GE Receives appliance bids from Chinese firms

[mattl]

Article...

Came across this.  For me the jury is still out, but this makes it sound a little better, time will tell.

 

 

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[lordkenmore]

>For me the jury is still out, but this makes it sound a little better, time will tell.

Time will indeed tell; however, it does sound better than I had expected in my worst nightmares.

 

[arbilab]

Sure Haier sells most appliances. You have to take delivery on 4 to get one that works more than a month. (Editorial exaggeration.)

But seriously, I spent an evening reading user experience with Haier washers and the consensus was... unfavorable. Despite blurbage that they're trying really hard, the takeaway impression was that they don't exactly 'get it' in terms of integrity/reliability .

Seems we'll soon have more evidence, like it or not. One thing you have to give them: they hire Americans while, other than lawyers and MBAs, most American corporations don't if they can help it.

 

[washman]

Washman corollary #1

Men in denim built this country.

Men in suits wrecked it

 

[tennblondie78]

I just purchased a special order GE microwave from Home Depot. I had to special order because I'm one of the 2 people in the world that like Bisque color. Waited a week for the first one to come in. I opened the box and there was a long scratch in the paint on the back side of the door glass by the right side of the handle. The glass is on top of the inner door frame, so it could not have happened after assembly. The scratch stood out like a sore thumb.

I returned the first microwave as damaged and ordered another one. Waited 2 weeks for it. It came and guess what? Same exact defect, but the scratch was a couple millimeters shorter. I started not to accept the unit, but HD gave me $84 off and GE is sending a check for $50, so I took it. I see the damn scratch every time I open the door.

I should also note that when I returned the first unit to HD they never looked at it or questioned me. I was told by the store manager that they receive so many appliances (from all brands/manufacturers) with obvious damage and defects sustained at the factory shipped as good units that they are no longer surprised.

The microwave is assembled in China. They apparently have no quality assurance, because the door was assembled, installed on the unit and put into a box with a glaring defect right by the damn door handle. Not on just one unit, either. Who knows how many they shipped like that. They obviously have a damaged assembly jig or something similar.

GE sent me an email asking for a review of the product. I wrote a scathing review which of course, was moderated and they will not put it on their website. Cowards.

I, for one, will never buy another GE product. The door on this thing opens and closes very hard and clunky. Even a guest at my house commented on the cheapness of the door open/close. It's a sad shame one can no longer buy appliances worth a damn.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

I worked for GE doing service calls on refrigerators for a short time around 1980. At the time they had a whole bunch of noisy compressor complaints, and we were replacing them in the field. About a year later, Jack Welch became chairman of GE and pretty much did away with our excellent group of factory service techs. It was over.

Ken D.

 

[lordkenmore]

>One thing you have to give them: they hire Americans while, other than lawyers and MBAs, most American corporations don't if they can help it.

And the apparent hope they'll continue manufacturing here is one reason why I'm happier than I was when the news "the Chinese are buying GE appliances!" hit. I care more about the people doing the real work than those at the highest levels of corporate.

And it may be a good thing for the Chinese, too, having the ability to make appliances here. Assuming current trends remain current, with the middle class getting killed, and the poor getting poorer, the US will end up being 3rd world at some point. Haier will have an established manufacturing base here to make things to ship elsewhere.

 

[supersuds]

Reaction in Louisville is favorable, anyway.

Locals cheer China deal to buy GE for $5.4B

Mayor Fischer: “This has very significant and I think very good implications for our city.”

www.courier-journal.com

 

[jetcone]

Well Nate

I hope you are right, it looks like they want to stay here and if its true they upped the quality then there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I still think its a poor business decision to sell off any profitable business. And as I understand it GE was making a profit here.

 

Haier offered 1.4 billion more than Elux and Elux had a lot of overlap so there would have been closures like with what happened between Maytag and WP.  But the mayor states ( remember he is just a politician) that Haier and GE have no overlaps. Time will tell thats all we can do is wait and see.