I promised an update on the washer situation when there was something to tell, and here it is.
We have a resolution!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Our neighbors no longer have to avert their noses for fear of offensive odors whenever we are near. Our clothes are in the process of being cleaned and harmony is being restored.
How you ask? Well it certainly was not thanks to Whirlpool and their (lack of) customer service. Let me pick up where I left off...
My perfectly patient husband spent an hour (yes, you read that correctly) on the phone with customer service from Whirlpool. He got absolutely nowhere. Actually he got hung up on in the end. Who does that? Don't they teach you that in customer service 101? Don't hang up on your customer. Especially when said customers have access to the vast resources on the interwebs and social media? Yeesh. Anyhow, he got nowhere and found out that they may have lied to our fabulous service technician from ACE Appliance Repair Service about when the proper part would be shipped. Not on the Monday or Tuesday that was originally promised (that would be 2 days ago) but August 10th. Come again? August what??? That would put us at, oh, um THREE weeks without a washer (at least). Not cool dudes, not cool. Also something they seem to have missed in customer service 101-don't lie to your customers. But that is beside the point.
So Whirlpool has now lied to us, lied to ACE Appliance Repair Service, sent the incorrect part, and is refusing to do anything to remedy the situation in the meantime. And we still have mountains of dirty laundry everywhere. After getting hung up on, perfectly patient husband of mine gets on the phone with Lowe's (giant store where we purchased the machine that never worked). I would like to take a moment to offer my thanks to the amazing manager at the Lowe's on Alexis Road in Toledo. He will forever remain our hero. Swooping in to right the wrong of a giant corporation that seeks only to earn a profit at the cost of its customers. Our very own laundry conundrum superhero! Perfectly patient husband is on the phone with Lowe's manager, explains our terrible situation, and in no time the very sympathetic manager offers to pick up the broken washer and swap it out for a similarly priced machine. No problem. I almost wept with gratitude. Mr. Superhero Manager apologized because he didn't have any available delivery times until Saturday (two days from the time of the call) but we didn't care. Someone finally listened to us, took into account what was going on and fixed our problem. (and now has a loyal customer in this house!)
Not to say that ACE Appliance Repair Service doesn't have a loyal customer in us. They did everything they could to work with Whirlpool, get the proper part, and expedite the situation. I heard it with my own two ears. If any appliance in our home breaks and cannot be fixed by my perfectly patient husband or his brother the electrician or brother the engineer-they are our guys.
However...I will never purchase another Whirlpool appliance again. Not because of the machine. I understand that in each batch that comes off an assembly line you will have ones that malfunction. No, it is completely because of the way they treat their customers. This makes me heavy hearted to say, because they manufacture right here in the United States-even here in Ohio. I try to support homegrown manufacturers as much as we can. But at the very least, treat your customers well and try to fix a problem as quickly as possible.
I have to run. The new washer is beeping at me because our (who knows how many)th load of laundry is ready to dry. I've never been so happy to fold clean clothes in my entire life.
