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Thread Number: 6506
This is a test. This is only a test...... |
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Post# 131068 5/24/2006 at 17:37 (6,545 days old) by pulltostart  (Mobile, AL) |
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For the purpose of this test, let's assume that "money = quality", i.e., the higher the price, the higher the quality of the product (might not always be the case, but that assumption makes this test easier). Would any of you care to take all of the brands sold under the Whirlpool umbrella and rank them in order of most-to-least, or highest-to-lowest? This can actually be a 2-part test: "Base Test" - rank the brands that were "pre-Maytag acquisition; "Extra Point Question" - rank the entire list of brands that now constitute the Whirlpool family since the Maytag acquisition. I am aware of the following PMA brands (alphabetical order): Estate, Kenmore, Kitchenaid, Roper, Whirlpool. I am aware of the following Maytag additions (alphabetical order): Amana, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef, Maytag. Others? Corrections? Have fun..... Lawrence | ||
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| Post# 131091 , Reply# 1 5/24/2006 at 21:12 (6,545 days old) by veg-o-matic (Baltimore, Hon!) | ||
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| Post# 131118 , Reply# 2 5/24/2006 at 23:53 (6,545 days old) by maytagbear (N.E. Ohio) | ||
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Inglis is in the Whirlpool list somewhere, as well. Lawrence/Maytagbear | ||
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Post# 131126 , Reply# 3 5/25/2006 at 01:44 (6,545 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Bauknecht
Was added on to improve their image in Europe...and, ultimately compete against the Bosch/Siemens and Miele stuff in the 'States. Over here, Bauknecht and Ignis rank as their highest quality, Whirlpool (except their microwaves) lowest. Of course, whirlpool has a good name over here in one area: cooking. Their microwaves, cooktops and combi- venthoods/microwaves are as good as their washing machines are bad. | ||
| Post# 131260 , Reply# 10 5/25/2006 at 15:21 (6,544 days old) by irishwashguy (Salem,Oregon.............A Capital City) | ||
and let us not forget----------
Cosco has it's own line of appliances made by Whirlpool--"Kirkland", which is just an Estate washer and dryer, just a little bit cheaper, perhaps,and while we are on the whole whirlpool thing, i was in Best buy on Tues, they had brand new Ingis washers and dryers for sale!! They looked a little lower end TL.I had never seen that before in the US, new.
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Post# 131285 , Reply# 11 5/25/2006 at 17:37 (6,544 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL) |
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Furthermore... | ||
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Post# 131327 , Reply# 12 5/26/2006 at 02:02 (6,544 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Jon,
there is no question about the quality of vintage Whirlpool products - and their cooktops, microwaves and venthood/microwave combinations are really unique - at least here in Germany. But the company made some decisions back in the 1990s that had a direct effect on product quality. Whirlpool decided to move into the European market and chose Germany as one of their first...nearly said victims...distribution areas. There, that sounds much more impartial. They introduced the "service by free agent" concept. Instead of having dedicated serivce people (yes, they do again today so nobody write me this is wrong, please) they just rang up any old fool in your area and had them come look at your machine. If the in-duh-vi-du-al was competent enough to find the problem, they then had to contact Whirlpool who whould then send the replacement parts to them... You had at least two appointments (and in Germany service people only worked (1990's folks, not today, so no "but that is not true's here, ok?") M-F, 9-4. You got to miss two days of work. Minimum. But the machines were so badly made - not my opinion, but that of every single consumer testing service - that Whirlpool quickly decided they needed to rethink things. They bought Baukneckt - an old brand with an excellent reputation (especially for service) and began selling their thoroughly rotten machines under that brand name. Lot's of folks fell for it. At the same time, they introduced an 8-year extended parts warranty (was expensive) and brought back "real" service people and a hotline. Ok, looks like they were trying, huh? Wrong. Soon as things got back to where folks had a little trust in them again they closed down all their quality European plants and went back to worst quality production. Because the heating and cooling appliances - esp. for Ikea are pretty good, folks tend to make a mistake and buy their bad laundry stuff. Once. Ok, I know I will now get all sorts of flames for this, but that is the way it was and is. I confess - I worked with them for several years and got to know their internal policies over here in Europe. (I left them, they still wanted my services, they always paid me promptly, no axe to grind there...) Certainly there are a lot of good folks who know what they are doing in the company, but the managers running the show from the 'States are neither interested in their shareholders nor their workers nor their customers. Ok, now everyone can say what a horrid person I am and how wonderful Whirlpool is... | ||
| Post# 131339 , Reply# 14 5/26/2006 at 06:46 (6,544 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK) | ||
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Wow!!! I didn't know... and here was me thinking Whirlpool washers were good value for money! Jon | ||
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Post# 131345 , Reply# 15 5/26/2006 at 08:04 (6,544 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Jon,
I think it depends to a very great extent on just who is available to service you. If you are located in an area where the only service centre is one from Whirlpool, then it would be stupid not to buy their products - regardless of my opinion of the firm. If, however, you were to live somewhere where you could get service quickly and conveniently, then no - I should never recommend the brand to anyone. This has been a very hot topic for a very long time with lots of folks absolutely furious with me for feeling the way I do - and others just as vehemently defending my point of view. I will leave it at that - and hope that somehow, someday, Whirlpool will be returned to the hands of capitalistic management and taken away from the people who are now trying to destroy the firm in order that they might make a short term profit. | ||
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Post# 131434 , Reply# 17 5/27/2006 at 06:11 (6,543 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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My brother and SIL had problems with their Bauknecht appliances too. They bought a dryer and it had problems already on the first day. It had several more repairs in it's life. It wasn't as horrible as the washer though. In the first year it had five repairs. It worked for a while and then more problems occurred. Several more repairs until they got the message it needed another repair what would cost €500.- ($600.-). Out went the washer (and the dryer with it). The washer was only 4 or 5 years old. I like the older Bauknechts, but never go near a Whirlpool Bauknecht. And ofcourse then the idea that the Duets and Hetties are coming from that same factory... Oy vey!!!
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Post# 131504 , Reply# 19 5/27/2006 at 22:22 (6,542 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Maybe it's something about the European environment ... many people in my extended family have had various Whirlpool-family appliances (Kenmore, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Roper) and none have been troublesome. I do recall back when I was working for a Whirlpool dealer in the late 1970s/early 1980s, a customer had a refrigerator with a wonky FlexTray icemaker ... but no other incidents of "lemons" that I can recall during the time I was there.
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Post# 131548 , Reply# 20 5/28/2006 at 01:48 (6,542 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Glenn,
I am glad to hear that. One club member wrote to me overnight that there is a big difference between European expectations and US acceptance of repair and quality-related issues. Here in Europe, one repair every eight years is seen as "acceptable". People in the US are happy if they make it through to three years without a problem. So our definition of what is good and bad is based on two very different criteria. I moved to Europe way back in the early 80's, back when US appliances from the 50's, 60's and 70's were still in general use. Certainly we would not have put up with machinery which broke down after only three years...so I guess things have changed tremendously since then. The consumer magazines test washers continuously until they break down. Fix them and test again. Not just one, but several units, chosen at random. Miele, AEG (Electrolux), Bosch/Siemens/Constructa always come in way at the top for reliability (usually test out at between 10-12 years service without problems) followed down the line to the Italian makers then down to the Whirlpool family of products. I don't think it is the "European Environment" - after all, think how many of the US front-loaders are built over here - I think it is simply the Whirlpool mentality. Whoever is running their heating/cooling division is much more in tune with what customers expect and want then the folks running laundry. Of course, we have much more choice and variety over here than in the US - so the manufacturers have to pay a little more attention to customer's wishes. | ||
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