It started last month, when the repairman told us it would cost $500-plus to repair our washing machine.
It wasn’t worth it. We needed a new one.
He actually sat down at our kitchen island and did some research for us. He liked Bosch, but Samsung was good too. Obviously, there were some brands he was called out to repair more than others.
We did some research of our own, and then headed to a big box store planning to buy a Bosch.
My husband, Paul, and I were limited in our choices because our Victorian house has narrow doorways. We couldn’t buy anything wider than 24 inches or so. The stackable units are usually narrow, but we didn’t need a dryer, and our cellar ceiling is too low anyway.
We know, because, years ago, we bought a vertical washer/dryer combo that didn’t fit.
As we looked at the machine we were interested in, a sales associate passed by on a utility vehicle. He told us he would be right back. We had waited about 10 minutes when another associate offered to help us.
We discussed the machine with him and proceeded to buy it. We agreed to sign up for the store credit card, as that would give us a 10 percent discount on what was an expensive item. This took multiple tries on his device. I had to plug in my own information, but the device (some kind of oversized mobile phone) would ring before I was done, and he’d have to answer it. At one point the phone just squawked at me that someone was needed in flooring.
Meanwhile, the first associate, let’s call him Joe, returned. He was not happy that “Gino” has taken his sale. Joe starts looking over Gino’s shoulder and asks some questions. Gino says under his breath, “What is Joe doing now?”
I said, “Well, he offered to help us first, but then he didn’t come back. Time is money!”
Finally we finish inputting the information and proceed to the register to pay for the machine and new hoses. Oh, there was a pit stop at customer service for something. Giving us a 10 percent discount appeared to be outside the skill set of the cashier, and a supervisor needed to get involved.
Eventually, we were able to leave the store. The washer would be delivered in about 10 days.
We were home for about an hour when I saw a message on my phone. It was Joe. I needed to call him back to talk about the washer.
I assumed he was going to try to sell me a different washer because of his petulant attitude at the store. However, he told me that the Bosch washer needed to plug into the matching dryer. Of course, we didn’t need a dryer. “Did you look at the GE?” he asked.
“I don’t want a GE,” I exclaimed. “I need to talk to somebody to cancel the order.”
Thankfully, he knew when to stop talking, and put me through to customer service. The order was canceled and Paul returned to the store to drop off the hoses. When he returned home, he wrote a scathing letter to the president and CEO of the company.
This resulted in a conversation with a top-level customer service rep and a $150 gift card.
Another big box store in town had a Samsung, so we went over there to have a look. They also had the Bosch, it turned out. And that one had a large sticker on it that clearly stated it needed to be plugged into the dryer or…a 240 volt outlet. Paul thought we had such an outlet for the dryer. Since we don’t use the dryer frequently, it wouldn’t be a big deal to switch the machines back and forth. If, that is, it was the right kind of outlet.
To cut to the chase, it wasn’t. So Paul ordered the Samsung, which runs on 120 volts. We would get it in 10 days.
The delivery men arrived early in the four-hour window we were given. They got the machine down cellar, though it barely fit through the door. When they turned off the faucets to disconnect the old machine’s hoses, however, the hot water was still pouring out. They tried to turn off the main, but that didn’t work. So they concluded there was something wrong with the hot water valve. Or the main.
They left, and, luckily, a plumber was able to come over quickly. He said that they hadn’t turned off the main completely. There was nothing wrong with the hot-water valve, either, although he tinkered with it briefly.
We were once again lucky to be able to schedule a hookup within two days. That went fine, but the second set of delivery men had a lot of trouble getting the old washer out through the cellar door.
Finally, we had a working washing machine. It chimes when it starts up and shuts down. It’s very quiet. Best of all, it meant Paul doesn’t have to truck over to the laundromat anymore.
And then, just as my sock drawer was once again full of clean footwear, an error message appeared on the machine. It wasn’t getting water. Even worse, we weren’t getting cold water in the downstairs bathroom or kitchen.
We called in a plumber again and he found an obstruction and replaced a length of pipe. The water flowed again. The machine chimed and whirred.
Our fingers are tightly crossed that this particular adventure is over.
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