Try Again

The tenants reported laundry stopped working. I went to check, the machine wasn’t plugged in. I plugged it in, nothing happened. There was no power. I tried another outlet, the machine digital control panel turned on. I called a repair guy who was out-of-town yet he explained how the outlet light works. Interestingly, it’s different from the other outlets (green light means power on); for this particular outlet, yellow light means power off, no light is power on. I went back and tried; two good news: there was power and the machine was on but it didn’t spin. Why?

Neither of us had the user instruction so I googled. Luckily, I found a pdf and shared with the tenants. We read the trouble-shoot section and tried to clean the interior, there were blue materials stuck in the door and blue water came out when we opened the door. We had to wipe the wood floor as quickly as possible before water damaged it. What was in the washing machine? Tenant insisted ‘normal cloths but a heavier load’.

After cleanup, the machine started spinning, great. Tenant reported that yes, it’s washing but cloth wasn’t dry. I read the trouble-shoot section again and it suggested to clean the filter. I told the tenants. One volunteered to clean it and reported drying improved yet it wasn’t like before.

I went back again, found the filter, cleaned out more blue materials and blue water came out again. Another floor rescue mission. I tried to open the front cover to see if something was stuck inside but couldn’t. I called a repair guy who said will come but never showed up.

I called the manufacturer and learned that it was a high-end unit, purchased 2 years ago yet warranty was only 1 year. They could send a technician but wouldn’t provide a cost estimate. The customer service gave me a number to inquire extended warranty. Yes, I could buy that but with a steep premium (with immediate service need). I called an appliance repair service which would $105 for a visit (regardless fix or not) plus labor and part. Well, at this point, it seemed the best option among all so I made an appointment.

A young guy showed up a few days later. He looked at the machine, turned it on, and said everything looked good. Really? It took him less than 5 minutes and I got a $115 bill. He said try it, if it doesn’t work, I can call the service again within 30 days without additional charge. He recommended not to load too much cloth, 2/3 of capacity for the best result. The tenants tried that night and reported everything worked well.

$115 lesson: try again, no matter how many times we already did and even if we are doubtful or frustrated.