Had a Whirlpool Service Plan and appliance was not repaired?

15 years ago

I posted this under laundry also, but it probably applies to even more appliances in this area. I would appreciate your input.

I'd like to hear from you if you had a Whirlpool Service Plan (extended warranty) and your appliance was not repaired. The plan provides for how they are to determine the amount they will give you based on current cost of a comparable model and age of the appliance. What I would like to know is whether they also told you

1) that if you bought a new appliance and paid less than the comparable value they give you, they will apply the percentage corresponding to the age of your appliance to limit the amount they pay to that percentage of your purchase price rather than rather than the value of the appliance being replaced, and

2) that the new appliance purchased had to be a Whirlpool product of the same type (refrigerator for a refrigerator -- not a freeezer, etc.). Granted, it would be unusual, but has it come up?

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Comments (5)

User
15 years ago
Get out your copy of the agreement and read it. All of the details will be spelled out in it. You won't have fun reading it but the info is in there.
lascatx
Original Author
15 years ago
That's not what I'm asking about. I can and have read it. In fact, 2 lawyers have read it and analyzed the terms and conditions. I know what it says, but what it says and what they are doing are two different things.
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User
15 years ago
Then they've told you your recourse is to sue them, yes? (unless there is an arbitration clause) What you have is basically a contract, what's the remedy when one party doesn't perform?

It's sad , no despicable that a fairly large co. like Whirlpool would stonewall on contract but can't say I'm suprised. These warranties/plans are almost always a loser for the consumer financially. Remember most insurance co's function is to take money in not pay out. They real benefit (a slight one at that, IMHO) of service plans is to give piece of mind. It psychological, not financial. It's totally natural for a policy to give you the lesser end of the value spectrum.
weissman
15 years ago
Yup, that's how insurance works - they want your premiums but god forbid you should need to file a claim. Homeowner's policies are the same - you put in even a legitimate claim and they cancel your policy and blacklist you as a bad risk. As my insurance agent told me many years ago - why did you put in that piddling little claim? Maybe because it was legitimate and I'd paid for insurance - silly me! !!RANT OFF!!
lascatx
Original Author
15 years ago
I had a similar experience with Best Buy and have seen the same language in many service plans -- once they repalce, they are done. You do have the manufacturer's warranty then, but if you had a 5 year contract, you could still be left hanging a while. You have to hope the odds are that you won't get a second lemon. In my casse, it was a 3 year plan and I got left uncovered a few months longer than I'd expected on a newer machine. Then Whirlpool offered me their service plan.

Given all the trouble with the Calypso, we figured that we should get the service plan and try not to replace the $2500 laundry pair for a while. To be fair, the control panel on our dryer was replaced and we had a pump and motor replaced on the washer. Apparently, on these machines, certain parts are provided at Whirlpool's expense and don't factor into their repair cost. I'd probably have a running machine if the A&E techs had properly diagnosed the problem. I had another company's tech come out and diagnose it (Hmm -- electrical part to control timer and communication issues -- not mechanical parts. Makes ssense). Trouble was, at that point, they'd ordered and paid for enough wrong parts that the cost was prohibitive. If I'd been footing the bill, I'd have felt the same way -- except, I would have had recourse against the service folks to not pay for their incompetence and to just pay for the proper repair. I could even give them the unneeded parts back for their future use....

Anywway, we are where we are with that and the service plan folks are talking to me like I'm the idiot who knows nothing and couldn't tell if the tech did the right thing or not (pretty good clue that a machine that got stuck on the cycle timer now seizes and makes horrible sounds after he works on it was not properly repaired).

Anyway, we are due a replacement credit -- not a replacement, and we are at odds with how they are applying the terms there.

They do have an arbitration clause -- that applies to disputes over "costs." I'm sure they invoke that to prevent anyone from coming after them snce it will make it cost more than it is worth, but my main issue is not a "costs" issue. ;-)