrical or major plumbing work done they'll give you the specs and you can find your own people or they can recommend people.
In our case we had the entire kitchen stripped and re-done and an entirely new one put in. In my sister's case it was a smaller affair. Everything went smoothly and was done well. I'd recommend them.
The only appliance we bought that wasn't from Ikea was a Samsung washer/dryer. We gave them the specs and it was included in the design and easily installed by the Ikea contractors.


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## DC12345

Peasant said:


> Both I and my sister have had Ikea design and install kitchens (and their appliances) with great success. You do some initial measurements with photos and meet with one of Ikea's designers to get something laid out to your satisfaction. Then an installation contractor assigned by Ikea comes in to do exact measurements. If you need any electrical or major plumbing work done they'll give you the specs and you can find your own people or they can recommend people.
> In our case we had the entire kitchen stripped and re-done and an entirely new one put in. In my sister's case it was a smaller affair. Everything went smoothly and was done well. I'd recommend them.
> The only appliance we bought that wasn't from Ikea was a Samsung washer/dryer. We gave them the specs and it was included in the design and easily installed by the Ikea contractors.


Great info. Thank you so much.


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## zarathustra

Maybe Ikea's changed now, but when I went there wanting a new kitchen for Paris (still had one from the 1960's, which was in fairly good condition, but getting very dated), they simply sat us down at a computer with a very limited CAD program and got us to try and design it ourselves. The software couldn't cope with many things, including a small gap that would be left at the edge of the room, as the sizes were a little off. The staff were clueless.
I forget the name of the shop we went to in the end - it was a little bit more expensive than Ikea, but much better quality. We sat down with someone and they designed it for us according to our needs and stayed with us throughout the whole process, solving problems like the gap (turned it into a 6inch wide high panel that could be opened like a cupboard to store a broom).
Finding a trustworthy entrepreneur is a different matter, but we had someone install it, and a decade on it still looks brand new and great.

As I say maybe Ikea's come along now... Back then they also owed me an office chair that they failed to deliver - no amount of letters, phonecalls, emails would get them to resolve it, and I ended up out of pocket, so I've boycotted them forever since.


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## DC12345

Bevdeforges said:


> Darty is my go-to spot for buying appliances. And I normally buy them from the website, where you can schedule delivery - which includes installation and hauling away any old appliances. Have found the Darty delivery guys to be super friendly (though not usually English speaking - not that I've asked) and after installing your new appliance, they run you through how to use it and take away the packaging material. Prices are normally pretty good, too.


UPDATE: I went with Darty and it has been a positive experience. Found an English speaking employee who ended up being my "project manager" and he helped design/install the entire kitchen and other work in the house. Thank you!


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