Complaint Review: Maytag

Maytag Neptune Washer is a $1164 piece of junk

To: Customer Service Maytag Inc.
CC: Consumer Reports
From:
Andre' & Dolly Bellicini
211 Gardenia CT
Lititz, PA 17543
(717) 560-3457
EMAIL: abellicini@comcast.net
Date: November 20, 2002

To all parties,

Wow! What a great washing machine! I can't believe how well it washes our clothes, and the water savings are going to be tremendous.
These were the comments my wife had when we first installed our new Maytag Neptune Washing machine in March of 1999.Our excitement soon turned to despair. The unit failed to complete the wash cycle after only one month of use. We received prompt service and the control panel was replaced because it was defective. In less than a year we had more trouble
Again service was required because the washer wasn't draining properly.
This technician failed to tighten the water hook up and even though the unit sits in a drain pan on our second floor the loose water hook up was spraying water down the back of the wall and it destroyed our kitchen ceiling and our brand new custom Hardwood flooring. We had all repairs made and the Maytag service center paid for the very costly restoration.
About 6 months ago we noticed a very foul smell coming from the unit. Maytag again promptly sent a technician who again told us that even though the unit is beyond warranty, he would replace the gasket seal/rubber drain unit because it was a recall item. Sounds to us that this unit was very poorly designed and the engineers didn't understand the basic principles of design.
The odor problem now solved; just recently the machine failed to spin the cloths dry. Again a technician comes out. This time he needs to charge us because the drain pump is too small and Maytag has upgraded to a larger amp unit. He also tells us that the drain hose was improperly installed and chinked beyond repair. This too needed replace for a fee.
If the pump is inadequate and needed upgraded according to the manufacturer, why are we responsible? Also if the drain hose was improperly installed why shouldn't the service center that had multiple technicians at are home be responsible for this.
I hope that there aren't others who have experienced these problems, but I would imagine that there are a large percentage of unhappy consumers. Imagine our dismay. We invested $1164.94 in what we believed was a worry free top of the line washing machine. We now realize that we would be better off in the future to go to sears and buy the less expensive models.
We would appreciate a response to this letter.
Info on Model # MAH4000AW serial # 1127043565D

Andre' & Dolly Bellicini

Andre'
Lititz, Pennsylvania