I never understood Miele either. I have owned a Miele vacuum and hated it. The on board tools were tiny. The "park" foot lever on the power head broke in a year. Miele is more aimed at European type homes/flats with smaller square footage.

That's funny @georgect, my vacuums are probably my favorite Miele appliances. I have an S7 upright and S8 canister. I have a love/hate relationship with my dishwasher though ;)

I had the S5 canister, had it about a year or so and then got rid of it and now have a Riccar Immaculate. Where the onboard tools are adult sized.

I'm always thinking about what I'd get if my Miele W4840 bit the dust. Now I believe the Asko W8844XLW is a worthy successor. It's almost as big inside (2.83 vs 3.04 cu ft), its temperature settings are in degrees rather than fuzzy words, and it's 240V and cold fill. As I posted a few weeks ago, it shouldn't be stingy with water, as its water usage appears to be on the high side for FL's, judging from the claimed water factor.

Of course, who knows what'll be on the market in the future. So I'm moving toward adding the Asko now, as a second machine. Just had the old utility sink in my basement upgraded -- kept the concrete sink, but replaced the old non-automatic pump with a basin and automatic sump pump package, replaced the old faucet, and added hot and cold washer hookups. So that's money invested toward adding some machine down there. Next is getting an electrician here to do various tasks, including adding a circuit with wiring for 240V 30A, but a 20A receptacle and 20A breakers for the Asko. With that additional investment in a formerly little-used corner of the basement, buying the Asko will be the only prudent thing to do :-)

I have to say, I've never looked into Asko. Not even sure where to buy that here.

I figure I'll end up with a larger pair of whatever I think is ok (ie. Electrolux) then a small Miele washer as well. Front loaders take so long for a cycle that I don't think two washers is excessive ;)

In the USA at least, don't know about Canada, Asko is now being distributed by the same organization as Sub-Zero and Wolf. Hopefully this'll help remedy any deficiencies in parts and service availability. My area has a few Asko servicers, not all of which are listed on askona.com.

If I buy the W8844XLW, looks like I'll be the first owner in this community or the automaticwasher.org community, or anywhere online at all for that matter. So it's definitely a risk. But a 240V washer with larger-than-European drum seems to be the dream machine for Euro-style laundry aficionados in North America, and it seems a shame to let it go, and to not support its availability.

I think Asko is still a well-regarded brand overall, in spite of ownership changes (owned by Slovenian manufacturer Gorenje since 2010, and by Italian company Antonio Merloni between 2000 and 2010). Their signature feature is a simple door gasket rather than the complex door boot found on most front-loaders.

Agreed with Rococogurl. This has been my experience with Miele. Just had a new dishwasher installed in under 1hour by Miele Technicians. My old dishwasher was 13years old and I wanted a new one as part of the remodel. I have three washers and two dryers, the oldest being 17years old and it works like a charm. My vacuum cleaners work flawlessly in over 15years of ownership. I just installed an induction cooktop and wok burner. I have an oven and a speed oven. I am lusting after an HM16-80 but my B890E is more than adequate. In the time I have owned all these appliances, friends and family have replaced multiple other appliances for varying reasons.

If the tool fits your needs, purchase it. If it does not work for you, there are some many choices out there.

@rococogurl, I had no idea your heater failed - was that just a defective part?

As for marketing, I also work in marketing and I'm pretty sure the Miele approach is to rely on the kind of customer that comes to them through research and word of mouth. It's very different from the traditional US approach where you bombard potential customers with flashy graphics and try to persuade them to buy, but then again I'm assuming they don't want to deal with the traditional US customer who expects an awful lot of babysitting both pre and post sale (nor do they have the resources to deal with all of that).

I think it's a sound approach for a company that will never be a top seller in the US no matter how much money they spend on advertising and is targeting a tiny niche market of well off apartment dwellers, expats and laundry nerds.

My issues are not with the products - although my washer has some odd tendencies like pausing right after I start or flashing and beeping at the end of a cycle. My friend also notices this and I saw a recent comment here about it as well.

My dishwasher pump broke about 1 year in. Technician said he rarely ever sees that ... of course it happened here ;)

My vacuums have been flawless though - knock on wood. I really love them. I've used a Dyson and no way they compare.

Maybe Canada is different from US - not sure. I find they don't know much when I ask questions often having to "go check" etc. The only saving grace was the guy we purchase from actually went to Germany and was very knowledgeable about how the machines were made etc. You'd be hard pressed to find any documentation that detailed some of the features like cast iron harness or the drum made of very specific fiberglass etc. No one should have to dig so hard to discover these things that set the machines apart IMO.

I get the feeling Miele is not doing really well in the sales dept so marketing properly would be critical.

Another strange example, my local vacuum shop carried Persil and the Miele Care products. Then Miele decided to pull all the MC back in house and only sell on line. It backfired and they crawled back to the vacuum guys asking them to carry it again. My local guy said, "why should I? None of my customers even think I carry it anymore". He did though and I often swing in there to get what I need. It's convenient. I order on line if I have a bunch to get.

Their technicians sign non compete contracts and can only work on Miele appliances. I have to wonder if you get the best techs this way.

I emailed them the other day about the colour detergent and my voucher. I'll see how long it takes them to respond lol.

The laundry survey was to gauge how Canadians do laundry etc ... not sure how that will help them market the small machines here.

@livebetter, I think Miele North America strategy is to be present on the NA market while sustaining the lowest possible loss of revenue (as a premium brand there are certain markets you just have to be on, even if it means that you are actually losing money by being there; for many North American brands Japan is a prime example of that). That's why they have bare bones staffing and invest zero money in marketing/advertising. They are just not interested in more sales, since with the tiny niche they are targeting no level of sales will ever bring the company sizable profit that would cover the extra expenses.

The way I see it is that they made an attempt to change that when they released the "American sized" machines, and after that experiment failed they decided to go straight back to viewing North America as a market where they will never be profitable, but that they also can't just leave.

@recordas - I don't know what went wrong with the heater. First the connection came loose; was fixed and worked for 3 months. They gave me 2 years of additional warranty to cover it. Then it happened again. It was repaired 3 times, including by the field supervisor himself. It just kept breaking and worked for a shorter period of time after each repair. It was really bizarre.

I agreed to all the fixes until it became clear that it wasn't staying fixed. At that point I requested a new machine. It took a few weeks but they replaced it, installed, uninstalled & carted. It wasn't perfectly efficient but I never had a moment's worry that it would get done. They were extremely reliable.

The machine was 2-1/2 years old -- just out of main warranty. Fortunately, I had purchased an extended, which was well worth the $200. Now it's completely reset. New machine works well and, fingers crossed, will have a long and productive life. I will purchase an extended (5 year) warranty for it, however. Otherwise, I've had very good luck and the washer does a superb job.

When Miele discontinued the W48XX washers, someone here speculated that the closing of Home Depot's Expo Design Centers may have been a contributing factor. Can't deny that as a possibility.

My W4840 is good enough, in spite of its quirks, to make me want to stay with Miele. But they won't sell the comparably-sized commercial model, the 20 lb. Octoplus, for residential use. I was even willing to consider getting the Little Giant in the future, and altering some laundry habits, and replacing some comforters, to accommodate its small size. But I'm not so loyal that I won't consider a machine from another brand, like Asko, that appears to check all the boxes for me.

I had a Swedish Asko before the Miele. My sister got a Whirlpool pair at the same time. The Asko lived 8 years then needed a new board. My sister's Whirlpool had 1 repair and is still in use. Much as I love those hot washes and the Miele wool cycle, there's a good argument these days to keep it simple. OTOH, results from the Mieles have been unmatched. Must say I am intrigued by larsi's enthusiasm for the Electrolux.

In our home, we have a full size Miele 30 in. Oven and a Miele Speed Oven. Miele warming drawer, Miele La Perla II dishwasher, Miele vent hood & two Miele vacuums. Since the mid/late 1990's up until a few years ago we had 4 sets of Miele washers and dryers... Std. Euro size 110V and 220V and their big W4840, W4842, T9800 & T9802. While there have been issues with a few laundry units and our oven, Service was generally very prompt, only done by Miele and work completed successfully! Build quality and materials used on Miele appliances almost have no equal!!!

I LOVE my Electrolux 60 washer, as I did my 70 washer. 70 electric dryer works phenomenally!!! When my 70 washer needed repairs, Electrolux themselves sent a Technician, of course not Electrolux exclusive, that didn't even know there was a 70 Series W&D!!!! Insane! He was a complete Moron. Miele Service is leaps & bounds better, but of course their products are very expensive. That being said, I can honestly say our Electrolux W&D perform amazingly well.... All the features of a Miele, and tons more!!

Would I return to Miele? Yes, without hesitation. Will I? Most likely. But for now, Electrolux is performing very well, and delivering Miele or very near Miele results!!

@larsi -- Curious about why 4 sets of Miele washers when it's said they have such long lives. Did you sell them before their time? Or did they wear out early? I've had 2 washers in this house in 12 years and it seems like one too many.

Rococo....2 houses (moved), and the first set of XL Miele units were glitchy & we tried Miele's first gas dryer which was utterly dreadful. So we sold them & bought the second generation XL units W4842 & T9802 electric dryer! Much better. So yes, sold while still 100% functioning. The one set was sold with the house.

Just an update. Miele sent me my voucher two days after I emailed them.

And they responded about the color powder - fyi

Our Germany contacts have confirmed that the ultra-colour detergent is offered only in liquid format in Europe. The Ultracolor powder version is exclusively offered for some countries ( USA, Canada, Australia and some Asian countries). At this point in time, there are no plans to discontinue Ultracolor powder for these countries.

@Larsi, could you go with the smaller Miele units now? After having such large ones ... not sure I could. As a secondary washer sure.

@livebetter, thanks for the update!! Great news, and what a relief.

I LOVE my Electrolux units, as EVERYONE knows, LOL!!!!! but I always look at the Little Giant units from Miele. They are very expensive, but the build quality and materials are like nothing else!!! Our local Miele Showroom in Beverly Hills, CA has them on display and the routinely wash CA King sheets sets with 4 pillowcases, and they come out of the washer & dryer perfectly. They told us a Queen comforter or a King blanket is no problem for the Little Giants.

What keeps me from pulling the trigger, is Miele discontinued the Little Giant vented dryer. Miele USA only!!! sells condenser dryers. Miele told me it only adds 10-20 mins to each cycle, but I am scared. I've used older Electrolux, Siemens and Miele condenser dryers in Sweden and Germany and the loads took 2 hours or more to dry! Miele claims this is no longer the case, but I do not know if they are lying!!! :-O

I just checked - I knew Costca Canada was selling the little giants - they have the venting dryer. http://www.costco.ca/Miele-Professional-PT5136-Little-Giant-Commercial-Clothes-Dryer-%09.product.100161950.html#

Miele Vented dryers have been out of stock in the USA for roughly 6 months. I've called Miele and 3 authorized in state and out of state dealers! GET IT. The vented Little Giant is supposed to be amazing!!

I really wanted the Little Giant when I was remodeling and shopping 2 years ago but just couldn't justify the expense. Also one of the dimensions might have been too big for my space, but I could have possibly arranged the room for the set. Oh well, I do love my Miele 3033.

I might add, that I don't think the warranty will be honored in the US if it is bought in Canada. This is something I think I read several years ago. I could be wrong.

How can I convince someone I need these? Hahaha