Have you ever purchased an appliance and right form the start it did not work? Unfortunately, I have. The worst part of all was trying to get assistance from the manufacturer or retailer. One would think, if you buy a new product and it doesn’t work it should be replaced. However, retailers and manufacturers have protocols in place to protect themselves from situations like this.
There is no shortage of stories online about individuals who purchased major appliances only to find out their new product was defective. For example, you can read about Kristen’s experience.She purchased three new home appliances, only to discover that two did not work. She took her concerns to the manufacturer and retailer, only to get the run around. Fortunately, she received the help of consumer advocate Elliot.org. I will tell you about my experience with buying a defective dishwasher and how I obtained a replacement. It was not easy.
Several years back, my wife and I purchased a new dishwasher from a major home improvement retailer – I guarantee you have walked down the aisles and have purchased products from this retailer. My wife and I had waited for a major sale and got a good deal on a top control dishwasher – top control dishwashers hide the controls on the top of the door to create a clean front panel. We placed the order at the retailer and scheduled the delivery to our condo.
The dishwasher was delivered on time and the installation went smoothly. After installation, the installer ran the dishwasher to make sure it was working properly. Everything appeared great.
Two days went by and the dishwasher was fully loaded and ready for its first real cleaning. I filled up the detergent and tried to adjust the settings on the control panel. Nothing happened?!? I spent the next five minutes trying to start the dishwasher and nothing happened. “Maybe I don’t know how to use this thing,” I thought? Nope. The dishwasher was dead.
First, I called the retail store from where I purchased the dishwasher. I spoke with the manager of the appliances department. I explained the issue. Her response was “you only have 48 hours to return an appliance.” She advised me to call the manufacturer, because the dishwasher had a manufacturer’s limited warranty.” I knew what she was telling me – my brand new, but defective dishwasher, would have to be repaired and the retailer would not replace it. I let her know that I did not want the dishwasher fixed and I was going to get a replacement one way or another. I asked if she would accept a defective appliance in her home. She reiterated she could not help.
Before calling the manufacturer, I did check the retailer’s written return policy – appliances can only be returned 48 hours after installation. I had missed the return window by less than 24 hours. I also reviewed the manufacturer’s warranty. It only provided repair service if the dishwasher stopped working in the first year. Limited warranties protect the manufacturer and are not for the benefit of the consumer.
I called the manufacturer and explained the situation. The only recourse I received was having a technician scheduled to come out and perform a diagnostic.
A few weeks went by and the technician finally made it out. He looked at the dishwasher and explained the top control panel was broken and had to be replaced. I told the technician, I am going to request an exchange of the dishwasher. His response was “good luck.” The technician stated he would report the issue to the manufacturer and order a new control panel.
Having confirmation that the dishwasher was defective, I called the manager of the appliance department at the retailer. She was not going to cooperate in the return or replacement of the defective product.
48 hours went by since the service technician diagnosed the defect with the dishwasher. I still had not received a call from the manufacturer’s customer service. I called customer support. Once again, I had to explain my issue from the start. I told the representative I wasn’t accepting to have a brand appliance repaired and that I wanted a refund. They refused to cooperate. I was furious and frustrated.
I was stuck in the middle between the manufacturer and retailer who did not care. It was so frustrating that no person could make a decision to resolve the issue in a proper manner. I am spending hours of my day dealing with this. What to do??? I then recalled reading an article about a couple who had written a letter to the CEO of a company, requesting his assistance with a customer service issue. The CEO (or at least his office) personally responded and the issue was resolved. That gave me an idea.
First, I contacted my local news channel’s consumer division. I wrote them a detailed email about the issue. I recall they contacted me quickly. A representative from the news channel stated she would be in contact with the retailer and try to help.
Second, I filed a complaint with the better business bureau.
Finally, I googled and found the emails of the retailer’s CEO and board of directors. I can’t recall how many email addresses I found, but it was probably around ten. I sent a detailed email to all about my experience and explained all the actions I was taking to get a replacement dishwasher.
The following morning I received a phone call. It was a representative from the CEO’s office. He apologized for my inconvenience and informed he was assigning a special representative to handle my claim. I did feel a sense of relief. But, based on the experience I had to that point, I was not that hopeful.
I wish the story ended there.
Later that day, a “special” representative from the retailer called and introduced herself. She stated she was going to help me with getting the appliance “FIXED.” NO. I made it clear that I was getting a replacement dishwasher. She did not put up much of a fight. I worked with her for two weeks to make arrangements to get the old dishwasher removed and the new one installed.
I recall that on delivery day it was pouring outside. I had to be at work and my wife was not able to stay home. So my dad graciously waited to accept the delivery. In the early afternoon, I got a text from my dad that the dishwasher had arrived and it was being installed. About 20 minutes later, my dad calls and tells me the installers are claiming the electric socket for the dishwasher was not working. Insanity. I asked to speak with the installer. Right off the bat he tells me that my electric socket is not working, so his team has to leave. Somehow, I held it together and politely convinced him to stay until we could test another outlet.
I asked my dad to run down stairs, go to the nearest Walgreens, and buy an extension cord. He did. When he got back, the installers connected the dishwasher to another outlet. Guess what… The dishwasher did notwork. The retailer was going to replace my defective dishwasher with another defective dishwasher.
Later that day, I wrote a detailed email to the retailer’s “special” representative explaining what had occurred with the replacement dishwasher. She called me. I told her I wanted to buy a completely different brand of dishwasher and I wanted a gift card for all the time and effort I had put into this. After some negotiation, she provided me with a $350 gift card and authorization for a full refund of the dishwasher.
So back to the store I went. I used my gift card and purchased another dishwasher. This one arrived and it worked. And it still works.
What an ordeal. If you find yourself in a situation like this, you have to ask yourself how much aggravation you want to put yourself through. There are several steps you can take:
(1) If you purchased the product with a credit card, you can dispute the purchase. This may not work, because the retailer may be able to rely on its written return policy. They will also claim that the manufacturer’s warranty provides for repair of the appliance. It will all depend on the facts of your specific claim.
(2) Try to find the CEO and board of directors information and contact them. Always try to find a way to leave a paper trail. Always be polite in anything you write.
(3) Contact your local news channel’s consumer division and seek help.
(4) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Doing some or all the things above may not change your results. Hopefully, you can get through to someone that is willing to help and do the right thing.