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Why do you think that plant was sold? Because it was greatly profitable as it was?Originally Posted by Raucina
Corporate greed! The competitor (Whirlpool) was selling 3rd world junk and had a higher market share selling cheap junk! They saw a quality manufacturer as a threat and bought it out, turning it into yet another cheap junk outlet!
Go ahead buy every cheap 3rd world bit of junk you can buy. Then wonder one day why you are unemployed in a country that joined the third world.
Last edited by Redwood; 01-25-2008 at 11:00 PM.
The saga continues.
I have been lied to by Whirlpool so many times that I am beginning to wonder if anyone in the world tells the truth.
I don't think I will ever knowingly purchase another Whirlpool branded appliance as long as I live. This includes Kenmore and other makes by Whirlpool.
I will update later.
Putting in a new water heater today, after 10 days of no hot water, and being JACKED AROUND BY WHIRLPOOL.
Clove
clovis in Franklin
You probably have a home depot or menar//* in Franklin Ind..
They sell Rheem-Richmond heaters... and GE-Rheem heaters....
go get one of those....
Then my suggestion....
take the old whhirlpool heater back to lowes at about
10;30 at night.....
set it out in the parking lot
take a can of kerosene and set it on fire.....
that will be a pretty site for them to clean up
on sunday morning.... http://www.weilhammerplumbing.com/galleryiii/
Last edited by master plumber mark; 02-15-2009 at 05:52 PM.
LOL!!!!!!
I my goodness!!!! That is hillarious!!!!
After having no real hot water for 11 days, I think this is the first time I have laughed out loud!!!!
Actually, if you can believe it, Lowes is working with me on the WH.
The saga continues...it will be Monday before I get a definite answer on the WH. We will see if Lowes really makes good on their customer service.
Still laughing...
Clove
Last edited by clovis; 01-27-2008 at 02:28 AM.
For what its worth, if anyone cares:
When my last WH went out, I wanted to put in a quality replacement. We have a local place called The Plumbing Store. They have been great to deal with over the past 15 years. They sell Lukenhiemer (???)...I am sure I butchered that bad...this is the brand that most of the local plumbers install.
The Plumbing Store was closed the Saturday afternoon when gallons of water were spewing onto my basement floor.
Lowes and the wonderful Flame-Lock Whirlpool WH was the fastest and closest option.
Clove
get a store credit...
Lowes employees are in a bad spot... they are all slaves
to the corporate gods above them and they cant
stand up and complain to anyone above them about
the crummey quality of the heater that they sell...
without loseing their jobs...
they are no better off than the chineese that make the junk
that they sell, they just dont know it yet...
wait a few more years and they will be in the same boat when our currency totally collapses...and they will be no more than slaves too..
so all they seem to be able or allowed to do is give you some sort of in-store credit if you whine and moan enough to them..
The reason that Lowes keeps buying these heaters is Whirlpool gives Lowes gigantic incentives and rebates
to the tune of millions of dollars every year to buy a certain number of those shitty heaters..
all the money, bribes and trips around the world go to the evil corporate overlords.... that run whirlpool.....amd they dont want to give that up.
they are getting a hell of a kick-back ...
and that makes it kind of fun to
take a big dump on the little consumer....
Its Whirlpools problem, and they still get a big pay off.
so they deny that their is a problem...and keep sticking it to the little guy,......
Dont put in a new whirlpool heater, they are no better than the old unit.....
take the credit if they give you one,
if they dont , IMHO...have the barbecue in the parking lot....
http://www.weilhammerplumbing.com/galleryiii/
Last edited by master plumber mark; 02-15-2009 at 05:52 PM.
just got one to change on monday
just got a call from another poor sap
with a 2004 Flame Lock.......
going to change it out on Monday for $599
Lochinvar maybe? http://www.lochinvar.com/class.asp?cat=WH They're good units!
I posted this a while back in the thread... Its how I'd like to return one!
I will never buy another Whirlpool product again. Does anyone know the list of brands under the Whirlpool manufacturer?
I want to avoid those too.
Tom
Whirlpool Brands that I know of:
Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Jenn-Air, Maytag, Roper, most Kenmore and Kenmore Elite...the sad part is is that in the last 5 years, Maytag appliances were even worse than Whirlpool...You'd be best off with LG, Fisher, and other brands like that, GE can be just as bad when it comes to appliances
Well, here is the story.
Whirlpool (WP) sent the manifold kit. This is after 2 phone calls.
Took about an hour to replace, and I did everything exactly to their specs.
WH, or as my 6 y.o. daughter says, water-ater, fired up, but wouldn't stay lit.
I am at day 7 at this point. Wife is upset, but not steaming.
Call WP. First call: The guy insists that the WH is not drawing. I confirm that it is pulling air thru the system. Basically says I am an idiot and I don't know what I am talking about.
Call 2: They next guy says that there is no way that the WH is venting/drawing thru the flu. Says that the 2" of snow last month iced over my flu outside. Basically calls me an idiot.
Call 3: Next guy says that the WH is not level. Basically says I am an idiot.
Funny that the WH has worked flawlessly for 4 years, and now its out of level? The flu is not drawing?
Call 4: This guy insists that I have negative pressure in the flu....whatever.
Call 5: Woman says that I have installed manifold incorrectly, but can't tell me what I have done wrong. Says that WP never has given an RA for return. Says that I am confused about what I have read on the internet about the Flame-lock WH. Says WP has only "had a few go bad".
Note: Wife starting to be REALLY upset.
Call 6: I ask about the RobertShaw valve. New guy says that the Robert Shaw valves never go bad. They either work perfectly or not at all. Says they have never had to warranty the valve.
Call 7: Guy tells me to contact RS for warranty info.
Call 8: Another guy tells me that my gas has been turned off by the gas company...while I stand over the forced air furnace vent while it blows hot air on me. Then tries to convince me that Vectran has a broken meter not allowing gas into the house.
Call 9: I think I got the guy from the first call. Tells me that the furnace is evacuating all the gas from the lines, causing the pilot on the WH to go out.
Wife is stupid angry at this point.
Call 10: I finally got someone with a brain. She knew this stuff inside and out. She walked me thru each and every step, and actually helped me trouble shoot EVERYTHING.
Tells me it is in fact the RS valve.
They will work intermitantly, and will super heat the water to scalding levels, which I have experienced for the past year.
Something about the bad valve allowing it to overheat a magnet inside (?), which ruins the unit.
Tells me to go to Lowes, buy the RS valve, and WP will refund the money within 15 days. I do not have to send the original reciept. ($58)
If this doesn't work, WP will give a RA.
Trip to Lowes: Two on shelf. One is opened and missing parts. Other is sealed, or so I thought. Got home and someone slicked Lowes buy returning their used part and sealing the box on the bottom.
Call 11: Guy informs me that they can send new RS valve, but it will take 6-10 days. Insists they NEVER give an RA. Then lied about the woman that helped me. I lost my cool at this point.
Trip to Lowes: I decided not to yell or curse at anyone, but I am obviously mad. I don't hide emotions well, per my wife. I am so agitated and mad that I am surprised that customer service didn't call a SWAT team. I was so mad that I wasn't making sense as I talked, except for "Get me a manager, NOW!"
Conversation with manager: I am still mad, and probably not making sense. He acted clueless at first about the Flamelock WH problem, then kinda fessed up. Not sure if he really didn't know, or if he was trying to avoid calling the police on a crazed customer.
I think he did hear me say: "I have been a loyal Lowes customer....I have been jacked around and lied to by WP...I am on day 11 with no hot water...."
Anyway...this Lowes manager is good....sent me out the door with an upgraded 40 gallon WH, and comped the $60 delivery fee!!!!!!! (I was too mad/lazy to go get my own truck.)
New Lowes WP WH is now installed. I have hot water again.
Wife is very pleased.
WP did in fact give a return authorization number today.
Wife is happy.
I am not thrilled with the idea of having yet another WP WH. Especially since they have not changed the design. I am looking at this as an inconvenience, and am mad that WP kept LYING TO ME and MISLEADING ME.
I STILL BELIEVE THAT WHIRLPOOL IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO KEEP FROM REPLACING THE WATER HEATERS. IN DOING THIS, MOST CUSTOMERS WILL GIVE IN, JUNK THE WP UNIT, AND BUY SOMETHING ELSE.
BUY TREATING THE CUSTOMER POORLY, AND MISLEADING THEM, WHIRLPOOL WINS BIG TIME. THEY WOULD HAVE WON HUGE IF I WOULD THROWN THIS ONE INTO THE SCRAP PILE!!!!!! Think of the thousands of people that have done this already!
Now, before you all beat me up for replacing with another WP junk heater:
This could be a blessing:
1. I moved the WH out of the way....house is better functionally, and we have more room.
2. I got 4 years out of my old WH, and am starting anew with a free one. Saved $400.
3. I am within code now on 6 aspects of my gas and water.
4. I did in fact find a problem with the old brick flu, that could possibly be a safety issue.
5. I got a bigger WH than I had before.
6. I learned everything I needed to know about gas WH.
7. I learned alot about plumbing and gas lines.
8. We are getting the basement cleaned out. This got the ball rolling.
9. I have been buying new tools for years, and this helped me justify it with my wife.
10. I learned again that you don't have to scream and cuss to get something done.
11. Corporate America can be as bad as some people claim.
12. I think I have greater empathy for the poor, who have had their gas shut off, and for those in the world without clean hot water on demand, 24/7/365.
13. My wife thinks I am a hero of some sort. (Please don't tell her otherwise.)
Clove
Last edited by clovis; 01-29-2008 at 08:52 PM.
I sure hope I don't have the troubles you had Clovis...my BFG upgrade kit arrives tomorrow.
This is the 2nd time the thermocouple has crapped out - in the winter too. It couldn't happen when the cold water is coming in at 72 degrees...no...it has to happen when it is 52 degrees.
I went to Lowes to try to find a thermocouple last night - and as Mark said, they have pulled them all from the shelves. There was a note there that said to call the 1-800 # to get the part. I wrote on that note...
"WHY IS LOWES NOT SELLING THIS PART???"
"WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO SELL THESE DOGS???"
Note: I am a DIY'er and not a professional. My posts here are observations / opinions and may or may not be in accordance with your local ordinances.
MG-
You are right...Lowes does not sell the replacement thermocouple.
If I were you, I think I would install the kit that is coming.
Then, as soon as you have hot water again, I would start on trying to get an Return Authorization number to return the old unit to Lowes.
I was told that if you say the right things, and go thru the right process, you can get an RA.
The Robert Shaw thermostat regulator valve on my WH was bad. I have had super spikes in the water temperature over the last year to scalding levels. I guess this caused the burner to warp, and also kept burning out the thermocouple. I understand that this also caused some magnet to burn out, thus ruining the unit.
They instructed me to buy a new Robert Shaw valve and replace the old one.....if that didn't work, they would give me an RA.
You can do what you want with the info....but you have the answers you need....
Clove
Feel free to pm me.
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