20 replies to this topic

[nickfixit]

I've had 2 of theses in the last 2 weeks.

A Kitchenaid dishwasher with a stainless steel tub, each about 1 year old. When they installed the dishwasher, they forced it so tight to the back wall that it actually pushed in the back of the cavity. There was a drop in the floor because the ceramic tile didn't run under the dishwasher. The installer, her husband, used this drop-off to force the front legs back about an inch past the point that the back of the dishwasher was tight to the rear wall. This caused the delivery tube to get pushed forward, and thus the upper rack is now putting constant pressure on the inside of the door. So, now the door keeps popping open during the cycles.

On one of these a tech ordered a new tub (a stupid move on his part). After we (I was helping another tech)replaced the tub, and installed the dishwasher properly as far back as it could go, the unit worked properly.

The customer went mental because it was "sticking out farther than before". I pointed out the fact that pushing it back will make the door pop open again. She didn't believe that, and proceeded to blame us for every mark that was on the machine. We refused any further work on the unit, and left. She called the management and demanded "better" repairmen right this minute.

On the 2nd one, the previous tech, (the famous tech a$$wipe) ordered a latch. When I was done, she too complained about how it looked, and blamed me for for all the dents that were already there. I'll bet she called in to complain the minute I left.

Add this to the rules of Appliantology....

"If the dishwasher does not fit into the opening, it is not the dishwashers fault."

Nick

[KurtiusInterupptus]

Hey Nick how about " I just paid 850$ for this dishwasher. I should'nt have to open the hot water tap at the sink before I start a cycle" or  "I never used rinse-aid in my old dishwasher" or the ever popular " how could to much detergent possibly cause a leak"? great post on defective dw customers!

[Scottthewolf]

My favorite is going out on a dishwasher for a noise or poor wash results, opening up the wash pump or the manual cleaning filter and finding broken glass, every nut and fruit pit  there is and finding chunks of food big enough that somebody could choke on.

Dishwashers are not garbage disposers and no, you can't wash the food and serve it as leftovers.

[Econo Appliance]

I love when a dish washer is broken,  and the client doesn't know what to do with their dirty dishes until it is fixed.
  This usually only happens in the high class, high income areas with multi million dollar homes. These people have forgotten how to wash dishes, and some of them don't have a maid to do it for them (GASP!  they are poor by their neighbors standards).   To top off the cake, they get angry with me and ask me what to do with their sink full of dishes.
 
 
 The funny part is, I own a very nice, new Bosch SS dishwasher and I never use it, because I simply don't like dishwashers, I would rather wash by hand and have the peace of mind to know that the dishes are definitely clean  rather than trusting a machine (and the dishes always come out smelling like soap too).

 
 
 

[nickfixit]

Only 4 votes???

I was real proud of the "run into her mailbox on the way out" option.

Nick

 

[WayneSB]

I love how mad people get when they need service on a dishwasher and it'll take a few days. In our store, refrigerators get first priority. Dishwashers are not high on the priority list. We have a lot of coastal residents from out of state that live here in the summer and every last one of them does that very thing. They ask me "Well, how am I supposed to wash dishes for the next few days?" Baffling.

[Scottthewolf]

Put them on the roof rack of your car and run through the car wash.

[Chat_in_FL]

[user=20146]Econo Appliance[/user] wrote:

I love when a dish washer is broken,  and the client doesn't know what to do with their dirty dishes until it is fixed.

I LOVE it when they leave the dirty dishes, along with the undrained water from the last attempted cycle, in the DW to rot until the repair is complete...

Especially for a customer abuse and/or installation issue not covered by the warranty, service plan, etc...

The previous tech (the famous tech a$$wipe) didn't explain the charges? You don't want to pay the charges? I'm sorry, I'll just take our parts and leave -- unless the previous tech wants to come finish what he started... I'm not taking the corporate hit for this one. "Send famous tech a$$wipe only" in the instruction field... 

Sorry, you touched on a sore subject, Nick...


 

[nickfixit]

I hear you, and I feel the same pain. There is nothing worse than batting "clean-up" for some incompetent boob on a cash call.

Tech "A$$wipe" stays clear of me, I made it clear what I thought of him and his methods. I also told my tech manager and the routing department to keep me away from him.

Nick

I once pulled a hunk of salmon out of a dishwasher that was the size of a hamburger bun. They couldn't understand why the dishwasher needed a new motor assembly after only 3 years. 

[MrAppliance]

I had pulled out a condom out of a GE dw motor flap that would drain and fill at the same time, this couple had 9 kids and they still dont know why.  Dont clean it, just buy a new one...ewwwww

[reelynyceguy]

I'll never forget the Kenmore/Whirlpool that wouldn't wash dishes. On opening up the sump it was FILLED with chicken bones. The guy, (who was running for Mayor of that particular city), didn't see the connection. I guess his campaign promise was a "chicken in every dishwasher"...:?

[Sword_of_Honor84]

WOW. and I thought I heard everything on the frontline (Call Center).

Tech Jack A. Crack is a thorn in all our sides. Let's face it, he is the driving force behind a disenfranchised population of customers, precipitating a fall of customer service across all industries, crippling civilization worse than the economic policies of two political parties.

Just for kicks and giggles, imagine this; Your job is to calm said customer down after they have had Jack A. Crack " repair " their unit. Here's the catch: YOU CANNOT HANG UP TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Ah, the life of a phone jockey. Grand ain't it?

[Craigabooey]

Although I am not a repair tech, i did install appliances for a living for over 10 years for a major appliance retailer. I have so many stories I could write a book, but by far dishwashers were the WORST to install. I had so many dishwasher installs that I had to walk away from because the old unit was trapped in place because the dummies who lived in the house put a new tile floor down in front of the old unit. These floors were sometimes built up so much you would have like a 33" height instead of 34 1/2. The people would get so mad at me for telling them that it ain't happening. They often told me to "just break the floor up in front of it" Yeah, like for the $90 I was getting to install this thing  I was about to do that. Others wanted me to lift the countertops up, same deal, I'm not unhooking all your sink plumbing and yanking up on a countertop to get a d/w out. Eventually i was able to start selling a GE machine, I can't remember its model number, which was 2" shorter than standard. I would charge the customer $75 bucks to CUT their old D/W out and then proceed to install these shorter machines. I used to have to completely cut the frame off  the old D/W with a sawzall, sometimes the motor had to go too. Other great customers were the ones who left the old D/W FULL of dirty dishes because the dishwasher stopped working. Hey better in there then in the sink right? Guess what used to happen to those machines with the dishes in them? I used to throw the old D/W right in the truck full of their dishes and off to the dump it went. If they said anything later on I just played dumb. Hey it made them learn a lesson right?  People were so inconsiderate. Another was of course the ones who left them full of water because the dishwasher wouldnt drain anymore, unfortunately I had to drain those because, if i flooded someones house with dirty drain water I'd never hear the end of it. I could go on and on. I really feel for all you professionals who try so hard to do the right thing, because their are SO many people out there that are just SUE happy and thing you are beneathe them. Its a career i was happy to walk away from. Another classic was the guy who said my truck tires depressed into his blacktop driveway because it was like 95 out that day. He wanted a new driveway out of me. I told him "hey pal I park in the street- ALWAYS. He said  "oh my wife said you parked in the driveway" I said "Your wife is iincorrect and the only person i saw in your home was the nanny" If you wanna take this further lets go to court beause i will fight this with every breath in my body. Never heard from him again. " The old adage "the customer is always right" has been antiquated for decades in my opinion. God Bless all of you who continue to put up with the mindless, inconsiderate, wastes of space that are just a knock on the door away.....

[Scottthewolf]

Here's 2 stories for you. I had a customer with a 20 year old thru the wall air conditioner that needed service. I asked him 3 times for a tarp or a blanket because I knew I would get his carpet dirty when I pulled it out. He said "No problem. just lay it on the carpet." After I was done I gave him the bill. He refused to pay me because I ruined his carpet.

The second one was on over the range microwave that just had a rework done on it. The tech who fixed it installed the cabinet on the microwave oven wrong. I had no indications on my work order that I needed to remove it from the wall. I kindly apologized to the customer that I did not know I would have to remove it from the wall to fix it correctly. She told me to get out of her house now because she was so upset with our company and she escorted me out her front door and slammed the door on me. Then she had the guts to call my supervisor and say I left tire marks on her tree lawn.

[Scottthewolf]

Nickfixit,

As far as the "parts changer" a$$wipe technician who orders parts just to get the customer off his back, we all have those in large service companies, When I worked for Maytag Factory Service, I had my service manager terminate 3 techs in my area that were nothing but mere parts changers.

I still suffered after he terminated them, I got 10 hours a week overtime because we were so short handed.

[BrntToast]

dishwashers are lowest on my priority list

i would have paid money to be the fly on the wall at this customers house to see the look on her face

customer calls "my dishwasher is dead, i need someone out TODAY!"

fellow tech that answered the call for dispatch "we are booked up for today and can have someone out monday"

customer" I AM HAVING 16 PEOPLE FOR DINNER TOMORROW!!!!"

without missing a beat the tech says "well then, your in luck......cause you have 16 ppl to help clean the dishes"

even the boss busted a nut when we all heard that, customer never even asked to ask to speak to a manager, she just hung up

hehehe, i still bust a gut on that one, just woke the wife up laughing my ass off

and nobody has mentioned the "licenced plumbers" that drain dishwashers through the floor to the basement

[grey shrek]

I love the two I had that the plumber left the plug in the disposer  -  that will be $---- please.

[BrntToast]

i forgot one

had a d/w not cleaning, unit tested ok so i looked under the sink at the drain, its hooked up ok, look and the d/w water supply is hooked up to hot(pipe on the left as always) happened to touch the d/w supply pipe and it was ice cold

hrmm... WTF its on the hot pipe(one on the left) so then i look UP, plumber had done somethin wrong and brought hot up on the right hand side, so instead of correcting this he had bent the supply pipes for the fixture so that they reached the hot/cold on the wrong sides

the installer had done what i have to admit i prolly would have missed too, he had just hooked the d/w to the supply valve, which had been pre-installed on the pipe on the left

brand new home, who knows how many different plumbers, cant bill home owner cause key was left in a lock box

this is why i dont like letting myself in when nobody is home, well one of the many reasons

 

[Chat_in_FL]

[user=20728]BrntToast[/user] wrote:

key was left in a lock box

this is why i dont like letting myself in when nobody is home, well one of the many reasons

 

Next thing you hear is "Hey, my digital camera is missing"

Will not go into a house when no one over 18 is home... for many reasons...

[Chat_in_FL]

[user=19296]Scottthewolf[/user] wrote:

I had my service manager terminate 3 techs in my area that were nothing but mere parts changers.

I still suffered after he terminated them, I got 10 hours a week overtime because we were so short handed.

Seems like it takes an act of God to terminate part changing monkeys is my company. Seems they are afraid of leaving themselves short-handed by letting these guys go. We all get OT as it is.

What makes it worse is when the monkeys order parts. The log shows a five minute gap between arrival time and departure time on the previous visit. You open up the unit to re-diagnose the problem before installing the parts the monkey ordered and, without fail, the customer says "the last guy didn't do that."


But I digress, this is about defective customers, not techs...