The story said extended warranties are notoriously bad deals because:
• Some repairs are covered by the standard manufacturer warranty that comes with the product.
• Our data show that products seldom break within the extended-warranty window—after the standard warranty has expired but within the typical two to three years of purchase.
• When electronics and appliances do break, the repairs, on average, cost about the same as an extended warranty.
Among the many comments to the post, this one caught our eye:
"Timely article for me. Thanksgiving Day my 18 month old Whirlpool refrigerator just stopped cooling. Out of original warranty and no extended warranty based on some of CR's earlier recommendations. My service tech told me repairs and labor would cost about as much as a new unit . . . then he suggested I call Whirlpool and ask if they would pay for the parts if I paid for the labor. To my utter shock, Whirlpool said YES, no hassle, no argument, nothing . . . they gave the tech the authorization codes he needed, parts are on order, and when they come in, he'll return to fix everything. THANK YOU Whirlpool and to my appliance repair guy for suggesting I call."
It's nice to see one consumer apparently getting some satisfaction from a major manufacturer for a product out of warranty. Seems like a highly unusual situation, however.
We are following up with a range of appliance manufacturers to see what their policies are for this type of matter and will report on our findings.
In the meanwhile, what kind of experience(s) have you had with manufacturers or retailers for malfunctioning appliances? Has any company offered free parts or service even if your product was no longer under warranty? What steps have worked for you in trying to get some satisfaction for a manufacturer or retailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below. (If you don't see the comment field, click on the headline above or "See the Full Article" below and scroll to the bottom of the page.)If you're in the market for new kitchen or laundry equipment this holiday season, find deals on major appliances and small appliances. And stay on top of the latest news surrounding the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, or cash for clunkers for appliances.—Steven H. Saltzman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook
Essential information: Find the best places to buy appliances and learn more about home-improvement-retailer return policies.
I thought I had a lemon of a washer when it kept breaking down and Sears could not or would not repair it. At first, Sears was cooperative, sending service techs to "fix" the same problem several times without charge, but the problem persisted after the 90-day grace period on the original "repair" expired. After exhausting options with Sears (and being roundly insulted by a customer service representative along the way,) I started searching the internet for any kind of help. Lo and behold, I find that there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people with the same problems I've had. I'm now joining a class action suit against Sears over the HE4t washer.
We purchased a Sears Kenmore Elite refrigerator 3 1/2 years ago. It died November 18th. Sears repair couldn't get to us until November 27th. The compressor was ordered, arrived December 1st., and the refrig was suppose to be fixed December 2nd. This appointment was canceled by Sears and rescheduled for December 4th. The new compressor was bad so we are rescheduled for December 9th. Three weeks and counting without refrigeration in 2009. Does anyone besides me think this is ludicrous?
I own a maytag dishwasher that began to develop problems shortly after the one year warranty period. Maytag sent the parts out to fix the machine at no cost. Also, the same part has been replaced in the same manner for two other times until it was finally upgraded and a new 'improved' part (control panel) is now on the appliance. Talking to a supervisor and writing down all information helped.
i had a g e washer that was out of warranty for three months motor went out and repair man said to call customer service and see if they would help to my surprise they overnighted me a new motor no charge. good going g e!!!!
Had a Whirlpool/Kitchenaid dishwasher break after 18 months, still under warranty. And after their repair people came out 7 times over 4 months, buying enough parts that cost more than a whole new dishwasher, Whirlpool finally agreed to send a new one. 3 months after that, and dozens of calls back and forth each week, it's finally installed.
I had a WaringPro food slicer for several years. It was definitely out of warranty when I burned up the plastic wheel that ran on the metal cog (seems like that wasn't the best combination anyways). I called customer service & they sent me a brand new part and gave me some hints to make the new one last longer! It was easy to fix and my slicer lasted for a few more years. YEAH!
Are Home Warranty plans a good return on the investment for a home owner? We bought a home a year ago and the seller provided a home warranty for the first year, we never used it. Is it a good idea to re-invest in it?
Bought Kenmore dishwasher supposedly manufactured by whirlpool. Not trusting kenmore, I purchased a mastercare warranty from sears to cover it and a new kenmore oven.
The dishwasher failed repeatedly. Upon qualifying under the lemon policy sears offered (as stipulated in contract) to give full price credit for purchase of a new dishwasher (with free installation). The kenmore purchased for under $400 on sale; Sears gave an $800 voucher which I used to buy a Bosch.
So far works great and SOOOO QUIET!
This is one instance where I got my money back!
We had an LG dishwasher and the wire harness failed at 18 months. We were supposed to have 1 year of parts and labor and 2 years of just parts. The repairman told us this has been a recurring problem for LG and that there is a fix, but we'd want to call LG to try to get them to authorize not just the parts but the labor as well, since the repairs were quite expensive. LG repeatedly denied that we had any warranty at all, even when I faxed them the page from the owner's manual. They basically called me a liar. I had to go pretty far up the food chain to get someone to honor even the parts warranty. I was lucky in that they eventually also paid for the labor, but I am convinced that their first line of customer service was to try to wear me down in the hopes that I would give up and go away. I'm done with LG.
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