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Maytag/Whirlpool Complaint - A double wall oven with two logic board failures in 9 years: 2 X $400=$800 to fix. - Double wall oven, Model number MEW6630CAS

Double wall oven, Model number MEW6630CAS - Complaint
Review by hilde45 on 2010-12-02
BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN -- My family owns a double wall oven, Model number MEW6630CAS. It was an expensive oven in 2001 and we hoped we were acquiring a sturdy and reliable tool for our family kitchen. Unfortunately, we have had to fix the digital display twice since we got this oven, at over $400 for each fix. The first fix was in 2005 and the last fix was last month, in 2010. In addition to the initial cost of the oven, then, we have spent over $800 just to be able to read the basic information of time, temperature, etc. of the oven.

Obviously, when we acquired the oven, we never suspected we would need to spend over $800 dollars just to be able to read the displays. This is a huge hidden cost and, we think, points to a serious problem with the design and the parts used to repair this product.

We contacted Maytag first by email, then by phone. Maytag representatives simply said that the oven is out of warranty and that there's nothing which can be done. We are realistic about the lifespan of products, and we absorbed the cost of the first expensive fix to our Maytag oven without complaint. However, the need to fix the oven a second time motivated us to ask for Maytag to compensate for at least the second fix.

We wrote a letter to Maytag, to the Director of Consumer Care, Maytag. Her office (not her) responded by calling us and all they did was repeat the fact that the oven was out of warranty. I wonder if the makers of the Ford Pinto repeated that their defective cars were out of warranty!

In short: Maytag oven is a terrible product, with multiple failures of digital display, a huge fix cost ($800 and counting) and a company that refuses to follow best practices and stand up for their customers. We are done with Maytag.
Comments:
Posted by Venice09 on 2010-12-02:
From what I can tell, Maytag/Whirlpool is losing a lot of customers. I wonder what it will take for them to do something about it. You sound like a reasonable person, and your complaint is justified. I think it would be wise for Maytag to do whatever it takes to keep you as a customer. I don't blame you for writing them off.
Posted by ok4now on 2010-12-03:
Venice: I knew that you would jump on this review. The OP was ripped off with an appliance product that failed. The manufacturer won't stand behind their inferior product and makes excuses for repair. Bottom line: The customer after spending big bucks looses again. This is not right!! It seems that no matter how much you spend on an appliance it's a gamble on the reliability & the customer gets stuck with the bill when it fails.
Posted by hilde45 on 2010-12-03:
Your comments of support are appreciated! I would just add that in my conversation with Maytag they said, "Well, the product *is* 10 years old," as if that was very old. My parents just last year replaced their dishwasher and oven, after 45 years of service. Their fridge is still going strong. They really don't make appliances like they used to--not even close.
Posted by Venice09 on 2010-12-03:
Hilde, yes the product is ten years old, but the only reason it made it that long is because you invested $800 in repairs. Of course, Maytag doesn't see it that way. As ok4now pointed out, everything is a gamble no matter how much spend. Appliances should be more reliable, like they used to be. But, as you said, it's not even close.
Posted by trmn8r on 2010-12-03:
Here's the disconnect. Appliances years ago lasted longer. I am old enough to remember.

Appliances today are designed to last 7 years. 7 years! Perhaps in 2001, it was 10. So this is why the CSR acted as though your appliance is old. In their mind, it is.

So, you end up with people saying "My LG was a piece of junk. I'm going to get a Whirlpool." "My Whirlpool was a piece of junk, I'm going to get a Electrolux." "My Electrolux didn't clean the floor - that's false advertising."
Posted by ok4now on 2010-12-03:
Let's expand this discussion in another direction. My king size bed comforter needed to be washed so I took it to my local laundromat. They have the huge commercial machines that will accommodate an item of this size. While waiting I struck up a conversation with the owner. I inquired about the commercial machines and how it would be nice to get this quality for home use. He stated that they are constantly breaking down with a high repair cost and he had to learn how to fix them to save money. So again brand name seems to have little value. You take a chance and hope it lasts.
Posted by Venice09 on 2010-12-04:
I always wondered about the durability of commercials machines. I just assumed they were made with better quality. Apparently not. And I'm sure those machines are very expensive. I wonder why it's so difficult to produce reliable appliances. It's not like it hasn't been done before. Why are the expensive, high end appliances not made of better quality so they last longer and need less repairs?

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