Speed Queen AWNE92SP113TW01 Impressions(Sorry Long Post)

[criswan]

MRB,

On the attack? So expressing an experience or disappointment with a company via social media is going on the attack? So, your comments in the Whirlpool Cabrio thread referencing the quality of the machine based on the normal operating sound would be an "attack" also or simply a matter of opinion considering you hadn't used one?

Social media is one of the best avenues to receive consideration for a situation that is not working itself out otherwise. We asked for a replacement, Speed Queen denied it, and then made assertions towards our usage when we pushed them on their quality... If a company doesn't need to be called to the carpet for that then I am afraid all the cattle are just lining up for the slaughter. Companies like Alliance are not the Speed Queen of old...there is no customer loyalty unless there is a reward. You think they would have given that old woman the new electronic set if they couldn't have used her as promotional? No way. Most companies today would throw you under the bus for $2 and tie your brand loyalty to the bumper as it drives away. I have learned over the years, devote your loyalty to local retailers and salespeople and only devote your dollars to companies that do well under pressure. Our Breville espresso machine had a bad boiler after a week, $2k machine. I called Breville and they overnighted a unit because "we see how many of our products you have registered" and "we don't want you to miss a single cup of our delicious espresso.". That is how consumer inquiries are handled, and yes MRB, I posted on their Facebook first when I found out the retailer had no more in stock. Apparently they didn't see that as an attack.

 

[stricklybojack]

So it comes down to..

.
You *demanded* the machines get fixed in 'one go' and they weren't? It took two?

You don't see how the question isn't that you're a for profit business, but rather that you are using the machines well beyond the average consumer with you rescue operation? Really?

I agree that one expects prompt service when one pays a premium and it bothers me as well that companies don't seem interested in finding out what is wrong with their, in this case, new to the market product..from what is i believe a new (or at least expanded) production facility.

Sounds like you were more than just a little PO'ed from the get go.

This reminds me to treat the people on the other end of the line with respect
for best results, cause i loose it too with hopeless customer service snafus over shoddy products, often at my own expense.

All that said i may have misunderstood your story, and i don't like it myself when the company seems more interested in wriggling out of doing something, and in the process spends far more time and money than simply working smartly from the get go to fix the situation for the customer.
Best of luck..

 

[combo52]

New SQs

I Stand by my comments completely in my earlier post.

 

Yes the dealer should have fixed the noise issue quickly, the dealer was obviously not experienced in selling and servicing SQ washers and dryers,

 

BUT as the customer you should have let the dealer and their service people fix the problem, THERE is no promise that a new machine will always be perfect, going on FB, calling SQ, and even going on AW makes you look bad and differently someone who no one would want to ever deal with. There is a social expectation that you give people a chance to make things right before you go on the war path. After all no laundry was piling up as a result of this minor noise.

 

As a SQ dealer that has sold around 500 SQs [ 100 TL, 50 dryers, 50 FLWs ] we have never taken a machine back, I WOULD take one back in a minute if it had a serious problem that could not be fixed quickly, but that would never include the matching dryer that was working perfictly and we would exchange the faulty washer for another SQ washer.

 

If you buy a new Toyota [ which is far more costly than a new W&D ] and the front brake makes a funny little noise from the time you take it home do you think they will give you your money back so you can go buy a Ford.

 

The dealer you bought your SQs from couldn't be all that great [ there is no nationwide appliance seller that has a great reputation in the first place ] as you went to Sears to buy the next set of machines. This time you fell into one of the biggest consumer ripoffs by purchasing a third party four extended service contract. Appliance service contracts are riddled with exclusions and conditions that often lead to frustrating delays in getting problems corrected by competent repair personal. But Square Trade is happy with you [ for now ] but don't be surprised if after you make a few claims you get a letter from them and a partial refund for the policy stating that we no longer offer the coverage you are seeking in your area or some other such nonsense, LOL.

 

Andrew, I do applaud your decision to have two sets of washer and dryers for the amount of laundry you are doing. I would be careful worrying about the washers cycle time so much however. The short cycles that many newer Hi Efficiency machines offer are for very small lightly soiled loads, but if you are washing bedding etc from dogs and people alike you need to use at least the full normal and better yet the Heavy Duty cycles.

 

Good Luck With the New Kenmore's, please give us a review of them in about 6 months if you still have them.

 

John L.

 

[golittlesport]

LG front loaders

Consider LG front loaders. I recently got the 3570 washer and love it. LG has a good record for few repairs. Front loaders excel at washing items like blankets and rugs. The turbo wash feature would be great to spray the dog hair off their blankets, and you can add up to three additional rinses. There is a sanitize cycle should you ever need it. Both machines are quiet, fast and efficient.

 

[mrb627]

Comments

Well yes. My comments on the Whirlpool aren't directly on their Facebook page, nor was I expecting Whirlpool to KMA afterwards.

I too took delivery of a SQ set and had problems with my dryer. Guess what, it took two tries but the issue was resolved and my SQ machines are running solid.

And for sheeple, to complain about a whirlpool built maytag then in a knee jerk reaction run out and buy a whirlpool built Kenmore. You forgot to tell us that the salesman talked you into it

Good luck with it and peace.
MRB

 

[criswan]

Combo,

My dealer had an entire semi load of electronic models on order to delivery just this month. The techs said they had two others they were looking into for the same idler pulley issue when he called me back after the second trip. The dealer told me when I called to request to return them that Speed Queen was still arguing that their machines were fine and they had a hard time believing that there were idler pulley assemblies going out bad. Really? Search the internet, there were multiple 542's with this issue, enough that it made the web. Heck I'll send them the video.

In accordance with what you are saying Speed Queen wouldn't want to honor a warranty for a foster family with 8 kids... Or in our case a family that does dog fostering with organizational affiliation. Companies love to say "tested to XX operations" but if you actually have a situation to test their BS, they apparently will threaten you because they are afraid of their quality not standing up.

I don't care if a "company doesn't want to deal with me" lol. That is a pretty egotistical statement on behalf of someone who says he is a dealer. Appliance dealers are the minority these days and attitudes like that kill what is left of their business. There is enough choice out there today that most businesses will bend over for your business. They might even deliver on what is promised instead of asking you to take them at their word for some halo product that people on the internet have literally created a mythology around.

For those of you pointing out Speed Queen quality issues I have attached some photos of the wash basket finishing and dryer drum finishing. Yes, those dark spots are still rough edges.

 

[henene4]

@combo52

I respect you as dealer that you are. I really do. I respect you as someone who is older than me and somebody who contributed more to this site than me.

However: How far from reality are you by comparing a car and a washer in terms of return policy?
If a washer needs 2 service calls after less than a week of service, one can do simple math:
The washer was about 900$ including tax I guess.
An hour of work from a qualified service technician may be what, 80$? Plus 80$ for them to come out and maybe 20-40$ for the first parts.
Given the tech took one hour, there were about 200$ worth of parts and labor put into a product that was 900$ in the first place. So a bit more than 20% of the original retail price.
And the product wasn't even actualky repaired at this point.

The Toyota is how expensiv? 25000$, maybe? I dont know.
However, replacing the front brakes won't be any more expensive than 1000$, if even.
That boils down to less than 5% of the original retail value. See the difference?

Further: You sold 500 SQs? But put down 100/50/50? I guess you mean that as a relation. And only haveing spent 1 week in retail service as a school project, I sold 5 units in 5 days. My co-workers sold twice as much during the same time, at least. I don't know how long you worked to sell 500 units, but given your amounts of posts, you either sell not a lot, or you did not sell them for a verry long time.

And in the end, selling a unit does not proof one thing. Not takeing one back does not neglect the fact that a washer should not need serveral weeks before being in working condition.
Especially if there is no mention given to the customer in any written form.

 

[criswan]

Henene,

Those are exactly our thoughts.

In reference to the car comparison, actually in Indiana, if you purchase a car and find within 3 days, the contract rescission period, that there is a fault that you believe to be detrimental to the operation of the vehicle, the dealer must replace it. Indiana also has a lemon law which most manufacturers seek to avoid.

We once purchased a new BMW and on day two the cooling system wasn't operating correctly and our dealer gave us the option of swapping for the same model in the same color as it was going to take a few weeks to get parts from Germany and it was over 100 degrees everyday. We had become attached to the car and kept it but it was nice to know the dealer was going the extra mile.

Malcom, in reference to my Maytag comments. I never said we didn't like the Maximas, we love them. Best washer I have ever owned for cleaning ability but we don't care for the long wash cycles when you have to clean a few t-shirts or freshen up the furniture covers. I would gladly buy Whirlpool or Maytag again. When paired with Persil, Ariel, or Tide BA, they give exceptional results. Our Kenmores came this morning so I'm hoping for similar results. The 8500 would have been our choice had the 700 series not had the extra jet spray impeller.

 

[washman]

Sorry to hear about your experience

both my dad and myself have the AWN 542. While mine does make the idler pulley noise off and on, it has not affected performance at all.

Nor did we deal with the grease or excessive dust in the tub.

I can agree, to a point, that the dryer cylinder is crude when compared to painted models from other brands. However it has not proven a detriment at all to having nice dry laundry at the end of the day.

The dealer and SQ were off base IMHO. For what you paid, you should have been given something more beyond the go pound sand response.

Nevertheless, you might have gotten the cart before the horse by going out on social media and posting a rant. I realize you were frustrated and probably incredibly disappointed but having said that, you so need to give company X a chance to make it right. And be reasonable in what you ask. You catch more flies with honey that you do with vinegar.

I've been dealing with the public in various forms now for over 30 years. Whether or not it is sanctioned, acceptable or violates policy matters not, but I do have my ways of being a reverse a hole when grumpy customer decides to turn the situation into an axe grinding contest. The person that acts like an adult and just wants the issue resolved, I will move heaven and earth to deliver a solution for them.

Again, I am sorry to hear of your experience. Most SQ users are pretty content with their purchase as am I. I hope your replacement machines give you good service for many years to come.

 

[stricklybojack]

It occurs to me..

In my recent experience buying a Speed Queen FL set, the issue of shipping was prominent.
A lot of things can go out of whack with rough or improper handling.
One dealer said he would not ship the SQ Imperials on his website because of past issues
Of damage.
Speed Queen themselves urged me to buy locally, from an authorized dealer only, when I contacted their customer service. Too late as I had already bought from an authorized dealer online and a half a country away.
I am glad we went with the FL model as it seems most issues I read about concern the TL model.
[this post was last edited: 4/19/2015-16:24]

 

[supersurgilator]

I'm so torn on this one. I agree that it would be frustrating to pay that much money on a new machine and it have an issue. With that said the dealer should have just taken the machine back and exchanged it for another one. I find it hard to believe that SQ really made those comments about the warranty or for that matter that the dealer would relay the information on to the customer. The dealer should have been more worried about making their customer happy, than the cost of the machine. They could have repaired said machine and sold it as a reconditioned one to recoupe some of the money from it.

 

[combo52]

Correction

I meant to say in my last post that we sold 400 TL SQs approximately 50 dryers and 50 FL washers for a total of around 500 machines since we have been selling SQ over the past 8 years.

 

[ henene4 my comparison to a new car is a good one, SQ only pays $80 to $100 for a completed warranty repair, whoever came out and tried to repair the noisy washer will not be paid anything from SQ, unless the customer signs off on a properly completed repair. Note to all posters on AW, I and a lot of other people, seldom read or respond to people that do not put a name in their profile ]

 

Hi Andrew, I don't know of any small business that is in business to bend over backwards and kiss your A.., that is not selling something that is very overpriced, you have little knowledge about how the world of business works. Yes if you are fool enough to spend $2000 for a coffee machine that costs about $100 to manufacture, you might expect them to send you a free machine when it craps out and maybe even some free coffee, LOL.

 

When a new set of SQs leave the factory Alliance has $700 or $800 invested in them, then transportation costs distributor and dealer markup and delivery make up the rest of the cost you pay. There is little room for a.. kissing, unless you want to start paying $5000 for new washer and dryer pairs. The dealer had to eat the exchange costs, the only good news is that someone will get a slightly reduced price on a great washer and dryer that will likely never give them a problem for years to come.

 

John L.

 

[lorainfurniture]

If I was a dealer ordering "semi loads (or load)" of queens, I would have serviced it once then replaced the unit. There is more to the story, or the story is not completely truthful.

The average sale of my used washer and dryer sets is around $5-600, which is less than a third of what you paid for your set, and my customers get better treatment than what you got at your dealer.

Also, $1600 is not exactly big money for a washer and dryer set. The cheapest set I have seen is the VMW set, badged as admiral. They where close to $800, pre tax, pre delivery, and did not come with hoses, connections etc.

Top model front load sets delivered and installed on pedestals can run you around $4k. You bought the appliance equivelant of a jeep; rugged, noisy, not really expensive, but does what you need it to do. You expected a G- wagon at that price? [this post was last edited: 4/19/2015-19:01]

 

[frigilux]

Now that I've cleaned the spray of coffee from my monitor, desk and keyboard, I nominate John's comment as the best corporate slogan ever. 

 

"Speed Queen: Better off without you as a customer!"

 

Face it kids, as SQ burrows deeper into the consumer market, the number of complaints will increase.  SQ/Alliance tends to get 'pedestal' treatment around here and we're sometimes quick to excuse things which would elicit howls of disdain were the companies Whirlpool, GE, or LG. We point to every bad consumer review of GE, LG, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire/Electrolux---companies that sell orders of magnitude more residential units than SQ---as proof positive they are terrible companies producing nothing but substandard products. Poor user reviews for SQ are chalked up to impossible-to-please customers who don't understand that squealing tub brakes, noisy idler pulleys, greasy tubs, poor rinsing, and knocking sounds during agitation are simply to be expected with SQ washers.  

 

Having said that, if their front-loaders sported internal water heaters---allowing for a profile-wash Sanitize cycle---I'd certainly consider one for my laundry room.  As John has pointed out they're easily repairable, solidly-built washers with a potentially very long lifespan.

 

Speaking of pedestals....now that SQ has tamed the vibration issues with their front-loader, they should offer a pedestal for it.

[this post was last edited: 4/19/2015-22:22]

 

[criswan]

I love all the comments calling the events half baked and such. Haha. I think some folks around here suffer from the Speed Queen version of the RDF... reality distortion field. Apple products have long had it, Steve Jobs cashed in on it, and some people here have certainly drank the KoolAid. Lol.

Now if you will excuse me I am going to pull an espresso shot for an Americano from that "$2k coffee machine" that probably has more than a $100 in copper inside it and I'm gonna listen to the soft whirring of the direct drive motor on that Kenmore washer that was delivered a little bit ago.

 

[washman]

dunno

If I am drinking kool aid these days. Coffee yes. Beer, certainly. The occasional Big Red (made with sugar), definitely.

Believe me, if the SQ even so much as TRIED to do something wrong (even acting eco-minded) I'd raise cain in a heartbeat.

I do know alliance has expanded and hired people in Ripon. Growing pains? Perhaps. As Frig noted, if they are delving more into the consumer market, they gotta start bringing A game in terms of customer service.

I'd write more, but the dryer with the somewhat crude galvanized cylinder just clicked off and per my garment labels, "remove promptly after tumble drying on low" means I gotta run.

 

[kb0nes]

My take on this story is that expecting a replacement of a major appliance over what is likely an easily repaired / minor issue is a bit over the top. The OP compared the return of the washer to a coffeemaker, an iron and a vacuum, all of which are far easier logistically to return if there is an issue. All those mentioned items likely have a larger profit margin then a SQ washer too. This is a case that should have been handled by competent service from the dealer and a bit more tact from SQ itself along with a bit more patience from the customer in my opinion.

Of course I do understand the view that all of us who just shelled out a bunch of money just want perfection. But the flip side is the dealer doesn't have the resources to eat problems like these often and stay in business. I used to sell high end telescopes and we had a few that had issues where the customers expected full returns or exchanges on a $2500+ special ordered item. We weren't a servicing dealer and it isn't our responsibility to honor the manufacturers warranty in any manner. We did make calls to the manufacturer and even offered to provide the return shipping, none of that mattered, the customers still expected to just get another. In some cases the customer isn't always right, the MN attorney general sided with our shop.

Companies like Target and Best Buy etc have very lenient return policies and it has become very common for people to just demand a new item. With small ticket items there is enough profit that big retailers just eat it as part of doing business. This is another instance where small business can't compete with the large retailers. Since Speed Queen generally isn't sold through any big retailers, I don't see this changing soon. But as Eugene mentioned, SQ's customer relations skills need to step up a bit if they are going to be successful with residential sales...

 

[mtn1584]

LMAOROF

Oh the quiet whirl of a Kenmore....... Wait till you need service from SEARS!!!! And you will!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha probably sooner than you think!!! The quiet whirl of a Kenmore!!! Hahaha

 

[Practigal]

And on that SQ FL

Anyone rub their hands around the inside of the front of the SQ FL's drum and found the machine screws there yet? I cannot recall a drum with screws like that....All delicate clothing will need to be in laundry bags.
Yes, I do believe that SQ is experiencing growing pains. When they first posted information about the new machines I tried to explain something of the problems with their posted information and both SQ and the SQ supporters shut me down. Criticism is neither wanted nor appreciated even when it happens to be the truth. It is really sad to see a company with everything going for it messing up...

 

[criswan]

Mtn,

Our last set of Kenmores, a set of HE3Ts are still going strong and they are 9 years old and on their 3rd family. The dryer was serviced once for a noisy ignitor and that was 8 years ago. Our lake house has a Kenmore water softener(8 years old), Kenmore gas range(6 years old), Kenmore convection microhood(4 years old), and two Kenmore fridges(10 and 8 respectively)... Now I get that Kenmore is simply rebadged but between all the appliances, I have had about 3 service calls in 10 years and they were prompt and to the point. I have had worse service out of our Bosch kitchen appliances and unavailability of parts for the range(mfrd by Thermador) and repeated condenser issues with the fridge.

The Kenmores may not have a huge independent repair network but they sub out around here and we bought a Square Trade warranty just in case Sears goes full on belly up.