The Maytag Repairman lie.

[Joes Place]

We need to replace our 2005 Maytag Neptune Washer and dryer, went to Warner Stellian to check out what they have. The salesman there said almost all appliances now are built to last 5-7 years. They carry a GE pair that he said would get in the 10 year range but if you really care about it lasting, Speed Queen is the brand he recommended. I also asked our local appliance repair guy and he said Speed Queen too, he said definitely not Maytag anymore that used to be the best, and not Whirlpool. Our Maytag refrigerator (1992) is still going strong and our Maytag dishwasher is 2004 I believe. They used to make the best products pre-Whirlpool.

I've got Frigidaire (Electrolux) W/D from the mid 2000s that are still going strong.
Only had to replace the rear drum bearing on the dryer.

Washer is probably due for a breakdown, eventually....

I think stuff from that 1990s/2000s era is just better built than the newest stuff today.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Our refridge's ice maker stopped working so we called a repairman. It too about 5 weeks for him to show up and when he did he said it couldn't be fixed and we would have to replace the ice maker. Wife said let's just buy a new fridge, but I said the fridge is not that old and it was an expensive so we should just fix it. We had to pay $480.00 up front for parts and labor. The part showed up and it took the repair company another month to come and install it. The new ice maker was installed but it didn't work either. It took the repair company another 5 weeks for them to come back and tell us the replacement ice maker was defective. He ordered a new one which came to the house in a week but another month and a half went by before he came to install it. The wife said why don't you just install it? I said I already paid for it and I would probably screw it up anyway. He finally shows up installs it, and it works for about 2 months then starts dropping ice cubes all over the floor at random times during the day and night. Just said screw it and bought a new fridge. Wife said told ya so.......................

I feel like I’ve had similar experiences to this. It’s sad that this is what’s acceptable now days and you’re just supposed to buy a new one.

 

[lucas80]

Did you try searching for the problem/fix on youtube?

I was able to fix my dish washer going that route....appliance repairmen are a huge scam nowadays.

I'll tell you the same thing I told a guy at the gym who asked me if I tried to fix it myself, "My volt reader is in the shop". The thingy that makes the other thingy spin is broken.
It's fully covered under warranty, but it's less than 2 years old. Nothing should have broken, and it shouldn't take this long to get parts or service.

 

[83Hawk]

I would recommend avoiding LG refrigerators. Most appliance repair places in Des Moines won't touch them.



Granted....ours has worked fine in the 15+ years we have had it, except for the plastic tube on the back that carries water to the ice maker and dispenser. It became brittle and would spring leaks. You can't just replace it....it needs a specific type of tube that is hard to get, and you need to take the back apart to remove the old and install the new. I would just splice new bits of tubing, and also use Flex Seal on the leaks, until the Flex Seal no longer worked.



Now, we just no longer get water from the fridge. For ice, I bought a table top ice maker, run it for a few hours, then fill the ice bucket in the freezer.

 

[lucas80]

Dude, Gordon Jump died.

He wasn't even the first Maytag Man.

 

[NoleATL]

Add HVAC’s to the list of suck over the last 10 years. Our community is 10 years old and about 5 years in, people were replacing the exterior condenser units because they required so much repair.

 

[Carolina Hawk]

Add HVAC’s to the list of suck over the last 10 years. Our community is 10 years old and about 5 years in, people were replacing the exterior condenser units because they required so much repair.

yep, we have 3 AC units for our hose and had all 3 replaced in Jan/Feb of 2017, and all three have needed repairs since their installation. We went with Trane because they are supposed to be the best and what our HVAC guy recommended.

 

[SoDakHawk]

Brand new washer and dryer. "Smart" suckers with an on/off switch like a computer, LED display, the works. One day the wife (no pics) says the dryer won't work, it won't turn on. Well, everything is a computer these days and the way to fix a computer is to reboot it. Went to the electric panel and killed the power to the washer/dryer. Waited 10 minutes and hit the power. Dryer rebooted and cycled up just fine.

That is annoying as F that something less than a year old would do that. Need to get the computers out of home appliances and go back to what worked decades ago.

 

[joelbc1]

My clothes washer crapped out. 2.5 weeks to get the trusted Maytag Repairman to show up. 2.5 weeks to get the parts and to be scheduled for this repair covered by warranty. Was the Maytag Man ever a reality, or has their service always sucked? Is everything the fault of Covid now? Can't get workers, can't get parts because of the supply chain...
Not so cool CSB.

THAT Maytag company died a couple of decades ago. The name has been kept but the product quality and dependability died when they busted the union and left Newton. The “Maytag repairman” commercials were some of televisions best. It really help sell what the product was all about....quality and dependability.

 

[TJ8869]

He wasn't even the first Maytag Man.

I know. But he was the true Maytag Man to me, dammit.

 

[Joes Place]

Brand new washer and dryer. "Smart" suckers with an on/off switch like a computer, LED display, the works. One day the wife (no pics) says the dryer won't work, it won't turn on. Well, everything is a computer these days and the way to fix a computer is to reboot it. Went to the electric panel and killed the power to the washer/dryer. Waited 10 minutes and hit the power. Dryer rebooted and cycled up just fine.

That is annoying as F that something less than a year old would do that. Need to get the computers out of home appliances and go back to what worked decades ago.

I'm not interested in buying any "smart" appliances that connect to my wifi.

I see zero consumer value in that. Spend a few extra $$ on a better compressor, etc before you add all the silly frills.

Also have no need for cheezy displays. Just give me basic controls to run the cycles I need to run. I use about 2 or 3 of the dozens of features/settings.

 

[Joes Place]

Add HVAC’s to the list of suck over the last 10 years. Our community is 10 years old and about 5 years in, people were replacing the exterior condenser units because they required so much repair.

That's because "construction grade" stuff is some of the cheapest/crappiest you're gonna find.

 

[Ree4]

this. They don't build anything to last or be repaired anymore. That is not the business model. It's replaceable products. Buy. Breaks. Buy. Breaks. Buy

Late stage capitalism at its' finest

 

[Ree4]

Did they even "blow them" up, or was that an extra?

They're probably set to deflate after a period of time unless you pay a monthly subscription 😅

 

[Tenacious E]

Tell me more about this dedicated ice maker.

I have the same story when it comes to ice makers and fridges. Damn thing broke so many times, would jam up, freeze up. I got pretty good at disconnecting it, taking it out to thaw, and reinstalling it. Had it replaced a time or two. Finally, the thing just gave up and we ended up just buying a new fridge as we were on year 10 of the current one and didn't want to invest more into it.

Next time I am looking into this dedicated ice maker option.

Goes under the counter. My snobby brother doesn’t like his because the ice is too soft and wet. It has the consistency of hotel ice.

KitchenAid KUID308HPS

KitchenAid® 18'' Automatic Ice Maker with PrintShield Finish

www.warnersstellian.com

 

[Rifler]

I'm not interested in buying any "smart" appliances that connect to my wifi. I see zero consumer value in that. Spend a few extra $$ on a better compressor, etc before you add all the silly frills. Also have no need for cheezy displays. Just give me basic controls to run the cycles I need to run. I use about 2 or 3 of the dozens of features/settings.

Overly sophisticated control systems are 75% of the problem anymore,.. The mechanics are normally largely perfected and unchanged, but the new bells and whistles tend to always be consolidated on a non-repairable custom control board that's highly susceptible transient voltage strikes,... Stupid, hard contacts are best.

 

[unsubstantiated]

My parents bought a Maytag set in the early 1980s. Served a family of 7 for about 15 years, still going strong 43 years later.

 

[Joes Place]

but the new bells and whistles tend to always be consolidated on a non-repairable custom control board that's highly susceptible transient voltage strikes,... Stupid, hard contacts are best.

*spikes

But, yes, they are not designed to handle normal voltage variations.

The entity to complain to about this is the IEC and Underwriter's Labs. That's where the standards these devices get tested to are created. If they regularly get smoked by modest surges/brownouts, they need the standard updated.

 

[Bank of Hawk]

My 3 year old Maytag clothes washer lid latch broke, peice of crap plastic and the washer wouldn’t run because it wouldn’t clasp with the broken latch.

So I went to Menards, found a floor model and swapped my damaged latch with a floor model latch and works like new!

 

[Joes Place]

My 3 year old Maytag clothes washer lid latch broke, peice of crap plastic and the washer wouldn’t run because it wouldn’t clasp with the broken latch.

So I went to Menards, found a floor model and swapped my damaged latch with a floor model latch and works like new!

You can usually buy those things on Amazon for like $5.

Sites like RepairClinic can ID which part number it is, then you can find other places to buy it from if their price sucks.

 

[SoProudNole]

Wait a sec....I vaguely remember a movie about a Maytag repairman coming to a house when the wife was home and the husband was gone. And then the wife's neighbor friend showed up. Man, that was a great flick !

Pretty sure there was pizza too.

 

[Tenacious E]

My 3 year old Maytag clothes washer lid latch broke, peice of crap plastic and the washer wouldn’t run because it wouldn’t clasp with the broken latch.

So I went to Menards, found a floor model and swapped my damaged latch with a floor model latch and works like new!

 

[TJ8869]

Pretty sure there was pizza too.

Sadly, she had no money to pay for the pizza.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

When I was a kid the oven, fridge, washer, and dryer all lasted forever.

Now they seem disposable

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Holy Hell. Evidently the new GIAHORT overlords are letting anyone with a pulse post now.

 

[fakenewsking]

I have had around 15 fridges for 12 years. Some I purchased new when I bought the house, some came with the property. I have never had one go bad. Some old, some have all the Wi-Fi crap. As long as you don’t pack the fridge or freezer like a sardine can so air can circulate, blow the air coils every 8 months and replace the water filter when told, not just push the reset button, they don’t break. Not changing the water filter will always make the ice maker not work. If you have never cleaned your coils get a flashlight and look, yuck.

 

[fakenewsking]

I when blowing the coils, using an air hose and have shop vac behind to catch some of the dust. Otherwise you have a pissed off wife.

 

[lucas80]

Did you try searching for the problem/fix on youtube?

I was able to fix my dish washer going that route....appliance repairmen are a huge scam nowadays.

14 months later and the same guy is putzing around replacing the same parts. The service manager sounded positively depressed about having to eat 2 more service calls and $250 worth of parts. I think it cost about $600 new.

 

[lucas80]

3+ hours of putzing around and it's been determined that another part is needed, and another service call. They should just give me a new washer. They are taking a beating on this one.

 

[SoDakHawk]

LOL at this thread resurrection. Our Maytag dryer went out last week and was just fixed Monday. Heating element went out. Still under warranty so it costs us nothing to fix. We're on Year 2 and have had two repairs on the dryer, 5-year warranty.

Why are appliances such crap these days?

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

Jeez, I wish I knew why everything sucks these days. Our fridge that served us for 20 years went kaput about a year and a half ago and I replaced it with a new very low end model from BestBuy. About a month ago it started to act weird. The interior light would strobe or not come on at all when the door opened. I ignored it or would occasionally slap the light assembly thinking that would help matters.

Then a day came when I noticed that the temperature was creeping up above the safe zone and boy was I pissed as we were now out of warranty. Couldn't find much online to troubleshoot the POS and at one point I thought, eff it, I'll just unplug the damn thing as it likely has a control board that I can't access easily or fix. To my surprise about an hour after I plugged it back in the temperature was back in the safe zone and the interior light has been perfect ever since. I'm either a repair genius or just lucky far beyond what I deserve.

 

[Rifler]

Jeez, I wish I knew why everything sucks these days.

Biggest difference today is that manufacturing engineering has gotten so good, that in order to meet a specified price point, absolutely every component is designed right to the edge,.. Rule of thumb over-engineering no longer applies.

 

[Joes Place]

LOL at this thread resurrection. Our Maytag dryer went out last week and was just fixed Monday. Heating element went out. Still under warranty so it costs us nothing to fix. We're on Year 2 and have had two repairs on the dryer, 5-year warranty.

Why are appliances such crap these days?

Making heating elements out of narrower gauge nichrome wire is cheaper. They save a couple bucks on metal to sacrifice years of reliability.

(Or, they cut corners on the isolation space for those wires, so they're prone to shorting out against the metal enclosure they're in)

Also, make sure you've cleaned out your dryer vent, as it'll run a bit hotter if that's clogged at all. I used the "ex-Navy guy on Youtube" method and hooked up my leaf blower on the inside to blow all the crap out of it. Amazed at how much blew out of it. Amazon sells an inexpensive brush kit you can attach to a drill to loosen up the lint as well. It's an hour or so project, but not difficult to do every few yrs.