We got about 10 years out of a Cabrio washing machine. Not great, but not bad in the current state of washers. Researched new ones, and bought the Speed Queen Commercial top loader. But I couldn’t get one with mechanical controls - it is computerized. Well, less than 5 months in, the computer is fried (on the day before thanksgiving no less). Nobody stocks the part, but the repair shop put a rush on getting one. Yes, we will call you when it comes in. Um, no. Came in yesterday, which we found out only because my wife has been on them pretty good. Then they started telling us they can’t get to the house until next week. What a PITA.

I had a crappy service situation with Maytag.

I contacted Maytag corporate office, they quickly dispatched a different service outfit to handle the problem, and saw to it that the money I had paid the first one for a “service call” was promptly refunded.

Apple to oranges but so far GE and their small appliance division has been pretty good.

Replaced a Microwave that went away in a hail of sparks last year, a tick over two years it lasted. Not bad, not good around here. Same model and features.

This one was purchased October 19 2017, saved the receipt. Touch pad on this one has been locking up, the only way to reset it, disconnect from power for five minutes and reconnect.

After going online to the chat area I was given a case number and a telephone number to call.

Bottom line, after I get their confirmation letter I purchase another GE product, send in the receipt together with the letter and in 4 to 8 weeks I get a refund check for the purchase amount of the failed one. $160 off the replacement, no argument here.

It wasn't a washing machine, a Samsung microwave. They were quick with a fix

That really sucks. Be lucky it was only a washing machine.

Earlier this year, the icemaker stopped working on my perfectly working 2002 amana French door refrigerator. I use ice daily in my cooler and it had a hard time keeping up towards the end of the week. So rather than replace the icemaker, I figured I'd just buy a new refrigerator.

I order a new whirlpool French door from lowe's with ice maker in the freezer and another icemaker in the refrigerator door. 7 days later it comes and I give me perfectly working amana to my neighbor. The new refrigerator makes ice in both ice makers, the freezer gets to 0 and the refrigerator won't get below 53F !!!!!!!!!!!!! So I go to Lowe's they order a new one and I have to wait another 12 days for the replacement!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
That really sucks. Be lucky it was only a washing machine.

Earlier this year, the icemaker stopped working on my perfectly working 2002 amana French door refrigerator. I use ice daily in my cooler and it had a hard time keeping up towards the end of the week. So rather than replace the icemaker, I figured I'd just buy a new refrigerator.

I order a new whirlpool French door from lowe's with ice maker in the freezer and another icemaker in the refrigerator door. 7 days later it comes and I give me perfectly working amana to my neighbor. The new refrigerator makes ice in both ice makers, the freezer gets to 0 and the refrigerator won't get below 53F !!!!!!!!!!!!! So I go to Lowe's they order a new one and I have to wait another 12 days for the replacement!!!!!!

This year, the Whirlpool Gold refrigerator that I bought a Lowes 8 years ago quit. I replaced the starter, didn't help so I called a repair man. He told me it was either the computer or condenser. He told me it wasn't worth my money to fix it. He recommended a store a few towns away that had been in business for 30 years. I bought an LG with a door that stores milk and other quick grab items. So far it is great.

I thought Speed Queen was the "Waste Kang" of washing machines?

^^^^ They are (pre 2018), but electronics are what they are.

I have 2014 era SQ washers with analog controls. Absolutely the finest, toughest washer I’ve ever seen. The extraction cycle is smooth like a turbine. I love it.

I’m so happy to have a pre-2018 set of Speed Queen washer and dryer. The 2018s don’t clean as well.

Speed Queen with mechanical controls - good to go.

Any washing machine with electronics - expect failures and expensive repairs.

Might be worthwhile plugging the washer into a good surge suppressor. Seems to have helped with my most recent front load POS, which is going on 3 years old, if memory serves.

quote:

Originally posted by Tgrshrk99:
Then they started telling us they can’t get to the house until next week. What a PITA.

It's dirt-simple to replace on your own if you order it direct; plug and play. Just do one connection at a time to avoid confusion and take a picture before you start. Easy.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by Tgrshrk99:
Then they started telling us they can’t get to the house until next week. What a PITA.

It's dirt-simple to replace on your own if you order it direct; plug and play. Just do one connection at a time to avoid confusion and take a picture before you start. Easy.

I could have done it myself, but at less than 6 months old didn’t want to pay for the part - is bring fixed (slowly) under warranty.

quote:

Originally posted by rtquig:

This year, the Whirlpool Gold refrigerator that I bought a Lowes 8 years ago quit. I replaced the starter, didn't help so I called a repair man. He told me it was either the computer or condenser. He told me it wasn't worth my money to fix it. He recommended a store a few towns away that had been in business for 30 years. I bought an LG with a door that stores milk and other quick grab items. So far it is great.

We must have bought the same Whirlpool Gold because I had nothing but trouble from that POS as soon as it went out of warranty.

I also went with a new LG refrigerator so I am hoping it is more reliable.

As to the OP, thanks for posting this. When my washer dies I will either throw parts at it or order the cheapest mechanical unit I can find.

Modern day appliance reliability is staggeringly bad.

A lot of the reliability problems stem from the electronic controls that are designed to make the units more efficient and eco-friendly.

How is it eco-friendly to be disposing of and replacing appliances every three years when they used to last 20 or more....

if for some reason I find myself having to purchase laundry machines , Ive decided that I will spend the money on two washers and dryers.

getting the extended warranty on one set,

quote:

Originally posted by Tgrshrk99:

I could have done it myself, but at less than 6 months old didn’t want to pay for the part - is bring fixed (slowly) under warranty.

Understood. I would too.

My elder brother was in your boat a few years ago with a very new machine that went toes-up, and his level of fury was off the scale. He went with a simpler replacement.

My washer just turned 30 years old. Analog controls may be less efficient than digital in washing the clothes, but their simplicity and lifespan bring a different form of efficiency with it.

Had it been available, I would have bought an analog Speed Queen. I am not aware of any new washer that is analog. Bastards.

We recently bought a pair of analog front loading SPEED QUEEN washer and dryer. They were highly recommended as being very reliable since they considered "commercial grade". We were told the analog were being discontinued by the company. In fact, the supplier was able to locate one unit easily, but the other was difficult to find within their network of suppliers.

That said, even the analog units can have issues. Within a few weeks of purchase the switch on the door of one of the units failed resulting in the unit unable to start. Easy to repair but it took a week for service.

Update to my earlier post.

Letter from GE arrived today. Now to go microwave shopping.

Kudos to their customer service department. I really expected to get a T.S. response.

quote:

Originally posted by Tgrshrk99:

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by Tgrshrk99:
Then they started telling us they can’t get to the house until next week. What a PITA.

It's dirt-simple to replace on your own if you order it direct; plug and play. Just do one connection at a time to avoid confusion and take a picture before you start. Easy.

I could have done it myself, but at less than 6 months old didn’t want to pay for the part - is bring fixed (slowly) under warranty.

I bought a new Speed Queen set earlier this year - tried to get analog leftovers but ended up with the electronic controls. Does not clean as well as would like, but such is life.
After about a month, started having problems with the washer. About every 4th load, it would throw an error code during the initial fill cycle and stop. Unplug it, count to 5 and plug it back in, and hit start. Sometimes it would take 5-6 instances to get the tub full, but once the wash cycle started it was good to go.
I called customer service, and learned this was a known issue with a certain series of motherboards. Free repair. When I said that I would have a hard time finding a window to be available to meet a tech, they sent me the board.
Easiest repair I ever did.
3 screws to loosen the panel.
4 screws to remove the board.
1 connector.
Took longer to locate the right size bit for my screwgun.