Unacceptable Service & Buying a Washer
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I don’t like confrontation and avoid it at all possible costs.
But I also don’t like getting the run around and waiting a month without a working washing machine.
On Monday, I called the appliance repair company, and it wasn’t very pleasant.
The owner said he’d send someone out next week to look at my washer, the one they’ve worked on twice now. I told him that was not acceptable, and that it had already been a month.
Nope, No More Waiting:
I said I wasn’t going to wait that long because I wanted someone out immediately. Or he could refund some of my money.
He told me I wasn’t being fair, and he laughed. I hate it when a man laughs at me. That’s the equivalent of fingernails scratching across a feminist’s chalkboard. I told him he could just figure it out.
After a bit more back-and-forth, he called me back and said he’d send someone that afternoon.
The appliance technician arrived (I’d asked for a different one). It took him less than 15 minutes to tell me the main control board would have to be replaced. The part was around $200. He said they’d throw in the labor for free.
No. That wasn’t going to happen. I’ve already spent $400, and the washer wasn’t even worth that, I figured. So I sent him on his way.
Buying Another Washing Machine:
So Rhonda came to pick me up, and we went to an appliance store to shop for a washer.
The saleswoman showed me a floor-model navy-blue washer. Hm. Well, I wasn’t considering buying a blue washing machine. But to save money, I could get on board.
So I bought a floor model GE Profile without an agitator. The saleswoman said I could buy an agitator if I wanted. That particular floor model just didn’t have an agitator.
Washing machines with agitators use a central post that twists back and forth, rubbing against clothes to help break apart stains. In contrast, I found out, washing machines with impellers use a low-profile cone or disc that spins to rub clothes against one another and get them clean.
Impeller Washing Machines:
This is also what I learned. Impellers create more space in the wash basket, allowing clothes to move more freely and reducing wear and tear. The design also makes it easy to load and unload bulky items.
Impeller washers also typically use less water and energy than agitator models. They create a thorough clean by driving clothes from the outer rim of the wash basket to the center, using moving water to optimize the friction between garments.
Impeller models often have high spin speeds that wick moisture from clothes, resulting in shorter dry times.
Did I Want a Dryer?
Did I want the matching floor-model dryer they had for sale, she asked? I figured, for the price I was getting, I’d go ahead and get the dryer.
Did I want the warranty? I had a one-year warranty on the one headed to “dead-washing-machine-land,” and it hadn’t done me a bit of good. Because when it decided to quit, I was a few months beyond that.
She told me that it was a five-year warranty, and they would replace any part or, if necessary, provide a new washing machine. Not at the price I was getting it for as a floor model, but at full price. Five-year warranties for the washer and dryer came to just under $400.
I went ahead and purchased the warranty. With that, and for someone to install and take away my washer and miscellaneous parts, the price came to just under $2000. Still, I was saving around $500 buying floor-model appliances instead of what is considered brand new.
What I Had Planned to Buy:
I’d decided before we got to the appliance store that I’d probably buy a Maytag. That was before I saw the difference in size.
The Maytag washer wasn’t as big inside as the GE, which I believe is 5.3 cubic feet. And it’s important to me to be able to launder big blankets and quilts.
One of you had emailed me to say that Whirlpool had purchased Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, Jenn-Air, and Consul. And I was not happy with Whirlpool.
The Speed Queen brand sounded great, but it was just too expensive.
Rhonda has a GE washer and dryer. I’ve had GE-branded appliances before, but I don’t think I’ve ever had their washers.
Google & Addresses:
I’ve found that a problem today is that if directions to an address aren’t on Google Maps, you apparently don’t live there. A delivery driver for my washer/dryer called me yesterday morning and said, “I’m in your driveway now.”
I looked out the window and said, “No, you’re not.”
Then I stepped out onto the porch. I told him I was looking at my driveway, and no one was in it. He told me he pulled up my address on Google, and he was where the Google directions led him.
I said I live in a cul-de-sac. And he said he was parked in a cul-de-sac. I told him it wasn’t mine, as I stood there, looking out over the cul-de-sac to my right.
Then he typed the word for the number into Google instead of the actual number, and it told him where to go. He said my address was supposed to be spelled out.
And I said no, it isn’t. This house has been here for over a century. All my mail goes to the number instead of the number’s spelling.
Wonders Never Cease:
Wonders never cease. Apparently, Google is not always correct. Imagine that!
But by and by, he arrived with my washer and dryer. The two men were quite efficient and kind once the house address dilemma was behind us. One of them made sure the washer was level and tried both out to make sure they worked.
They hauled the Whirlpool washer, which met its demise after just over a year of operation, out the door. I had already given the dryer to my next-door neighbor, who didn’t have one that worked.
And then they were gone, and I was looking at a navy blue washer and dryer in my laundry room. It’s sure nice being able to do laundry after about a month with one that didn’t work properly.
What brand do you have?
I got the Speed Queen washer and dryer, in black. I figure, at my age, they might actually outlast me ! The store I purchased from is also the official repair service for Speed Queen appliances in my area and I liked that, that they are local. And if I move to new home, I can arrange for that store to pick up my washer and dryer and bring them to my new home. There is a special ‘thingie’ that you put in washer if you move it, which they give you at delivery. They had a ‘little’ sale on them in July 2024 and I bit the bullet, tax & delivery etc at $2,300.00 That did make my eyes water but I have had it with the crap appliances now !!!
So Whirlpool bought out Maytag and others…NOT A GOOD THING…right now I just have what is in this apt as they would not allow me to bring my Maytags. But in case I am ever in a situation where I need to buy some again, I will file that away about Whirlpool. I surely hope this set of machines will work a long time!! It is good of you to share your experiences here…to alert the rest of us!!
I always liked Whirlpool. I bought one for that first apartment and had to leave it behind. It didn’t have all the bells and whistles, so maybe that’s why it lasted.
The best thing we’ve ever done is purchase a home warranty plan that covers all the appliances (they just paid to replace my dishwasher). They covered $1000 in repairs to our refrigerator a few years ago. And replaced our air conditioner (we live in AZ!!) at no cost to us when it died. We have additional coverage for our pool pump as well. We do pay a monthly fee and a one-time service charge for each repair but over the 10 years we’ve had the plan what we have paid for the plan no where comes close to the thousands we have received. Something for everyone to consider because even new appliances need repair now days.
Yes, they do! And they don’t make them to last anymore.
I have a Frigidaire front load washer and a Whirlpool dryer. The washer is about 15 years old and I really like it. I leave the door open so I don’t get mold. The Frigidaire washer that I bought at the same time died about 8 years later. I was surprised because most of my clothes air dry so I didn’t use it a lot. I like the Whirlpool dryer a lot.
The washer & dryer are in the entryway from the garage so I have to measure to make sure they will fit. Not a lot of room so I have to be careful with the dryer since it is so light and sometimes I hit it when I come inside.
Good luck with your new washer and dryer. The blue is nice.
I wouldn’t have chosen blue, but I’ve come to like it. When my girls were little, we lived in a house with a one-car garage, and my washer and dryer were in the garage. Then, much later, when I lived in a house, it was in the entryway off the garage, as yours is.
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I can’t believe that guy was so rude to you. I would have been mad too, if he’d laughed at me.
I have a whirlpool washer (with an agitator) and dryer. I’ve had them for a long time now, and we’ve been fortunate with the few problems we’ve had, to be able to fix them ourselves. I hope your new ones work out for you, and that you’ll never have to buy them again.
It seems like money just flies out the window. And I still have the broken tooth to deal with!
Oh Brenda we had the same exp navyerience a month ago. We needed a new mother board. The dryer worked but we decided to bite the bullet and get the pair. Also in navy. We purchased Samsung, we’re in our 70’s hoping these will be our last.
If you don’t get the matching dryer, the dark blue would really stand out!
I have an LG front load washer and dryer that we bought about 14 years ago. Only problem was when the washer would pause for about 15 minutes before spinning. The service technician said I was using too much detergent, that the detergent makers have you put too much in [they want to sell it, after all] and that with my washer I didn’t need more than 2 Tablespoons or less. He was correct! 1-2 Tablespoons and everything is clean! Only problem with the dryer was needing new belts a couple weeks ago.
You’ve been lucky!
I have an LG washer and dryer. The dryer is fine. The LG washer is a top-load without an agitator. It’s the worst washer I’ve ever had. The tub fills with water based on weight, not on a setting like low-medium-high. I have to manually add enough water from the bathroom sink, about five gallons per load, to cause a full load of clothes heavy enough to trigger the washer to finish filling its extra-large tub. I also have an LG stove with a glass cooktop. The cheaply painted-on lettering around the knobs washed off, so I can’t tell how much heat I’m using.
Yes!!!! I’ve done the same – taken a bucket and added water! So that’s why! Someone said to set it on the bulky setting. It worked a little better.
Oh no! What a hassle!
We have a GE washer, top loading and with an agitator. It’s at least 10 years old. Never a problem and I do laundry just about every day. Some days I do 3-4 loads depending on if I have sheets and/or rugs to do.
Our dryer is a Kenmore and that’s about 15 years old. One service call in all those years and it was something simple.
I dread the day I have to buy these new appliances!
You’ve been lucky!
Unbelievable poor service. I had an LG without an agitator, top load. Great for blankets, but I hate to say it, I hated it. Balance is an issue with any washer now from what I read due to the cheaply made washers, but it didn’t clean well at all. It barely covered the clothing. Some items never came out different than when they went in, meaning if you had a folded towel, it came out folded. It had an auto water sensor, which wasn’t enough water, so be very careful if you spray anything with spot remover (which I had to spray everything because it didn’t use enough water to remove any basic stain – dirt for one thing.) I have white spots all over my clothes and sheets where it took out the color. And also sweated on shirts – never get out the smell. Towels and shirts always sour smelling.Not enough agitation or water. I smell it on people’s clothes even in the store now and I’m sure it’s due to the lack of water and rinsing.I’ve never in my years of doing laundry had sour smelling towels or clothing. (I’m 65) I hope yours works better or they’ve improved them since then. I bought a low end GE washer with a center agitator that uses water – “I” choose the load size. My clothes are clean. Due to the price I bought a 5 year warranty. No one would use an LG, only LG would come out to work on it, then they wanted $350 for the service call and $100 before they showed up. Nope. Best washer and dryer I’ve ever had was a Maytage huge – with center agitator. But it was fat, not deep, so you could get blankets in it. The dryer had some sort of airater so the sheets didn’t get all knotted up. Oh how I loved that set. It had to go with the house we sold. Never seen anything as good since. Good luck. I sincerely mean that.
All my towels are spotted from being washed in my Whirlpool washer. I’ll let you know how this goes.
I really hope it works. I do love the blue though!
Hope this set works like it should! I have Maytag, which I have had for years. Both my girls have Samsung. I would love a Speed Queen but way out of my price range.
Yeah, the Speed Queens were twice as much.
Yes, Speed Queen are expensive !!! I had just paid off my credit card 2 months prior to the last time the samsung once again was bouncing all over the place; 4 yr old machine and I HATED it. That last ‘bounce/rattle’ was the last one on my nerves and I just decided I would do it, buy the Speed Queen and pay off card within one year, and that’s what I did. But I am still working full time (I’m 68) so that makes big difference too.
Maytag and it replaced a front load Bosch. I worked for the local GE distributor and repair service years ago and I agree with what you said that they just aren’t made like they used to be – appliances and vehicles.
I think you’re taking a chance whenever you buy anything new these days.
I too have an LG without an agitator and it’s been working great for 13 years!
Good to know!
I have had a LG washer and dryer in two different houses and they have been great! Mine do not have an agitator and are large capacity.
We have a LG washer and dryer which we purchased new from COSCO. I think it must be around 5 years old now. Even though there is only the two of us I mostly do a wash each day!!
Sorry for all the trouble you have had but from now on it should be plain sailing.
Brenda, I am happy that you finally have a working washer and dryer. As for the repair company, I would leave an honest review on both Google, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau. Bad reviews are not something that a company wants and frankly you were treated horribly by that guy.
Brenda,
I have a Maytag washer without an aggitator and I hate it. I thought, like you,
that it would give me more room for larger items and it does but while in the spin cycle, it twists everything into a rope when you go to take it out. It creates more ironing for me after having to dry it with the wrinkles that the rope created. It also is beginning to rust around the edges at the top of the machine.
I won’t buy that brand again or one without an aggitator. I hope that you do not have any of these issues with your new machine especially after what you had to deal with before. Good Luck,
Marian
The best appliance I ever bought was a circa 80s/90s Maytag washer that was used when I bought it 20 years ago and it’s still going strong (knocks wood).
Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2005. You’re obviously safe using it as long as you have.
Brenda, it sounds like your week is going better with a new W&D.
I have a LG stackable set. I never want a stackable again. It does save space but the washer can’t even handle spinning my bath rugs!
Google is another story!! At the end of the year Dec 1st to be accurate the post office changed our house number addresses. I’m still having problems with deliveries. UPS is a total failure because of Google directions. FedEx doesn’t win awards either. Sooo for the time being I went back to my old house number! I’ll have to get that changed by November but hopefully they’ll have it together by then.
I’ll keepy fingers crossed for you that you have no major appliance problems for a long while.
How silly, to change people’s house numbers! Wonder why they did that?
I have a Maytag which was bought back in 2003. I do wash every day. The model is Atlantis over size capacity/heavy duty with lifetime tub. I doubt if that model is available today.
Probably not. I talked to the delivery driver, who said he used to repair them. He said he always advised people on whether it was worth repairing their appliance. He said what happened to me shouldn’t have happened.
I’m glad you bought the extended warranty. My washer is almost 3 years old and it stopped working . Thankfully I bought the 5 year warranty. They replaced 6 parts for over $1000. I paid nothing. Not even labor. It was all included. My washer is a Maytag and I will never buy a Maytag product again.
Maytag once had a great reputation. Is anything built to last???
I have a Speed Queen set. It replaced a new Kenmore set that came with our house when we bought it. The washer didn’t have an agitator, and I’ll never do that again. I hope yours works well for you!
It’s just me, and I don’t get out in the dirt or mud, so I’m hoping this is sufficient.