mommylove
01-29-2010, 11:21 PM
I had a long chat with the washing machine repairman. This is what he told me:
#1 brand -- Whirlpool
a distant 2nd goes to Frigidare (sp?) A less expensive machine up front, and made with lower quality materials than the Whirlpool. It will have more service calls than the Whirlpool. Not a bad machine, though.
Do not buy:
Maytag -- way too many warranty issues. Despite being at/near the top of consumer reports, repairmen, like himself, were bankrupting the company doing all the warranty work. He does not trust Consumer Reports because he was doing tons of warranty work on these so-called 'good' machines, whereas the other machines weren't so problematic.
LG, Samsung & another brand I didn't recognize -- parts are too difficult to replace. When the repairman calls for a part, he is routed to India. It's frustrating to repairmen because they're not able to discuss the repairs with anyone who knows anything helpful. Parts take a long time to arrive (like 2 weeks) and it's hit or miss if it's actually the right part. If it's wrong, the repairman looks incompetent. As a result, many repairmen refuse to work on these machines. He challenged me to call through the phone book & find someone who will work on them. 'm not sure if that was his only beef with these machines. He didn't mention the quality or reliability.
Kenmore -- only reason being that the buyer is stuck with a service contract with Sears. With no competition, the buyer is stuck with the timeframe of the Sears contractors. (Note: I have heard good things about Sears repairmen in general. I guess if you go Kenmore, just realize your options are limited when it comes to repairs. If you buy a Whirlpool at Sears, you're not limited to Sears repairmen.)
A few other things . . .
The steam feature is totally bogus. It's simply misting the clothes with hot water. There is no burner inside the machine making steam.
A dryer is a dryer is a dryer. If money is tight, forego the matching dryer. He said the parts in my old dryer are basically the same as in the expensive new one. Whirlpool Duet has a smaller model washer. He said that if someone was going to keep their dryer, they might as well go with the smaller washer so the loads transfer.
The top loaders without agitators are an unproven technology. Don't buy one. In his opinion, they don't work.
He owns a Whirlpool Duet.
ETA: I forgot an important one . . .
I asked him which was better -- liquid or powdered detergent. I expected them to be equal in preference. His answer surprised me. He said go with powder all the way. Liquid detergent is very sticky -- just look at the outside of the bottle when you drip. When the front loaders tumble, the clothes fall into the puddle of detergent/water which splashes up & through the holes in the drum. The sticky water sticks to the inside of the tub & is never rinsed clean. Many complaints of moldy-smelling washers are because of liquid detergent water sticking to the tub & mildewing. He has to take the machine apart & literally scrape off the sticky mess. It's a time consuming project which comes with a $250 price tag. :jawdrop
#1 brand -- Whirlpool
a distant 2nd goes to Frigidare (sp?) A less expensive machine up front, and made with lower quality materials than the Whirlpool. It will have more service calls than the Whirlpool. Not a bad machine, though.
Do not buy:
Maytag -- way too many warranty issues. Despite being at/near the top of consumer reports, repairmen, like himself, were bankrupting the company doing all the warranty work. He does not trust Consumer Reports because he was doing tons of warranty work on these so-called 'good' machines, whereas the other machines weren't so problematic.
LG, Samsung & another brand I didn't recognize -- parts are too difficult to replace. When the repairman calls for a part, he is routed to India. It's frustrating to repairmen because they're not able to discuss the repairs with anyone who knows anything helpful. Parts take a long time to arrive (like 2 weeks) and it's hit or miss if it's actually the right part. If it's wrong, the repairman looks incompetent. As a result, many repairmen refuse to work on these machines. He challenged me to call through the phone book & find someone who will work on them. 'm not sure if that was his only beef with these machines. He didn't mention the quality or reliability.
Kenmore -- only reason being that the buyer is stuck with a service contract with Sears. With no competition, the buyer is stuck with the timeframe of the Sears contractors. (Note: I have heard good things about Sears repairmen in general. I guess if you go Kenmore, just realize your options are limited when it comes to repairs. If you buy a Whirlpool at Sears, you're not limited to Sears repairmen.)
A few other things . . .
The steam feature is totally bogus. It's simply misting the clothes with hot water. There is no burner inside the machine making steam.
A dryer is a dryer is a dryer. If money is tight, forego the matching dryer. He said the parts in my old dryer are basically the same as in the expensive new one. Whirlpool Duet has a smaller model washer. He said that if someone was going to keep their dryer, they might as well go with the smaller washer so the loads transfer.
The top loaders without agitators are an unproven technology. Don't buy one. In his opinion, they don't work.
He owns a Whirlpool Duet.
ETA: I forgot an important one . . .
I asked him which was better -- liquid or powdered detergent. I expected them to be equal in preference. His answer surprised me. He said go with powder all the way. Liquid detergent is very sticky -- just look at the outside of the bottle when you drip. When the front loaders tumble, the clothes fall into the puddle of detergent/water which splashes up & through the holes in the drum. The sticky water sticks to the inside of the tub & is never rinsed clean. Many complaints of moldy-smelling washers are because of liquid detergent water sticking to the tub & mildewing. He has to take the machine apart & literally scrape off the sticky mess. It's a time consuming project which comes with a $250 price tag. :jawdrop