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We've had nothing but bad experiences with appliances from Home Depot, and nothing but good experiences with Sears. In both cases, we've purchased new appliances and purchased and used the extended warranty coverage. Home Depot's mainland-based warranty folks took 2 weeks to track down a local repair person, with the eventual repair (including ordering parts) taking 5 weeks. Sears' warranty service is also mainland-based, but they have dedicated local crews and dispatchers, so techs arrived at our house much quicker (once, just 4 hours after I called in the trouble and always within 3 days), and repairs were always completed within 10 days (including ordering of non-standard parts).
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My parents bought all new appliances (fridge, oven/stove, microwave, washer & dryer) from Sears when they remodeled and they got the extended warranties. They had many issues with the washer and dryer and after they spent many, many hours on the phone with Sears trying to get a resolution I took over. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on the phone over several days. It was a nightmare. They sent a repair guy out several times. Each time he came out he "diagnosed" the issue and said he had to order a part. 3 or 4 weeks later he'd return, install the part only to find it didn't fix the issue. So he'd order another part, 3 or 4 weeks, etc... repeat over and over. My parents without a wash or dryer the whole time.
I got fed up with this cycle and decided to escalate. I couldn't find the email for the CEO of Sears so late at night I called their headquarters. Using the automated phone system I spelled his name (..."to locate an employee enter their extension or spell their name...) and got his voicemail. I left a polite message with my phone number. The next day I got a call back from his office (not him). The nice lady heard me out and the first thing she asked was "how did you get this number?". I did not tell her. Anyway, within 2 days Sears replaced both units with new machines. It was a monumental pain in the ass to get this resolved. So much so none of us will ever buy appliances from them again.
My washer and dryer are getting pretty old and from the research I've done I may look at Speed Queen. They make washers and dryer for commercial use and laundromats. Their home models are old fashioned looking and are pretty damned expensive, but they are made very well and have very long warranties with 20-25 year life expectancies.
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Most extended warranties have a "lemon clause" such that if they fix the same problem 3 times and it breaks again, you get a new appliance or your money back.
The guy who fixed our dryer that HD sent out explained to us that essentially everything made in China (which is virtually every appliance) is only designed to work for as long as the warranty is. So if it has a 1 year warranty, the parts are made to last 1 year. He said he would never buy an appliance without an extended warranty, and buys the longest one they offer and that the extended warranty should be factored in with the purchase price by the consumer. I'm a believer. Our LG microwave died nearly the day after the 1 year warranty expired. I kicked myself for not getting an extended warranty. Our dryer broke about a year after the warranty expired but was covered under extended warranty. Our dishwasher worked for 4 months before it broke down. Things aren't made to last nowadays. Well, they are made to last for 1 year. Our oldest appliance is 4 years old, and we've had 3 failures.
Now that I'm done whining about that, here is some useful info. He said that the climate here is hell on the circuit boards and not using them makes it worse. He recommended anything electronic be used at least once a month and in the case of a modern dryer, to run it about an hour a month. Since we usually line-dry our clothes to save electricity/money, this was good info to have.
I liked your strategy for contacting the CEO. I bought six 3-gallon water jugs from Walmart and 2 of them leaked when brand new. I identified the manufacturing defect (I used to work in a plastics manufacturing plant) and with a little internet sleuthing found the email for the CEO and explained what happened. He emailed me a label to print to send the defective units back for their inspection and after they received them I received a case of four new water jugs. The jugs were made in California, so not everything at Walmart is from China and not everything made in the USA is perfect.
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Almost forgot, my Lowe's appliance purchase nightmare. Right after we took possession of the home we'd bought in Florida 2010, on July 4 Lowe's had a clearance sale. We'd already picked up a washer and Lowe's had a new but something wrong with hinges, new dryer. It was the top of the line, steam injection, constantly warm until you take it out, moisture sensors all the bells and whistles, some 5-600 buck retail. Clearance price; $75 Whirlpool Cabrio steam electric Dryer and I managed to get them to deliver, which took some doing but the manager finally broke down near closing time. The next Tuesday they brought the wrong one. Hauled it in, hooked it all up and refused to acknowledge that it's not the clearance washer. It seems that, they took mine to somebody else and gave me the only one on the truck. I had to reverse the door swing direction and so whenever I did that, I learned, the one I bought, the dryer they should have brought, just had a few loose screws. So, there really wasn't anything wrong with mine at all. Regardless, my brand new, no door adjustment problem probably means that somebody else got my nightmare.
The only trouble we've had with it is, the setting that keeps it warm after completing, beeps and runs the dryer for a minute, , it'll nag you for hours to get the cloths out. [grin]
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When our LG microwave died nearly the day after the warranty expired I set out to replace it. I saw a beautiful Samsung model at HD that was on sale, and the sale was ending that day. I almost bought it but something was telling me to do more research. With my cellphone I looked and the exact same model was substantially cheaper (with free Prime delivery) on amazon. So I left the store. When I got home to order it I checked the amazon reviews and they were unusually brutal. The microwave was a POS.
Since it was an over-the-range microwave I was looking for it wasn't just about buying a cheap microwave- Walmart sells those. I was looking for something reliable because installing something on the wall under a cabinet and over the stove can be a PITA. I found the model that consumer reports recommended and also had the highest rating on amazon. It was also surprisingly cheap. But yes, I absolutely got the extended warranty... and hoping I don't need to use an extended warranty that was an 'add on' with an amazon purchase.
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"Home Depot's mainland-based warranty folks took 2 weeks to track down a local repair person, with the eventual repair (including ordering parts) taking 5 weeks."
Was your HD experience awhile ago? Our experience was awesome. Setup the repair online, guy came out a few days later, had part in van, fixed dryer, gave free appliance advice, problem solved. Was about a year ago.
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Terracore, would you mind sharing what brand over-stove microwave you got on Amazon?
Mine is 11 years old and still works, but the vent and handle have fallen off and it's getting rusty. It's only a matter of time before we get the big flash and long quiet.
><(((*< ... ><(("< ... ><('< ... >o>
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This is the microwave we bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F2Q...tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=fb0c6d-20&linkId=876dea24e69617de085572cf1267cd4f
So far it has been working great. It is also the quietest microwave I have ever owned. It was also really easy to install (for somebody with no experience). Our previous over-the-range microwave, the LG model, after reading the instructions I hired somebody to install it.
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"The first washer was a cheap Admiral. It lasted three years, which I suppose isn't good, but for the price, I guess it was ok, but my experience with appliances is usually much better. Here's hoping the replacement (a Samsung) will be better. We've had a Samsung on the mainland for quite a while."
Hopefully your Samsung isn't one of the top loading variety in the safety recall:
Samsung to Recall 2.8M Washing Machines in the U.S.
Samsung Electronics, which is already reeling from a global recall of its Note 7 smartphones, said it would recall about 2.8 million of its top-load washing machines in the United States to address safety concerns.
The top of the washing machines can unexpectedly detach from the chassis during use, posing a risk of injury from impact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement on Friday.
The machines being recalled were manufactured between March 2011 and November 2016.
Samsung received nine related reports of injuries, including a broken jaw, injured shoulder and other fall-related injuries.
Samsung, the world's top smartphone maker, is grappling with a global recall of at least 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 10 markets due to faulty batteries causing some phones to catch fire.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/...n-u-s.html
p.s. I was at HD looking at over the range microwaves and saw a beautiful Samsung "on sale". I looked it up on amazon where it was about $100 less with free prime shipping but the reviews were BRUTAL. It eventually led me down the rabbit hole where I found the one recommended by consumer reports.
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quote:
Originally posted by terracore
where I found the one recommended by consumer reports.
Over the years it appears to me that a large percentage of the time I check out Consumers Report for an item, the highest rated items have tepid or worse user reviews on the Consumers Report website itself. And/or if I check amazon.com user reviews the same top rated items are likely to have bad reviews as well.
Pretty rare that CR's top rated items have good user reviews on the CR site and amazon.ocm.
Cheers,
Kirt
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