Are you thinking about buying new appliances...have a look at this first..... Notes and Observations on Specific Manufacturers LG: Free access to their tech site for professional appliantologists, an enlightened policy that generates good will among appliantologists and, in turn, good word-of-mouth to customers– a guerilla marketing tactic. Relatively new to the major appliance scene but their front-load washer is already proving to be one of the best out there. Electrolux - Frigidaire: Excessive compressor failures in refrigerators. On their front load washers, they removed front panel access to drain pump to save $.50 per unit in production cost, but it greatly decreases Reparability. However, they allow free access to their tech site for professional servicers so kudos for that. It should be noted that the ONLY Electrolux-Frigidaire products I recommend are their cooking products. Avoid all their other products because they are either difficult to work on or have a high failure rate. This is why they are in the “Recommended with reservations” category. Whirlpool - KitchenAid: This manufacturer acquired Maytag and so owns the Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, and Magic Chef brands. Allows access to their tech site for professional appliantologists but it’s NOT free; $500/year for non-authorized appliantologists; $250/year for authorized. Their new Alpha line of front load washers are manufactured in the US (Clyde, OH). GE: Allows access to technical info like Whirlpool but for a much lower fee ($160/year) and their tech site is a lot better, too. GE’s TAG (Technical Assistance Group) is also very innovative about getting training information on their new appliances out to independent techs in the field. For example, they do things like put on webinars for techs. Old news for most other fields but that’s bleeding edge in the appliance world! GE just built a new plant in Louisville, KY, to manufacture their new line of dishwashers. Samsung: What were the engineers smoking when they designed this refrigerator? Restrictive access to technical service info, quasi-restrictive parts procurement. Often a nightmare getting the right part the first time unless you have access to their good ol’ boys network, GSPN. Rots o’ ruck widat, GI! However, I hasten to add that the Samsung instructor at the 2013 ASTI was the best-in-show of all the technical classes I attended. So Samsung is definitely investing money in quality tech training and is working to open their tech support up to non-authorized independent Servicers but, until they actually do, I do not recommend this brand due to the aforementioned reparability issues. Fisher-Paykel - DCS: For whatever reason, F-P has decided not to distribute their parts through normal parts distributors. You need to get replacement parts either through F-P directly or select other distributors at scalper prices. This affects reparability. They do allow access to their technical service information site but it’s an annual subscription fee of $165. At the site is pretty decent, the search works well, and you can order parts through the site as well. Recently acquired by Haier, a Chinese company. Let the reader draw their own conclusions. Bosch - Thermador - Gagmenow: Restrictive access to technical info. In the case of Thermador, overpriced products with a high failure rate and high product orphan rate, i.e., no longer supplying key parts on expensive products after a short time on the market. The classic example is the main control board on some models of Thermador wall ovens going NLA (no longer available) after only 10 or so years. Dacor: Good-quality but pricey products. Robust parts distribution. Excellent tech support via phone for any tech who calls in working on a customer’s Dacor appliance. Open access to technical info. All American-built products. Sub-Zero - Wolf: Restrictive access to technical info-- only “authorized personnel” allowed. Restrictive parts procurement. However, their tech line will help any tech who is working on a customer’s SZ/Wolf appliance. Here’s another manufacturer who has made the strategic blunder of using proprietary parts distribution through a few select companies. Sticker price for the appliance is a marriage license. Viking: Prior to being acquired by Hadco last year, Viking had the Neanderthal policy of being draconian about access to technical info. However, the new owners have vastly improved things at Viking… in terms of access to repair info. They still only allow access to their tech site for their authorized personnel but, like SZ-Wolf, will help any tech who’s working on one of their products. Haier: A new addition to Samurai’s Appliance Brand Recommendation Report, Haier is a Chinese company that seems to be making in-roads into the American appliance market, usually because of low prices. Haier is known for low-end appliances but seems to be trying to make a foray into the higher end of the market with their recent acquisition of FP-DCS. (Why FP-DCS is considered higher end is one of the modern miracles of marketing.) They do, however, allow free and open access to their technical manuals which can be downloaded for any of their products. Robust parts distribution, too. Danby and Avanti: Although not related by corporate ownership, they are similar in the reasons they are not recommended: getting technical info and parts for them is next to impossible. In the case of Avanti, it’s usually such low-end junk that they’re not worth repairing anyway. Recommendations by Type of Appliance Here are my (updated) bottom line recommendations by type of appliance, listed in order of preference: Front load washer: LG, GE, Whirlpool Top load washer: Whirlpool direct drive (now sold only to commercial institutions thanks to the Energy Star requirements which deem retail customers as no longer worthy of owning robust washing machines that use more water and electricity than EPA deems appropriate), Whirlpool Cabrio (also sold as the Maytag Bravos and Kenmore Oasis washer), LG, Whirlpool vertical modular belt-drive washers Refrigerator: Any of the Whirlpool-built products, GE Dryer: Whirlpool-built with lint filter in the top panel, LG Dishwasher: It used to be the only dishwashers I recommended were the KitchenAid-branded units. But Whirlpool (the owner of Kitchenaid) has changed to a new, as-yet unproven design called the Global Wash System. So I’ll withhold recommendation until the results are in from the field. In the interim, I’ll recommend the Bosch units, but not the Ascenta (budget line) and GE. But all dishwasher recommendations come with the caveat that all dishwashers built today will breakdown. And you can thank the Energy Star requirements for that. Dishdrawer: KitchenAid by Fulgor, not the piece-of-trash KitchenAid that was previously built by Fisher-Freaking-Paykel. Oven/range/stove: Electrolux, GE, Whirlpool, Dacor Kenmore: Just another brand or yet another scam? Sears is a popular place to buy appliances because they are located all over the country, they frequently have special offers, and they are an old, familiar name. When you stroll through the rows of shiny machines in a Sears store you see all the major brands, including lots of Kenmores. Does buying this Sears brand have any downside for the consumer? Although there are still a few folks who havent gotten the memo yet, most people understand that there isn’t a Kenmore factory in Malaysia or some place. The Kenmore “factory” is several floors in an office building where corporate bureaucrats from Sears schmooze with other corporate bureaucrats from real manufacturing companies, like Whirlpool or Electrolux or LG, and get them to make their stuff for them and slap a Kenmore label on it. So what? you say, I like Sears and I dont mind spending my money with them. Well, theres more. Check this out and see if you still feel so sure… Kenmore is essentially a marketing gimmick that Sears uses to sell you appliances at a higher profit margin. The Kenmore game is this: sell you a Kenmore-branded appliance, sell you an extended warranty on the appliance or, even if you dont buy the extended warranty, get you to call them when (not if) it breaks, and to sell you replacement parts and accessories for the appliance. Its a complete package designed to keep you on the Kenmore plantation, spending your money exclusively with Sears. This wouldnt necessarily a bad thing, as long as you are aware of this scheme and a willing participant, if there werent other downsides to Sears inserting themselves between the customer and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the appliance. Downside No. 1: The Kenmore Information Blockade It is difficult, if not impossible to cross over the Kenmore model number to that of the OEMs version of the same machine. This means if you or an independent servicer would like to work on your Kenmore machine, you cannot easily access the manufacturers service bulletins or manuals, which may leave you at the mercy of Sears service. Most people dont like to limit their options that way, particularly given Sears service reputation. Downside No. 2: Stuck with Sears for Warranty Issues When you buy a Kenmore machine and it needs warranty service, it will be performed by Sears rather than the local independent servicers who usually handle warranty work for the manufacturers. How bad is this for customers varies from place to place, but in my considerable experience in dealing with folks who have been in this situation, they have had much less frustration in dealing with an OEM company compared to Sears for warranty issues. Are they really that bad? Sears has a reputation for slow, inconvenient scheduling and ill-trained technicians who frequently dont get the repair done correctly. OEM companies, on the other hand, tend to be much more interested in keeping their customers happy by dealing with problems promptly and fairly. We are drawing on years of feedback from customers, but, of course, your mileage may vary. Bottom line: Sears is the only entity that really benefits from the Kenmore brand. There are no actual upsides for the customer (compared to buying an OEM brand), but there are significant potential downsides when your appliance needs to be serviced. What to do? Buy an OEM appliance, i.e. Whirlpool Brands. If you like shopping at Sears for some reason, they do offer OEM machines that you can choose. Assuming you dont fall for, er, I mean opt for, the extended warranty, then any warranty issues would be handled through the manufacturer and their local authorized servicer. And when service is needed after the warranty period, you will have many more options for service since you wont be subject to the Kenmore Information Blockade. More from the “Soap Box and Peanut Gallery” Had a woman call me in tears about Sears fixing her dryer. They came out, diagnosed a thumping noise, and, even though we all know what parts that would need, didnt have them on the truck. Two or three weeks later, the second package of parts had arrived, but it was going to be another week or two before they came back to service it. She wanted me to come fix it. I said I guess I could use the parts they had, or order the same thing. Fortunately, I went out and had a look. One spin of the the drum by hand told me she needed new roller wheels. What did Sears Service order? A new belt and idler pulley. The same spin had told me those were fine. How could anyone who had even done one dryer repair before not know this problem when he or she saw it? Did whomever Sears sent have ANY experience at all? Apparently not.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 04:15:42 +0000
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