We purchased a Bosch Vision 300/500/DLX Series washer and dryer set from Sears on September 4th. It was a floor model but the salesman and his manager assured us multiple times that it had never been used, was in perfect working condition, and that Sears has experienced, certified Bosch technicians in the area just in case anything ever goes wrong.
The washer and dryer were delivered and installed on September 9th by two men who admitted that they do not install Bosch and have no experience with the brand. The dryer worked fine, but the washer would not fill with water. They told me it was a "very smart washer" and was trying to "weigh the clothes to determine how much water it needs"... 5 minutes later the washer is still thinking so they try to interrupt the cycle but since its a front loader, the door is locked. I suggested and then performed the troubleshooting steps in the instruction booklet with the installers but the cycle would not pause and the door would not unlock. The installers told me not to worry about it and that the door would open when the cycle finishes.
An hour later, the door is still locked. Two hours later and after three phone calls to Bosch, the door is still locked and Bosch customer service tells me that there is something wrong with the washer and to call a repair center - they gave me two names - neither of them were Sears.
We called the Sears appliance department where we bought the washer and dryer but the manager was busy and could not talk to us to explain why Sears was not a certified Bosch repair center. We called the Sears repair service who told us it was not their problem and transferred us to the Home Delivery department who also said it was not their problem and transferred us to the Installation department - the installation person wanted to send the installers back out and after a short discussion where I explained that they caused the problem she set up a service appointment but could not confirm who would be coming.
We drove over to Sears to see if someone could confirm we were getting a qualified repair tech. A manager called the repair service desk directly for us eventually she finally confirmed that they were sending a qualified Bosch technician to look at the washer and allowed me to talk to the repair service desk representative. The rep apologized for the inconvenience but promised that their qualified technician would resolve the problem for us.
The repair guy arrived on 9/10 and his first comment after looking at the washer and dryer and the hoses was "I've never seen this setup before". He later stated that he was unfamiliar with the brand and would have to get someone else to come look at it. I asked him to walk through all the troubleshooting steps in the instruction booklet and also explained what I learned on the phone with Bosch... Nothing worked - the door was still locked. Until I realized that the washer was on, I turned it off... Door unlocked. Problem solved... By me though... Not the guy who was supposed to be certified and qualified on Bosch washers and dryers.
The repair guy started a cycle just to double check everything and for the first time there was water in the washer - then he flipped it to spin and flush and there was water on the wall and all over the floor because the installers had not connected the hose correctly and it immediately popped off. The repair guy re-connected the hoses and it seems to be okay.
But as he was leaving - he told me to "read the instructions real careful before touching it again". This was very rude considering I could recite the trouble shooting steps to him, tell him what error codes meant off the top of my head, and also explain how to remove the front panel.
We bought the washer and dryer only after the salesman and his manager promised us they had certified Bosch repairmen. I have had other managers and technical repair reps say the same thing - but they don't send anyone that knows anything about the set. They should not be selling people a warranty that they cannot service.
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