I have come to the conclusion I have the reverse Midas touch when it comes to appliances. I just replaced a freezer bought less than 4 years ago, now I found out our 4 year old washer is a lemon.
It was very expensive and supposed to be from a reputable company. Turns out there was a class action suit but our notification must have gotten lost when our mail forwarding expired after our move. :mad:
If you were researching washers, what sites would you trust for reliable reviews? Or should I go the Costanza route and buy the first one I don’t like since it’s probably the one that won’t crap out?
For what it’s worth, I’ve owned a Whirlpool Duet front-loader for seven years and have had no problems with it. (Of course, typing this probably means my washer will break down tomorrow. Appliances are like that!)
You can check Consumer Reports for reliability estimates; they generally seem to be pretty reliable.
I have had a Maytag Neptune front loader for 6 or 7 years. It works beautifully as long as I don’t let my mother in law near it. She overloads it with soap and underloads it with clothes and it causes little mental breakdowns. Two service calls to reset some switch in the computer - both due to MIL trying to help.
OMG, that’s the POS I’m taking to the dump. There was a class action suit because of all the problems and we didn’t get notified because the forwarding order on our mail apparently expired when the mailer went out.
There’s the mold, the incomplete spin cycle, constant mystery stoppages and some manufacturing error that causes a part to leak oil onto our clothes and leave stains so after you wash them they come out dirtier than when you started. Repairs cost more than the damn thing was to purchase in the first place. The dryer works like a dream.
From what I’m reading in the consumer reports forums Samsung is the way to go this time around since Bosch is out of my budget nowadays.
Consumer Reports doesn’t shill for any corporations. Their only income comes from subscribers, and they don’t allow companies to use CR’s ratings to promote products. They have videos on their website that demonstrate how they test appliances, cars, and lots of other consumer goods.
I’m glad. Mine’s been a nightmare. That oil deposit thing was driving me insane. We could not figure out where the mystery stains were coming from, so I googled and then I found all the forums where people were talking about this class action suit we missed out on.
I cannot believe 2 4 year old appliances in 2 months have completely bitten the dust with repairs that would cost more than replacement. We suck as consumers.
We’ve been very happy with our LG front-loader and matching dryer. I don’t know what the current line is, but we got the top of the line (for its time) TROMM with steam wash and who knows what other cycles and features.
Don’t be too quick to dismiss those “extra” cycles. There’s something reassuring about being able to run the bed linens and towels on a “sanitary” cycle when someone’s been sick and in bed all day long, and once your friends and family hear that you have a machine that can swallow a king-size comforter, well,that “bulky” cycle will be popular.
Mold is endemic to all front-loaders due to the water-tight seal on the door. The best way to prevent it is to wash your whites with chlorine bleach as the last load, then leave the door open so the drum can air out inside. Just leaving the door open should be enough, actually, so long as you don’t have cats or kids that might want to crawl inside.
My washer and dryer my mother bought me so chances are I will have them until my son is in university. (That’s how long her washer lasted. She bought it cause she didn’t want to wringer-wash my diapers, then replaced it when I was 19 or 20) Its some kind of cheapie thing but does the job. Roper. I would like to get a front loader but not enough to replace functioning appliances.
On the other hand my luck with vaccums is also a reverse Midas. (the Sadim touch) I replace one or return it almost yearly. I have two carpets in the whole house and no pets or reasons for them to die. They just do.
Yeah, this model has been plagued by persistent mold problems due to incomplete spinning. Leaving the door open doesn’t help because there’s still water somewhere in the machine.
We like our Frigidaire front loader. It works well. We do keep the door open, but after about three years there was a certain aroma and it was not cleaning as well, but KellyM opened it up and cleaned out the drain sump which had a bracelet caught in it, which had caught lint which then began to ferment. After that clean out, it was like new again.
We got this one because it was cheaper than most other front loaders, had a shorter cycle time, and was rated as quieter than other front loaders.
