In June I purchased a Whirlpool washing machine for $387 ($410.22 with tax).in less than 5 years, I have now paid $403.73 in repairs on the machine - once for the agitator gears (12/19), and TWO DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS (07/27 & 05/20). The transmissions were covered under warranty, but for the parts only - I still had to pay for the service calls and the labor. This is outrageous, and absolutely unacceptable for a major appliance to have this many problems in such a short time. I sent a letter to Whirlpool headquarters on 05/20 explaining the situtation, and that I felt I had purchased a "lemon" appliance. I asked for either a replacement machine, or reimbursement of the amount I paid for repairs. On 05/28 I got a "Sorry, but there's nothing we can do" letter back from Whirlpool in return. On 06/17 I sent another letter to Whirlpool stating that their response was unacceptable, and that I would be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which I did that day. Within 1 week, a representative from Whirlpool headquarters called me at my home, and first apologized, stating that they never saw my letter at headquarters. Strange — I mailed the letter TO headquarters, Priority Mail, with a delivery signature, and received a letter BACK from them. Whirlpool offered me a pro-rated credit towards the purchase of a new washer, should I have any more problems within the next year. They figured the average life of a washer was 12 years, and since mine was 5 years old, they would give me 7/12 (or about $239) credit towards a new washer costing $400 or less. Strange again - Whirlpool THEMSELVES admitted that a washer should have a life of 12 years; yet mine that was just under 5 years and on its 3rd transmission was not a lemon, and warranted no action. I was not happy with the offer, but figured it was better than nothing, so I agreed. After thinking about it, I realized that would mean I'd have to pay another $161 for a new washer. So, $387 $403 $161 = $951 for a $400 washer. I decided that was NOT accetpable, so when the BBB contacted me to close the case, I told them I did NOT accept Whirlpool's resolution, and why. On 07/03, the BBB contacted me again, stating that Whirlpool sent a rebuttal response, and that "The company has decided to stand by its original decision regarding your complaint". It seems that Whirlpool has chosen NOT to stand behind their product in my case. As such, I will never again purchase another Whirlpool product, and I would caution others about doing the same.
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