I purchased a new washer and dryer set from The Home Depot online store, homedepot.com, on March 18th. Delivery was taken on March 22. I did not use them right away, since I did all my laundry with my old set prior to taking delivery of the new set. I sold the old ones when the new ones arrived. On April 6, I did some laundry, and on the 3rd load to be put into the dryer, it died. The control panel flashed odd, unknown characters, and all the machine did was click when I pressed the start button.
I called the number on the website, homedepot.com, and they told me that they would NOT exchange it and that I had to call the manufacturer. I have had this machine for less than a month, used it only 2 times (the 3rd time was a mere attempt), and I have to call the manufacturer? I didn't buy it from the manufacturer, I bought it from Home Depot. Or so I thought...
Apparently, Home Depot's online sales are drop shipped from the manufacturer, and any problems have to be taken up with the manufacturer, but it doesn't say that on their site. You have 48 hours to return a major appliance (legally, you have 72 hours to reconsider a purchase and negate it). After the 48-hour cutoff, the site says to go to your local store. The local store says that they won't do anything about it because it was purchased online. Nice. Let the games begin.
So, on to the manufacturer. They don't take ANYTHING back unless and until it is deemed defective by a certified repair person. It gets better. The first service appointment was a week after the call to report the problem. Laundry is piling up. The service man came in and diagnosed the problem as a blown motherboard and had to order the part, which takes 7-10 days to come in. Unacceptable, but I have no choice.
The next appointment was set for the following Tuesday, but I had to call them when the part got to my home to let them know that it was here. I called on Monday to let them know, and they informed me that 2 parts were ordered and that they would not come until the second part arrived. Tuesday's appointment was canceled. The part arrived Wednesday, and the service person came on Thursday, installed the parts, and informed me that he had to order yet another part because it was still not working. Laundry is still piling up. I am now buying socks and underwear for my husband so he can go to work. His clothes will run out soon.
Tomorrow, 4/22/08, will be one month that I have had this dryer, which I used exactly 2 times before it died 2 weeks ago. Whirlpool, the manufacturer, has ever so graciously offered me $50 lousy bucks for my trouble. The woman I spoke to on the phone told me that when they take something back, it gets scrapped, not reconditioned and re-sold, so that is why they try to repair the item first. But how many times? And why do I have to suffer, going to the laundromat (which I did yesterday), when I have BRAND NEW laundry machines, so that Whirlpool and Home Depot don't lose money? What about MY MONEY? When did it become legal for corporate America to take working people's money, sell them subpar merchandise, and hold them hostage while they decide if the item is defective? I have been robbed, and no one is doing anything about it.
The next service appointment is set for Thursday, 4/24/08. If it is not running by the time the service person leaves, I am calling a lawyer, the Attorney General's office, the Better Business Bureau, and the consumer advocates at the local news stations. I have already started a dispute through the credit card used to purchase said dryer. I am very angry, and I am not going to take this anymore.
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