We have a Magic Chef 'side by side' refrigerator, manufactured by Maytag, that has issues.
The side with the freezer sweats all Summer due to little insulation; the plastic bins are inferior and have all cracked at stress points, been replaced and cracked again; and the ice dispenser door sticks open allowing the freezer to vent to the kitchen.
Impressive design and fabrication, I hope that Whirlpool dose better with the brand now that they own it.
The "secret code" to "Re-Set" (Reboot) the GE Profile Washing Machine is:
1. Scratch your nose.
2. Tap your left foot three times.
3. On the washer, Press "MyCycles" and "Back" TOGETHER for 3 seconds.
4. Follow instructions on the screen.
That should get you on your way to re-set the washer and get it to perform its intended function.
There is one other "secret" the repair man showed us. We use this tool all the time to help us use the washer.
WORD OF WARNING
The following procedure DEFEATS an important SAFETY mechanism of the washer. Use this procedure at your own risk.
If you have a rather strong and small magnet (I use one about one-half inch thick and one-half inch round), you can lift the lid and place the magnet on the top of the washer, just under where the lid was, toward the front and on the left. Move the magnet around until the washer starts and you have found the "sweet" spot when the washer starts with the lid UP. We use this procedure to add washing agents without stopping the washer.
According to the GE repair man, these are the only two "tricks" that are not published in the user's manual.
When this posting was new, I replied with a message that I and my daughters had had pretty good luck with our Maytag dishwashers. Well, Murphy saw that and struck back hard! The control board (or the key pad - jury is still out) just failed in one of the our dishwashers (one of the more recent models). And, after spending a couple of hours of web research (including Consumers Report), it turns out this is NOT an uncommon problem. And it is not uncommon for people to have multiple failures of their control boards. Oh, boy.
So it looks as if we will spending somewhere in the vicinity of $120 for a new controller board and hope that:
#1 it is not the keypad AND
#2 that it fixes the problem AND
#3 that the problem does not reoccur.
Exciting times. Meanwhile my 12 year unit just goes running along.
And here is another factoid to throw out: according to the data I found on the web, the other brands (even those fancy foreign ones) are frequently even worse (reliability wise). And, even more scary, the reliability of Maytag's parent company (Whirlpool) is much better than Maytag. But I bet both share a lot of parts. So that makes me suspect the data.
The engineer in me wants to dig in and find out the problem(s). The dad in me will just be happy if we can get it fixed! After all, I've got my reputation to worry about.
Traveler, this posting, The Maytag Repairman Is Plenty Busy, is one of the Made by Monkeys postings on Design News. I'm the Design News editor who gathers and posts these stories on difficulties people have experienced with products. I'd like to include yours.
I am unfamiliar with "Made for Monkeys." Before I connect my name with "Made for Monkeys," I would also like to know who you are. I would also NOT like to connect my name with my login name. Otherwise, I would very much like to vent my experience to anyone who can make a difference with GE's insanity.
I purchased an Electrolux vacuum cleaner not too long ago. Like Maytag, Electrolux it had such a venerable reputation for high quality, I didnt even bother shopping around. You could imagine how surprised I was to find that it was a complete piece of junk. Fell apart the first time I used it! THEN, after the fact, I discovered that the Electrolux name had been purchased by Eureka. So I had unwittingly purchased a junk made-in-china Wallmart vacuum. I wonder if the same thing has happened /is currently happening to Maytag? Caveat emptor!
I based my purchase of a top-of-the-line GE Profile washer on my study of business management practices at GE. GE is touted to have the best top management training program anywhere. When our washer failed early one Saturday afternoon, we needed a washer installed and fast. We when to a local big box store and bought the washer at 2:55pm with it being installed and operational by 5:30pm the same day.This Profile washer has a really big tub.
Then the fun began.
1. Using normal selections, this bizarre washer would not let enough water in to get the clothes wet. It jiggled, slowly rotated one way and then the other way, jiggled again, and finally started agitating. Still the clothes on top were not wet at all. We called a repair man and he installed a new electronic contol board. Result: Same characteristics. This is a "green" machine. All that advanced engineering created a non-functional piece of junk. Rather than call the repair man again, we tinkered a bit and found that when selecting the "BLANKETS" cycle, the maching filled to the very top without the jiggling, and jagging. To use this washer, we had to find a work-around to defeat the "green" design. Now, even with a light load, the washer is full each and every time and the "green" feature is thwarted. We waste a lot of water but there is no option. As a side light, a close relative just bought a top-of-the-line Maytag and had the exact same experience. Go figure!!
2. After using the GE washer for a few weeks, an error code came up on the screen. The error code was not documented in the user manual. We called the repair man. He came and entered a secret code using a special sequence of panel buttons. The washer reset and resumed functioning. The repair man gave us the secret button sequence so we could reset the electronics ourself. We have used this secret code several times a year.
3. When sufficient water is in the GE washer to get the clothes wet, it ties everything into tight knots such that it is extremely hard to unravel the mess. Our clothes wear out faster because of the abrasion that occurs when untying the massive knots. We literally have to lift the entire mess out of the washer onto the top of the dryer to slowly unravel the Gordian style knots.
This GE washer was not designed by a competent design engineer. A competent engineer would have screamed bloodly murder over letting this junk be dumped on the public. Whoever is in GE management that forces GE design engineers to design in "GREEN" requirements ought to be fired and blackballed from ever again participating in the design process.
This entire experience has so soured my opinion about GE and GE management that I personally refuse to consider GE as a vendor for anything I buy, even light bulbs. I cannot even comprehend the "green" requirements on GE jet engines or power generating systems that compromise their design integrity on these or on anything else GE sells.
There is a bright side to this story. I have been much more wise when buying anything from anyone. I also would not consider it a plus for anyone I consider for hiring to have been in GE's management training program.
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