When we moved to Louisiana in 2011, my daughter, grandson
and I basically came with nothing more than our personal belongings. We filled
up my Honda CRV, leaving a small nook in the back for the boy, and what didn't fit, didn't come. No furniture, no television and no washer or dryer. We rented
an apartment two weeks after arriving but it looked really empty due to our trip
with next to nothing. So we went shopping.
One of the first things I looked into purchasing was a
washer and dryer. With a 2-year-old that needed his clothes changed twenty
times a day, it was a must. I picked a
great time to buy them as it was right after Thanksgiving. Christmas saving
doesn't always have to include toys and clothes and Lowe’s had a great deal on
a Samsung set…front loader washer and dryer, $1,200 for the pair. I researched and found excellent reviews on
the brand. I bought them thinking I wouldn't have to replace them for at least
ten to fifteen years. They were here and installed within a week.
Fast forward to July 2014. I’m drying a load of clothes in
my Samsung DV350AEW/XXA (I’m giving you the model number in case you own one of
these babies and want to keep an eye out for what happened to me). After about
twenty minutes, the dryer stopped. No warning. Not a sound. It just quit. I’m
thinking that maybe a breaker tripped. Yeah, I’m not an electrician but what
else could have happened? Well, look at the picture below and you will see
exactly what made my dryer stop.
Imagine my shock when I opened it up, removed my clothes and saw this. A crack.
In my drum. I’m not even going to mention the clothes that were ruined because
they were stuck inside the crack (the black marks below the crack are the
result of those clothes).
Now I want to first point out that only myself and my
daughter have ever used this dryer. We wash our clothes and the boy’s. No
uniforms, heavy items, shoes or the like have ever seen the inside of this
thing. I work in an office so my things are basic office wear. Small child
things. My girlie's workout gear. Just normal clothes. It was not abused in any
way, shape or form.
I immediately went to the Samsung website to find out who to
contact about this thing and there’s really no information. To get a phone
number to call, you need to fill out a “Two Thousand” transaction so that those
in charge can figure out (I’m guessing here) if your problem warrants their
attention. I did this, got a ticket number (I’m figuring I was deemed worthy of
such an honor) and the golden phone number I was seeking. Good deal, I thought,
as I dialed the phone. I’m in like Flynn…whoever he is.
My optimism came too quickly as I had approximately two
billion callers ahead of me. I put in my blue tooth and took a walk while listening
to the same strange ditty over and over. Walked about six miles, came home and
made lunch, same ditty is playing. Ate said lunch and did the dishes, same ditty. Took a nap, knitted
an afghan…ok, so not really but you get the point.
Finally my call was answered…by someone who spoke very
little English. What he said to me, I will most likely never know. I’m sure he
was a very nice man but after being on hold for what seemed like a week, my
level of frustration rose with every passing minute. My end of the conversation
consisted of “Excuse me?” and “I’m sorry?”(repeated ad nauseam) and finally
with gritted teeth, “Can you please put someone else on the line? I can’t
understand you.” And, oh pennies from heaven, I was transferred!!!
My jubilation came too quickly. He transferred me to Tai (ID
#86092), a very competent, pleasant sort. Or so I thought. Oh, she was pleasant
but the kind of pleasant that made you want to pull your eyes out through your
ears. The kind that tells you she thinks she is superior and you are an idiot. She was “reasonable”. She was an Executive Level Agent. With attitude. The
following is the result of my conversation with the executive level of Samsung
service:
-My dryer was out of
warranty. Duh, I knew that but circumstances, I believed, warranted a
second look at this issue. A not quite three-year-old appliance with such a
major failure? Could it possibly be a factory defect?
-It was not a factory defect.
Because, says Ms. Executive Level Agent, there has never been a report of it
happening before. My response? There has to be a first time. Perhaps mine was
it? She pooh-poohed that idea out the window. Apparently first times never
happen.
-The “Executive Level
Agent” in charge of parts was consulted to see if they could, at the very least,
provide replacement parts for free. His decision? Oh. Hell. No. My
response? Unprintable. Actually, I said nothing to this because by this time, I
expected nothing, but the response in my head was definitely unprintable.
-Most Samsung
appliances have a life expectancy of approximately ten to twelve years. Your comment
makes no sense, I say. Ten years but mine didn't even last three? And who wrote
the good reviews of the product that I read when I was considering my purchase,
Samsung ad execs? Well maybe I should have purchased a Maytag. The Maytag
washer/dryer set that I left with my ex was almost fifteen years old and still
going strong. Tai, ID #86092, had no answers to my questions.
-The Executive Level
is the highest level I could go for help with Samsung. There was no one else to take my complaint to. Oh, that is where
she was so wrong. So very wrong. I’m a blogger. I’m active in social
networking. I may not reach too many people but I will reach some. Maybe no one
at Samsung will listen but I have others who will. They can’t help me but they will
shake their heads in disbelief at the callousness of those who are to be obeyed
at Samsung. They will there there me with sympathy. It won’t dry my clothes but
I’ll feel a little better.
Anyway, the end result? I got nothing. My gently-used,
almost new dryer is not fixed. I am taking my clothes to the laundry to dry
them. I was pleasant and respectful, at least until her pompous attitude made me feel like a lower
class citizen and a fool. Someone trying to cheat Samsung into fixing my dryer
for nothing. Listen, I’m not trying to get something I
don’t deserve. I paid a lot of money for an appliance that did not operate as
it should have, for as long as it should have. I honestly feel that my dryer
had a factory defect and to that end, I contacted them. I've spent a lot of my
time since my phone call doing more research but have come up with nothing that
will help me. But at least I tried.
My next step, after posting my blog, is to take my
worthless, broken, piece-of-crap Samsung dryer out to the trash with a huge
sign that says “THIS PRODUCT SUCKS & I DON’T WANT IT ANYMORE!” After doing
so, I will make tee shirts for all my friends, neighbors and co-workers that
say “Samsung Service = Not”…
