Ordering an appliance online takes about ninety seconds. Delivery day is the bit that goes wrong — and almost always for reasons that were entirely avoidable a fortnight earlier.
This is the honest version of what happens, in order, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
Step 1 — What happens right after you order
Only the order is confirmed do we take payment and send the order out. If something is on backorder, we will contact you rather than sitting on your money.
From that point, orders are dispatched within 5 to 7 working days,. If you have not had tracking within 6 working days, chase us — email contact@coreappliances.co.uk and we will find out where it is.
Full detail is on our shipping and refunds policy.
Step 2 — Check your address is right. Properly.
This is the one that costs people the most time, and it comes up more often than you would think.
Autofill is helpful right up until it is not. It grabs an old address, or a similarly named street, or drops the flat number. Then a two-metre appliance arrives at a house that is not yours, or does not arrive at all.
Two minutes of checking now saves a fortnight later:
- Does the house number actually exist on that postcode? Long streets often split across two or three postcodes, and odd and even numbers are frequently on different ones.
- If you live in a flat, is the flat number and the building name or number both in there?
- Is there an A, B or similar after your house number?
- Is it your current postcode, not the one you moved from?
You can check any UK address free on the Royal Mail postcode finder. If we spot something that does not match, we will message you before dispatch — we would far rather ask than guess.
Step 3 — Measure the route, not just the gap
Everyone measures the space the appliance is going into. Far fewer measure how it gets there.
Before delivery day, walk the route the appliance has to travel and measure the narrowest point:
- Front door and any porch or storm door
- Hallways, and any tight turn at the bottom or top of stairs
- Internal doorways, including the kitchen door
- Ceiling height on a staircase with a low bulkhead
American fridge freezers and 90cm or 120cm range cookers are the usual casualties. They are big, heavy and completely unforgiving about a tight turn. Our guide on how to measure for kitchen appliances covers this properly, and the American fridge freezer guide goes further on the really big ones.
Also worth checking: parking. If the delivery vehicle cannot get near your property, or there is a permit zone with no loading, tell us in advance rather than letting the driver discover it.
Step 4 — Have the space clear and ready
On the day, before the van arrives:
- Clear the route. Move the hall table, roll up the runner, get the bikes out of the way.
- Empty the old appliance. Defrost a freezer at least 24 hours beforehand, and drain a washing machine down.
- Know where it is going. Decide the exact spot in advance so nobody is holding 90kg of steel in a corridor while you think about it.
- Check what your delivery includes. Some deliveries are to your door, some go further into the property. If you need it in a specific room, or up a flight of stairs, ask us before you order so we can tell you what is possible.
Step 5 — Inspect it before you accept it
This is the most important sentence in this article.
Inspect the item thoroughly at the point of delivery, and do not accept anything that is damaged.
Look at the packaging first — crushed corners, punctures, tape that has been reapplied. Then, if you reasonably can, look at the appliance itself. Check the glass on an oven door, the fascia, the sides, and any exposed edges.
If something is damaged, refuse it. If you have already accepted it and then spot damage, send clear photos to contact@coreappliances.co.uk straight away and we will open an insurance claim on your behalf. Photographs taken at the point of delivery are worth far more than photographs taken four days later.
It feels awkward to turn a delivery away. It is much less awkward than living with a dented oven.
Step 6 — Fitting it (and who is allowed to)
Delivery and installation are separate things, and some connections are not a DIY job in the UK:
- Gas appliances must be connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That is a legal requirement, not a recommendation.
- Anything needing a new or upgraded electrical supply — most induction hobs, range cookers and some ovens — needs a qualified electrician. Induction in particular draws far more than a gas hob, so an existing circuit may not be adequate.
- Integrated appliances need a cabinet door fitted to them, which is a separate job again. Our integrated appliances guide explains why the door is not supplied and which hinge system you need.
Book your engineer for a few days after the delivery date, not the same morning. Deliveries slip, and a Gas Safe engineer standing in your kitchen with nothing to connect is an expensive hour.
Step 7 — Register your warranty within 28 days
Easy to forget, and it costs real money.
Several of the brands we stock give you a free extended warranty — often 5 years instead of 2 — but only if you register within 28 to 30 days of delivery. Smeg, Bosch, Neff, Siemens, Haier, Hoover and Candy all run schemes along these lines on selected models.
Miss the window and you keep the standard two years. Nobody sends you a reminder.
You will need the model and serial number from the rating plate, and your order date. Our warranty page lists the periods by brand and links straight to the registration forms.
If something is not right
Refund requests need to be made within 14 days of the purchase date, and refunds go back to the original payment method. Orders cancelled more than 48 hours after being placed may attract additional fees, and if the order has already been dispatched, return shipping is the buyer's responsibility.
That is the formal position, and it is on our policy page. In practice, message us first — most problems are quicker to solve by talking to a person.
Frequently asked questions
How long will my order take?
Dispatch is within 5 to 7 working days once availability is confirmed, with tracking emailed within 48 hours of dispatch.
Will I get a delivery date in advance?
You will get tracking details by email once the order is dispatched. If you need to know before you order — because you are booking a fitter, or you are away — message us and we will find out.
Do you take away my old appliance?
Ask us before you order rather than assuming. If we cannot arrange it, your local council will usually collect large appliances for a small fee, and it is worth booking that in advance.
What if I am not in?
Somebody needs to be there — these are large items that have to be signed for and inspected. If your date is not going to work, tell us as early as you can.
Should I book the fitter for the same day?
No. Leave a few days between delivery and installation. It costs nothing to wait and a lot to have a tradesman turn up to an empty kitchen.
Delivery costs?
Delivery is free on UK orders over £400. Below that a delivery charge applies — it is shown at checkout.
Anything you are not sure about, just ask
If you are uncertain whether something will fit through your door, whether your electrics are up to it, or when your order is likely to land, message us on WhatsApp — a real UK-based person, seven days a week, usually replying within half an hour.
We would much rather spend five minutes answering a question than deal with a failed delivery. So would you.
