I put mine in that little box on the inside door where the detergent stuff is supposed to go.

Its in a clear heavy plastic covering; don't try to open it. That plastic covering is supposed to melt or disappear somehow. Mine didn't, but then I was running one of the quicker cycles -- I understand it does work for other people, and presumably if you run a more regular (longer/hotter) cycle. That's it.

I have been happier with my All-in-1 Cascade Complete things, which are inside a thinner plastic wrap that melts more fully for me regardless of the cycle I run. But that's me, and other people like the Finish Powerball things, which are cheaper and sold at Costco.

FWIW, Consumer Reports likes both of these, in their Sept 2011 issue (pp. 8-9).

Detergent tabs should be placed in the main wash detergent compartment. You weren't clear in your description of the Finish tab. Just to clarify: Finish Quantum tabs with Powerball are enclosed in a self dissolving outer wrapper. Regular Finish Powerball tabs are in a plastic wrapper that must be removed.

The one I was talking about was a sample with my KitchenAid DW, about a year ago. The heavy plastic covering is supposed to dissolve (inside was powder, plus a hard red ball).

I assumed funnymercials got the same kind as a sample.

umm....do you have any idea what your water quality is?

For example, I have soft water. The "excellent" Finish powerball paks would be about 4-6x overdose for me.

Appropriate detergent dosage has EVERYTHING to do with water quality. Please do learn yours.

We have hard water and have used both without problems. Only problem we ever had was when I put a large tray in that prevented the door from popping open during the cycle and the plastic coating did not disolve completely. So it has to have contact with the hot water to work, which might explain why your quick cycle didn't work properly. Maybe the water did not get hot enough or it was not in contact with the hot water long enough?