RANT: Non-existent customer service!

Can somebody please tell me why when I call the local Sears that's less than 5 miles from my house for service on a washer I bought there I get transferred to Berkeleying INDIA to talk to somebody who has no idea where Washington State is, let alone my house.

Seriously? Is it that hard or expensive to have Norm in Appliances pick up the phone and go "Yeah, I can have Bob swing by at 5"???

Stupid crappy made to be throw-away appliances and stupid crappy non-existent customer service Bantha fodder.

If you'll follow the Consumerist blog, you'll probably find that you've received the standard Sears service...

Yeah, I know, that's not really helpful, I guess all I'm saying is you're not alone...

On another note, is there anything I can do about a noisy top-load POS Sears/Kenmore washer? They want $130 + parts to service it and can't do it until Thursday. It's making a high-ish pitch squealing.

Run it till it blows?

could the drive belt be slipping/ worn?

Like Wally says, it sounds like a belt or possibly a bearing. I'd google the model and see if there are any known issues.

Google the specific model? There seems to be a moderate amount of DIY knowledge out there, and a fair bit of "oh, model xxx usually fails at yyy", though it seems that the DIYers involved aren't as good as, say, this forum in terms of concisely describing their issues.

I went through that and was able to blow $5 on the possible fix, determine that it wasn't that but was instead going to be the $140-and-an-afternoon fix and bought a new frontloader...

Most consumer grade Kenmore washers are made by Whirlpool. The motor is connected to the basket on the top end by two plastic couplers separated by a rubber donut. The pump is directly connected to the other end of the motor. There are three common failure points that cause a squeal: 1. The motor couplers that connect the basket to the motor, they come in a set and cost at most $12 or so for the donut and plastic couplers if you do it yourself.
2. The seal at the base of the agitator - its cheap but you need a wrench for it. Its been twenty years at least since Dad gave me one of his so I dont know the price. 3. The pump. Its not servicable (sp?) but is nothing more than a plastic wheel in a plastic housing. Usually its just money or a sock stuck in it and if you can get the junk out it will be just fine.

To service the pump and motor just tip the washer on its back and you have full access to the pump and motor. The agitator is of course accessed from the top after you pry off the plastic cap on top of the agitator. I would check the pump first, the motor coupler next, and then the seal on the agitator.

Thanks Ojala!

The washer is a 110.16922504. My Google-fu found nothing useful.

That is a Kenmore Elite that has a gearbox and clutch that drive the basket and agitator off a 90 from the motor. The problem with those is usually the gearbox and clutch which will run you about $180-$200 in parts alone. At that point most people just buy a used base model washer like the Kenmore/Whirlpool lsr6333.

The only thing I've experienced recently that qualifies as "customer service" was at Chick-Fil-A, but sadly, they don't make appliances.

Here's the sad part. I got better service from a hole in the wall outfit in Fla. selling Chinese stuff.

My house AC puked today. I got home changed the blown 30 amp fuses, checked all the wiring and powered it back up. It's throwing an error code. So I got on the phone and called the company. I explained the problem to the guy on the phone and he said it had a blown compressor drive board, (it's a variable speed dc compressor). I assumed it was a major expensive part. He said shoot a picture of the board, the exterior unit, and the interior unit and email it to him and he would call back. Less than 15 minutes later he called back. A board was going out next day air and there would be no charge. This unit has been out of warranty for over a year. That's customer service. Too bad most companies can't figure this out.

Oh, in case you are in the market for an AC unit try Harbor Point AC. They sell mini split units and portables. Mine is a mini split I installed myself.

so i have a question.. should i buy my snowblower there or spend my money elsewhere?

Is this really news any more? All kinds of large companies have been outsourcing their call centers for years and years now.

stuart in mn wrote: Is this really news any more? All kinds of large companies have been outsourcing their call centers for years and years now.

The 1-800 numbers yes, but the local store number? I called the local area-code number and hit 0 and got India!

USA made consumer grade washers are, IMO, junk made to a price. They price the replacement parts so high (or simply discontinue them) you are forced to buy another new POS.

Screw 'em.

We got one of these: Fisher-Paykel, made in New Zealand of all places. Superior design, better reliability, only slightly more expensive.

Rant: even when I try to Buy American I find I often can't, because the offerings are so cheapened and dumbed-down to sell at a Wal-Mart price I wind up buying Chinese quality with a USA label. This is not a reflection on the US worker but the companies that design for, and sell their souls to, the big box stores. I don't think anyone makes a riding mower worth a damn anymore. I'm looking for an older Kubota to replace the POS Craftsman I'm currently using.

ddavidv wrote: USA made consumer grade washers are, IMO, junk made to a price.

They make nice floor pans. Just ask Andy Nelson.

ddavidv wrote: Rant: even when I try to Buy American I find I often can't, because the offerings are so cheapened and dumbed-down to sell at a Wal-Mart price I wind up buying Chinese quality with a USA label. This is not a reflection on the US worker but the companies that design for, and sell their souls to, the big box stores.

We're in a vicious circle. Most of the people can't afford to buy high end stuff, and as a result, most of the stuff that is made is junk. We sent our sent the jobs over seas, and that lead to a stagnation of middle class wages over the last thirty years This means that when quality stuff is made in the USA, many of the people who want to buy it cannot afford to.

• Taylor GuitarsI'd love to buy an American made guitar, but $1,900 is too much money for someone like me who plays occasionally, casually, and never on a stage. If I buy a taylor, it will have to be one of the low-end models made in mexico.

• blue jeans made in Detroit. Hey, what a great idea. I often wear jeans when I'm not at work, and I could help the Detroit economy by buying them.....except that I can't pay $150 dollars for blue jeans.

• WeatherTech floor mats for your car. Great idea - an American company that uses American Made equipment (haas automation cnc machines) to manufacture stuff here in the USA....but who can afford $100 dollar floor mats

I've given up on Sears for appliances. Expensive, poor service, slow delivery. If they spent the money on improving their service that they spend on advirtising their service they might be ok.

Javelin wrote: Seriously? Is it that hard or expensive to have Norm in Appliances pick up the phone and go "Yeah, I can have Bob swing by at 5"???

Have you been in a store in the US lately dude? Norm in appliances is a pimply-faced kid still in Highschool who wouldn't know a drive belt from a garden hose. Or you may get lucky and get Norm, the pissed of 50-something out of work general contractor who hates his job. Or Norma, the crazy cat lady who likes to talk about her grandkids to everyone in front of you when you are in a hurry. Either way, no one from your local Sears store is going to stop by after work and fix your appliance unless you live in 1932.

I just don't buy new stuff anymore. I guess my "stuff" is as grassroots as my cars. All my appliances came from used stores or Kijiji. I've had the dryer more than ten years with no issues. Washer was only 6 mos. old when I purchased it for $100 from a couple that was moving out west. My Craftsman electric mower that I bought in 1997 for $60 finally died last week (my fault, I forgot to clean out accumulated grass and burned the motor out). My $1500 gas stove was given to me in exchange for some work I did a few years ago, it hides a small dent in the virtually new when purchased fridge that I got for $250. If anything breaks, there are guys in the yellow pages that have been around forever – if the price is too high, I get rid of the stuff and look for something else.

Leslie= smart.

Well... I'd just rather buy really good quality used stuff, than new crap.

All the Sears comments mirrors my experience. I've decided it is just a crapshoot whether you get good stuff or not regardless of where you buy and what you pay. I just try not to pay too much for dryers, TVs, etc. knowing that I might have to throw it away in two years. I am not a big fan of this but I don't see another choice.