Regular readers of this blog may be familiar with Ellen Roseman already as I’ve linked to her blog a few times in some past editions of “Lap of the Blogs”. I think of her as first and foremost a defender of consumer rights, but she actually wears many different hats as well. She teaches a workshop in personal finance, has written a few books and of course is a columnist for The Toronto Star. If you’ve ever visited her blog you’ll see many instances where she has championed for the rights of consumers.
…and recently it was my turn. Or rather my parents’ turn. They were having some ongoing problems with some high-end appliances in the kitchen. A dishwasher was completely on the fritz and in addition a wall unit espresso machine and milk frother was also being problematic (I know, if only I had such problems…) :)
Both appliances were from the same manufacturer which prides itself on higher quality for the higher prices. Well, after numerous service calls for the same problems (over and over again) my parents were completely frustrated. They had been spending thousands of dollars for getting simple problems fixed over and over again, not to mention having to take time off work to let the repair people in. They had contacted the head office repeatedly to address their concerns but were not replied to. They wrote the Canadian head of the company, and very little response. My parents were extremely upset, so I decided to contact Ellen with a copy of the letter my parent’s had sent to the company.
Within days a brand new espresso machine was delivered and installed – free of charge. They also had their choice of any new dishwasher for $800 – when the average cost for such a unit from this company was closer to $3000. It was delivered and installed without any additional cost as well. My parents are through the roof happy, but the side-effect is that they think I’m connected with the mob now! :)
I want to thank Ellen for her efforts – this really meant a lot to me. Ellen you are a saint!
I think this points to an interesting issue that higher end items don’t always mean higher quality products, and in your parent’s case in higher quality customer service.
My parent’s are currently building a new home and this issue has almost become my mom’s new full time in-retirement job to research what is actually good or not.
Front load washers are a perfect example, they are more expensive and touted as a major improvement, but there is an epidemic problem with a majority of them causing mold to grow in the machines, causing stinky odors in your clothes and home!
Before making appliance (or any major item) purchases do your homework, consumerreports.org is probably the best first step.
Cheers
@ Jordan – an excellent point. Thanks for the link.