Read my story of Woe.
It began 3 weeks ago when our year-old Whirlpool Cabrio washer made a nasty rattling noise (like swirling a chain at the bottom of a pan) and STOPPED pumping out. Of course this happened over a HOLIDAY weekend, leaving us with a full tub of wash water. The only fella available on Saturday, 5 Sept, although sounding knowledgeable was not whirlpool certified, and therefore could not participate in the whirlpool service plan. I do have to commend Whirlpool, however, as they did offer to cover parts and labor IF the machine had a quality related failure (extending the 1-year warranty by 6 months).
So - - I looked all over for a qualified repair shop. After reading several horror stories about AE service repair – I was less than comfortable having them come to the house – so selected Adams after reading a favorable review.
They couldn’t come out until Thursday – but neither could anyone else (including AE). The serviceman arrived promptly and said he’d found the problem – a load of gunk in the pump. Since no parts were involved, the $85 was on us, but as the machine seemed to work – that was OK. After the service call, we ran some errands, and when we got home WE WERE AMAZED THAT OUR HOUSE HAD NOT EXPLODED. The SMELL OF GAS was overpowering! Yes – the serviceman HAD disconnected the GAS DRYER to move the washer. After reconnecting it, he simply TURNED ON THE GAS AND LEFT – not bothering to test for leaks (I found the smell quite noticeable after only 15 seconds!!) I was also amazed that our 2 house cats were still alive. After risking asphyxiation to turn off the gas line, It took 30 minutes to air out the house.
We immediately contacted Adams repair. Instead of sending the repairman back immediately to correct the problem, we were told he could ONLY come back at the end of the day. After nearly blowing up our house, that was the WRONG ANSWER. Next, we were contacted by the service supervisor, who indicated that the serviceman was one of their better technicians (gee - - now I AM worried), and they would have him return as soon as he was done. I told them that in no way did I want him back in my house and that I would take care of the problem (which was easily accomplished with gas pipe compound). At NO TIME did anyone offer to discount or refund the service charge (STRIKE TWO).
The straw that broke the camels back: YESTERDAY – after a recurrence of the rattle, the washer STOPPED PUMPING again – after only 2 weeks. Hows chances it had really been fixed?? This time I did the work. Emptied the water, moved the washer (without needing to disconnect the dryer), removed the back panel, and found the pump had NOT been correctly reinstalled (loose screws). I removed the pump and found A 1-1/2” RUSTY NAIL BLOCKING THE IMPELLER. Not sure HOW that could have been missed.
So - - I guess it really IS a jungle out there. Sure – the guy could have been having a bad day – but if he couldn’t even put the pump motor securely back on it’s mounting posts – that’s GOTTA tell you something.
OBTW - - this service company is actually affiliated with Dick Christman Appliances.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $85.00