Thursday, May 8, 2008

Unbelievable

Ranting follows.

Last February we bought a dishwasher. A very expensive Bosch dishwasher. We also bought an extended warranty plan.

The dishwasher never seemed to work right. It left spots. Or streaks. Or food. But it was very expensive--and very quiet, which was the reason we bought it--so I kept trying to make it work. I read the manual. I called Customer Service (many times). I fiddled. I fussed. I finally got it to a point where I thought it was working pretty well. For a while. And then it wasn't. A couple of months ago I got sick of it all and called for repair. This meant calling the repair department of the place where I bought it.

A repair guy came out. He looked at it. He ran it. He cleaned it. He fiddled. He called the office. He called customer service. He called the appliance gods. He finally concluded that everything needed to be replaced. The pump, the motor, the seal. It had probably never worked right, he said. Defective from the factory. He'd order the parts and come back. It would take about a week. Someone would call us.

So we waited. After a couple of weeks, no one had called, so I called them. The annoyed woman on the other end clicked on her computer for a while and announced that the parts hadn't arrived. When might they arrive, I inquired politely. Because, you know, we keep eating, and keep making more dirty dishes, and it's been two weeks. She would call the distributor and get back to me in a couple of hours.

No one called back. After another week, I called again. Oh, those parts are backordered. They'll be in next week. Someone will call you to schedule the repair. When might that be? I inquired, perhaps a little less politely. Monday. Tuesday at the latest. Better make it Wednesday.

Monday came and went...and Tuesday...and Wednesday. Thursday I brought in the big guns. My husband called them. He was polite. He was firm. They assured him they would have the parts the following Monday and they would call to schedule the repair.

Do I even need to tell you where this is headed? Do I need to mention the many follow-up phone calls? The demands for a new dishwasher? The official demand letter warning of the impending law suit? The hasty call from the repair department, telling us the parts were in and the repair guy would be out in two days?

He came. He opened the parts box. There was a piece missing.

He got a little scared when he saw my face.

More phone calls ensued, and another letter, and finally the call we'd been waiting for: We have all the parts. He'll be back Thursday--six weeks after my first call. I reworked my schedule. I agreed to a four hour window. I sat and waited. Thursday morning arrived, I took the kids to school and returned home. I sat and waited. The phone rang. It was the service department. The repair guy was out for service...but there was a problem. He had checked the part, and it was damaged. They would have to reorder. We are back to step one.

I'm thinking of boxing up a load of dirty dishes and taking them to the showroom.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think at this point a good lawyer would not be a bad idea

Anonymous said...

Oh my. That sucks. Hope you get the situation straightened out ASAP!!

Romi said...

Grrrrrrrrr. I wish people would do the right thing. We're in a situation now, too, that just leaves me absolutely nonplussed.

Senja said...

Why wouldn't they just replace it? Wouldn't that be cheaper and less bother for them>
I know it was probably too complicated for them to figure out. Sorry to hear the troubles.

knottykitty said...

Ugh! Why do these places think it's okay to treat customers that way?! I think a big box of dirty dishes is an excellent idea---delivered by the process server along with the lawsuit papers for the cost of replacing the whole damned thing!

The worst part is not really the time waiting---it's all the times people promise to call you back and just blow you off! I feel your pain---aggravating!

sheep#100 said...

Bet a box of dirties would get their attention. Bring some dishwasher soap and tell them you are there to run a load - sort of like a china laundromat.

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

OMFG--a Bosch that doesn't work? They are just toying with you...where's that German dependability?

Angelika said...

I hope you sent that letter on your official letter head? Maybe that got their attention? I hope they get their gear together and just go ahead and replace it.

Karen said...

I had a similar situation with a front loading washer a few years back. It amazes me what companies expect you to tolerate for really expensive appliances.

sophanne said...

a threat of a law suit got you this far... wait til you tell them you blog.

Anonymous said...

Does your local TV station of newspaper have one of those consumer watch-type features, where they go after shoddy vendors and/or manufacturers? I bet that would get their immediate and undivided attention. Good luck. You have my sympathies.

Romi said...

I've tagged you - come see my blog for instructions!

Sunflowerfairy said...

Ah, customer service at its finest.

Our dishwasher sucks too, but we bought it at a scratch and dent place for less than $200. bucks.

Something tells me the Bosch model was a little more. ;)

Dr. Steph said...

Oh crap, that sucks. I hope it's fixed soon. I think a tv stunt with the box of dirty dishes is a great idea.

They should have replaced your dishwasher after all of this.

Olga said...

Unbelieveable.
I would just want a new one and make them eat the old one.

Melissa Morgan-Oakes said...

Um. I really think "parts" is not good enough. Bosch and the dealer owe you a new dishwasher. If the machine is *frelled from the get-go, Bosch should replace it and the dealer should be out nothing. It would certainly be easier for them than this is.

Yes, it's a word. Didn't you people watch Farscape?