Feedback Sought on Repair Experience

[Scruffy]

I had the following experience with a local appliance repair company. I want some feedback as to whether their actions are typical and reasonable for the industry (and thus my expectations are out-of-whack) or whether I am justified in feeling that they didn't provide me with good service.

I just moved into a new house, and the first time I ran the dishwasher (LG model 4812ST), it gave me an HE error code (heating element-related?). So I did some research and found a repair company--one of two LG "specialists" in the area. The technician came out and determined that the dishwasher wasn't filling with water. Between the initial diagnosis and the cost of the replacement part/labor (I can't remember the name of the part), we spent ~$250.

The technician started the washer--it seemed to work (just as it had before the repair)--and then left, because the washer cycle would take 1+ hour to complete.

Well, some time after he left, the washer again stopped with the same "HE" error.

I called the company to tell them the issue, and they called the LG company. According to LG, the problem is either the heater or the logic board of the dishwasher. The theory is that the lack of water in the dishwasher caused the heater to burn out and/or caused the heat to fry the logic board. This seems plausible.

This repair company wants me to replace both of those items, saying these parts usually fail around the same time. They want me to pay for the parts, but they will give me a "deal" on the labor cost. To complete the repair (assuming that this will indeed correctly address the problem completely) it will cost me another $250+. I sense they are recommending to replace both parts not because it really makes sense, but because they don't want to take the time to diagnose which of the two parts might still be at fault...and then have to wait for the washer cycle to complete to determine whether it's the right part that was replaced.

I feel aggrieved. I believe that they did an insufficient job diagnosing the problem. If they had looked at, or tested, the heater/logic board, and told me the total cost was more than $450, I'd have made the decision to junk this dishwasher, which I've been told is not a great brand/model anyway.

It's only because of the poor diagnosis that I agreed to pay the initial $250--money I'll never get back--and that I will likely spend more money. After all, I'm faced with the same decision I faced before--spend $250 for a working dishwasher vs. more for a new one.

The appliance repair shop, on the other hand, says it's not their fault. They couldn't diagnose the other problems until they repaired what they thought was the original problem.

Can someone offer their two-cents as to whether this is standard procedure when diagnosing problems with appliances?

From my perspective as the customer, when someone says they will "repair" my dishwasher for $X, then I have a right to expect that they have accurately and adequately diagnosed the problem, and that I will get, in exchange for my $X, a working appliance. I don't care if it's one part they have to replace, or ten parts...whether it is two hours of labor or a hundred hours. All I care is that I pay the $X that they quoted me, and I get a working dishwasher. In short, I think the repair company should do whatever it takes to fix my dishwasher now at no additional charge beyond the initial $250. I can certainly sympathize with a situation where there are multiple pieces at fault, and the repair is more challenging...but isn't that the job of a competent diagnostician, to identify all the broken parts related to the original problem *before* making a repair quote?

I want to be fair in this situation, and I'd value the opinion of people who do this job for a living. Am I being unreasonable? Or am I the victim of a less-than-competent repair technician?

[john63]

If the model number is LDS4821ST...

All were prone to a nuisance error "HE".

This is caused by a programming error in the Main Board.

If the water temperature exceeds 158F or is below 50F during fill---an error is triggered.

Solution: Replace Main Board with new part number (EBR33469404)

[Hiroshi]

You should inspect the receipt and any paperwork that the repair company gave you... there should be statements therein pertaining to what their implied "warranty" is.

I warranty, for 90 days, the parts I install AND the work I perform... If I have performed an improper diagnosis, which did not fix the original symptom, I failed in my execution under the "work we perform" section of the statement. You should not be paying for the tech to experiment on your unit, but only for the finished job- ALL the way finished: parts installed, machine operating nominally, itemized receipt tendered and agreed upon, by you, the customer.

This is an example of how I operate, but you need to be certain of what you agreed to in legal terms. 

 

[evaappliance]

2 hours ago, Hiroshi said:

You should inspect the receipt and any paperwork that the repair company gave you... there should be statements therein pertaining to what their implied "warranty" is.

I warranty, for 90 days, the parts I install AND the work I perform... If I have performed an improper diagnosis, which did not fix the original symptom, I failed in my execution under the "work we perform" section of the statement. You should not be paying for the tech to experiment on your unit, but only for the finished job- ALL the way finished: parts installed, machine operating nominally, itemized receipt tendered and agreed upon, by you, the customer.

This is an example of how I operate, but you need to be certain of what you agreed to in legal terms. 

 

2nd that !

[Scruffy]

John63--Thanks for the info...just to make sure I understand....you're saying that the new boards no longer have that programming error any more? Otherwise, you would have to replace it after every abnormal temperature reading...which sounds ridiculous.

[Scruffy]

Hiroshi--Thanks for your response.

First of all, the documentation that I got from the company only says that they guarantee the parts against service failure for up to 30 days. (And labor will be charged after 30 days after repair.) "No other warranties implied or otherwise."

I don't think that they were experimenting on my dishwasher. I believe the first part they replaced--the "float switch"--was indeed broken. The dishwasher wasn't filling with water, and now it fills with water. So they didn't fail to diagnose that problem and address it. 

The issue is that they didn't do a complete diagnosis for the problem I identified. If they had, then they would have told me about all the parts that were broken (including the main board). They would have given me a large number to fix the repair (>$400, probably) and I would have told them to forget it.

Is it reasonable for them to say..."Well, we couldn't diagnose the other problems until we fixed the float switch and could see that the water wasn't the only problem."? "So we don't owe you any recompense beyond discounting our labor for installing the other parts you need."

If you had serviced this dishwasher, and you had seen that the float switch was broken, would you have also checked the main board and heater, or would you have stopped at the first thing you found wrong and assumed that would fix it all? 

I'm trying to understand whether my expectations for their diagnosis ability for this problem is reasonable.

[Scruffy]

John63--You seem to have experience with this dishwasher unit. I have a couple of questions:

1) In your opinion, is this a decent dishwasher? If it fails again, should I just get a new one?

2) The current theory is that there was no water getting into the dishwasher due to a faulty or clogged(?) float switch, so the heating element caused the HE error. Is there anything I can do to avoid this problem with the float switch in the future? Any preventative maintenance?

Thanks for any suggestions on how I can maximize the life of this dishwasher.

[john63]

1) A Serial Number would help identify known issues other than the software error. Otherwise--- it's a good dishwasher.

2) The diagnostics by your tech does not make sense. If no water (or too little) entered the dw during the fill cycle---this would trigger an error  "IE".

If water water fill was nearly sufficient but still not the correct amount (but did not trigger an "IE" error)---then this would trigger a "1E" error later in the wash cycle.

The Main Board has a programming error---basically an over-sensitive temperature monitoring algorithm.

Replacing the Main Board will solve the nuisance heating error issue. This is a very well known and documented fault with LDS4821 model dishwashers.

[Scruffy]

John63--Thanks again for more information.

The serial number of my unit is 209KWPV3Z768....how does a "civilian" like myself find out about known issues with appliances like my dishwasher?

 

[john63]

Built September 2012.

Other listed Service Bulletin...

To eliminate whistling/growling/whine noise---replace original "chopper/mascerator"blade 5832DD4001A with improved part 5832DD4001B.

There's no access to LG service bulletins for anyone other than authorized service centers...

Edited December 1, 2016 by john63

[john63]

For clarification...

Yes--- the new Main Board part number that I posted is a permanent correction for the heating error.

If the servicer is not an LG authorized service provider---then it makes sense that he would not be aware of the service bulletins relating to your dishwasher.

[Scruffy]

The service provider I chose claims to be LG certified, so if they are being honest, they should have known.

[john63]

Too many techs do not bother to check service bulletins prior to arriving at customers home...

[john63]

Google the following...

"LG service locator"

Enter your zip code.

The servicer that you are using should be in the list of ASCs (authorized service centers).