Buyer beware: An open letter to the CEO of KitchenAid
Tuesday, Oct 18, 2005
Dear Sir or Ma’am,
Please forgive me for not addressing you by your name, but nobody will tell me what it is or how to contact you. In this letter, I will demonstrate that this lack of response is a common occurrence with the KitchenAid company. I am writing to make you aware of the deplorable customer service I am receiving as a result of owning a still-under-warranty malfunctioning dishwasher.
About a year ago, my husband and I made the decision that when we needed to replace a new tool or appliance, we would purchase the highest quality one that we could afford. We were tired of “saving” money by buying lesser quality items. And so, instead of purchasing an inferior product, we now wait until we are able to replace the item with something that will last.
Hence, we purchased KitchenAid’s best non-commercial dishwasher, the stainless steel KitchenAid Superba, model # 4KUDS01FLSS. We used it for two months until the clean light began blinking and stopped cycling through.
Eight services calls later have yielded the following:
- A new thermostat
- A new computer board
- A new heating element
- Countless hours of waiting for service people, one of whom did not show up until 7 p.m. and didn’t bother to call
- And a final service man that told me, “Lady, you got yourself a lemon.” On his service report, he wrote that our dishwasher was too far from our sink. It is right next to it.
Many hours on the phone have yielded nothing but frustration, as the customer service personal aren’t allowed to authorize anything beyond another service call. The solution to my problem? Yes, they want to send a ninth service person out.
I kicked, screamed, and wailed until customer service finally turned over my case to a supervisor. Being nice only yielded another service call, which are always two weeks away. This shouldn’t be; you should respond to pleasant customers. While I insisted that a supervisor call me that day to let me know that someone had my case, it took Jolletta the whole week to get back to me. This isn’t good business.
Furthermore, while Jolletta promised weeks later to replace the dishwasher, she informed me that the service department was 10 days behind and that I would have to wait until they contacted me. I was reasonable. I waited and washed.
Sir or ma’am, it is a month later with no contact, no phone calls, and no nice men in uniforms installing a new dishwasher for me. She says that it is “out of her hands.” Can you tell me whose hands my dishwasher is in?
I am five-months pregnant with our fifth baby. While it is not your problem that I have many dishes to wash and meals to cook, it is your responsibility to uphold your end of the bargain—that is, to provide me with a working dishwasher in exchange for the money I paid to your company.
Pay up or deliver. Four months is long enough.
Sincerely,
Amy Scott
I am so glad you posted this! In addition to the fact that we’ll be replacing a dishwasher soon, I’m always so excited to see companies actually being held responsible. Maybe you should mention that you posted the letter on your blog (or send them a link). That might get them motivated:)
Comment by Shannon Miller (October 18, 2005 @ 11:47 am )
Oh, Amy I can sooo relate! I can’t help of course but to offer my sympathies and pray for an expedient solution.
Emily mamma to many and my own appliance issues
Comment by emily (October 18, 2005 @ 11:50 am )
I was just thinking that. Send them a copy of this letter and let them know that families everywhere will think twice about purchasing a KitchenAid appliance!
Praying for you to get through this sane!
Comment by Julie (October 18, 2005 @ 11:59 am )
Apparently this is a rampant problem. Someone just sent me this link.
Based on my experience, I am not hopeful that my link will motivate them, but I will send it. Good businesses behave well when nobody is looking. However, I will state for the record that I will publish a response from any KitchenAid representative with power to do something.
Comment by Amy (October 18, 2005 @ 12:02 pm )
I’m sorry to hear of your troubles. I had a simple problem with our mixer (that we later returned) that took them over a week to answer. They have deplorable customer service.
With regards to dishwashers or large household appliances in general, my mother never gets anything but a GE.
Comment by gwen (October 18, 2005 @ 12:53 pm )
Amy, I am so sorry. We had a KitchenAid dishwasher in our house 2 moves ago. We loved it and never had a bit of trouble with it. We got ours because our neighbors were using their then 16 year old KitchenAid and still loving it. We have since moved twice and I have never liked my other dishwashers as much as my KitchenAid. And those neighbors are still using there’s, 5 years later! This is good to know though, as we too buy the best we can afford….because too often it is…..buy cheap, get cheap! Maybe KitchenAid has gone thru some executive changes. Any info on that?
lisa
Comment by Lisa (October 18, 2005 @ 2:20 pm )
Oh, no she di-
YES SHE DID!
Good for you, Amy. I hope they respond to your pleas soon. If ANYONE can get it done, it’s you.
Comment by Kristen (October 18, 2005 @ 2:21 pm )
My suggestion is to call again and keep insisting, politely, on speaking to someone higher up until you get some satisfying answers. Read them your letter and tell them you posted it on the internet. My mama taught me to always go to the top in order to talk to the person who really had the power to do something. I hope you get a dishwasher soon.
Comment by Sherry (October 18, 2005 @ 3:23 pm )
Here: http://whirlpoolcorp.com/governance/managementteam/senior.asp
I suggest you write a letter to the customer service people and then put the “cc:” notation to the appropriate person on that list. Then send the head honcho a copy and watch everyone spring into action. (I managed to get my homeowner’s insurance company to respond only when I said I sent a copy to the President. They gave me back $221.)
Comment by Mel (October 18, 2005 @ 3:28 pm )
No info other than that they need to go through some changes.
Believe Kristen. She’s met me.
Their script says, “I’m sorry. There are no supervisors available at this time. Perhaps I can have one call you later.” “Later” is code for “never.” I have called no less than 10 times, not counting the times I hung up after being on hold for too long. “Joletta” is the supervisor assigned to my case. She authorized the new dishwasher to be installed.
Mel, Someone sent me this info, which I sent another written letter to:
Jeff M. Fettig
Chairman of the Board
President and Chief Executive Officer
Whirlpool Corporation
2000 N. M-63
Benton Harbor, MI 49022-2692
Perhaps if that yields nothing, I can write the entire (mis)management team.
They are stringing me along until my warranty runs out.
Comment by Amy (October 18, 2005 @ 3:45 pm )
I hate it when companies act like that. So glad you posted this, maybe now they’ll decide to be a little bit accountable. If not, we’ll forward this all through the blogosphere until your new dishwasher arrives!!!!! heh heh heh
Comment by Kris (October 18, 2005 @ 5:04 pm )
thanks for the ead’s up. no kitchenaid disheashers for me.
Comment by Monika (October 18, 2005 @ 5:45 pm )
Hey have you tried the BBB?
I think they are online, too.
You can send a letter of complaint, I think they even try to help you.
Comment by peri (October 18, 2005 @ 6:25 pm )
Yeah, my hubby had major problems trying to get refund money back from some wacko company in California and when he threatened with the Better Business Bureau that lit a fire under them for a while. He actually caught the company lying to him in order to get rid of him. He eventually had to threaten with filing a complaint with some sort of state agency. I’m not sure how it exactly worked, but long story short, six months later we had the hot little check in our hands and headed to the bank. We were suprised it actually went through. All that to say, I feel your pain. It makes my blood boil just thinking about bad customer service like that. Thanks for the heads up on the KitchenAid company.
Comment by Ashlee (October 18, 2005 @ 6:58 pm )
way to go!!!
Comment by Janelle (October 18, 2005 @ 7:52 pm )
Sometimes there is a LEMON - and this time, it was your Kitchenaid dishwasher. I will have to say I’ve been using a KitchenAid Superba for - HOLD YOUR BREATH - 29 years this month! We’ve never had a minutes trouble out of it, and it still looks like a new one.
I would buy KitchenAid again - it’s the only appliance in my kitchen that isn’t Frigidaire - the two best companies on the market back then. I still have all my original appliances in the house we built ourselves.
Sorry you have had such a bad experience - but, isn’t it the store you’ve bought from, rather than KitchenAid’s fault, that you haven’t got the help you need?
Comment by Barbara (October 18, 2005 @ 9:37 pm )
I’m on board with Sherry.
I had a similar problem when we bought a brand new w/d set from Sears. They kept messing things up with the dryer installation and blah, blah, blah. How I finallly got it resolved was by calling and asking to speak with the supervisor, then his supervisor then his until I was actually talking with some hot-shot at corporate headquarters who said he would look into the matter. I did a follow-up with a letter that had a cc to my attorney. I got a phone call from Mr. Hot-shot 4 days after mailing the letter. There was a new dryer installed the next day at the exact time I specified. (No “We’ll be there between 6am and 10pm” junk!) Also: take good notes of who you speak with on what days at what times and what they told you. That helped when I wrote the letter.
The killer is I was sugar-sweet to everyone I spoke with on the phone even though I wanted to verbally rip some heads off.
I think God used it to teach me some self-control.
Hope you get this resolved soon.
Comment by Carol (October 18, 2005 @ 10:45 pm )
I found this website totally by accident, but am so glad that I did! Just this week I had decided to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer for my daughter. She loves to cook and bake, and recently ruined her small mixer making a cheesecake. I had looked in newspaper adds and then on their website, and just had not gotten around to ordering it for her. Thank you all for this valuable information. I will not be ordering from this company if that is the way they do business. I thought that I was getting a top of the line product, but without good customer service, it is worthless! I will keep shopping!
Comment by Judy (October 19, 2005 @ 6:23 am )
I’m so sorry you’re going through this! I swear it is company policy in sooo many places to put people off until FORCED to do something. I agree with Ashlee about the BBB, but don’t forget the Attorny General’s office (consumer complaints division), and also local news stations (if possible). Our local news has a consumer complaints division that runs stories on air about problems people are having and works to help them resolve them. Never has it taken longer than a day or two for them to help resolve a case. For some reason, companies don’t like having their dirty laundry aired on T.V. — go figure.
God bless!
Comment by Bren (October 19, 2005 @ 9:00 am )
Amy,
It’s sad but in today’s world it seems like you do have to act ugly to get anything done. If you are nice about it, they won’t pay a bit of attention. Business world in America is such a pain!
Sarah
http://www.sarahellsworth.typepad.com
Comment by Sarah (October 19, 2005 @ 11:06 am )
My dh delivers to the Benton Harbor Whirlpool headquarters everyweek. I will ask him what he would do. ;o)
Comment by Julie (October 19, 2005 @ 11:20 am )
Mrs. Amy,
People sometimes ask me if I have a dishwasher. I say “Yes, she is 14 (now 15)and her name is Nicole”:)
We have a dishwasher too but for some reason handwashing is much easier in our home. Since you still have a lot of little ones the need for a electric dishwasher is important. My prayers are with you.
Blessings!
In Christian love,
Mrs. DMG
Comment by Mrs. DMG (October 19, 2005 @ 11:44 am )
What about…starting a whole blog link a doo of this story? If I posted a link here at my blog and some of the other folks posted links…could we start something?
It’s so frustrating when companies act this way and as a consumer you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops, do a song and dance and spend hours scheming on how you can get just cause. If you can’t scheme the way to resolve Amy…no one can!
Comment by Sal (October 19, 2005 @ 12:12 pm )
Have your husband call….
Whenever we have had a situation like this, I have called and gotten nowhere and when HE called and said the SAME things..suddenly those same words were taken seriously.
Hope it is resolved soon. I know the importance of a dishwasher having raised 5…and all we had was the “armstrong dishwasher” model all those years.
Comment by Dawn (October 19, 2005 @ 12:19 pm )
Hi Amy,
Your ordeal with KitchenAid sounds like me earlier this week with USCelluar. I have had tons of problems with them. It ruins a day to spend half of it in phoneland in-between customer service people. I did make it to their finance department for a bit but they sent me back to customer service. Anyway…
I have had similar experience with GE appliances and I will NEVER NEVER NEVER buy another GE appliance and I tell everybody that. I know that at one time appliances were made to last 30 years. My mother had those. But in our modern throw-away culture the old appliance companies seem to be making our applinaces throw-away also.
I have to say this though, I LOVE my Bosch dishwasher. It is the bottom line Bosch and cost the same as the top of the line Maytag. It is awesome. I have only had it two years so I can’t sing it’s praises too highly. But hey, we run it at minimum 3 times a day, doesn’t that count in the long life category? My sil has had her Bosch dishwasher for 6 years and it’s still great. I’m going to guess that hers only gets run once a day.
So I love my Bosch mixer and my Bosch dishwasher and a lot of the tools around our garage and shop are Bosch so I’m going to stick with them and when the piece of junk GE washer and dryer finally kick over, if I tried an itty bitty bit I could make them die I know it, I’m going for the Bosch washer and dryer. Or maybe the LG.
Signed,
A pregnant mama who had her share of phoneland for the week
Comment by Kim Brenneman (October 19, 2005 @ 3:47 pm )
I probably shouldn’t have read this in the mood I’m in today. My $1000 digital camera that I bought in April stopped working in August. I sent it to Canon who assured me they could fix it free of charge since it was still under warranty.
Last week I recieved an e-mail saying I would recieve my camera in 8 days. Thirty minutes ago I get a brown paper package…I’m thrilled! (I do love taking pictures!)
I open it up to a sweet note explaining that it was beyond repair and is no longer under warranty. I supposedly either dropped it, got it extensively wet, or buried it in sand…don’t know why I don’t remember any of that! Argh!
I feel your pain! (I was going to have my wedding photographer use my camera for my November wedding!)
I’m not a big fan of customer service at the moment - or, eh, the lack of customer service.
Comment by Bethany (October 19, 2005 @ 5:02 pm )
As my grandfather always says, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” You have to speak up with treated up fairly, or they will never know your troubles. I pray that the matter is taken care of shortly.
Comment by Alicia (October 19, 2005 @ 6:41 pm )
Right before we moved from CA, our dishwasher was leaking. It was not even a year and a half old. We were told the same thing “a lemon”…ugh. We had to replace it for the new owners, but they wanted a much nicer one than the one we were replacing.
A few months ago we went to Lowes to purchase a faucet for the kitchen, because ours broke after six months. Lowes is 45 minutes away. When we got the new one home, we realized the package was wet inside. Apparently it was one that was returned by someone else, complete with the warranty card in the package with the original owners name and address.
I just went through an “ordeal” with returning printer cartridges that were the wrong size, and a slip cover for the love seat that didn’t match the couch cover but were in the same package. I don’t think customer service is very high on the agenda in today’s world.
—And Bethany, I was given a digital camera for my birthday about three years ago. It lasted 2 weeks, never dropped it…it just stopped working.
….But you know, Christ is my king, I’m blessed to be my husband’s wife and my children’s mother…so it is well with my soul!
Comment by Jul (October 19, 2005 @ 8:16 pm )
No Time to Blog
I’ve been trying to work with Sony on our handheld. It went kaput a few weeks ago when Gil hit reset…and now the computer won’t even recognize it. Plus the latest solution them gave me has me going back to…
Trackback by Stand Up and Walk (October 19, 2005 @ 9:37 pm )
Hi Amy,
My husband said he would pull it out and bring it right back to where it was purchased since it is still under warranty. He also delivers to Lowes daily and knows that returns go in the dumpster and are not generally even sent back to the company.
You would think they could pay for a new dishwasher many times over after giving you new parts and paying for repairmen to make so many trips to your home.
Praying as I send this reply that you’ll have wisdom and ability to resolve this matter promptly!
Comment by Julie (October 19, 2005 @ 11:45 pm )
Just a word of praise for Bosch. To the lady considering a stand mixer for her daughter: I would definitely recommend the Bosch!! My mother has used one for years, and I just recently bought (a used) one to replace my KitchenAid, which I haven’t been very happy with. I have the Epicurean stand mixer, and the design just isn’t very good. I was thinking about listing it in the classifieds; now I’m wondering if that would be ethical. Anyway, Bosch is a really high-quality product. I love my “new” mixer!!
Comment by Elizabeth (October 20, 2005 @ 11:49 am )
You could do like my husband did after our brand new oven stopped working after only 2 uses. He loaded it up on the back of the truck, took it back to the place of purchase. He remained persistent that he would NOT be taking home again (all politely) because he knew all to well the “service cycle”. Finally they agreed refunded our money and we bought a new one. Not sure if you can do that after having 8 service men out…that’s crazy!
Comment by Roberta (October 20, 2005 @ 4:29 pm )
Sheesh, Amsters. I’ve never even HAD a dishwasher. Poor, poor, me.
I say, load that machine up and drive it to headquarters.
Comment by Holly (October 20, 2005 @ 7:05 pm )
Unload it on the side walk and yell at the top of your lungs…
Comment by kerri (October 21, 2005 @ 11:58 am )
Is there a local TV station with a “Call for Help” segment? Ours has that and many people have used it for situations similar to yours! It might be the quickest answer. Good Luck.
Comment by Sheryl (October 21, 2005 @ 9:34 pm )
My parents bought a Kitchen Aid dishwasher and went through almost exactly what you have. Unbelievable! I don’t think it’s even fixed yet.
Comment by Kim (October 22, 2005 @ 6:20 pm )
Unfortunately, I also bought a KitchenAid dishwasher when I remodeled my kitchen. It cost approx. $1,000 — same model as Amy’s.
It was installed less than three months ago, and I have had to request three service calls. It is currently out of order again, after having new parts installed five weeks ago.
The KitchenAid customer service department is no help, except to the extent that they read their script and tell me to call again for service under the warranty.
A supervisor refused to authorize a replacement for what is clearly a defective product. According to the company’s troubleshooting guide, the problem is a malfunctioning heater circuit.
Has anyone heard of a fire associated with KitchenAid dishwashers? Besides the inconvenience of having to hand-wash dishes while my $1,000 dishwasher sits inoperable, I am concerned about safety.
Judith
Comment by Judith (October 24, 2005 @ 10:51 am )
[...] hwasher story, part 2
Sunday, Oct 30, 2005
Many of you wrote in regarding the KitchenAid post. In short, their refusal to honor [...]
Pingback by Amy’s Humble Musings » The dishwasher story, part 2 (October 30, 2005 @ 11:09 pm )
Shannon,
I have had a kitchenaid refridgerator for 4 years. We have had service contracts with them the whole time and have had to have many repairs. But this FEBUARY 2005, the refrig stopped cooling properly (50-60 degrees). They have replaced the control pannel 4 times,the defusser 4 times, the thermisdor 2 time and made many calls just so they can place these parts on order to replace again or try to find something we are doing wronge to cause these problems and then we have to wait up to 2 weeks AGAIN for them to replace the parts they have already replaced. One tech told me I needed to manually defrost my refrid every month and that would solve my problem. It is no mid NOVERMER 2005 and we still have the same problem. We also had a tech tell us the refrig could not be repaired only to have whirlpool tell us that it is not documented anyplace and they will send another tech out to document that it can not be repaired. Only to have the tech show up to tell us he knows nothing about anything except that he has been sent out to repair our refrig. I believe it is the old SCAM of if you give them a hard enough time they will drop it an run. I have been nice—I have tried to get a manager to return my call—-I have tried to talk to a manager on the phone—I was so insistant at one time they connected me to their manager “PAT” and as we started our conversation we were disconnected. I called back and asked to speak to their manager “PAT” and was told they didn’t have any managers by that name!!—NO ONE WILL RETURN MY CALLS!!
I am sure you get the same responce on the phone as I did with a “Well, Mrs Cross, I am so sorry you are having this problem with you refrig, we will be happy to set an appointment for you for 1-2 weeks from today and the repair man will be there between 8am and 5pm. I am sorry but that is the best we can do. Yes I understand you have not had a functional refrig since FEB.” I can’t handle it any longer so I have turned it over to my husband and now he is beginning to see what I went through. There is not enough room to write all the happenings with this company.
I wonder if a lawyer would be interesting in handling this problem if it were handled as a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT like the people that took vioxx.
Jan.
Comment by Jan Cross (November 12, 2005 @ 10:56 am )
Well, I just found this site while searching for a fix to a problem with a Whirlpool dishwasher. We have been without power for +2 1/2 days and, with power back on, loaded our dishwasher, push start & —- nothing. The clean light keeps flashing. We have only had this about three months. It has been the first dishwasher that cleans the dishes, and we don’t have to leave the house to hear are selves think. The mamunal says “call for service to check heater circuit.”
So far, I’m not feeling good about this. Does anyone know how to check the heater circuit?
Comment by Rob (December 17, 2005 @ 8:33 pm )
If it is the heater circuit on the same model I had (blinking clean light…), then you will need a new dishwasher. There is a recall. The customer-no-service people aren’t aware or won’t admit this. Just a head’s up. Don’t let them send 10 service calls out until your warranty expires. Hope this helps.
Comment by Amy (December 20, 2005 @ 10:00 am )
KITCHEN AID HAS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE ….. CEO name is JEFF FETTIG
I am currently on a mission to talk to Jeff Fettig about his company’s terrible customer service. If I do not get my issue fixed by tomorrow (12/20/2005), I intend to inform others in our neighborhood NEVER to purchase Kitchen Aid.
Here’s what happened:
* Purchased expensive stove
* four technician visits - still not fixed
* technician visit today scheduled - technician did not show up!
* the story is worse than it sounds above - numerous phone calls - terrible telephone service and amazingly poor interactions with service companies
* rang Kitchen Aid customer service and asked to talk to CEO - I was told “Jeff Fettig does not talk to customers”
Comment by Cindy Larson (December 20, 2005 @ 6:00 pm )
Hello Amy,
My Kitchenaid dishwasher (4KUDS01FLSS) died december 24th. “Clean light” is blinking. This dishwasher has worked for 4 month only. The service man will be there in 2 weeks (Sears fast service
). Hope it will fix the problem. And now for the new year - my Kitchenaid range (YKESA907PS 4 month old) - control box is not responding. I cannot turn off the oven (the OFF button is not working) -I have to close the breaker on my electric panel to shutdown the oven.
I also have a Kitchenaid refrigerator and range hood - i’m scare.
Comment by Nathalie Boucher (January 7, 2006 @ 5:41 am )
We have a problem with our five year old Kitchen Aid Superba dishwasher. The fill valve keeps leaking. The last one lasted two months. I put water alarms under the dishwasher because the wood floor was ruined under it. It is obviously a design flaw. I would not buy another Kitchen Aid again. I had a Sears portable for overy twenty-five years. I really think if Kitchen Aid does not have a solution to this we are going to have to junk it and it does a good job cleaning. Their customer service department is almost as bad as ATT was a few years ago. Deplorable! I know Kitchen Aid was for years a good appliance but not anymore.
Comment by Kathy Nagy (January 10, 2006 @ 4:23 pm )
I feel you. Two years ago I bought a $2000.00 refrigerator. I noticed just recently that I have about 30 hairline cracks running along the inside liner. I was able to speak to a manager, and was told that all they could do was repair it. Has anyone seen epoxy on a smooth surface. I have, and it looks horrible. So I will now have a $2000.00 refrigerator with several repair marks all over the inside liner. From the sound of things, I guess I will also have several visits from the repair man, but not for long. I am not done with this, and you shouldn’t be either. Sorry , but being nice and pleasant does always get you what you want. You don’t have to yell at them, but do be direct, and persistent. I might even threaten an attorney. Publicizing Kitchen-aid’s lack of quality and horrible customer service might get there attention!!!
Comment by Diane Snow (January 11, 2006 @ 2:01 pm )
I bought a Whirlpool Duet Washer in Aug.2005 from Appliance Direct in Orlando Fl. When they delievered it they borught the wrong color pedestal. They left the washer and dryer and said they would come back the next day with the pedestals. I tired the washer that night and it worked fine. They came back the next day and put the washer on the pedestal. But they had laid it on it’s side probably moved the drum around. After that the washer shook,vibrated and was very loud. We thought it had to be leveled. We did everything and it still shook on the spin cycle.
I called the store and they sent a guy out. He told me it shouldn’t be that loud. After that the store disowned the whole thing and told I had to deal with Whirlpool. I called them and told them I wanted a new wahser. They told me they don’t had no plan for replacing washers they just can repair them. It was like they were reading off a script. They told me the store would have to get me a new one. I called the store back and they told me Whirlpool would have to authorize that. So after going back forth I finally agreed to another service call. To make a long story short I had numerous service calls from techs that were worthless. Waited days on end,hours upon hours for these guys to no avail, it still shook. One time they came and took the whole thing apart in my kitchen and put a new drum in. I was told by a district manager after all these guys came that they never documented the service calls and I would have to start over having these guys come out. I was furious. I argued with this guy for an hour. I asked him if there is ever any circumstance that they replace things. He kept saying it depends on the circumstance. We went in circles and he wouldn’t give me a staright answer. I asked numerous people if this was normal for this washer and no one can answer that either. It’s like I’m the only one in this world with this washer,no one knows what it should sound like,not even Whirlpool. I tried to get one of Whirlpools phone rep/robots off the script by asking her what she would do if she spent $1300 on a washer and had this problem. All she could say was this was not about her. I said “you would do the same thing” and she had nothing to say. So we leveled it the best we could, again, and it got a little better. I gave up because I had enough. I told off a ton of people. Including phone reps, supervisors and district managers.
Yesterday it started getting very loud again. My husband thinks it’s because it needs to be leveled again. But I got so fed up I called the store again because someone told me there that if I couldn’t get statisfaction from Whirlpool they would see about gettng me a new one. I put the phone to the washer so that the guy that answered could hear it. I aksed to speak to the person that told me I could get a new one. They put the manager on and of course the person I spoke to doesn’t work there anymore. And they changed the company policy,they aren’t allowed to give out new machines or they have to pay for it or loose their jobs. He told me that he would email the district manager and have her contact me(yeah right)and that they most likely will have to send another tech out. I would have to start over yet again. I told him I can’t wait for techs. I work,I have kids that after 3pm everyday have after school activities. I also told him that they rebuilt the thing already on my kitchen,what more can they do? But he said that was all they could do. My question is,why don’t the stores that sell the products stand behind the products they sell? What is going on in this world?
So now we leveled it agian. I’m waiting to hear from this lady district manager and have to hear her say there’s nothing documented so we have to start over.
They sent me a comment card about the techs and I wrote a whole thing about how bad their customer service is. I told everyone at Whirlpool. But of course they don’t care.
It sounds like most of you had the same problems. They read off scripts,they don’t document anything,and they give you the run around and talk in cirlces. They have no policy of replacing things because they know if they drive people crazy enough and give them the runaround we will give up. They know we won’t get a lawyer and if we do they will win.
Someone said that maybe they would listen if a Class Action suit was started. If there are any lawyers reading this maybe that would be a good idea. I would take part in that.
I am so frustrated by these people. I didn’t realize Kitechaid was under that label. I am looking to replace all my kitchen appliances. But I will never buy Whirlpool or Kitchenaid. At this point I don’t know what to buy it seems they all stink. But Whirlpool is the worst I have ever seen.
The tech even told me they are bad. He told me they never doucment anything. He said people need to make sure it is dovumented because they won’t do it.
If anyone wants to start a Class Action suit count me in. I’ll come back here and see.
Well I vented enough. I am off to listen to my wahser!
Comment by Anonymous (January 11, 2006 @ 11:57 pm )
Our BOSCH ueberDishwasher started smoking while cleaning dishes and died. Needless to say the smoke issue compelled me to call for a service call immediately. We used SEARS from where it was purchased for the repair after the warranty ran out. I gave them my credit card and told them about the smell of burned components. I’m fairly handy and thought that a transformer or perhaps motor/pump may have given up the proverbial ghost.There was nothing I could have done.I thought.
Well…. when the repair man came, he did not even disconnect or pull out the unit. He just unscrewed the front bottom and showed me burned cables from the plug cable to the connection. It seems that during the assembling of the dishwasher (it is made here in the US by the way) the wire nuts were not tightened enough and the heavy amperage draw (which is used to heat the water) caused the connection to fail. This is not the dishwasher’s fault however, but rather the boob that wired it in.
Why did they already know about this? I asked about a recall and was told there isn’t any. Has anyone else thrown out $178.- for otherwise a good quality unit
Comment by HB (February 19, 2006 @ 9:19 am )
The reason your whirlpool duet washer vibrates and makes lots of noise is due to the fact that the store when they redelivered your correct color pedestal failed to put the shipping bolts back in and this caused the drum to shift and is out of alignment. Anytime you move the unit out of the upright position this must be done.
Comment by Kevin (March 10, 2006 @ 12:58 pm )
For those of you who are thinking about dishwashers or are having issues with Kitchen Aid dishwashers here are a couple of reasons you are having the issues with newer model Kitchen Aid. Kitchen Aid was originally produced by the Hobart company, and Whirlpool bought this product line out and this is the reason that the 20+ year old Kitchen Aid product still work well and the newer models are having issues. Kitchen Aid is in the bottom 1/3 of all dishwasher brands for service from 2001-2005 per the Feb. ‘06 Consumer Report Magazine. I’d recommend BOSCH for a quiter dishwasher and because is it a german engineered product.
Comment by Kevin (March 10, 2006 @ 1:02 pm )
I also have had my kitchenaid dishwasher 3 yrs. and have had the motor replaced. It is doing the same thing again after 6 months, the dishes are always dirty on the top rack.
I would never buy a kitchenaid again or whirlpool. The amount of money to buy one is not worth the investment. I bought a bosch this week, I can only hope it works better.
Comment by Anonymous (March 18, 2006 @ 9:03 pm )
I wrote the message #40. I turned the problem over to my husband in Nov 2005 and after he got the same run arround that I did, he told them in Jan. 2006 that he was going to hand the phone up and call our lawyer if he didn’t get any satisfaction. He was put on hold and a lady that was so SORRY for our troubles told him that she would send him a form to fill out and we would get 75% of the purchase price of a new refridg back. Believe it or not 2 months later we did receive a check. The bad thing is that they gave us a choice of 3 brands to buy so we may be right back into the same problem next year. I feel for anyone who went through what I did. Until you have experienced Kitchenaid first hand……YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW SILLY YOUR ADVISE SOUNDS! What I don’t understand is how those people on the phone can work for a company that requires them to not tell the truth and I felt sorry for the repairmen at first but then realized that they were doing the same thing.
Comment by jan (March 18, 2006 @ 10:20 pm )
We have a Whirlpool refrigerator which has given us no problems for the 17 years that we have owned it. So when we decided to remodel our kitchen we felt sticking with that company’s products was the way to go.As a result we put in Kitchen-Aid appliances.The refrigerator choice was a disaster.About two years after installation the unit wasn’t making ice.A service tech said the reason for that was that the wiring harness had a broken wire in it and entire freezer door would have to be replaced. About 6 months later the unit was again failing to make ice. Another service tech came and said we needed to replace the water line to the unit.Really!!Then how come I ask is the water dispenser still working? The reply,the water line has an internal resevoir. Enough for several months of water dispensing I ask,knowing that the resevoir consists of only 6 loops of coiled tubes and would have shut down long ago if water wasn’t replenished.A second tech replaced the whole ice making unit still no ice he came back he concluded that a new water line was needed to the unit i asked about the ice line solenoid he said it checked out ok.I disconnected the water line and water was flowing copiously. I removed the solenoid and found it was shot.Replacing it found the ice maker working fine.A year later the refrigerator stopped working.This turned out to be the compressor starting device after replacing it ,it ran for another month before crapping out again. So that’s where we are now a large non-working investment. I will certainly advise anyone to not buy Kitchen-Aid appliances.It’s not worth the aggravation.
Comment by DAN (April 14, 2006 @ 5:09 pm )
KitchenAid has THE WORST customer service. They should rename their company KitchenBANE! I bought a new home with all new top-of-the-line KitchenAid appliances. Two weeks later the range hood light stopped working. Four months and 5 service appointments later, it still doesn’t work. What’s worse, now the fan makes a horrible sound. They refuse to replace the unit. Instead they keep sending service techs out to tear the unit apart; these guys don’t even have the sense to bring a step ladder or a flash light.
The worst part is the treatment by “Joletta” and the people in charge of “Executive Review.” The only thing you can count on is that they won’t give you the name of anyone else to talk to.
Never again will I buy anything from KitchenAid or Whirlpool. NEVER! And every opportunity I get I’ll tell people to avoid their products.
Comment by Drake (April 26, 2006 @ 4:48 pm )
My father-in-law worked for Whirlpool on the line in Evensville before he retired a few years ago so we always have bought Whirlpool brands - Not any longer. After a year in a half, my dishwasher just quit. Service tells me the person that installed it did it wrong because the electrical hook up was damaged. Interesting how it is always a “install problem” never the fact that the design or the quality of the product is flawed. The dishwasher worked fine for a year and a half, so I fail to see how this was the problem. I will never buy another whirlpool product again. I only hope my two year old Kitchenaid fridge lasts at least five years!
Comment by Kathleen (June 7, 2006 @ 5:32 pm )
Kitchen Aid appliances are over priced junk! Have a new home the oven has been “fixed” 2 times. The final conclusion is that the controller has a faulty design. It still takes 30-45 min. to get to temperature.
Refrigerator does not dispense ice. Three service calls later, a new switch panel, the verdict from certified repairman is that the wiring in the freezer door is intermittant. Solution - a new freezer door because it cannot be repaired. This will be about $600. For $900 I can buy an equivilent GE that will work.
Comment by Paul (July 1, 2006 @ 2:03 am )
My Maytag dishwasher stopped working last year and we have opted not to repair it now. The Maytag front loader washer, dryer and refrigerator have had problems too. We will never buy Maytag again. But you know, the kids and I do the dishes at least as well as that dishwasher–makes you wonder if our convienences are all they are chalked up to be, doesn’t it?
Comment by Heather (July 3, 2006 @ 8:55 am )
To whom it may concern,
I am in the process of filing a class action lawsuit against Kitchen Aid for a defective refridgerator cavity. They have a problem with the manufacturing of the liner. As a result we have spider crack on the interior of our Refriderator compartment. Please fill free to join the class and contact me at 954-647-3396. My name is Cliff Jahrmarkt. The law firm handle the class is Dearman & Gersman in Plantation Florida.
Comment by Cliff jahrmarkt (July 8, 2006 @ 4:42 pm )
I bought the Fisher & Paykel dishdrawers ($1,400) when I remodeled my kitchen 5 years ago. There were problems with them from the beginning but being under warrantee they replaced the drain flap, hose top, wire cover, 3 tub switches, rotor & starter. One of the repairmen told me I had a lemon. Then one of the dishdrawers flooded the kitchen ruining my new maple floors. Fisher & Paykel gave me the runaround for over a year, but I was persistant and they finally agreed to replace the dishdrawers pro-rated.($350) They told me to go through my insurance company for the damaged floors, which I did, and now, nearly a year and a half later, the dishdrawers are to be installed next week for $150 by the installers of their choice.
Comment by Terry (July 18, 2006 @ 11:40 am )
bought architect series dishwasher,gas range and refrigerator in mar 05.dishwasher was noisey after 3 months repair person from (A&E)said it was normaland if we wanted quiet we should have bought a better nodel.im may of 06 had to have a new motor/pump assembly.repairman from a different company said motor was probably defective since new it is now quiet.refrigerator door shelves cracked about 5 months latr.new ones were covered by warranty.in april 06 the plug temp probe went bad ofcourse the in it was about 4o days out of warranty after several phone conversations a supervisor authorized replacing the probe saying it was customer goodwill.of course the repairman cane out and did not have a probe so he replaced a sensor and thought it would cure the problem.it didnt so he ordered a probe took about 3 weeks.on june 5th i put the oven on self clean.about half way through the cycle the control panel went blank and the oven door would not unlock.the repairman brought a new control panel it didnt help so he said it needed a transformer so it was another trip and the transformer didnt cure the problem.he called kitchenaid and they advised it was a temp sensor(we asked for a different repairman as this guy did not have a clue iguess if he replaced enough parts it would work).the next repairman was very familiar he said the sensors go bad when in the self clean mode and it would prob happen again as this range has problems.on july 17th my wife tried the clean mode the oven would not heat.repairman came out and tried to no avail he said he would go to shop n call kitchenaid and follow up but ase if she would try one more time to us e clean mode.the next morning the oven heated and abot a half hour later error codes flashed.my wife thought she smelld somthing burning but had to wait until the door unlocked.when the door was opened the whole oven was covered with “SOOT” the door gasket was permimated with it.we called the repairman and he told us to call kitchenaid safety department as they need to be awae of the problem.we called and advised someone from consumer affairs would call us and theywould send another repairman.i told her that thr range had caught fire and repair was not an option.as of this writing no one from kitchenaid has called.we did contact lowes corporate and thy had the store manager call us we are waiting to see if we can get a refund.i do not want another kitchenaid.in reading various forums there seems to be a serious problem and kitchenaid could care less. if i receive no satifaction i will go to the local tv station.i have also talked to an attorney
Comment by Joe (July 23, 2006 @ 12:09 am )
bought architect series dishwasher,gas range and refrigerator in mar 05.dishwasher was noisey after 3 months repair person from (A&E)said it was normaland if we wanted quiet we should have bought a better nodel.im may of 06 had to have a new motor/pump assembly.repairman from a different company said motor was probably defective since new it is now quiet.refrigerator door shelves cracked about 5 months latr.new ones were covered by warranty.in april 06 the plug temp probe went bad ofcourse the in it was about 4o days out of warranty after several phone conversations a supervisor authorized replacing the probe saying it was customer goodwill.of course the repairman cane out and did not have a probe so he replaced a sensor and thought it would cure the problem.it didnt so he ordered a probe took about 3 weeks.on june 5th i put the oven on self clean.about half way through the cycle the control panel went blank and the oven door would not unlock.the repairman brought a new control panel it didnt help so he said it needed a transformer so it was another trip and the transformer didnt cure the problem.he called kitchenaid and they advised it was a temp sensor(we asked for a different repairman as this guy did not have a clue iguess if he replaced enough parts it would work).the next repairman was very familiar he said the sensors go bad when in the self clean mode and it would prob happen again as this range has problems.on july 17th my wife tried the clean mode the oven would not heat.repairman came out and tried to no avail he said he would go to shop n call kitchenaid and follow up but ase if she would try one more time to us e clean mode.the next morning the oven heated and abot a half hour later error codes flashed.my wife thought she smelld somthing burning but had to wait until the door unlocked.when the door was opened the whole oven was covered with “SOOT” the door gasket was permimated with it.we called the repairman and he told us to call kitchenaid safety department as they need to be awae of the problem.we called and advised someone from consumer affairs would call us and theywould send another repairman.i told her that thr range had caught fire and repair was not an option.as of this writing no one from kitchenaid has called.we did contact lowes corporate and thy had the store manager call us we are waiting to see if we can get a refund.i do not want another kitchenaid.in reading various forums there seems to be a serious problem and kitchenaid could care less. if i receive no satifaction i will go to the local tv station.
Comment by Joe (July 23, 2006 @ 12:10 am )
I think it is your duty as a Christian to stand up for your rights and not let anyone cause you to have to wash a single dish without a dishwasher. That is way too much hardship for a Christian to take. Oh, and definitely make sure you give those inferior people at KitchenAid who fail to serve you to your satisfaction a hard time. Ater all they are paid minimum wage to care about your life and what is happening with your dishwasher, and I’m sure you care deeply about what is happening in their life, because surely as a Christian you wouldn’t shallowly think, “This is their job and they ought to do it better, I know I would.”
Comment by toni (August 4, 2006 @ 11:03 pm )
I feel your pain in a real way, I am on day number 23 doing without a dishwasher in the middle of canning season. I am also very aware of the customer service folks,how do they sleep at night? I had an appointment for today but when I called to see when the service man would arrive I was told it would not be until Monday. I will be writing a letter tonight. Carolyn
Comment by Carolyn (August 11, 2006 @ 10:16 pm )
thanks everyone! i just paide $1200 for a KitchenAid dishwasher today, they are suppose to deliver it on Tuesday. However, I’ll be canceling my order tomorrow. I had this same problem with my Maytag washer, don’t care to repeat it with the dishwasher.
Comment by Anonymous (August 19, 2006 @ 9:05 pm )
Does anyone know the name of the CEO? We’ve had nothing but trouble with our KitchenAid clothes washer. We’ve had 6 service calls in the last 3 years and the washer still is not working on a consistent basis. Now, over the weekend, the dryer ruined my wife’s new clothes by sraying grease inside the dryer. I call, again, the “customer service” number and was coldly informed that a service contractor would be out on Saturday a.m. to see what the problem might be. This was after she told me that I was not telling her the truth because there “is no way” that grease could get inside the dryer! So now I’m also a liar. I asked to speak to the V.P. of Customer Service and was told that they don’t have one. I told the lady that I believe that!!
Comment by Daryl (September 11, 2006 @ 2:16 pm )
I have the same problem with a KitchenAid dishwasher. It is brand new and has been defective from day one!. They sent a technician out to replace the door but it still didn’t work. They only want to send out repair men… I want a new washer! After reading these comments, I want a totally different brand now.
Kevin
Comment by Kevin (January 30, 2007 @ 2:44 am )
The whirlpool dishwasher model du1148xtpq was purchased June 29,2006 and delivered July 5, 2006 with a year parts and labor. It takes three hours to complete the cycle which is not energy efficient. The book says it should take 64-84 minutes. Whirlpool sent three appliance repair shops to fix the problem. The last one said the water heater is too far from the dishwasher which is fifteen feet away. It is now April 2007 and it still takes three hours. It cost $460.96 plus $55 for installation.
Comment by jessica jagger (April 6, 2007 @ 1:22 pm )
I would just like to add that we also have the grave misfortune of purchasing a KitchenAid Superba $1000 dishwasher/useless piece of garbage 3 years ago. It has flooded and ruined my oak floors twice. I will never buy this brand again.
Comment by Jean (April 17, 2007 @ 3:23 pm )
I too had the same problem with my kitchenaid stove-1 yr 3mos later I set the selfclean on when i came home the control panel was blank and the door was locked. My luck I didnt realize no ext warranty was purchased. My friend had the same thing happen to her same kitchenaid stove she had hers less than 2 yrs and had to pay 450-to get it fixed. I don’t know what i am going to do.
Comment by sandie (April 20, 2007 @ 2:26 pm )
We have had a Kitchenaid architect series slide -in range that we paid $1800 for and this is the THIRD time that whilst in self-clean mode it blanked out the whole electronic panel and the door will not open. We also had problems where it woudl say it was 350,but was actually about 200 and our food was raw. They fixed that the 2nd service visit, but now we have the self-clean mode” fry-out “of our stove. I told the Customer rep that I should be able to use a feature on my expensive range without it needing a service call after. They told me that they cannot assist me at this time. Does anyone know if there us a Lawsuit against them? Or anywhere else we can complain too? I want a new stove and cannot afford another $1800 bill.
Comment by Tracy (May 1, 2007 @ 3:23 pm )
Hi Tracy. We bought an electric range a year and half ago and we had 3 repairs on it already. the knobs were not secure the pannel went bust twice.Now one of the burners busted. On the 3rd repair they promissed to replace if anything else goes wrong. The new repairs were to cost over $600.00 Kitchenaid had defaulted on their promise for replacing the range. We’ve had the worst purchase with our expensive electrical ceramic range. We will be taking Kitchenaid and the store who sold us this piece of lemon to court. if need to contact us sam001@vif.com
Comment by Simone (May 1, 2007 @ 7:49 pm )
We installed our KitchenAID drawer dishwasher, on October 15, 2006 and it has never worked correctly. We are frustrated and tired of the runaround that we have gotten from the KitchenAID and Whirlpool organizations.
The dishwasher does not CLEAN the dishes. The dishwasher also does not DRY the dishes. The best that this dishwasher can do, if it is put on its highest setting “heavy” with the temperature set to “high temp” is clean up to ¾ of the load of dishes. And this cycle on these settings takes over 3 hours to complete.
To address the problem, first I called the KitchenAID customer service center. They told me that in order to have the unit replaced that a certified KitchenAID technician must come to our house and repair the unit first. The men do come to our home and they say that the unit is not broken.
After the first two repairpersons came, in November 2006 and December 2006, I called back to the customer service line, to say that the dishwasher still does not work correctly. The person I then spoke with apologized and said that in order for a replacement unit to be ordered, at least three different repair people must come to service the unit. So, I allowed, reluctantly, one more service call to be scheduled, this one for January 19, 2007.
After that service call on January 19th, 2007, I called January 24th to begin finally the process of having the unit replaced. However, when I spoke to the next customer service person, Catherine at extension 7865 she said that there was no such thing as replacing a unit if there wasn’t something “wrong” with it. She said she must send ANOTHER service technician to the house and that he must call the “tech support line” when he is in my home. I was upset at this point and very tired of having service people come to my house and tell me that the dishwasher was not broken. It has been nothing but a waste of my time. Catherine assured me that they would “get to the bottom of why the dishes aren’t clean” and that she would “put notes” in the record indicating that the repair person must call the tech support line when they were at my house.
Catherine scheduled another technician who came to the house on January 26, 2007 and ALSO said that the dishwasher was not broken. This technician refused to call the “tech support line”. I pleaded with him to do so, saying that my repair order had notes instructing him to call that tech support line. I also spoke to his customer service department at the company he worked for, Ablemark, while he was in my home, and they also refused to call the tech support line.
When I called KitchenAid customer service yet again to complain that the dishwasher wasn’t working and that I wasn’t satisfied with the “repairs” that had been done, I spoke with Kim at extension 7054. This was January 31, 2007. Kim told me that she was going to send another technician to my house and that I must “make” him call the tech support line. I objected to this, telling her about my previous experience attempting to “make” a repairperson call the tech support line.
The next repairperson came on February 1, 2007. He did no repairs and also would not call the tech support line. Another repairperson was scheduled again on February 8, 2007. He did not show up.
The process required to deal with the KitchenAID “guarantee” is excessive, bothersome, and complicated. This is no mistake, to be sure. This process is meant to discourage and wear out the customer. It is very unfriendly. One of the customer services representatives Catharine PROMISED me that she would follow up with me concerning my dishwasher and the problem. She said she would get to the reason why my dishwasher was not cleaning the dishes. She did not return my calls for a full 2 weeks. I called her every day for the first week and left a message, since I had trusted what she had said, that she would follow up on it and she would help me. Finally after 2 weeks I gave up and then called back to the main customer service line.
Our dishwasher DOES NOT WORK. This is not our fault, nor did it occur through anything we did. We are just a regular family, trying to get our dirty dishes washed. We have been reasonable and patient with KichenAid’s “guarantee” process and have not had any good results.
To resolve this problem we require KitchenAid to either refund the purchase price of this dishwasher or provide a new fully functioning dishwasher. I sent a copy of this to the FTC, consumer reports, American Express and the Better Business Bureau. My family needs and deserves to have a functioning appliance. We paid for a functioning appliance. Now I want a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. Please tell me how!
Comment by kiki (May 30, 2007 @ 9:37 pm )
Try this number for the Whirlpool Corporation Executive Offices in Michigan.
1 800/446-2574
Comment by Tracy (May 30, 2007 @ 11:24 pm )
I just came across this letter in looking for the name and perhaps a phone number for the CEO of Kitchenaid. Boy do I wish I would have seen this BEFORE we purchased a Kitchenaid stainless steel Whisper Quiet dishwasher. It was pretty close to the top of the line…what a joke! I have never had a dishwasher that worked so poorly and absolutely did not live up to its name.
We purchased this “dish rinser” a little over a year ago and have had problems with it from the day it was installed. They would not take this piece of junk back after we realized that it, in fact, was not whisper quiet and it certainly did not clean the dishes.
We were told it could be replaced, which we had done, but it was the same thing all over again. When we contacted the customer service department, we were told, “sorry, this is company policy.” My husband went to the manager of customer service…same answer. We spent countless number of phone calls trying to rectify this situation. No one would help us.
We are now STUCK with this machine and I have to wash the dishes before I run it. Half the time the soap dispenser doesn’t even open up during the cycle.
I would NEVER buy another Kitchenaid product EVER again, nor would I recommend one to anyone else. As a matter of fact, I tell as many people as I can about our dishwasher nightmare, in hopes that they don’t make the same mistake.
Comment by Meredith (June 30, 2007 @ 9:05 am )
I am nine months pregnant - due to deliver our fourth baby, tomorrow. Our first three children are 2-year old triplets.
I, too, have a KitchenAid Superba dishwasher. It has broken SIX TIMES in the past eleven months >> FIVE times in the past five months. I have been without a dishwasher for the better part of the past three months.
I am completely at my wits end. I applaud you for writing this note - I wrote something similar on my blog and am posting complaints anywhere and everywhere I can. To add insult to injury - our KitchenAid Superba refrigerator is also on the blink.
I’d be interested to hear how this was resolved for you. If it ever was.
Comment by Jen @ amazingtrips (July 3, 2007 @ 6:22 pm )
Jen,
Unfortunately, it did take me posting on my blog to get a response. They replaced it, knowing all along that I owned a recalled machine. (I believe the whole story is under the category heading “KitchenAid.”) So, yes, we have a new one. While it now “works,” we still have to frequently rewash a whole load. The working model isn’t worth the money, though.
It is not my style to use my blog as a means to “get my way.” We’ve been stiffed and taken advantage of since this story, and I haven’t mentioned it. In fact, we just had a pool contractor walk off the job and I haven’t written about him… This was just so over-the-top, though, and the stories keep coming. It is my most Googled post, and I get emails all the time on the subject.
I hope you find some resolution. May the Lord bless your impending delivery.
Comment by Amy Scott (July 3, 2007 @ 7:03 pm )
1 800/446-2574
I posted this number in May -it is the Corportae office in Michigan.
I dealt with a woman called
Delores Pumfrey,her extension was 7837
She replaced our stove with a comparable Architect Series II (why make a new series if there was nothing wrong with first one???Or nothing they will admit too),she pro-rated it based on the average life of a stove being 17 years,so she minused 2 years use,plus what we paid for ours off of the cost of the new one. they even paid for delivery and installation(a gas range is $80 + to install)which was great.This still worked out cheaper than 3 call-out fees plus parts per year for the remaining 15 year life on the stove!! I am not sure how we got so lucky, but try her,maybe she will help?
Tracy
Comment by Tracy (July 3, 2007 @ 8:48 pm )
We are having the worst time with our Kitchen Aid appliances. I am so sad I did not stick with GE, but I believe all the hype. The only reason we went with a GE dishwasher was because we didn’t want KITCHENAID in big letters on the front!! Now, our GE dishwasher is the only thing working. Our KitchenAid oven had 4 major repairs in their month — glass shattered on oven doors during cleaning process, control panel had to be replaced because of no heating, and they have been back twice to deal with the loud noises it makes. Our KitchenAid refrigerator leaked while we were on vacation and now we need a new subfloor, tile and insulation — over $15,000. Don’t buy KitchenAid.
Comment by Karen (July 4, 2007 @ 11:01 am )
by the way, I finally got a new double oven by calling Sears CEO and his wonderful secretary. As a mom, she understood why I didn’t want a glass shattering appliance in my house with two young kids!! Sear gave me a new oven, albeit still a KitchenAid, which at least is working.
Comment by Karen (July 4, 2007 @ 11:03 am )
I don’t need new appliances, nor do I plan on needing them in the near future. But down the road, I will remember your problems and the problems of all of your commenters and stay far away from KitchenAid and Whirlpool. I just wanted any of the KitchenAid/Whirlpool people reading this to know that your post does make the difference in the opinions of others.
Comment by jen at Conversations (July 5, 2007 @ 8:04 am )
For anyone having problems with a manufacturer,and are trying to reach the company corporate offices, there are a number of free resources through Hoovers, Reference USA and even Dunn & BradStreet. Many of these sites can be reached online through your local or state library online services. Any of these resources will provide names and addresses to contact. I have used them many times with better than average success by letting the “C” levels know how I felt about a product or their service.
Comment by Dave (July 14, 2007 @ 9:09 pm )
In December 2006, we purchased a kitchen aid range, model ykera807ppoo. I was told by the salesman that the range was a new model. I later learned that it was not a new model, but a previous year’s model. The real issue for me is that the front left side burner cannot be cleaned. The other three burners come clean with the special cleaner for glass tops, but the large left front burner is uncleanable. It looks unsightly. I purchased the range for over $2000 from F.W. Black in Kingston, Ontario. I had reservations about the white top, but the salesman assured me that the range top was a breeze to clean. From the first day, the left front burner would not come clean. I arranged an appointment for the serviceman to come to the house to examine the range top and he said that there is nothing that can be done because “they are all like that.” I am apparently lucky that the other burners come clean with some work. The Kitchen Aid service center is not helpful. I am willing to join in on a lawsuit if you know of one that is available. I have been told that the problems I am experiencing are not isolated issues for this range model.
Comment by aurora (July 17, 2007 @ 11:33 am )
I also am having a great deal of trouble getting service on a 3 month old kitchen aid dishwasher. The company is deceptive and non responsive. Do not think about purchasing a kitchen aid dishwasher!
Comment by Susan (August 27, 2007 @ 9:32 pm )
Hi Amy,
I could have written your letter, with the exact same problems even. Except now, there are more, since I was unable to get any satisfaction from either Kitchen Aid or Queen City TV & Appliance in Charlotte, NC. Luckily, I purchased an extended warranty once I realized they were not going to help.
I will never buy anything Whirlpool related again. I no longer even like to use my KA mixer!
Thanks for the venting space!
Comment by P C Smith (September 10, 2007 @ 12:03 pm )
I have been considering purchasing a KitchenAid dishwasher and a KitchenAid refrigerator. The total purchase price for both appliances would be $3200 without tax and delivery and installation added on. From reading all poster comments in this link, it looks like I would be throwing my money down the drain. I just looked at Jenn-Air (my 2nd appliance choice) customer comments and they are horrible too. How in the world do you find reliable appliances to buy or do you just choose a brand, buy extended warranties and hope for the best? I did purchase extended warranties for my front loading Maytag washer and dryer and haven’t experienced any problems.
Comment by J A Jay (September 17, 2007 @ 4:09 pm )
Hi, J A Jay. I’m sure glad you didn’t have problems with your Maytag frontloader and dryer. We sure have. I wonder, like you, how do you find good appliances? Good luck.
Comment by Another Heather (September 18, 2007 @ 11:50 am )
Kitchenaid double oven won’t shut off and cleaning cycle won’t turn on. We bought a house almost two years ago that had been remodeled in 1996 with a Kitchenaid double oven (w/convection oven on top). About two weeks ago I was using the top oven and it wouldn’t turn off! My husband finally had to go outside and flip the breaker. I’ve tried it again several times and when the baking is finished, I cancel the oven and it turns off for a few moments then cycles on/off again for 30-60 minutes. So bazaar! I thought maybe it needed cleaning, so followed the instructions this morning and the darned thing wouldn’t even turn on. Instead, I get an error message E3, F1. After reading all the posts here and at other sites it sounds like we’re in for expensive repair bills since this is an older oven. We’ll probably nurse it along until we can remodel the kitchen and I’ll certainly not buy Kitchaid when we do. I didn’t like the sound of the fan anyway–made the kitchen to noisy. Can anyone recommend a double oven, one with microwave/convection on top and regular oven on bottom, plus a warming tray that would be a reliable product. Plus no noisy fans. I’m so tired of shelling out good money for products that poop out in no time.
Comment by jo (September 22, 2007 @ 2:20 pm )
Well…I purchased an ASKO dishwasher. Reviews on this one are pretty good. I also purchased a ULine Wine Cooler Refrigerator and a GE Advantium 120 Microwave. I skipped Kitchen Aid and JennAir after reading reviews.
Comment by J A Jay (September 29, 2007 @ 11:29 pm )
Within a month of our purchase of a Kitchenaid Double convection oven in 1997,the control panel had to be replaced and the oven locked and shut down after self cleaning. The problem persisted whenever we self cleaned the oven. We complained to Kitchenaid each time we needed a repair to no avail. We continued to put up with this inconvenience and cost and spent over $750 in four repairs to replace thermal fuses and thermal fix. Kitchenaid would not pay for the repairs nor replace the oven. When the contol panel and fuses failed again recently, the repair estimate was $700. I had had no success with Kitchenaid/Whirlpool service admitting there was a problem with this oven or paying for the repairs. Thanks to this blog, I was able to see that I was not the only one having a chronic problem with Kitchenaid. (Although my Kitchenaid dishwasher and cooktop have not given me any problem) Tracy’s comment on 7/3/07 led me to call Delores Pumprey. I was amused when her voice mail said, “Please listen carefully as the message has changed. I will be out of the office until further notice.” From the main number 800 446-2574 I spoke with La Shanda Armstrong who did eventually offer 20% off the purchase(incl. tax, not installation) of a new oven. Better than nothing since I did not want to cut my cabinet to fit a different brand oven. When I sent the sales receipt to obtain the 20%, I kept getting emails that she was out of town. Finally I spoke with Nakicha Stone and had to resubmit the information to her. I did finally receive an envelope with a check for the 20%. However, this oven has caused an agonizing series of tedious phone calls,inconvenience and out of pocket cost. I now understand why Whirlpool customer service is call the “Customer Experience Center”…there isn’t any service but it is quite an EXPERIENCE…one I don’t care to repeat!
I wouldn’t recommend a Kitchenaid product because of this experience. However,if you have one, I recommend that you document all of your service calls and make copies of the receipts as I found mine have faded. I believe Kitchenaid/Whirlpool documents all of your phone calls, but keep a log for yourself and keep calling. Be persistent and decide exactly what you want from them before you call. Call the corporate offices directly.
The new oven, Architect Series II KEBS277sbl double oven with single convection in upper oven, was purchased at Pacfic Sales for $1782 + 138tax = $1920 total(delivery included, installation $110 additional). Pacfic Sales in Southern California was significantly lower priced than any other retail store. I hope this oven performs better than the last, but I haven’t tried the self clean yet!
Comment by Michele (October 8, 2007 @ 9:55 pm )
I purchased all new appliances about 5 years ago when I purchased my home. Although the appliances I replaced were working fine, I wanted new ones.
Unfortunately I purchased a Kitchen Aid stove and Refrigerator (Superba) and Whirlpool washer, dryer and dishwasher. This was the biggest mistake I ever made. Within one year, the problems began and now, after 5 years every appliance has been repaired at least twice.
After one year, the stove repair required a new glass top and one element. Apparently the stove top began to sink and caused one of the elements to short. This caused a small burst of flame to occur each time I turned the element off.
The washing machine leaked after two years and required a new transmission.
The dishwasher leaked twice and the repairmen made some unknown fixes.
The dryer no longer heats and I am waiting to repair this.
The Kitchen Aid refrigerator stopped cooling after one year and was fixed. Each of the years two and three the ice maker broke. I replace the compressor at year 5. Today, Just a little over 5 years with the refrig, I found spider cracks inside the liner.
I have been so enraged!! I never had any appliances last less then 10 years and every single one of these has needed major repair within the first two years of ownership.
I really wish I had kept the old appliances that came with my house. I am sure they would still be working fine!!
I learned and expensive lesson but I will NEVER buy a whirlpool product again!!
Comment by Susan (October 11, 2007 @ 9:53 pm )
Hi I am having a very similiar situation as yuor dishwasher, but with my kitchen aid gas range.
I am looking for the kitchen aid’s headquaters and ceo’s name . Do you know any of this. If so can someone please give me any names and numbers that they have. Thanks
Comment by Lisa (October 22, 2007 @ 9:50 am )
Unfortunately, this sort of problem w/shoddy merchandise and service is not restricted to Kitchen-aid (although, I agree, their service is horrendous!!!)
Several months ago, I ordered a slide in Kitchen-aid gas convection oven from Sears - and - still no delivery. It’s a nightmare resulting in major delays ($$$) in kitchen remodeling. Okay, so a few days ago I miraculously manage to get Sears to bring their floor model over so granite people can make template (won’t do w/out range). $50,000 of granite cutting later - Sears delivery tells me that Kitchen-aid may not be sending any more of these ranges out since they are so dysfunctional!!!
Here’s the million dollar question: Is Sears correct or not? Seems simple doesn’t it? Just get on the phone to Kitchen-aid and find out, right? No. Kitchen-aid’s customer help number (online) leads one to their in-house line for employees w/computer/cell phone problems!!! After 6 or 7 calls (you know .. all day .. no lunch etc) I get the ‘right’ K.A. employee .. who LOOKS ONLINE .. and tells me it ‘looks like’ it’s still for sale.
The worst thing about it is, that even if I institute a law suit against Sears/Kitchen-aid to recover the cost of the lost $ for granite etc. and even if I win .. it’s still like living in a Franz Kafka novel; it could all be meaningless: win a law suit &/or FINALLY get a range with one of these [deleted] computer touch pads … which break upon exposure to HEAT .. duh .. it’s just awful.
Finally, Al Quaeda ought to give up their cold cave and come to Whirlpool/Sears and take their corporate training (or vice/versa - Sears/K.A. can go to the cold caves). The terrorist cells success depends upon one cell having NO CLUE as to what the next cell is up to - same as all the genius MBA’s who have structured much the same awfulness in way too many corporations in the USA.
BTW, for anyone thinking that ‘rich’ people have different and easier access to better service - most simply - you are wrong. It’s equal lousy service for all, trust me.
Comment by Daisy (October 28, 2007 @ 2:25 pm )
” I am looking for the kitchen aid’s headquaters and ceo’s name . Do you know any of this. If so can someone please give me any names and numbers that they have. Thanks”
Lisa,
As I’m sure you know, Kitchen aid (and practically all other appliance brands) have been bought by Whirlpool. So, what you want is the CEO of Whirlpool. I’ve actually contacted my state’s Atty. General’s Office and am filing a complaint against KA, since it’s my firm conviction that they have advertised products that they have not made - and have hidden behind their claim of ‘back-orders’ and ‘blame the store you’ve bought it from’ for not delivering the product.
PLease know that I don’t say this in defense of Sears, which is dysfunctional in and of itself. I’m pretty well convinced that what KA/Whirlpool has done is taken lots and lots of orders from consumers (all pre-paid) via Sears, Lowes, etc. and only after payment have they begun production on a limited number of appliances. This is an unconscionable and really poor business practice - somewhat equivalent to airlines overselling seats and then not allowing ticket holders to board the flight. It’s shabby and is done exclusively in the interest of greed … not in providing fair and reasonable delivery of product to the consumer who has paid in good faith for the product to be delivered in reasonable time and well functioning.
And hey, I’m as big (and maybe even a bigger) Capitalist than the next person .. but, this is the sort of greedy business that gives Capitalism a bad name. I wish you the best of luck.
Comment by Daisy (October 30, 2007 @ 11:00 pm )
Hi Everyone…I wish I would of found this site before I spent what I have on all my Kitchen Aid toys thinking I had the top of the line. And, I wish I would of purchased Consumer Reports, like I use to years ago. They always gave the best pros and cons of all the different appliances. I am glad I read this before we move to our new house. I would of purchased Kitchen Aid large appliances, and for sure, not now!!! My only nightmare is the P.O.S. coffee maker:Model #KCM511WH-1. You have no idea how many times I wake and go to the kitchen for a nice cup of coffee programmed the night before and find coffee water and grounds everywhere. After the mess I clean up, I no longer want the coffee because now my blood pressure is up and I am on a mission cleaning the kitchen back to normal. I have had it! I emailed ‘Cassie’ from Kitchen Aid and I get this asinine response check list with; this one kills me: ‘are you using cone filters rather than flat bottom filters as specified in the Use and Care Handbook’. How about this one: ‘Is the scoop, which came with the coffee maker being used? Perhaps there may be too much coffee in the brew basket’. I emailed back reassuring her that I wasn’t stupid. Thinking she would call me or help remedy the problem, I get this real asinine survey in reference to how would I rate the over all service and would I recommend the Kitchen aid Brand to a friend or neighbor. There was nothing in this stupid email from her on fixing my problem. My problem is so small to all of yours, but, I paid 3X’s the amount for this P.O.S. coffee maker, because of the brand name. I guess I am stupid! We can just inform everyone around us and bring them to this site to read for themselves. Something really bad has happened to Kitchen Aid. They use to be excellent. What the [admin: edited] happened! So, I am back to my dependable G.E. Peculator. Thank you all for informing and educating me. I will do extensive research on all appliances in the future. Good Luck to all.
Comment by Linda Koile (November 13, 2007 @ 12:55 am )
Here is my letter I am sending to KitchenAid. I can not believe they can call it customer sevice. It is a joke.
I am so frustrated!!!! Thank God for Lowe’s as they have not only agreed to take back my frig but they sent me a loaner.
Dear Sir or Madam, November 21, 2007
I am writing to inform you of my great disappointment in not only my new KitchenAid refrigerator(s), but also the horrific customer service I have received.
My husband and I purchased a new, $2000, french door, KitchenAid refrigerator (model KBFL25ETSS) and matching stainless steel dishwasher on September 3, 2007. It was purchased at Lowe’s and delivered on September 14th, 2007.
On the morning of October 18th, 2007 I woke up to my refrigerator not cooling. I waited until the service department opened and called promptly at 8:00 am. During the service call the representative told me to go buy dry ice to try to salvage my food and she would schedule a service call for that day. I waited that whole day for the return call I was promised regarding my service appointment, which never came. At approximately 6:00 pm a service technician from A&E arrived. After his inspection he determined it was the control panel and informed me he would have to order a part which would not arrive until the following Tuesday. I questioned this, as it is not convenient to function without a refrigerator for 6 days, and the possibility of overnight shipping the part. He said he could not and that he would return on Tuesday. After he left I thought about my new $2000 refrigerator and the inconvenience of being 6 days without refrigeration. With that I decided to call Lowe’s. After speaking with the manager on duty, he agreed this was not acceptable and offered to bring me a new refrigerator from his stock the next day. I gladly accepted and was pleased the next day when it arrived.
After pondering the customer service issue with KitchenAid and A&E I called back to the service department the next day to voice my concerns. I spoke to Joetta in your customer service center and she sent me a “good will” check for $100. I appreciated the gesture, but in no way did it cover my lost wages, loss of refrigerator and freezer contents, dry ice and frustration. I did however, accept it and figured this was one of life’s inconveniences.
On the afternoon of November 15th, 2007, arriving home at about 1:00 pm, with my Thanksgiving groceries, I discovered the exact same scenario with my new refrigerator. It had stopped cooling. This time, not only did I lose most everything in my refrigerator and freezer, but I also had nearly $250 of newly purchased Thanksgiving food and no way to cool it. I was aggravated to say the least.
I immediately called the KitchenAid service center and requested service. I was told that A&E would not be available until the next day. I accepted the appointment. Once again, I stayed home from work to wait for the serve technician who, I was told, would be here between 8:00 am and 5:00. As the clock approached 4:00, I became concerned and called the service center to check on the status of the technician. At that time I was told that their service van had broken down and he would not be coming. I was furious to say the least as I had sat here all day waiting for the service man to arrive. I feel there was no excuse for me not being called. After ventilating to the KitcheAid representative I was told I could have an appointment for the next day, Saturday. I agreed, again, not having any choice, and was told the service man would arrive between 8:00am and 5:00 pm. I again waited all day on Saturday for the service man to arrive and again, became concerned when no one had arrived by 2:30. I again called the KitchenAid service department to check on the status of the call. This time, I was told that A&E did not have the manpower for their calls and that my service call had been cancelled…. BY THEM!!!
I was not called about this, nor was I rescheduled for Monday. Instead was left to sit her all day. Even more shocking was the fact that the next available service appointment I was offered was November 24th, A WEEK LATER!!!! When this happened I was disappointed, furious and astounded at the lack of personal respect for my time, for the poor customer service provided by KitchenAid and A&E and by the lack of any action by your company.
I am not sure how anyone could accept a failing new refrigerator, actually two failing new refrigerators, being made to sit her for 5 days (missing 4 work days) waiting for repairs, losing 2 refrigerator and freezers of food along with Thanksgiving groceries, not having anyway to cool food for a family of 4 and my time being not valued or respected. This is ridiculous and totally unexpected from a name like KitchenAid.
Even more disappointing is that the KitchenAid customer service person that works with Lowe’s, whom I spoke with on Saturday promised to work on this and to try to find a solution for me. Her name was, I believe was Cynthia. We spoke for almost an hour on Saturday, November 17th. She said she would to leave this in “capable hands” and appreciated the fact that we were just day away from Thanksgiving and I needed a refrigerator. She promised to call me back on Monday, November 19th and I confirmed my two available phone numbers. Today is Wednesday, November 21st and I have not heard a word from “Cynthia” or KitchenAid.
I am sure you can agree this is an unusual case. I hope for all of your customers and the customers of A&E that this does not happen often.
In closing, I feel that I deserve an apology, proper reimbursement for some of my losses and some gesture to try and restore the confidence I had as a KitchenAid consumer for the past 20 years. At this time I am left questioning not only the quality of your products but also your commitment to your customers.
Thank you,
Karrie Kernen
200 Maple Ave
Pewee Valley, KY 40056
(502) 241-7901
Comment by karrie Kernen (November 20, 2007 @ 6:49 pm )
Karrie,
I posted comment #88 and understand what you’re going through. Your letter is great to document the poor service. I would now call the corporate office at 1800 446-2574 and ask for Nakicha Stone. It’s my understanding that she is in the executive offices and has the ability to make decisions and get checks cut.
Also, I just joined Angie’ List which is nation wide though geographically localized for consumers to review a wide variety of service/home improvement providers they have used. This might be a great place to blast A & E Service. I’m still getting familiar with the website angieslist.com but I so far like the grass roots nature of it. It did cost $40 to join but that would have been well worth it to have avoided some of the businesses I have dealt with in the past year. I’m wondering if anyone else has used Angie’s List?
Try not to let KA get you down. A Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Comment by Anonymous (November 20, 2007 @ 10:16 pm )
Dear Karrie,
Re: “I am sure you can agree this is an unusual case. I hope for all of your customers and the customers of A&E that this does not happen often.”
I’m afraid it’s not unusual. A&E is owned by Sears and among other things, Sears and KA are at war w/each other (KA thinks that Sears is crowding them out … oh excuse me, did I say KA? That would be Whirlpool - who already owns most of the appliance brands but would like to own Kenmore too) and so, they tend to but on the brakes w/anything to do w/KA (plus, Sears is generally inefficient all the way through). As you’ve experienced, KA is awful beyond even Sears .. which is really saying something.
Anyway, A&E’s guidelines strictly state that their “workers” MAY NOT remain on any job site for more than 20 minutes (penalized up to job loss otherwise). Quite often, these techs are getting instructions on how to fix your repair while sitting in their van in your driveway! The main focus for these A&E guys then becomes so called “efficiency” - all in order to keep their jobs (which they can’t do well … since the pressure is on to keep them in and out instead of on fixing what they are there to fix). How this dysfunctional system so consistently translates into no-shows is a real mystery to me, but it does. I’ve been through what you’ve been through w/no show from A&E more times than I can say (and, you can see what I went through w/KA in my letter above). I think all this lousy service began when Sears went into the Service Contract business. When we began to prepay - basically - they had no more incentive to come and do repairs (and btw, their incentive to make appliances that work went down the tubes too); apparently, it’s lots more lucrative to sell $300 plus “service” contracts (and then buy a ’service’ company that does not perform) then to provide good, old fashioned working appliances and fix them properly when they break.
Not to get too far beyond the scope of this subject .. but let’s be aware - when we prepay, service goes down. Socialism 101. So, please, let’s all be thoughtful about buying in to Government sponsored Health Care - we already have ample evidence w/Sears, KA, A&E etc. to know where that path leads.
Anyway, Karrie, I just know your Thanksgiving is going to be good. How? From your letter, I can see you are one resourceful woman (flexible and reasonable too) - and I’ll bet you are already on your way w/another plan. Wishing you a Peaceful Thanksgiving .. and next week .. you go out and get ‘em!!!
Comment by Daisy (November 21, 2007 @ 9:41 am )
Hello. You may remember me…this is my original post.
I have been considering purchasing a KitchenAid dishwasher and a KitchenAid refrigerator. The total purchase price for both appliances would be $3200 without tax and delivery and installation added on. From reading all poster comments in this link, it looks like I would be throwing my money down the drain. I just looked at Jenn-Air (my 2nd appliance choice) customer comments and they are horrible too. How in the world do you find reliable appliances to buy or do you just choose a brand, buy extended warranties and hope for the best? I did purchase extended warranties for my front loading Maytag washer and dryer and haven’t experienced any problems.
Comment by J A Jay (September 17, 2007 @ 4:09 pm )
TONIGHT…I just wanted to follow up this evening and let everyone know that so far I’m 100% happy with my 1) Asko dishwasher and 2) GE Advantium Microwave. I steered clear of Kitchen Aid after reading the reviews on this thread. I decided to keep my Amana refrigerator (still like the style) and not buy a new one. When I do buy a new refrigerator, I will for sure not be buying KA or Jenn-Air. I’m so sorry about all of the problems many of you have had with KA and hope you find satisfactory resolution. Thanks again to the person who started this thread. It saved me from making expensive fridge and dishwasher mistakes.
Comment by J A Jay (November 25, 2007 @ 10:56 pm )
In my 1st post on this thread (which was #84)…I talked about: possibly purchasing a KitchenAid dishwasher and a KitchenAid refrigerator–for $3200. From reading the comments in this link, it looked like I would be throwing my money down the drain. I asked in my 1st post, how in the world do you find reliable appliances to buy or do you just choose a brand, buy extended warranties and hope for the best?
Well…here’s my follow-up. I replaced a 10 year old Kitchen Aid dishwasher (thought about replacing it with a new Kitchen Aid) with an ASKO dishwasher and just love it. I replaced a 10 year old Sharp microwave with a GE Advantium microwave and it’s awesome. I ABSOLUTELY STEERED CLEAR of buying a new $2,000 plus Kitchen Aid fridge…and kept my Amana which still looks and works fine. I also bought a U-Line wine cooler and it’s awesome too. So far, I