So Long Lonely Repairman!

Remember those commercials when you were a kid? The poor Maytag repairman was so lonely because the appliances worked so well he was never needed? I am pretty sure those days are long gone. We bought a brand new washer and dryer in June. In July, the dryer required service to replace a bad control panel. Now my washer is broken. Maytag pisses me off. Here's why:

My note:
I am an extremely unhappy customer. I took delivery of a brand new front loading washer and dryer approximately June 15. Within 45 days, I had to have the dryer repaired due to a control panel issue. Now I have a broken door latch and who knows what else wrong with my washer. The model number of the washer is MFW9600SQI and the serial is CSU1807531. Again, the door latch is broken and there is water in the washer. This should not be. I bought Maytag because my grandmother had a Maytag washer with no problem for many years and mine dont even last a year without a service call. It is totally unacceptable. Not only will I never buy a Maytag again, rest assured that I am the kind of customer that will spread the word about this experience. My next pair will be LG.

Maytag's Reply:
Dear Me:

Thank you for visiting the Maytag website. We appreciate hearing from you.

Thank you for taking the time to write in reference to the concern you expressed regarding your Maytag dryer. (psst! It's a washer!)We regret that you are not totally satisfied with your appliance.

Although our appliances are manufactured under strict quality guidelines, occasionally an appliance will not operate as expected, failures can occur, or components may cosmetically deteriorate. We cannot explain what factors may have contributed to the premature malfunctioning or to the deterioration of the parts in your unit.

We have documented your comments, and we apologize for any inconvenience this concern has caused you. Your file is stored in our computer system and available for review.

Please do not hesitate to contact Maytag after a service diagnosis and before a repair is completed. It may be helpful for the Maytag service technician to contact us so that we may insure that all that can be done to remedy your service concerns is being done.

Thank you for allowing us to assist you today.

You are a valued customer and we apologize for any inconvenience this concern may have caused.

We invite you to contact Maytag again either by calling (800) 688-9900 between 8:00am to 8:00pm EST weekdays or by emailing whenever the need arises. When calling please press the available option or stay on the line to reach a representative.

Sincerely,

Susan M.
Maytag Customer Loyalty Team
Maytag Customer eXperience Center
http://www.Maytag.com

My Reply:
So what you're saying, then, is that, while it is unfortunate that I've had a horrible experience with my washer and dryer, you're not really going to do anything about it? Why not expedite my service call? Get a tech here who has the parts and knows how to fix my appliance either today or tomorrow so that I don't miss the opportunity to do laundry for my family of six this weekend. Because what is likely to happen otherwise is that the tech will come between 8 and 5 on Monday when no one can be here, not have any parts, not fix the washer and it will be another week before the situation is resolved.

I'd suggest contacting the guy in New Lisbon that fixed the dryer for us. He was pretty good and works on a schedule that accomodates customer needs. But get my washer fixed by tomorrow PLEASE! Ten days of laundry for six people isn't pretty.

thanks!


Maytag's reply:

NAR_Maytag_CustomerExperience@Maytag.com wrote:

Dear Me

Thank you for visiting the Maytag website. We appreciate hearing from you.

Local service companies are independent business concerns neither owned nor franchised by Maytag. We cannot set their days or hours of operation. We can not compel them re arrange their service schedule and we can not compel them to bring particular parts to your home. To be sure that they would have the parts to repair your appliance they would have to carry every part on the parts list for that model number. We are sure that you can see how this would not be possible. If the unit is in warranty we can assist in getting the parts as soon as is possible. If we order the parts for you we can have them to you in three business days. Please call while the service technician is in the home on the day of service so that we can verify parts needed with him.

We hope that this information is helpful.

Thank you for allowing us to assist you today.

You are a valued customer and we apologize for any inconvenience this concern may have caused.

We invite you to contact Maytag again either by calling (800) 688-9900 between 8:00am to 8:00pm EST weekdays or by emailing whenever the need arises. When calling please press the available option or stay on the line to reach a representative.

Sincerely,

Susan M.
Maytag Customer Loyalty Team
Maytag Customer eXperience Center
http://www.Maytag.com


-----Original Message-----

My Reply:

You could, however, pick up a phone and call them directly to try and expedite my service. If they already know that the little black latch is broken when they come then one could assume they'd show up with the right parts saving an extra trip. You really have no interest in providing true customer service.

Your message is clear and cements my opinion that I will avoid purchasing Maytag in the future. I doubt that the Maytag repairman is lonely since when I call the 800 number both washer recall and a dishwasher recall are included in the menu. Keep up that commitment to quality.

Happy November!

Yes, kids... I'm caving to the peer pressure and participating in National Blog Post Month. I'm not sure what I'll write about but I guess I'll write every day. For those of you who have blogs - grab a badge at NaBloPoMo and get to work!

Time out

Gotta take a break! Sick kids, concerts, halloween and insanity have me way behind. More SOON!

Five Signs You're Raising Army Brats

1. You call them to attention and they move to attention.

2. They not only can define PLF (I am not sure what exactly it is but I think it is Parachute Landing Formation - landing from a jump with knees and ankles together and soft to cushion your landing), they do them. Often. From Everything.

3. You get them to leave Grandma's house with hand and arm signals for "Rally" and "Move"

4. They have zero interest in GI Joes because they live with one.

5. Conversations like this:
Senator and Khan run up stairs

Khan: "Where's daddy? I'm hungry!"
Me: "He'll be home in a minute, sweetie, and then we can have dinner."
Senator: "Oh, he must be the late man today."
Khan: "Late man? Oh! Papa's the late man today!"

Sound of Senator and Khan running back downstairs

What if we throw a party and no one comes?

Sarge and I plan on renewing our wedding vows this year. It's important to me because, well, the first thirteen years had their ups and downs (mostly downs on some fronts and mostly ups on others) and we're still together. I think that's cool. Isn't it cool? Okay, maybe it's not cool.

Regardless, since cool isn't my specialty, renewing our marriage vows means a lot to me and, because it's not a "milestone" year - the 5th, 10th, 15th, etc.- it feels right to do it now. Think if it as a way of saying every year is worth celebrating. After Kuwait, after the PCS move from hell and in the middle of the puddle of poop the rest of our life is seems like the right time to remind ourselves that what really matters is us. The constant in the past decade and a half is that we have one another and the knowledge of that seems to help us get through everything (even if it is eventually).

The other reason is that, while not a "bible-thumper" per se, I feel like it is important to bring our faith into our marriage. Partly, it feels right for us to receive the sacrament of marriage because I feel very blessed to have the husband I do and the children that we share (I am blocking out the time when I was ready to kill them). And partly to cement the fact that we are married. Yes, it's a political statement somewhat. I don't feel that government needs to define marriage between a man and a woman. My religion did that for me. I don't care if "Jake" and "Josh" want to live together and share benefits. Go for it. Participate in a cermony officiated by a government official or person authorized by the government to make it official and have fun. If your church extends you the sacrament of marriage - so be it. So I'm feeling that it is time for Sarge and I to be "married".

But here's the real problem: When we got married the first time - almost no one came. Thirteen years later it still hurts. Is it okay to not invite people because we know they won't come and it will just piss me off when that happens? You know, not invite them because they won't come anyway? If that is the case, how do we know who to share our day with? How can we convince them it'll be special?

Oh and uh... how do we have a party with no money?

A Two-Fer!

But it's been a really long time since I posted a Blogthing so here you go:

You Are A Poplar Tree

People tend to look up to you, and it's a bit lonely at the top. Inside, you are not always self confident, but you show great courage. Mature and organized, you are reliable in any situation. You tend to have an artistic or philosophical outlook on life. You are very choosy in love and take partnership seriously.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

I need it like a hole in my head!

But I've started another blog. I know right? I've got a couple or three already but my hope is for each of them to be different and maybe you don't want to read about the fact that I'm a headcase or about my slowly dying hopes to build an independent travel promotion business but you might enjoy reading about my new objective for 2008. After nine or ten years as a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, I have decided that maybe a black belt isn't beyond my reach after all. To keep you updated on that goal (if you care)and to keep myself motivated, I'm blogging the trip. Check it out here.