If there’s one thing I hate, it’s guys who cheat. Another thing is guys who lie. And while I know not all guys cheat, I have yet to meet a guy who doesn’t lie. Then there’s the third thing: guys who break promises. That is why I have to break up with the Maytag repairman. Let me explain: About 18 months ago, I moved into a new house. I bought a new refrigerator, washer and dryer, and dishwasher right away, all Maytag. Why Maytag? Well, if you’re at least 40 years old, you probably remember those advertisements in which the Maytag repairman claimed to be suffering from extreme loneliness because his appliances never seemed to need repair. I often wondered what he did with all his spare time, but now I know the truth.
The other day, my $2,400 refrigerator/freezer broke. Oh sure, it came with a warranty. The first year, everything is covered. In the second through fifth years, parts and labor are covered, but the customer has to pay for the service call, in this case $142. When I called the supposedly lonely Maytag repairman, he told me he could come out here in about eight days. Eight days! I told him that was unacceptable. I can’t go that long without refrigeration — I eat a lot of dairy products. So he told me he could come in two days for an extra charge of $35, plus tax. I was desperate so I agreed.
He came out today and replaced the fan motor and now my fridge is crispy cold. And that’s exactly how I feel about Maytag from now on. Maytag lies about how dependable their products are. And since the repairman isn’t available immediately, he’s obviously cheating on me with other broken appliances. And if I can bribe him with $35 to get out here sooner than expected, he’s probably breaking his date with one of those other refrigerators in order to put more cash in his pocket.
Lying, cheating, breaking promises — they’re all unacceptable to me. So Mr. Maytag repairman, we’re through. I’m getting someone new. And soon. It’s time for my washer and dryer and dishwasher to break next.
8 responses so far ↓
mark // Friday, November 3, 2006 at 5:58 am |
I agree. Maytag sucks. They did the same thing to me too. Let everybody know!!!
Mark
John // Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 8:54 pm |
I could not agree more. I have a maytag refrigerator that has broken down 5 times over the last 3 years. And guess what??!…every time it is the same stupid part! The circuit control board, is defective. Now the problem is getting worse, because Maytag outsourced their repair service business to a company called A&E. A&E doesn’t stock any parts for Maytag refrigerators. They just come to your house and say…”yep…its broke alright!”. They ordered the part for my refrigerator directly from Maytag, but Maytag doesn’t even have the part!. So now, I’m waiting indefintely, after getting duped into buying the Maytag Dependability Plus warranty plan. What a joke. Never, never again.
Jojo // Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 12:33 pm |
I purchased my Maytag Neptune washer new from Best Buy. After my clothes began to stink, I had all of the gaskets replaced and the washer cleaned. I have followed every bit of advice given online from Maytag and others to try and remove the odor. Even now, before I can do a single load of laundry, I have to wash my machine in bleach so that I can reduce the smell. Please notice that I said reduce, not eliminate. I have yet to find anything that works for very long, and the odor it always there, despite cleaning and HE detergents.
Every fix I have had to pay for out of my own pocket. I didn’t know about the time limit for reporting this problem. So I missed out on both warranty repairs and any other forms of compensation.
I certainly regret my decision to purchase this machine. It was a big deal for our family. It was an economic hardship for us to spend the extra money for this washer, but we felt that even though our city did not give rebates for low water washers, it was still the best thing for the environment. We were also convinced that we could not go wrong with a name like Maytag.
Here we are, 3 years later. Sunday, I wrapped my son in a towel after a swim and gagged from the smell when the towel got wet. I threw it away. I put on a T-shirt to go for a run, and have to cut the run short because I can’t stand the smell coming from my shirt. Even as I sit at my desk typing this letter, I can smell my washing machine under my cologne, and it just makes me mad.
My family is saving their penny’s for a new washing machine. I cannot in good conscience sell the machine I have. Nor would I wish it on some charity. It is not even good enough to wash towels in an animal shelter, it just stinks that bad.
When we finally get the money to replace our washer, we will put it out with the trash. We will have to put a warning sign on it so no one thinks its fixable and try’s to use it.
I have certainly learned a few things. I will never purchase another major appliance based on brand reputation again. I will never purchase another major appliance without extensive research, and finally I will never, ever, purchase another Maytag as long as I live.
I am writing you today out of frustration. I have not provided purchase dates or serial numbers, nor copies of receipts from service calls. I have been down that road and received no solutions. I expect nothing from you, I simply needed to express my disappointment with everything about this washing machine and the Maytag label on it.
lindarella // Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 11:11 am |
Feel free to vent on my blog about Maytag as much as you like — it only confirms to me and everyone else who reads this what a terrible brand it is. In fact, even though this was my very first post, it is still getting views almost daily, which means a lot of people are searching for information on their faulty Maytag appliances.
I don’t know exactly what advice Maytag has given you, but since you’re stuck with this washer for the time being, there are few things you could try if you haven’t already:
* Use a fragranced detergent, if you are not allergic to it.
* Run each load of laundry through a second rinse cycle (some models have a setting for this — if not, you can still do it manually).
* Clean the washer with bleach AFTER each load instead of before. This follows the same logic as wiping up a spill before it dries.
* Use a scented fabric softener sheet in the dryer with every load.
* Most importantly, remove each load from the washer IMMEDIATELY after it stops. If you inadvertently leave stuff in there for more than a couple of hours, you must wash it all over again, no matter what brand of washer you use. The dryer will not remove this musty smell. I too have suffered from the funky shirt syndrome because of this.
* Finally, get your tap water checked out. If that is the culprit, you have a much bigger problem on your hands.
Good luck!
Lauren // Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 11:14 am |
I regret buying my Maytag washer-dryer. I’ve had three service calls and bad customer service. I suggest people look elsewhere. My big takeaway: Whatever the commercial says, the opposite must be true or the company wouldn’t be paying a lot of money to try to change the perception. In this case, it really backfires because we’re all pointing and laughing at the company’s outrageously inaccurate image of a loney repair man. Thank goodness for blogs so we can easily talk to each other and tell the truth.
Idetrorce // Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 9:48 am |
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
D J // Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:38 pm |
HERE A SOLUTION. I SELL APPLIANCES. TRY A NEW PRODUCT CALLED AFFRESH. WHIRLPOOL MAKES IT FOR FRONT LOADERS. IT SANITIZES AND CLEANS WASHERS AND RUBBER SURRONDS. BELIEVE ME THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM IN THE LAUNDRY INDUSTRY! THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR INPUT. ALWAYS HELPS TO HEAR CUSTOMER RESPONCES.
WarNamsNort // Monday, September 22, 2008 at 8:26 am |
thank you, guy