Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Dishwasher Repairman Cometh... or not

Do you remember that PBS show, where people would move into a town set in some previous time in history? The one I remember is Colonial House only because Oprah went with her BFF Gayle. They were so funny!

Well, my house is just like that-- the colonial part, not the funny part. Well, OK, sometimes the funny part.

All right, so maybe its an exaggeration to say that we are exactly like Colonial House, but we're close. I would say that living without a dishwasher for FIVE weeks makes us somewhat primitive.

What you ask? Didn't you just get a new dishwasher? Why, how astute of you, yes I did back when I had refrigerator lust, committing one of the Seven Deadly Sins. For those of you who need a fresher coarse about the Seven Deadly Sins--

1) Lusting after shiny, stainless steel refrigerators.
2)Gluttony when I have been to Starbucks 2 days in a row, OK, OK,I confess 3.
3)Greed by adopting 3 Asian babies.
4)Slothfullness by spending so much time on the computer instead of folding those 4 loads of towels upstairs.
5)Wrath that is about to be unleashed on Best Buy.
6)Envy which I suppose would go along with refrigerator lust.
7)Pride which has been worn down to make me stoop to things I never would have considered doing.

Now not only have we had a refresher course on the Deadly Seven but we realize I am a hopeless sinner.

But back to the dishwasher.

On Thursday, July 31 I discovered that my not yet 2 month old dishwasher wouldn't drain so like any logical person, I called the people who installed it: Best Buy. On Saturday, August 2, they sent a repairman. I admit that I worried about Best Buy coming out only because I was worried that Mike the Plumber, AKA Mike the Contractor might have morphed into Mike the Repairman. And we know what trouble we got into with Mike. But since the dishwasher was a floor model without a manual (do people actually look at those???) it didn't come with the ever so important "warranty card." Only too bad for me, 'cause I didn't realize it until my dishwasher broke.

{Note to self: Take a break from Junie B Jones books because you're sounding a little too much like her.}

So I took my chances and low and behold it wasn't Mike! It was some other guy who said he needed to order a part and to call back in 4-5 business days if I hadn't heard back.

Que dark moody music.

I wish it had been Mike.

A week goes by and I call. After multiple transfers and holds they ask questions like "when did the repairman come out?" "Did he say he was ordering the part?" I was not getting a good feeling about the situation but they said to call back in 4-5 business days if I hadn't heard anything.

In the meantime I'm playing Little Suzy Homemaker washing dishes 4+ times a day for 7 people, oblivious to reality thinking my dishwasher will be fixed any day.

I call back a week later and after multiple holds and transfers they ask the same questions!!! When I push for some answers they tell me there is a note on my file to call me in 2 business days. Only 2 days later they still hadn't called.

I now realized were are in a hostage situation.

Day 16: We are still without our dishwasher and have finally broken down and started eating all meals on paper plates and using plastic forks and spoons. We have no idea why we are being held hostage-- so far our captor has given us no clues. We can only hope our crisis ends soon.

I admit by the third week I was getting worn down and somewhat cranky. I called on a Tuesday and spent 20 minutes on hold after 10 minutes of transfers only to be disconnected. I called again on Thursday with a repeat of Tuesday-- disconnected again! I call back and at one transfer spot when the woman told me she was transferring me and I said no she wasn't because I would get lost again. I was on the phone for an hour and 10 minutes and didn't learn anything new. She said someone from customer service would call me back in 10 minutes. Good thing I didn't hold my breath.

I thought about trying to invoke the Geneva Convention rules but soon realized that the Geneva Convention doesn't have anything relating to broken dishwashers. It figures, the Geneva Convention was written by a bunch of men who never washed a dish in their life.

Day 21: We're getting desperate for answers. I've decided to meet the captors face to face to find out how long they plan to continue our captivity.

I happened to be by the Best Buy where I had purchased my appliances so I decided to drop in and see if I could get some answers there. One of the appliance sales people told me that he would call and get some answers. He even told me I could leave and call him or come back. I was so excited. He seemed to care that I had been 3 weeks without a dishwasher. Finally, I was getting some answers!

I went to Office Max next door and came back. The salesmen was off the phone. He told me that the part hadn't been ordered until August 14. The second phone call I made to them! Fine, whatever, when was the part coming in? He told me that parts usually took 2 weeks to get in.

I was crabby again. "So you're telling me that it will be another week before the part comes in?"

"Yes, its only been one week."

"No," I tried to explain, "Its been three weeks."

"No, it's only been one week since we ordered the part."

"But its been three weeks since the repairman came out! Why should I have to suffer because your repair people are too inept to order the part?"

He kind of shrugged his shoulders. I think this guy would be a good presidential candidate: fake sympathy, funny illogical math skills, indifference when he can't do anything to fix the situation. Yep, he's got my vote.

Day 33: Dishes are piling up around us. A small forest has sacrificed itself for our tableware. My hands are dry, shriveled up prunes. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out. Its time to take matters into my own hands.

Its obvious that reasoning with these people hasn't done any good so I decided that it was time to take it to the next level. It occurred to me that Best Buy is full of dishwashers. I have formulated a plan:

Tomorrow I'm taking baskets full of dishes up to the showroom and I'm going to start loading them into the display models. That should get their attention.

I bet they'll fix my dishwasher ASAP, that or throw me in jail. Either way I don't have to do dishes. Its a win/win situation.

61 comments:

Unknown said...

I figured you were going to say that you were going to uninstall it yourself and cart it up to Best Buy and..... Well... return it(to put it nicely). My Neighbor across the street owns the Best Buy here in Overland Park. Did you get it there? Maybe I can talk to them and ask them who ya gotta kill to get a dishwasher repaired?
Trish Coleman

Denise Grover Swank said...

Trish,

Believe me when I say that I have VERY MUCH considered doing just that!!! I just wasn't sure I could fit the thing in my Honda Odyssey.

Denise

Snowflowers Mum said...

I'd fill the dishwasher with dirty dishes and wheel it into best buy and stand there with my kitchen gloves on(I really dont have kitchen gloves it just sounded better)

that stinks.

Jennifer said...

I LOVED this post, sorry to laugh at your misfortune but you wrote it too darn funny not too. :o)

Great writing. Those repair men can really test a person's patience for sure!

BloggessJ said...

People seriously suck sometimes don't they!? Great post!

Heather said...

Oh, hhaha, this reminds me of my Best Buy refrigerator issue. We just finally got FED up after a month and returned it. Yes, you can do it. And, yes, Lowe's is 482 times more nice.

cat said...

Thanks for the great laugh! Yeah, service levels really sucks - it seems everywhere in the world. So did they repair it asap or put you in jail? Happy SITS day.

Queenie Jeannie said...

Over from SITS...

You poor thing! This is exactly why I will NEVER AGAIN buy ANYTHING from Best Buy! Because they have the worst customer service ever!!!!

I bought an expensive computer from them once.......and one purchase was all they are ever going to get!

Robin said...

It's too late now.....but after the second week you had three alternatives to your sitting and waiting. 1. You could have exchanged it - they deliver a new one and cart off the old. 2. You could have called SEARS and have them send out a repair man.....they will fix any model by any maker. Or 3. Call GEM.....they do electric, plumbing, septic, appliance repair and gosh who knows what else......they are also clean, courteous, fast and no butt crack to offend you.....I love these guys. :-)

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

Happy SITS day!

I had NO idea that Best Buy would be such a pain in the rear. What the heck? I wonder if there's any place to get appliances these days that will also service their stuff in a reasonable amount of time.

Willo said...

Hilarious with the 7 deadly sins. But I would call adopting 3 asian babies generous, not greedy. And we always live without a dishwasher-and TV-and cell phones! Oh my!

Tabitha Blue said...

Haha!! That's horrible... but your plan is hilarious! I can't believe how indifferent people can be about stuff like that. We've ran into that ourselves. Hope it gets fixed soon!!

:)
~Tabitha~

freshmommyblog.com

Southern Rose said...

Happy SITS day! Enjoying your blog.

Sorry you had so much trouble, but thanks for the heads up on Best Buy. I've never bought an appliance from them and now don't plan on it.

www.southernrose.wordpress.com

Dianna@KennedyAdventures said...

Too funny! I love Junie B, BTW! Can't wait until my youngest daughter is old enough for me to read them again!

jubilee said...

Sounds like a plan!

Donnetta said...

Ohhh - I'll come & help load the dishes into the dishwashers at Best Buy. I love me a good party - especially when the police come!! :)

Too funny!!!

Happy SITS day!

piecemeal people said...

If it took you three weeks to get seriously cranky, you are a better woman than any I know! And the idea of taking the dishes to BB reminded me of a story my husband told of his days working at Home Depot. It involved customers, uh, "using" the display toilets (ahem) when no one was looking. Horrifying, I know.

Cammie said...

oh shoot, this was funny!

said...

LOL

You slay me, lady.

Marrdy said...

I can think of nothing worse....well, maybe. If my toilet broke that would be bad and if my washer or dryer broke that too would be bad. Ok, not having a dishwasher and getting lizard hands is worse!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness- I totally feel for you! I hate dishes! I don't don't what I would do without mine and we are a family of four. I hope this got resolved. So did you load your dirty dishes in the display dishwashers or what? That would be hilarious!

Unknown said...

Oh you poor girl. I hope things finally got resolved. Happy SITS day, enjoy the spotlight!

Vickie said...

I hate crappy service.

We usually go to Sears. We only had one problem with them and my Hubby went right back to Sears and waited till he got answers. It was the day before New Years Eve and we knew they just wanted to get rid of us. My Hubby was in no mood to be jerked around. He told the guy, he was not leaving until he got a date and time when a guy was coming out. He got it. I was impressed:)

Anonymous said...

Note to self: steer clear of Best Buy.

You're a great writer! Fun blog!

Michelle said...

HA! You should have done that!

Or call them and tell them you didnt want the dishwasher anymore and to come pick it up...then after they refunded your money, order a new one.

Ash said...

I do not enjoy laughing at other people's pain - but you make it sound too funny - I HAD to laugh!!

Sorry, for so many things.

And they say good customer service is dead.

Linda Hughes said...

Oh, you poor thing! I can just see you loading all your dirty dishes into a shopping cart and pushing it through the store to the display models. Too funny!

Ali said...

I've always been a Sears appliance girl myself. The Junie B line cracked me up!

Dawna said...

Ahaha! Too funny! re: doing dishes in the showroom...


I feel your pain. re: the broken dishwasher...

angie said...

I guess that's one good thing about living in an apartment - I don't have to deal with stuff like that!

Maridith said...

That is so funny. Not the broken dishwasher but the way you tell the story!! That is why I always buy from local appliance companies. They always follow through!! It is worth the extra money!!
I can't imagine washing dishes for that long. I WOULD LOSE IT!!

Anonymous said...

You have such a cute blog! I love your theme.

And i've heard Best Buy doesn't have the best customer service in the world. I wouldn't have had the patience you did.

Rachael said...

Holy cow! We had a similar dishwasher problem when Best Buy's delivery person took forever to deliver then delivered a broken dishwasher. We lived without a working dishwasher for 5 weeks, luckily we just had one kid, but he was a baby so washing/sanitizing all the bottles was a total pain! Happy SITS day!

Laura said...

My dishwasher broke about 3 years ago when my niece put a drinking straw in the silverware rack (a BIG no no). It slipped out during the wash & wrapped around the motor. That was the end of that dishwasher. So now I have two hands as a dishwasher (sometimes 6 when my girls get involved).

Charmaine said...

I hope you did take your dishes down there! Me? I would have told them I was writing them a bad review on my widely read website and the that I was going to call the BBB and then that I was going to get my under-used attorney involved (thank Dad!) - that would have got them doing something. At least it did when I threatened the cell phone company with it!

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

Fabulous - Obviously, you aren't in jail. ;) The politics comment made me laugh - it's so true!

Becky @ Babes in Hairland said...

You have MUCH more patience than I do. I can't handle poor customer service. It makes me get too mad!

Melissa said...

Oohhhh so frustrating! I had a similar experience with HP. After my 2 week old Laptop crashed...I was left with no computer for about 2 months....shudder! In the end refund to me! Bye Bye HP products from my house! I loath bad customer service...what sin does that fall into? :) I like your posts! You rock!

AdriansCrazyLife said...

Yes, I hate BB too. I helped my son get one of their credit cards to build his credit. After a year of paying faithfully, every single payment right on time and more than the minimum, they cancelled his account. Stupid buggers!

Stephanie @ bizziemommy.om said...

It must be a conspiracy with dish washing repair people. When ours broke it took him a couple of days to come out, then he said that he will have to look to find the part, because it was an older model. Then after a week goes by he can't find the part so we need to get a new dishwasher from the home warranty. This takes WEEKS, leaving me to wash dishes, dare i say, by hand.
It took forever but its finally here. What are they thinking taking so long to replace a dishwasher

WildfireBelle said...

If you've ever heard about the lonely Maytag repairman, you really only have yourself to blame ;)

Brandy said...

I'm ashamed to say that even though I have a functional dishwasher, we use styrafoam plates every freakin' day.

But I blame it on Stevie. Yes. Yes, that's it...Stevie's fault. Completely.

Patricia said...

argg. I sympathize. i hear nothing but complaints re Best Buy.

Unknown said...

ARgh, what a major pain!!! I've never bought appliances at BB, your experience doesn't give me much hope. We use Sears or Lowes.
I love your humor.
Happy SITS day!

Anonymous said...

Happy SITS Day!
You, my dear, have the patience of Job!
I bet if you told them to come pick it up, they wold have gotten it fixed very quickly.
Love Junie B.

Heather said...

Happy SITS day!

I have heard horror stories about Best Buy and their employees, and refunds, and things needed to be fixed. Pretty much from every person I ever met. It begs the question, why is this problem not out in the open yet? When did your dish washer finally get fixed?

Anonymous said...

Over here from SITS .... GREAT! blog ... love it ... OH and Best Buy does really suck .. I had issues w/ their "Geek Squad" and my computer tech support ...

Unknown said...

ROFLOL!!!! I love it! (not the handwashing dishes part mind you)

Aubrey said...

What a treat your posts have been! Thanks!

Becky said...

I hope you did end up taking your dishes to the showroom ;)
I hate bad service, especially when it's something you really need and have paid a bundle for.
You did get it fixed in the end, though, right? With six kids I can only imagine how much you would need it! I only have 2 (one of which doesn't even eat yet) and I would be lost without my dishwasher...

Ker said...

3 years ago we bought a new fridge and a washer and dryer from Best Buy (when we moved into our new house). The Ice Maker in the Freezer immediately broke. 3 years later, it is still broken. My husband worked for Best Buy for 7 years, so I knew better than to try and get an appliance repaired :)

Good luck!

Cassie said...

once again...hilarity...

Shannon said...

Unleash the wrath, LOL!

Unknown said...

congrats on your sits day. your story reminds me of a man who recently paid his electric bills all in pennies. stick it the man. tee hee.

t said...

Stopping by from SITS....have a great day!

Shelby said...

Gotta just love big corps like that...they love ya until there is a problem! Hope you finally got your dishwasher fixed!!

mommytoalot said...

YIKES.. looks like i've commited all 7 deadly sins..at one time or another.
sure hope you got your dishwasher by now

Mimi said...

Ha, your solution was perfect.

I sometimes thing God puts repair situations like this to test us!

Mimi Head said...

OMG! 6 kids and no dishwasher! That is more than a hardship. My mother and Aunt Connie always said about the dishwasher, "If I can't fit it in, nobody can!" I try to uphold that legacy, however I only had 2 girls, who are grown now, so it's a bit challenging.

Mammatalk said...

No dishwasher for over a month with all those kids!? That makes you my hero!

Michelle said...

Wow. So what was the resolution?

I feel for you ... we were without a dryer for almost 4 weeks, but it's not the same, I know. This is why I will never again shop at BBY or Sears. I detest them -- quality, service, etc.

But umm sorry I was laughing. Really. Sorry.