Dressed to kill but a short life comparatively
Written: Jul 14 '07
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Pros: If you need a great machine for only two years I highly recommend this model.
Cons: It's a short term machine with a high price tag comparatively.
The Bottom Line: Considering durability alone, do not buy this product. It's easy on clothes and utilities in the short term, but in the final analysis a disaster on your overall bottom line.
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| takingastand's Full Review: Kenmore 41142 Washer |
We bought this machine in the Fall of 2001. It was unbelievably quiet, so much so that you had to look at the basket to see if it was running. Two years later the trouble started. The machine began to vibrate so the quite machine became the annoying machine. We tolerated it because we didn't have extended insurance. In time, we did some trouble shooting to see if we could resolve the issue but to no avail. The vibration became worse and eventually the basket stopped spinning. We opened the back and found that the wires that attach the motor plug (female)to the control board plug (male) were damaged. We cut the two bad wires away from the plugs and spliced them together directly. The spin cycle began to work again however the vibration was still there. For two more years the machine hung in there until once again the basket stopped spinning. We went back to the plugs again and discovered everything there was OK. We did more trouble shooting following the instructions on the schematics stored by the manufacturer in a yellow envelope under the basket of the machine. Everything checked out fine. By the way, I have been a technician for over 30 years so I was perfectly qualified to walk through the trouble shooting procedure. Finally, we called Sears to have someone specifically qualified to work on Kenmore products come out and take a look. We were asked to buy an insurance contract for $204 which would cover the cost of the repairs (parts and labor)plus provide a 12 month guarantee there after. If they were unable to fix the machine we would get a $500 credit toward another Sears washing machine. Of course we had the option to simply have someone come out and take a look, however that could result in a hefty bill. We decided to buy the insurance and made the appointment for the technician to come out. Three days later a pair of technicians showed up at the house and immediately demonstrated a very poor attitude commenting that because I cut and spliced the wires they had a nightmare on their hands. One of the two were refusing to do anything but was turned by the other who convinced her to at least check out the machine. The conclusion was that the machine was leaking oil and that the on board computer (?) went bad. They said that it would cost $1200 to repair.
Here's the bottom line. We bought a machine that was highly rated by Consumer Reports. The machine was faulty in it's design so Sears conveniently has an insurance plan (probably good on other poorly designed products as well)that would offer a discount on another machine, but one that they sell. I work in R&D and you can rest assured that products are not supposed to last for too long. If they did, there would be a lot more people out of work and a lot less millionaires. We plan to buy another machine from Sears because that's the only place we'll be able to use the discount. Of course the discount is really only $296 because we had to pay $204 for the insurance. Everyone needs a washing machine. Sears knows you have to have one and they know stock holders have to make money so what's the point in building a long term machine if it means less sales and disappointed stock holders.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): $750.00
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Epinions.com ID:
takingastand
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Reviews written: 1
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