Insinkerator is awesome.

Fisher & Paykel is incredibly polite and friendly, but not all that efficient in my case. (They lost my request for missing parts but were so darn nice about it I almost didn't mind.)

Tossup - Miele , Wolf/SubZero

everyone else is playing catchup or just going through the motions.

Service is key. I suspect that this can be regional based on who the manufacturer partners with as well as the manufacturer itself. If only some of these companies understood that the most loyal customer is one who has had trouble and it was resolved in a great way.
I had great quibble free service from Electrolux. Never had a problem with my Wolf range, but they did call to inquire how everything was. (Nice) On the other end abysmal service from Dacor and Sears.

Believe it or not, Asko has been terrific. Miele-really, really BAD!!!

Also, Toto - not really an appliance per se, but I had an issue with a Washlet (Bidet seat) and they sent out the part to me the same day (no charge, even though it was out of warranty). Explained to me how to install it (instructions came in Japanese with pictures), and then what to do if that failed to remedy the issue. I was VERY impressed.

The only one I've had to test on my kitchen was Wolf, and they passed with ease.

"Tossup - Miele , Wolf/SubZero"
Well "Toss OUT" not up, Miele , Wolf/Subzero.

Many post here about Miele's "Lousy Service" both with ovens and dishwashers.

I tried to call SZ to answer an OP's question on GW.
Not that complicated a question--"Is it normal for their fridges to run 70% of the time? The Lady that answered the fone, didn't really know and said "She would connect me to one of their Techs". Well I listened to their recorded music for over half an hour, and no "Tech" ever answered the fone!! Antss says this is normal --as He says, "they have better things to do than answer stupid questions, and they only have 2 techs.

Hmmmmmm, what does good service mean to Antss----? When I have called Elux in order to get information for an OP here, My question is always answered quickly.

Gary

I would add Sears in Los Angeles and in Central Texas is abysmal.

I buy through Lowes and never had any problems with their warranty company or service. It was run by GE, they were fast, professional, and very helpful. The repairman came out within a few days on the dishwasher. Great guy, fixed it.

"Hmmmmmm, what does good service mean to Antss----? "

dodge -you're just being thick or trying to start trouble.

Every major appliance co. in America has a few unhappy customers around this board, Including your darlings - Elux and JennAir.

I've dealt with them all (just about)and those two are CONSISTENTLY above the rest when it comes to product and service.

Frankly I think it's great that SZ didn't waste more of their time on you ( a non customer by the way) answering an absurd and frankly unknowable question.

Miele's lousy service usually stems from customer's that are
disappointed (buyers remorse) - I thought this thing was supposed to be silent because Mrs. Smith over on GW said she can't here hers at all and I can hear mine during the drain cycle because it runs through an air gap (which is not necessary)in the living room which is 8ft. away. This thing is the pits and Miele refuses to do anything about it.

How about Elux/frigemore's refusal to do anything about their crappy fridges in which they know what the problem is yet refuse to modify the design. Or their inability to remedy cran's oven that doesn't heat evenly? By your logic (s)he must be loony cause you're a happy camper for 5 years and they answer your frivolous question for cyber buddies on rainy Tues. in March, promptly. If I applied the same, you all (folks w/miele problems) must be crazy because I've go a list of people with Mile DW's and ovens longer than my arms and legs + yours over the last decade that are quite please and have had ZERO problems except they were "expensive". But - your scenairo isn't the real world.

I also have a few people that are unhappy: never could arrange their dishes in the tub satisfactorily and their perfect clean oven interiors are cruddy and anything but perfect.

Like I said before: No co, is going to satisfy everyone, but you are MOST LIKELY to (odds are better, you'll have a better chance, 8-9 times outa 10,ect...) have a good experience with those two over others.

antss ... the expected value of the duty cycle of a fridge is not an unknowable answer. If its unknowable, they shouldn't be in the fridge making business!

As for Miele's unblemished service record - well take off those rose coloured glasses, old chap. At this point, I'd have to say that it is only salesmen and peddlers who hang onto the notion of Miele's impeccable service record. People here aren't complaining about mere I-can-hear-my-dishwasher.

You seem to have a stake in Miele's top-notchness. Ok, excellent! So then why don't you look into or do something about the complaints here then the way Trever Lawson chose to do something about Bluestar complainants and intercede with Miele on the customer's behalf. Instead you weigh in here like a great big ugly Jabba the Hut, spouting dogma, choosing not to hear the serious complaints and dismissing complaints about non/under performance as mere varnish. There have been about 8 complaints here about Miele ovens odd/under performance. How about an intelligent response from you on those about that rather than your usual whitewash? Or an invocation to Miele to actually try to resolve such individuals' issues? That way, then 3 weeks hence, you'll be able to hold to your point position that Miele has no legitimate issues and that their service people solve all complaints?

I was completely impressed by Monogram. I ordered an Advantium oven which was severely damaged when it arrived. The famed online appliance retailer refused to help me because the damage wasn't obvious until the oven was removed from the box. I called Monogram in tears and they just jumped on it. They said they never leave their customers unhappy and asked if 8am the next morning would be too late. The experienced service person came out and determined that it was "concealed damage" the store should have taken care of. The only way it could have happened is if it was dropped off the truck. They had the door replaced within days and also talked directly with the store suggesting they should lose the right to sell Monogram should this kind of behavior continue. They were terrific.

"....why don't you look into or do something about the complaints.... the way Trever does."

Because I'm not trying to drum up business or boost sales.

I don't think I have rose colored glasses re: Miele or anyone else, I'm surprised you think I do. I tried to PLAINLY SPELL OUT in the last post that with those two co.s you stand the BEST CHANCE of getting a great product and good service should you need it.

This doesn't mean that you WON'T get a lemon or that you you won't be treated like crap if you interact with corp. on a warranty or service - only that the odds are against it. There will always be duds that come off any factory line and bad apples in the service department. Best I can remember there are 2-3 people with big Miele oven problems around here and one of those was replaced after some haggling. Replacement is not part of the warranty contract BTW.

So, for those few people that have a problem - it sucks, no doubt about it. For those that get the short straw with corporate after a bad product experience, the taste is even worse so take note everyone: You may get a crappy Miele oven and Miele may find nothing wrong with it and tell you to get bent. So you probably shouldn't buy one.

You probably shouldn't fly in an airplane because it MIGHT crash and kill you. There are slim odds that when you get in your car this weekend you might get in a accident and even get killed, so you should probably not drive anywhere.

Ridiculous??? kinda - but it's just like not buying a Miele oven ( as long as it meets other needs) because there is a slim chance that the one you get will be a piece of junk.

Chances are you'll never be in a plane crash, and odds are good you won't die in an automobile accident, just like there's a really good chance your Miele oven will be just fine.

BTW -mindstorm, what's the status of Trevor's crusade getting BS to fix their ignitor woes and deal with the door hinge complaints many have?

Miele has issues owning up to their problems and honoring their warranty. There are clear, documentable issues with my ovens and rather than replacing the ovens as per the warranty they have taken the position that they are operating within their specifications (which, if true, should concern anyone about buying a Miele) and are offering my money back. This has happened to others, not just me.

They do come out promptly for service calls....they just aren't that effective resolving issues.

Tracy

I will chime in with good experiences from Alliance Laundry (Speed Queen/Huebsch/UniMac) and Toto. Terrible experience from Miele.

We bought miele in part because of their good service reputation. Having had numerous service calls for both the refrigerator, freezer, and ovens I would have to say that once the service tech gets to your house you are likely to have good service. However, the problem resides with the service tech gatekeeper who, (after having spoken to a number of different gatekeepers), seem to know very little about the products and appear to be doing their best to keep you from getting a service call. I literally had one women tell me that I just didn't know how to cook, with regards to the oven temperature. I persisted and grudingly she ok'd a service call as a "courtesy". That service call resulted in a new convection fan as well as a new internal electric board. I like my miele appliances: DW, Hood, wall ovens, and fridge/freezer, but honestly the service line that you call to get a service appointment authorized is the pits.

Hood brand Futuro Futuro has very polite customer service. I remember dealing with Customer Service representative named Mark the first time I called (about 2 1/2 years ago), and recently I dealt with a lady, named Elane, who was also very nice. My husband, thinking heÂs the greatest handyman on earth, tried to replace one of the lightbulbs, and of course he broke the light cover. Futuro covered it and sent me a brand-new one. The only (minor) hassle was that I had to send them an E-mail, they wouldnÂt process the request over the phone, which I felt was kind of odd, but in the end it worked out well - they replied to my E-mail with a shipping confirmation #.

So, in conclusion, even though I have had 2 minor issues with my hood, I was impressed by FuturoÂs customer service on both occassions.

I can tell you GE's service company has been very attentive, but ultimately not very helpful. The people at the call center call to let me know everything that is happening, which is good. However, the techs they sent out (both of them) had never seen either of my ovens before and had not access to maintenance manuals. It looks to me like they train their call center staff very well on customer service, but don't train anyone on the actual appliances. Both techs and three different call center personnel insisted that the feature on my oven that was broken didn't even exist! The part I need has been on backorder from GE for over three months now. It was supposed to arrive today, again, but no part. I am not impressed.

because of the price demands placed on manufacturers by big box retailers and buying groups, it has caused service companies to use less then professional service technicians. the attitude out there is it will cost less to replace a appliance then to repair it. parts inventories have been cut causing long delays between service call and repair, most of this problem has been created by sears, whirlpool and other supporters of A&E service

On the west coast, I found the actual owner of a large company who sold BlueStar- actually called and came to look at a range we had- a BlueStar- it was taken care of in less than a week.

Fisher & Paykel has been wonderful to deal with both for simple questions and the one tiny part (a light cover that broke suddenly) we needed to replace. It's actually kind of fun to call their 800 number and speak with someone down under. They always seem to be open, cheerful, and helpful.

My experience with appliance customer service is limited but based on what I know Fisher & Paykel and Bluestar are great.

Have had great CS from WOLF. The get back to you right away, their technicians are very nice and knowledgeable.

Ventingdirect.com . I had with them an incident of loosing the vent that I ordered by UPS freight, They were great offering to ship a new one right away, but when I declined not wanting to wait for another shipment, they offered to refund me my money back. They told me they will be the ones dealing with UPS to try to locate it. My refund was posted even before the vent was located.

I'm extremely impressed by Electrolux. A year ago we purchased the French Door/Bottom Freezer Wave touch fridge. Loooove it so much! Our neighbors even talk about it! Anyway, the ice maker didn't "break" but was acting a little weird so I called Electrolux directly, They were great! The gentleman on the phone was the most knowledgeable I'd EVER dealt with. He spent about 40 minutes on the phone with me, talking me through all sorts of codes, etc. to enter. He even had me hold the phone in the maker so hear could hear the motor. He was so patient and thorough and OVERNIGHTED a repair kit AND a new motor, just to be sure! I told him overnight wasn't necessary (it's a heavy package and the fridge was working great) but he insisted. He told me who to call for service (Diamond Service) and they were excellent as well. All this at no charge (the serviceman wouldn't even take a tip)! Electrolux is a whole new level of service.

1. Whirlpool has NO customer service in the US - it is in Canada and they gave me a number to call which turns out to be a local heating and cooling service which said they do not fix Whirlpool appliances! Do not buy any products from them unless you are sure you can get service
2. Sears is very variable and actually quite expensive - compare prices with HD and BestBuy before you buy your appliance

Companies I've had great customer service from ...

WOLF
Answered endless pre-sale questions and post-purchase has also been equally top notch. I actually received a replacement part before I got the notice of its shipping (overnight).

GAGGEANU
Outstanding. I will preface this by saying it was five years ago, before they more throughly combined with Bosch, and I also think it had a lot to do with the amazing rep I was just lucky enough be directed to. But, having said that, it was absolutely above-and-beyond.

MIELE
Only had a tiny issue but it was handled quickly, politely and completely.

Probably not a coincidence but the three products from the makers above are, at least so far, the ones I've also been the most happy with, performance-wise. Good products + good service = win, win. The Wolf and Miele are relatively recent additions to my kitchen though, to be fair.

Now for the absolutely lousy ...

WHIRLPOOL (includes KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, etc.)
Don't even know their own products. While, in the end, I did eventually get some resolve, it's not been ideal and it's been way, WAAY harder than it should have been. When I think Whirlpool major appliance service, the words that come to mind are: slow, frustrating, expensive and stressful.

BLUESTAR
Bottom of the barrel. Embarrassingly so. Enough so that I have said, 'Never again' despite a product that is pretty damn impressive WHEN it works. ... That last bit is key.

And those that are a more mixed bag ...

GE MONOGRAM
The opposite of Bluestar, in that the products seem to be pretty poor, but the service I've received pretty darn good. Maybe I've just gotten lucky and dealt with some amazing folks, but I've never felt left out in the cold, despite a HEAP of problems, and the on-site service people are the best I've worked with. Professional, conscientious and well-trained. In the end, we ended up ditching our Monogram ovens in favor of Wolf cause we just couldn't get em working right, BUT they definitely tried.

BOSCH
Actually, up until the end, the service was pretty poor, perhaps even hostile, and definitely illogical. Refused to do things like directly sending me an easily self-replacable part, but would pay for a contract service person to come out and install it charging me "only" for the $50 part itself when the call, even at their rates, had to be 2-4x that. But they did stand behind their product in the end ... Rather surprisingly so, given my earlier experiences but, gotta give them credit, cause they did eventually take responsibility. We chose to go with Miele upon replacement and, so far, I think it's a far superior product, BUT I also wouldn't rule out Bosch for a future purchase either.

Two companies that I have had customer service dealings with in the past 6 months, each gets an A rating:

Wolf ... A = AWESOME.

KitchenAid/Whirlpool ... A = AWFUL.

This post was edited by jellytoast on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 13:47