Speed Queen Front Loader Dead in the Water: Round Three

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modern electronics are better

Modern electronics as a generalization are more resistant to damage from heat, moisture and spikes etc. But of course there is cost cutting which leads to poor design which causes failures, likely far more often then fragility of the components.

I often run across electronics that survive FAR more then I ever thought they could. Our radio club used to have a 100w 144Mhz RF amplifier that was used on one of our repeaters. That amp would sometimes see 3 or more hours of continuous transmit time and it wasn't very efficient. Even with 3 fans on it there were about 5 times that it just quit working. The poor RF transistors would get so hot they would melt the solder and detach from the PC board! The fix was always to just solder the transistor tabs back to the board and it would work again. After the first time I switched to silver bearing solder, and it still did it although less frequently, that solder melts at almost 600 deg F. The transistors never failed.

As for the failures of this particular machine, I don't know enough of the story to be able to even hazard a guess at the failure mode(s). I will surmise that anytime I hear of the same part failing 3 times in succession, I have to bet there was a problem that was missed during service. The SQ electronics are as good or better then anything else on the market today. But it is sure appearing that the SQ customer service and the technicians available to Robert have been an enormous letdown. Speed Queen really needs to step up their game in this regard.
 
Phil,

It's true that we have enormously better electronic products/logic systems available today than before. Unfortunately, the people cutting corners haven't been upgraded in, well, basically ever. Big Clive did a 'tube about copies of a commonly used logic chip which didn't have diode protection - and were running inductive loads - just recently. 

 

You're right about SQ dropping the ball here. It reminds me of Maytag's reaction to the first reports of the massive Neptune and Amanananatag problems.

 

 
 
.
And the hits just keep on coming...

Weeell just got off the phone with the local appliance repair outfit that did the most recent work on our SQ FL washer...
seems they installed the *wrong* pump.

The machine has been working fine...I knew something was up!

Yes the washer I hope to have loaded on a truck and waved goodbye to in the not too distant future will be getting it's third pump...to match the three replacement motor boards it has also received I guess.

To clarify, the washer currently and atypically ;-] works fine, but the shop somehow realized the tech install the incorrect pump for my machine and need to R & R it to receive credit from SQ.

{Sigh} No...you cannot make this stuff up.[this post was last edited: 3/17/2017-12:23]
 
TV Station

If you do not receive a timely response from Allied, check with your local broadcasting companies. A lot of TV stations, have their own consumer advocate. Try them. Most companies do not want bad publicity, and will do anything to avoid media coverage that is negative. We have a local station that has one, and he seems to get immediate results, no matter what the circumstances may be!
David
 
Snobby

Unfortunately Speed Queen thinks their product is better than it really is. Our experience with SQ is well documented here and tbh I knew as soon as you said that you were waiting to see if they would replace it, the answer would be no. They wouldn't replace our unit which was less than 10 days old and assembled incorrectly at the factory. They simply offered to repair it. I in turn offered to charge the dealer back for my credit card charge of $2k and the dealer ate the entire pair. I hated to do that to my dealer but even they agreed that SQ should have replaced a washer that was less than 10 days old and assembled incorrectly at the factory. I will personally never own another SQ product. Service and pride in your product goes further with me that cult following and perceived reputation.
 
Well, I'm sorry you are going thru all of this -- no one deserves this kind of bad service.

On the other hand, thank you for letting us know. You can even point SQ to this thread. Let them know that a lot of potential customers saw this, and we all think that, while anyone can make a defective product every once in a while, it's the actions that follow that that speak louder.

They could have fixed it or replaced it. That would put people like me more at ease spending the cash.

There's still time for them to do it.

But me, I will remember this and how they treated you.

Best of luck,
   -- Paulo.
 
Very unfortunate, indeed. Everyone can make a lemon but they really should have replaced your machine. It is good to know that at least you have that MT dependable care as a backup. SQ is the the highest quality defacto, because all others have cut so many corners. Nothing to do with having the best design ever but due to having not changed it to cheapen. Even an old WCI could be said to have better quality than almost all on the market today.

Today you need someone who is not a washer tech but someone who can diagnose electrical problems like Shango066, RadioTvPhonoNut and Big Clive.

P.S. If you want videos on vintage TVs and radios they(Shango066&RadioTvPhonoNut) are the people to watch.
 
It is a real shame that there is really not one single washer/dryer manufacturer that is truly dependable and/or have a good backing by the company for repair/replacement. I know that my LG made machines may not be the best, but I would be appalled to have this much trouble with that new of a machine. The ONLY thing I can see that SQ has going for it, is that the top loaders are made basically the same as typical top loaders in the past. Is that a good thing? I don't know. It seems that IF some of the new agitator models would fill fuller on wash and rinse they might do the same. The front loaders are heavier built like the commercial units. Is that better or necessary for home units? I can't see any indication of that, so perhaps not. It obviously doesn't make them last longer, since they have the same type of electronics that other machines have.
 
I have always said

Electronic controls DO NOT BELONG on ranges, refrigerators or washing machines!!!Good old fashioned mechanical switches and timers give much less trouble, I WILL NEVER own a touch pad controlled anything!
 
.
This just in...no warranty extension will be considered in my case.

From my dealer:

I have made our distributor and Speed Queen aware three times that your laundry room has filled with smoke until the washer was unplugged twice.
They responded, "The current warranty is until 3/9/2018 Parts and Labor. 5 Years on the Motor, Bearings, and rust through and lifetime on outer tub and wash basket. Notes have been added. "

Lol...i remember GM dicking me around like this over a defective batterey on our Saturn. They went bankrupt within a year or two as I recall.
 
Time to up your game and go public.

Write to Consumer Reports, local media, etc... No one should have to suffer through a major appliance needing this much repair every other week or so it seems.

If you paid for the thing via credit card see if the company can do something. Does the card offer extended warranty and or any other "customer service or dispute" benefits?

Personally think the ball is in dealer's court now, they should step in and offer to take back the machine, issue a credit for something else, and then sort out Alliance/SQ later. If it means eating a loss, then so be it; maybe if they threatened to drop Alliance unless they did the right thing by them it would light a fire.
 
Well, so much for Alliance's superior warranty on their SQ washers. What you have been through is not my idea of customer care. It's more like, couldn't care less. I agree with Launderess, go public, contact your credit card company. BTW, did you ever try contacting the CEO in corporate, like another poster suggested? This couldn't hurt, and you may be pleasantly surprised that this will get you satisfaction. Good luck to you.
Eddie
 
Ugh

I keep coming back to this post to see if your problem was ever resolved - and still nothing! Crazy!

I had a similar experience YEARS ago with DirecTV. I posted on the Satellite forums and someone responded to send an email to a certain person in power at DirecTV. I did, and suddenly, everything was fixed in 24 hrs.

If giving SQ bad publicity is what it takes, then I say do what the others say. Go public.
 
Wonder...

If the dealer did reach out to Alliance or are feeding you a line.
A reputable dealer would have stepped up to the plate by now... IMO.

Malcolm
 
I for one wouldn't be talking to the dealer at all at this point. This should be taken in a reasonable, non-confrontational manner directly to the Alliance higher up's. The name of their product is being sullied by this authorized dealer that is there to properly represent their product. For whatever reason they seem unable to do so. Malcolm's point is valid and Speed Queen needs to know the scoop.

I wouldn't listen to the dealers story concerning their communications with the distributor or Alliance. Unless I saw it in writing I wouldn't trust their word to be accurate. They may just be trying to step away from this whole deal :(
 
I would be surprised if CA didn't have some law to protect consumers in cases like this.

Ask the Attorney General's office (they usually love easy cases like this) about a law along the lines of "product has to work well for a reasonable amount of time", like we have here in MA.

A friend of ours was given the run around and told his cellphone was "old" by one and half years, that's why it had broken -- then he told the vendor about the law in MA that expects a product to work well for a reasonable amount of time, which in case of cellphones was at least 3 years, they exchanged the phone on the spot.

Good luck!
   -- Paulo.
 
.
Actually it was SQ who sent me to the dealer.
I did not go to the dealer once until after the third major break down. That was only a week ago.
The dealer was, as I have said, straight forward, tactful, and on it. When these machines were delivered far later than they initially expected, they, at my request, quickly refunded a substantial sum that equaled a lower price on the pair I had found in the mean time elsewhere.

In further news the dealer now says they need an "RA" -return authorization- from SQ to do anything more. Meaning no "store credit" will be happening...just yet.
My rep said to notify them immediately of any further breakdowns and she will promptly re-apply for an RA, which if accepted would open the doors to a full resolution of my sad situation.

One thing that happened whilst SQ was looking through my documentation, they realized the last pump installed was for the older model FL machine. Works the same but got me to thinking if other parts LIKE THE HARD TO FIND BOARDS were also an incorrect part substituted for the correct one...much to my chagrin as this time they almost certainly would not be functional equivalents, and could therefore have been the source of my machine's repeated failures.

Hard tellin' not knowin'...the view from the coffee shop where I sit.[this post was last edited: 3/22/2017-18:54]

stricklybojack-2017032213301303233_1.jpg
 
Robert,

"I just notified my dealer customer care rep that I would happily accept a store credit on the total purchase."

I have to agree with Phil in reply #48, this dealer can't be depended upon to have your best interests in this matter. And notifiying them that you will happily accept a store credit has likely sent them into roars of laughter. If you had requested this remedy soon after delivery, you may have had some success. At this point it is an issue for Alliance to resolve. Go right to the top and contact the CEO of Alliance. Then if he or she won't authorize replacement, go the the State of California Dept of Consumer Affairs like Paulo suggested.

In 1991 I purchased a new 1991 Mercury Capri that had nothing but problems from day one. I was able to document that it had been in service dept for 31 days in the first 3 mo. and the problems had still not been resolved. This was pre computer for me. I sat down at my IBM typewriter and wrote a 4 page letter, single spaced, to the owner of the dealership, enumerating each and every visit to the service dept and the negative outcomes. I mailed it and 2 days later I received a call from this owner, and he arranged a meeting with himself, I and a Lincoln Mercury rep. They bought the car back under the California Lemon Law, and it cost me zero dollars, but endless aggravation up to that point. It is the squeeky wheel that gets the grease. But you need go to the top and deal with someone that can actually help you. And in your case at this point the selling dealer is not the party that can help you.
Eddie
 
.
I am giving the parties involved every chance I can to do the right thing...
I don't have an axe to grind here, I really wanted my SQ machines to be everything the "lucky" owners say.

Regardless of what their product is or is not, it's SQ's almost steadfast refusal to replace my SQ lemon...or show any interest as to why my machine is such a POS...that grates the most.
But to know that unquestionably takes a few go rounds.
Each of these go rounds will cost them more future customers when I put this story out there more broadly.
SQ looks increasingly like a poster-child for the disconnected-money-grubbing-corporate-greedsters that have laid waste to the heart and soul of this country.

Don't fall for the 'Ruse from Ripon' is what I have learned in all this.
Get proper modern engineering...not warmed over, also ran, low tech from yesteryear...waving an American flag while selling a made in the USA box full of Mexican electronics.

Does Apple have their computers made south of the boarder?
No they do not. As Steve Jobs famously told President Obama after being asked, "why can't Apple make more stuff here"...he answered simply that the skill to do so now lies across the Pacific. The manufacturing eco-system there is too many generations of evolution past ours...or Mexico's.

I'm not happy about that and wanted to do something about it. I feel I was taken advantage of and should have just stuck to what I already know about cars. Don't buy American and expect a Toyota or Honda...it probably just ain't gonna work out the same way in the end.

[this post was last edited: 3/22/2017-18:49]
 
When I had my issues with Speed Queen, my dealer told me that they really don't care about home laundry customers because their main focus is on commercial laundry. I never got them to help me with issues on my dryer or washer either. The parts for my washer are still covered under their warranty, BUT the LABOR will cost more than the machine is worth to replace all the parts according to my dealer, so what is the sense of parts having coverage for long term after main warranty wears out? Of course that holds true for any brand. I know many on the site here may not agree with what my dealer told me, but in my experience I didn't feel like a well taken care of customer either.
 
Does Apple have their computers made south of the boarder?

Nope...

Apple computers are 100% made in China. Which is easily as bad or worse then anything Mexico does. Please note, I say this both as an electronics technician and an Apple fan.

The problem you have experienced has zero to do with Mexican electronics. You have dealt with bad service and a bad service company. The same part doesn't fail in one machine 3 times unless there was a problem that was missed by the tech that serviced it. If the electronics themselves were so horrible, then every machine would have this much trouble, they don't.

I'm not absolving the dealer of SQ of wrong doing, they have treated you poorly. But blaming the electronics country of origin is equally wrong.
 
.
First i should say my comments were off the cuff and generally ancillary to my situation.
My point is, and I should clarify, for what SQ is perhaps willing to pay for their computers, or Apple for that matter, only China can produce a decent product...again, for that price. They have the infrastructure, cost structure, and experience to consistently get the results needed to keep a company like Apple coming back year after year for the parts they need. And of course they can and do produce lots of junk too....e.g spin-sploding TL Samsung's or their spontaneously combusting phones.
Nevertheless I think LG and Samsung are overall ahead on this with their FL washers because what we have here when you get down to it is a computer that washes cloths. Not the other way around cause a motor board replaced is upwards of $1,000 and the machine only costs a few hundred more.
It's the critical link, with it's fuzzy logic and other wiz bang capabilities that can be tapped for the performance consumers are demanding.
We see these two companies scoring overall highest with the critics (Consumer Reports, Reviewed.com, CNET etc.) and the general public. I see the popularity in the used market where LG and Samsung command the highest prices for used FL machines...they hold their value much better, at least in my area. Much like Hondas and Toyotas do in the used car market. Resale value is a strong indicator of overall value in a product and not easily manipulated.
Stuff i knew but failed to adequetly consider before i made the leap and threw down the cash for new SQ's.
The story i bought fits better with the mechanical TL machines, not the FL machines imo.

I too strongly suspect my machine has an undiagnosed fault and have said so earlier.
But I think SQ knows it has quality control problems with it's electrical parts suppliers cause all they want to do is R and R part after part in my washer with literally no end in sight. Maybe for what they want to pay they need to look elswhere to achieve a better level of quality.
[this post was last edited: 3/23/2017-04:17]
 
mis dos centavos

I'll just chime in and say that the origin of the electronics or components no longer matters. (I know, I know, I'd love for us to make everything again too, it just ain't happening, no matter what the Big Orange says)

Our products are made in Mexico. Our electronics are made in Mexico.
Sure, we have our problems from time to time, but by and large, the products our MX plant puts out are excellent and dependable.
Our Mexican managers and engineers are some of the nicest and smartest people I've dealt with in my career.
It comes down to how you manage your factory, and who you hire and what company culture is instilled.

I've seen and dealt with great products from China, Mexico etc, as well as absolute garbage.
I've also dealt with absolute garbage from the US.....and it's disheartening. No matter how many times we try to source domestic.

However, I'm proud to say, when we find a good US supplier, they hold their tolerances nice and tight, and consistent, more so than overseas could even try if their lives depended on it.
 
So, just to fact check

With everyone on this site:

Can we now all agree the SQ as whole for the consumer grade market is NO different then most other brands?

They have a few lemons (maybe a few less then others), service sometimes sucks, their components are certanly not any cheaper to replace, and their performance is ok?

Cause if you still deny that, you should certanly reconsider your way of thinking.
 
.
Yes Henrik, like you said...except I would add, if you get a lemon prepare to figh SQ tooth-and-nail for a replacement...cause that is how they roll.

My machine does work at the moment, cause it has less than 10 loads on the latest board/pump, but I realized I haven't heard it go into high speed spin for SOME time.
Hmm...
lemon law here I come, thx mtn.
 

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