What About That Washing Machine?

Day Twenty-Seven

A problem you have had

First of all I apologize for how long this is!

     

     I recently spent almost four weeks without a working washing machine. After doing a load of laundry, one Sunday afternoon, my brand new Maytag Bravo X stopped working. Just stopped! Would not wash another load. Would not turn on. Would not sing to me anymore. (Have you heard all the bells and clangs these new machines make?). I had just gotten this washer and dryer for Christmas 2012 from my son and his awesome girlfriend. I know, right, an awesome present. And now it wouldn't work.

     Early the next morning I tried to call Sears to report my non-working washing machine. Have you ever attempted calling Sears for anything. Ring, ring, ring....".Hello! You have reached Sears. Our store is not currently open. The store hours are 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you know your party's extension please dial now." So I hang up and wait the 15 minutes until the store opens and call again, anxious to get a repairman on his way to my house. I have two teenagers and an invalid husband that can make piles and piles of laundry everyday. Ring, ring, ring....."Hello! You have reached Sears. We are happy to have your calls. Press 1 for service or ordering department, Press 2 for automotive, Press 3 for....and on, and on, and on." So I press 1....and wait for a human voice. Nope, another recording. "Press 1 if you want to order parts, press 2 is you want to schedule an appointment, press 3 if you need to change an appointment....." Hell, I don't know what it is I want to do, so I press one. After several rings...."Hello! Automotive service department" I start to explain what my problem is and she says "oh, wait I will transfer you to that department"...ring, ring ring......."Hello! You have reached Sears. We are happy to have your calls. Press 1 for service or ordering......" By this time I am screaming into the telephone. But no one can hear me because I am talking to a recording. I have now been on the phone for over 20 minutes and I have as yet gotten to explain my problem. I finally get through to the lady in the automotive department again and she kindly listens to my problem and tells me that she will set me up with an appointment and they will call me back.

     To make a very long story a bit shorter (although in total I spent 63 minutes on hold on this day alone at several different calls) I am set up for an appointment that will take place in 5 days. "Five days, I scream with frustration" I explain to them my situation with my husband and how much laundry he generates on a daily basis and they transfer my call to a department to plead my case and possibly be treated as an 'emergency' needed call. The man tells me that "This is NOT an emergency" I tell him if he is lying in wet clothes on wet sheets I bet he would change his mind. So he agrees that I can be added to the emergency list and I get an appointment for in 4 days instead of 5. Whoop de doo!

     Not being able to wait 5 days without a washing machine I take my first trip to the laundomat in over 20 years. Imagine my shock at finding out that it now costs $2.00 for every load. Last time I was there it cost $.50. I spent $10.00 to wash the clothes and took them home to be dried.

    On the magical day, with much anticipation, the repairman arrives. He goes into my laundry room and looks at the machine. Literally stands in front of it and looks. He plugs it in. He turns the dials. Nothing. It doesn't work. He unplugs it and makes his first call on his cell phone. I am starting to come down off the high that I was on when I welcomed him into my home. He opens a box and starts to try to take the top off the machine. I hear him tell the guy on the phone that he can't get the top off. I hear the guy on the phone tell him how to take the top off. I am pretty worried now. He hooks up a little machine and fiddles with a few dials and asks me to explain what happened. I tell him. And then I ask him if he knows what he is doing. He is offended. But I don't care. This is an expensive washing machine and he doesn't act like he knows what he is doing. After making two more calls, he tells me that he needs to order an interface (whatever that is) and an accuator (whatever that is) and will be back next Wednesday. This is Thursday. Needless to say I am not very happy.

     At my brother's suggestion I go to the Sears Facebook page and start to complain. I have a lot of good company. There are a lot of folks on this site and they are all complaining. Someone asks me to send them all of my information and they will contact me. I send them my information. And then I wait. Nothing on this day. The next day I go back to the Facebook site and complain some more. They tell me they are going to have my case manager call me. What? I have a case manager! Wow! Didn't know that. Finally received a call from my case manager, but the entire I am talking, she is talking. So I don't get very far with her.
     Now I go to the Maytag Facebook site and start to complain. A very nice young lady named Jennifer came to my rescue and began to work with me. She lets me know that the Sears service people will definitely be back next Wednesday and that the parts will be delivered to my house........
     I can go on and one with a blow by blow of this entire horrible episode. But I think you are getting the idea of my problem here. After almost 4 weeks and 3 different repairmen and 2 different appliance repair companies, my washing machine was fixed. They replaced the interface (whatever that is) 3 times, the mother board (I think that is what makes the whole thing work), an accuator (whatever that is) and finally the drain pump which was the culprit in the first place. It was full of SAND. All I can say is WOW! A brand new washer with a total of  5 brand new parts. I am out $40.00 for the laundromat. Maytag gave me a free of charge one year additional warranty. What a headache. One thing I do know from this entire episode is that the social media is a powerful tool! Even if Sears blocked my from talking about my problem any further. They claimed that I was becoming repetitive. If it hadn't been for Jennifer at Maytag I would probably still be waiting for Sears to figure this out....
    And this is A problem that I have had. What's your problem??

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June Photo a Day Challenge

into the sun

This picture was taken into the sun just as it went down. The sky was a beautiful pink