Southbay Appliance
56 S. Autumn St.
San Jose, Ca 95110
408 920 9721
LIC# A42033

To whom it may concern,

I feel compelled to notify the public regarding this company due to their unprofessional, unreliable, and rude approach to handling clients. We originally bought an oven from Sears and were told by our insurance company “First American” that Southbay Appliance would be installing our oven. Once the oven was delivered we contacted Southbay Appliance in order to set an instillation date. On April 24th, 2007 a very unkempt and questionable individual was sent out in order to complete the install. We discovered upon opening the box that Sears had sent the wrong oven (same oven we ordered but one size smaller); however, it was not until this individual actually unboxed and attempted to install this oven that we discovered this discrepancy.

Red flags began appearing while this individual began the install and gained access to our home. In the middle of the install this unprofessional individual asked my boyfriend “can you go to Home Depot for me, I forgot the parts and I am in a hurry” (our appointment window was 3pm-6pm and it was only 3:45pm…leaving him plenty of time in order to complete his own errand). In my heart I truly believe he had every intention of having us leave our house completely unattended for a reason! We would never trust a stranger to have unattended access to our home and all our personal belongings. My boyfriend denied his request and it was obvious he was disappointed with our hesitation.

After he discovered that the appliance was not going to fit he completely abandoned the job and left the site completely unstable. The oven that was too small was left resting against the top ledge of the intended hole, leaning completely backwards into the hole forcing the front to unsafely rest half way out! We expressed our concerns and were reassured it was “safe.”

Prior to his leaving we also expressed concern regarding the propane smell that was becoming increasingly strong, we were also reassured that would self resolve. That evening our house filled with propane leaked from the appliance that was installed incorrectly, we knew that propane was an issue when the very next day our water heater no longer had enough gas…AKA very cold showers. We contact Southbay Appliance to notify them of the unprofessional job and leaking gas that had emptied our entire propane tank. We were told “we don’t deal with propane”…we later discovered that their instillation person had no experience with propane; however, when we asked for them to acknowledge their responsibility regarding filling the tank…they refused.

It has now been three weeks since we first contacted Southbay Appliance regarding the instillation; moreover, we continue to have a brand new oven in our yard waiting for someone to install. We have made appointments with Southbay Appliance three times in the past week in order to complete the install (if we do not use Southbay then it voids the warranty). Today was the third time that they failed to show up and/or call in order to notify us that the instillation would not be occurring. When I called to complain and demand to speak to a manager I was told “I was a rude bitch” and they refused to let me speak to their manager.

So now I sit here frustrated beyond belief with a brand new oven sitting in my yard with no future date for the instillation to be completed. I immediately went to Google in order research the reputation of this company and was shocked to find pages upon pages of complaints. Please be aware of this company and its questionable business practices. This letter including additional information was sent to BBB, "7 on your side" and additional California resources.

Thanks...
Nicole and Eric