Sears Maintainance Agreements

[Cobrabill]

I bought the wife a food processor at Sears.It came with a three year warrantee.THey tried to get me to buy the 5 year extended plan.I said does the 5 year plan run concurrent or consecutive?He said concurrent.And said are you nuts?He wasn't happy.Oh,well.

[Ralphy]

I may be wrong, however white appliances are also refered as white goods. This is a general term for all household appliances.

Originally Posted by joyridin'

My washer and dryer from Sears are not White Appliances. They are Whirlpool. Everything is identical except the controls on the front.

I also have a stove from Sears. I'm not sure who makes it.

[bomelia]

Originally Posted by Fordzilla

Mike, Yeah, I found out about that after it was too late. But thanks for the info. I went to the local appliance store here & bought Whirlpool, that fixed the problem. And you just can't beat the service of a small town mom & pop type establishment. I'm finished with Sears appliances.

If you bought Whirlpool, you are not finished with Sear's appliances (so to speak). Kenmore makes Whirlpool. Prolly Maytag as well. But for sure, Whirlpool.

Mike

[Ralphy]

Think you have it backwards. Whirlpool seams to be pretty good overall. Just because they are made in the same place does not mean they are built the same.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/a...view/index.htm

Originally Posted by bomelia

If you bought Whirlpool, you are not finished with Sear's appliances (so to speak). Kenmore makes Whirlpool. Prolly Maytag as well. But for sure, Whirlpool.

Mike

[Excaliber]

Ralphy thats a good point. Lot's of products are made by a single company, but bear different names. And the name can make a lot of difference in the specifications.

Johnson Controls Inc. makes batteries, for instance. Among other things they make the Sears Die Hard brand, to Sears specs. But they will be happy to make an "XYZ" battery for a company to less stringent specifications and cheaper cost if that's what their customer wants.

[Fordzilla]

Mike, The "White Conglomerate Company" is Fridgidaire, Kenmore, etc. Same poor product with just a different label. They are poor quality & total junk. Whirlpool is not grouped into the "White Conglomerate Company" & not built the same.
It's also not much more to buy the better stuff. Wait until there is a sale or rebate & the price is just about the same as buying the garbage stuff. I'd rather buy a better product built to last then buy a white turd & a service agreement/extended warranty to go with it.

[bomelia]

Hey, don't get me wrong. I want the best. So who has it? Whirlpool? If so, fine with me!

Who makes the best all around machine... value, features, reliability? Frankly, I am not sold on front loaders and all the electronics. But if one exists that is reliable, lemme know.

Mike

BTW, I stand corrected. I thought Kenmore made Whirlpools. Other way around.

[Excaliber]

Whirlpool doesn't really exist anymore. It's a good example of a "name brand" that carries some weight in marketing, but that's about all it is now, a "name brand".

You pay a royalty for using it, like a Shelby product for instance, but the product itself may or may not be "all that" anymore.

While I stated earlier that Johnson Controls makes the Sears Die Hard, that is subject to change everytime the contract is up for renewal. Next year it could be somebody else. The name remains the same, the specifications and actualy maker of the product could be different, good or bad. Thats one problem with a "Brand Name", but generally speaking it's still a decent way to make a decision on a product. You have few other alternatives when it comes right down to it, which is why the "Whirlpool" name still carries weight (even though the company no longer exists).

[Fordzilla]

From what I understand Whirlpool & Maytag are still top of the line. The Whirlpool clothes washers are made in both Germany & Mexico depending on which model you buy. I am told both the Mexican made & German Made units are quality. The parts used, the design of the machines, ect are quality. They can be fixed when broke & are not disposable units like the "White Conglomerate" counterparts offered for slightly cheaper. I have replaced all my appliances with Whirlpool units through the years as needed & am happy. The local Mom & Pop shop here that sells & services these units responds like lightning when you call them.
Anyway, not to poo-poo on anybody else's applainces, just conveying my past experiences. If you like your Sears stuff- great. I hope it holds up well for you. If you want an alternative- look at Whirlpool & Maytag. Yes, these companies seem to change around but are still the best out of all that is currently produced. Maybe Sears sells Whirlpool now?? I don't know, If they did, I would buy from them (If I didn't have the local mom & pop shop) but wouldn't buy the extended warranty/service agreement.

Just my .02

[Ron61]

Mike,

I have been looking for some time at washers and dryers to replace my 32 year old General Electric ones mainly to save water and electricity. In those 32 years I have only had to have the motor in the washer replaced once and the rings in the dryer once. And they have had a lot of use over those years.

I looked at our local Sears, Lowes, and another appliance place at the Maytag, Whirlpool, and Kenmore brands and really couldn't tell much difference in the Maytags and Whirlpools from one store to another. I have one place left that I haven't gone to, but have about decided to just keep my old ones for now. The ones that I looked at, I kind of liked the Maytag and I am looking at top loader washers, not front loaders. Prices between the stores are all pretty close, so nothing there to decide which is best.

Ron

[Excaliber]

I'm surprised some folks don't seem to care for the front loaders. This is the first one I've had and I like it better than the top loaders I had before. Different strokes I guess...

[Ron61]

Ernie,

We have had both and for some reason I just like the top loaders better. They also don't tend to leak like some front loaders after a few years of use. But if you get a good one of either type they should not start leaking after being used a lot. Also in my garage where my washer and dryer are located, a top loader is much easier to load and empty than a front loader because of the ramps your Cobra is on.

Ron

[ROBERT GWALTNEY]

I was told by Sears that Kenmore App are now made in China, so where is the quality in that,

[Ron61]

Originally Posted by ROBERT GWALTNEY

I was told by Sears that Kenmore App are now made in China, so where is the quality in that,

I'm not surprised about that. I never even considered Kenmore while I was looking because the Sears salesman here told me the same thing. I like to buy American made stuff if I can find it, but that is getting hard to do around here.

Ron

[SP01715]

we bought Whirlpool front loaders a couple years ago and they work great. The washer uses very little water, which is good if you live in a place with water rationing like I do.

[bomelia]

If I could find it, what I would like is a very good top loader for the washer, and one of those snazzy dryers with steam, etc. And I would like a color other than white. But, I may get overruled by my wife...

[SP01715]

We thought about a different color, but our laundry room is next to the kitchen and all those appliances are white. They do have some good colors available though.

[Jamo]

For those who don't know, Sears carries all of the major brands and then some: GE, Maytag, Whirlpool, Bosch, Frigidaire, Samsung, LG, etc...oh, and Kenmore.

[Excaliber]

...so does Craigslist. Actually I find myself buying a lot of stuff from Craigslist, scored some killer deals!

[Fordzilla]

Originally Posted by Jamo

For those who don't know, Sears carries all of the major brands and then some: GE, Maytag, Whirlpool, Bosch, Frigidaire, Samsung, LG, etc...oh, and Kenmore.

Then I would buy the better brands.