Rainbow Appliance
MS Electronics & Appliances
210 River Rd
Clifton NJ 07014
973-471-2001

Bought a Friedrich Air Conditioner. Best price on a Friedrich model, by far. This is a NJ company = 20.

Do you offer installation I ask? Do you know the new rules for NYC installation? Can't be sure, says salesman J. He advises I get an authorized Friedrich dealer in NYC to install. I do this.

Lots of problems with delivery. Lots of excuses. Finally, after waiting from 9am to 4:45pm, I need to leave. They try again the next day, but I had to do all the calling and pleading. Rainbow apologizes and gives me extended warranty.

So the authorized installers arrive--not Rainbow-- and we all notice that the A.C parts are damaged in box---however I'm told it's an easy thing to replace, plastic parts of the plenum, but when installed and turned on, the fan is defective. Not an easy problem any more. I've purchased a defective machine. I called Rainbow immediately, but got the machine.

At 9am the following workday, I call Rainbow, tell someone the story, and am told they would get right back to me. Five calls and long bouts of waiting on hold, speaking to 3 different people, "I'll call you back" and nothing is done. No plan has been made, no help given. They are avoiding me. In the evening I call the original salesman J., and he is mean and taunting. He is laughing at me. He says "we're spending way too much time with you. He curses me "go screw yourself. Not once, but three times throughout the conversation. He jerks me around on the phone. RAINBOW DOES NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. Call Friedrich (the manufacturer), he says.

J., who sold me the machine, is now egregious. I ask many times for the company owner's contact number. J. says sure, here's his number, and he gives me the local information number. And laughs.

So it's 88 degrees in NYC this evening, and I have an A.C that I've paid over one thousand dollars for, and it doesn't work. And RAINBOW puts me on hold every time I call. And J. laughs when I call and hangs up on me.

LISTEN EVERYONE: RAINBOW ONLY WANTS YOUR MONEY, THEY ARE NO HELP IF THEY SELL YOU A LEMON. Buyers are sitting ducks. Once they have your money, you get no service. Caveat Emptor, don't do this to yourselves. They don't deserve your business. Can't remember when I've had a worse buying experience. I'm a mature business person, have had a successful career in sales, and these people give salespeople a bad name. Tomorrow I call Friedrich.

In the end, that discount price they offer is not worth the horrendous service. God help you if you receive a non-working appliance. You're screwed. I have my credit card company looking into this now. All I wanted was a replacement with a working machine by the company that sold me the item. This doesn't work with RAINBOW. Quick sale and goodbye.

I get a call a few days later from a Rainbow Manager; apologetic and he tries to make good and I let him try. So I stay home ANOTHER DAY (day 4) waiting for a 1pm delivery of a replacement A.C; I'm told the chassis of the damaged one will be extracted, the new chassis installed. A new cover will replace the cracked one. The bad air conditioner will be removed.

So the 2 young delivery guys come on time at 1pm (hooray, finally) and they see the damaged A.C in the window. What's wrong, I say? "We don't install, they say. We don't take the chassis out and replace it... someone else does it.

They call their manager, who wants to walk them through the process with my $1000 machine. I said to the young man,"you haven't done this before? He said, "I can try."

Oh BOY!!! That 's all I need. I call Rainbow, I call 5 times, I speak with 5 people, the Manager has "stepped away. The young delivery boys leave the new A.C boxed in my apartment. MY APARTMENT IS STILL HOT, WITHOUT A WORKING A.C, and it's June 21, and this has been going on since June 14.

This company, despite the manager's good intentions-- he is worried about the effect of published online criticism on his business-- CANNOT GET THIS RIGHT. They have wasted my entire week, and now will keep me in the heat for two consecutive weekends. I am beyond frustration, beyond tears. I say again, Caveat Emptor.

I get a call from the manager on Monday morning. Now tells me that he never said that his guys would replace the chassis and take away the one that doesn't work. He says Rainbow doesn't install in metro NY, although that's not what the website states: "We offer installation in the metro NYC area, all of NJ. We also offer installation in parts of Pennsylvania. There is an additional fee, so please call our sales department at 1-800-499-8009 or email us at sales AT rainbowappliance.com for a price quote."

He tells me it's my problem. He says that either he will have his drivers pick up the new boxed replacement A.C, or I have to pay someone for a second installation. He says he will charge my credit card for a second air conditioner if this doesn't resolve soon.

Two hours later he agrees to pay 1/2 of the installation cost... he will credit my account.

In summary, after maybe 30+ calls to Rainbow's 800# since the initial A.C delivery on June 15, I still have no working air conditioner, but maybe there will be a breakthrough this week. I have spent a full work week---5 days or more over the last 2 weeks---waiting for call backs or deliveries, writing to BBB and my bank. Yes, Rainbow offered a lower price on this machine. BUT YOU DO THE MATH. This was one expensive business transaction, in every way. For me, my business, my health. And it's by no means over. A real nightmare.

I understand the egregious salesman J. remains in his job, ever-ready to bully the next client. The manager, a mixed bag, tried to solve the situation, I guess. It took too long, and kept me in summer heat too long. No one should have to go through this.

One last thing:

On Sunday, I learn that Epinions has deleted my complaint about Rainbow Appliance. It was my first listing ever. They said I did something wrong, it wasn't too clear what, so I deleted what I thought could be the offending part - I used the first name of the egregious salesman and the manager. Perhaps Epinions - whose parent company is EBAY (and Rainbow Appliance is a big seller on Ebay, providing Ebay with many fees) was feeling the heat from Rainbow? Rainbow was pressuring me to take down the critique from the get-go. I don't know the truth of the matter, maybe never will because Epinions is not responding. But my right to complain has been limited by them, even while people were saying that my listing was "helpful".

I'm hoping this site will publish my complaint so that others can be warned.