The Laundry Alternative Mega just arrived

[thomasortega]

Update:

New sticker on the lid:

"Cut and remove completely both plastic ties and the metal bar from the bottom of the unit, otherwise, this unit WILL NOT WORK AT ALL.

Thank you for calling the laundry alternative, this is Thomas, how can I assist you?

I just received my spin dryer and it arrived damaged.

Ok ma'am, what is the model? would you please describe the problem?

It's a Mega. I just unpacked it, i turned it on, i can hear the motor humming, but the drum doesn't spin.

Ma'am, did you read the stickers on the top of the unit? Did you remove completely the two plastic ties and the metal bar from the bottom of the unit?

Ah... eh... hum... Oh yes, the sticker says the unit will not work if i don't remove the ties and the metal bar... do I really need to do that?

(rolling eyes)

Yes, ma'am, you MUST do that, otherwise your unit will never work.

Ah, ok... hold on a second...

30 seconds later i hear the whistle. customer comes back to the phone.

Oh yes, it's working.. you're a genius! Thank you!

(roling eyes again, time to catch the nail file and start grinding my fingers because there are no more nails left) You're welcome! Is there anything else I can do for you this morning?

No, that's all! Thank you very much!

You're welcome, have an excellent day! Bye bye!

I am almost sure the same customer will call me tomorrow screaming and saying the spin dryer is leaking water from that "crack" right in front of the unit, because she didn't know she must pull the drain spout.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"she didn't know she must pull drain spout"

Exactly. Because she was expecting a pumped version with drain hose.

Having a little water in the sump of the pumped spinner is surely not a big deal? It'll keep the seals moist. Prevent them drying out.

I'll bet with the gravity drain version, you'll get enterprising customers who'll try to pour a bucket of water over the load, then spin it out. That might work if they have a floor drain. If they're using a bucket to catch the water, cue overflow.

Regarding pumped height:
I'm quite sure British and European users of pumped drainage machines have more than enough experience of pumping out via a hose into the kitchen sink. No problem there.

 

[thomasortega]

It's impossible to compare British (or Brazilian) customers that are used to spin dryers to Americans.... Specially millennials.

Almost every day we receive emails of people saying it's false advertising because it doesn't "dry" the clothes completely.
I am even studying the possibility of simply change the name to "clothes centrifuge", because the word "dryer" makes millennials understand the clothes will come out 100% dry, fluffy, warm, probably ironed and folded.
Regarding the hose/pump, first there is the cost situation. the competition is really tight. not only the production costs, but also the shipping costs are higher. Also, thinking better now, when you said "rinse", the cost isn't only the pump. it involves several internal components and redesign the sump, with a seal... then add the seal, one more part to fail, blah, blah, blah, open new molds (absurd cost), then make the pump fit in the body (there's no space for it, so add 1 or 2 inches to the product height, then it will change the container layout and probably one layer of boxes won't fit (container is on the limit), so the shipping cost (Brazil-USA) per unit will be higher. If I add a pump i can estimate probably more $60 or $70 to the MSRP, not only $20. And profit margin the same, minimal.

If i have a spin dryer that costs 200 and has a drain pump and comes with 3-year full warranty and a competitor (chinese crap) that costs 198 and no drain pump and come with an incredible 90-day warranty, because of silly $2, customers will buy the inferior model.

So drain pump is a giant no, no, no F-word present continuous way.

Most people that buy at amazon don't read the product description they just read the tile, some description and hit add to cart. Then they return saying it wasn't what they're wanting to buy.

The second reason is the hose itself... people think it is a horrible, absurd, outrageous chore to clamp a hose and also if they have a hose hanging on the product. Everybody here knows how a regular spin dryer spout is... we have hundreds of emails and call logs from customer complaining about the previous model LD 6.3, because the spout was taking "an absurd space" in their closets... Imagine if I add a hose... gosh, they will come to my office only to shoot my head.

People complain about everything they can. It was created an image that the customer is not only always right, but they MUST find a reason to complain only because they are paying.

Please go to amazon and read the reviews... specially the negative ones. And get ready, because your eyes are going to roll a lot.

Remember this is a country that had to invent tide pods because dosing detergent will make an arm fall. Here we even have a "scent-free" scent booster (downy unstoppables) and people buy. (and then complain the perfume is not strong.)

Now tell me, why would somebody use a scent "booster" that is scent free?

WonderWash... our best seller ever... non electric, hand crank washing machine... at least once a week i receive an email with an innovative idea: add an electric motor to the WonderWash. Gosh, how could i be so dumb? Why didn't I think about it before? I should have learned that if i add an electric motor to a non electric washing machine people wont have to spin a crank... Should I also include automatic fill and drain? Maybe a spin cycle? Why not 48 different cycles and 20 different water levels? Maybe add a IOT feature? great... a WIFI wonderwash that you can control using an app on your phone (and also compatible with Alexa and Siri, of course)

 

[mralex]

Rolls_rapide - I've been looking at the Indesit ISDP429 Spin Dryer with pump it's around £150 at the moment and does a whopping 2800rpm, might get it as an early b-day gift or Christmas present for my self 

 

[thomasortega]

other factor...

rinsing in a spin dryer is "odd" here... Over 90% of customers use our spin dryers as a booster for their washing machines, so they can cut the tumble drying costs.

Clothes already come out spun from their automatic washers... they just need/want to take the last drops of water from the load.

 

[mralex]

Well in UK people who hand wash use the spin dryer to rinse as well

 

[panthera]

Speaking as a German living in the US

I can only second what Thomas is saying. You folks in the UK and Ireland, the rest of us in Europe have no clue, not a clue just how many people in this country would be considered functionally illiterate back home.

Seriously, you really, truly have no idea. Everything Thomas is saying is an exact echo of what the engineers at B/S/H told me about the North American market when I was translating for them a few years back. Exactly. Completely.

 

Yesterday, I put in a new garage door opener. My customer had just bought the house, was given an allowance at closing for several items which failed the walk-through. This was one of them. Since money was tight, she offered to work with me to save $50.00. I said OK. So, we start work...and notice the power to the garage is off at the Main Disconnect. Hmm, she said - you don't suppose?

 

We took a thorough look at everything to make sure there was not going to be a flash! bang! garage on fire situation then flipped the switch.

 

Ta-da! Door opener worked.

 

We did change it out, in the end - and before somebody comments that maybe it was flipping the circuit breaker, note, please, I said Main Disconnect, not circuit breaker or fuse........

 

Took my car in for an oil change week before last. Told the servicing in-duh-vi-dual not to check the automatic transmission fluid. This particular model uses a special fluid and I didn't want them to 'top it off' with DexronV or some such....

So, what's the first thing the do in the garage (I'm watching from the doorway)? They reach in to pull the transmission dipstick.....................

 

So, yeah - my dear European and UK/Irish friends: Give Thomas a break. Unless you've actually lived amongst these people, you haven't a clue. Oh, right - nearly forgot. We're talking about the people who just elected that Scottish guy president, the one with the hair and the tiny hands. Do you really need any more examples?

 

[mralex]

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great product for someone who's intentions are just to extract more water from their washed laundry

 

[iheartmaytag]

Pardon!!! OK, Well. . .

It is rather rude to judge an entire tree by a few apples that didn't ripen.

 

[foraloysius]

Let's say it's a big tree that carries a lot of fruit. ;-)

My favourite quote from a manual is from GE:

What is not covered:

One being: Ŷ Damage to the product caused by accident, fire, floods or acts of God.

You'd never see that in a European manual!

 

[iheartmaytag]

That is CYOA

You specifically list what you won't cover in a warranty, otherwise anything can and will be used against you . A warranty should cover defects, damages should be indemnified through a casualty insurance.

And up until some Dotard (I love that word)put the cruise control on their Ford powered Winnebago and went back to have lunch the Ford manual didn't read "Do Not Leave The Driving Position While The Vehicle Is In Operation." That still doesn't mean an entire country is stupid. It means someone got themselves a very smart attorney.

The couple in the Ford suit were actually very, very wealthy before the Ford Settlement. However, it would still be difficult to over-generalize an entire nation based upon a few court cases.

[this post was last edited: 9/29/2017-11:18]

 

[rolls_rapide]

True

There is no accounting for people's stupidity. It does make you wonder where it's all going to end...!

Anyway, good luck with the spin dryer.

Regarding the Indesit spinner:
Somebody, possibly a UK member on here, (don't know for sure) said the quality was not a patch on the older Creda version. I dare say it would be fine for occasional use, such as when the washing machine fails to spin awkward loads.

 

[launderess]

Things not covered by warranty!

Recall reading something on internet that a washing machine's warranty was voided by infestation of rodents and or roaches.

Didn't bookmark the thing and cannot recall link, but IIRC the appliances may have been intended for certain Asian markets.

 

[launderess]

When I was little I got my head stuck between the railing ..

Don't mean to laugh, but at once thought of Miss. Julia Sugarbaker and the "Abbott" banister.

 

[rolls_rapide]

infestation of rodents and or roaches

Yes, I came across installation videos of top loaders bound for the likes of India, where the installer was instructed to fix the 'rat/roach guard' into place on the bottom of the machine.

I wonder how many folk actually do fit the thing.

The guard probably wasn't fitted at the factory, because the moulded polystyrene packing base protected and supported the machine's innards during transit.

 

[askolover]

Launderess I remember that episode too!