Whirlpool dishwasher problems
 

Our Whirlpool dishwasher stopped working in a little over a year ( we purchased at Lowes April 2024). We had the extended warrantee which is handled by Assurant inc. We Initiated the claim on 8/15/25 and after 4 visits by their repair contractor ( Flash appliance repair) our dishwasher still isn't fixed. After going round and round with Lowes my only recourse is getting the repair co. to say its not fixable and than maybe Lowes can exchange it. There is a minimum of two weeks waiting for the repair people to come out, with out a specific time so we have to sit around all day. Very disappointed with Whirlpool and will avoid buying their products, and the extended warrantee from Lowes is basically useless, better off just calling a local repair company if service is needed. I'm glad it wasn't the refrigerator...Doing some research on appliance points to only LG, for a mid price unit, and we all know Bosch is top rated...End of rant. Two weeks and the repair company will be back. Fingers crossed...

I would never buy another LG appliance, worst I've ever owned.

Typically, Whirlpool is exceptionally dependable. What people don't seem to want to accept, is the name brand products sold by big box stores (Lowes, HD) are not necessarily the same product you'd buy at an Appliance Store, no matter how much they look alike.

You can look at a faucet at HD that's $199 and see what looks like the exact same one for $299 at a kitchen store. Same with appliances. They look identical, but they're not.

When I was building homes, that was a constant point of contention. People would insist on some kitchen appliance or hardware that HD/Lowe's had, at low price ... we refused to put them in.

Funny how you always seem to get what you paid for, good or bad.

" not necessarily the same product you'd buy at an Appliance Store" So which " appliance store" in the area would would have the same model dishwasher but better ?? Give me some names so I will know better next time

Many brand name products at HD/Lowe's will look similar to what you'd buy at a specialty supplier, but will have a different model number ... sometimes differentiated by a letter, after the model #. Lowes & HD will generally have different model #'s from each other.

The system makes comparison shopping more difficult and allows HD/Lowes to essentially sell private label brands, but maintain the brand name acceptance.

Most any appliance store will do. See attached from AI.

Probably not dishwasher problem and so much Lowes and this "repair service". If they kept coming out and repairing, my question is.......what are they repairing each time? I have repaired several over the years. What model number and what is the issue?

BTW, I have known people to buy a Bosch and had problems. Nothing is perfect, it's the store and warranty that is the real issue. Warranties are a joke on large appliances.


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"Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place" - John Bender - The Breakfast Club

Fact check: VERY, VERY TRUE

Reason: substitution of cheaper parts, such as plastic for metal parts where available, aluminum for copper where available, etc. There are numerous ways to cut cost corners with inferior/cheaper parts. . Same with electric hot water tank heaters. . . the larger the cost of an item, the more opportunity to cheapen it for the mass market.

Corporate strategy: people shop by cost, not quality, and the lowest cost wins for sales volumes, which also puts additional pressure on marginal/small competitors. .

Sources: personal finance experience in manufacturing/ sales company, father who was in charge of testing purchases for quality compliance, friends in other manufacturing companies, such as GE

I would never pay for a warranty. It is a huge money-maker for the companies who sell them. They make money by overcharging for the warranty and denying claims.

According to Clark Howard, for every $100 they charge for the warranty, they pay out about 8 dollars for claims.

Although true on a absolute basis, on a relative basis, higher quality costs more money and has a lower probability of failure.

BTW, published failure rates are theoretical and realized failure rates are higher. .

Extended warranties on appliances are usually a waste of money especially a Dishwasher that you can replace for around $700. We got rid of our Whirlpool and got a Maytag which has been excellent even though they are under the same corporate umbrella. Get the warranty directly from the manufacturer if you want one and not from the big box store.

I question some of what I read in prior posts. Major appliances are made on assembly lines and are made by the thousands. Uniformity is key. They are not going to change some insignificant bracket from steel to plastic to cheapen a product destined to HD or Lowes. Model numbers are usually consistent and comparable except for the last digit which may recognize some individual difference that may designate a specific seller.

If you are price comparing and find a difference in model number, question the supplier.

Significant effort to cheapen a part for a specific seller would cost more than it is worth. Engineering, buying, storing, controlling, replacing different parts would cost more.

You would be wrong.

Almost all mass retailers, do exactly that. Do some research. HD/Lowe's essentially create "store brands", without the supplier changing the name on the product. It's always been the way they do business.

Home Depot & Lowes control over 75% of the home appliance business in the USA. The other 25%? The few smart consumers and professionals, who buy from real appliance suppliers.

There's hardly a single professional contractor who will buy such things from HD or Lowes.

I was told by a plumber that the faucets are different internally and that the cheaper versions use plastic instead of metal. Not knowing the specifics, you usually get what you pay for. I had an LG washer and dryer for over ten years and just replaced them with another LG set and am very happy. My appliances were purchased from Aggressive appliance in Orlando and I never buy extended warranties. They are usually just a money maker for the company giving them. You just were unlucky, as most appliances, if they fail, do it quickly and within the warranty period. It’s a bummer, I know.

Is your belief a theorectical point of view or from mfg/marketing/sales experience?

Under your assumptions, would the mfg have to build new assembly lines to change the types of parts used?

Do you believe that mfgs cant stop an assembly and change out parts to build a large custom build order with a part made of different materials?

Guy at sears years ago: “if you buy enough, they will put your name on it.” I figure the same goes for manufacturing products. If you buy enough, they’ll make them to your specs.

Bosch quality
 

I have had 10 years of great service from my Bosch dishwasher. It is very quiet, and it does an incredible job at getting dishes clean. It’s the only machine I’ve ever used that really can clean a messy casserole dish with some baked on food without pre washing. I am moving soon and the new house has a Samsung which will quickly be replaced with a Bosch. It is a “must have” for us.

That's exactly the case. When we were building custom homes, the wives were great for shopping for faucets at Home Depot and then complaining, we want to charge her $500 for the faucet she could get from HD for $199. As your Plumber correctly pointed out, the HD ones had plastic, everywhere they could get away with it. Any Plumber who cares about his reputation, would never put plastic faucets in a new home.

Pay more & go with high end brands. I had an LG French door refrigerator, 2 years compressor out, 3 1/2 years sealed system failed. Did not buy warranty. No more LG for me!

Hi Bill, my experience has been that those extended warranties are not worth the paper they are written on. These are profit mechanisms and almost always handled by a third party. One (among many) of the tactics used is to delay getting a service man out in hopes that it will wear you down and give up your claim. Making you go through a tiring phone call including telephone prompts and long wait periods is another tactic used to get the actual paid claims to the lowest possible amount. We never fall for this nonsense.