An Open Letter to, first, Electrolux...and, second, to The Better Business Bureau

To: Electrolux Executive Escalation

FROM: GABixler, the Complainant

Although I am not certain, it seems that the Better Business Agency has accepted your last response as Truth. Since I can find no way to actually respond to your letter provided below, I am writing this open letter. Apparently I am not permitted to provide a response to your statement... but that does not end it for me...  So, first. How about evaluating the total picture of the issue before judgments are made! To me, all this is NOT about money... It's about service to Americans, we, the customers who are tired of getting crapped on, while millionaires at the top don't even have to pay taxes for the income that we provide them!

First of all, I want to introduce myself to any readers that are concerned about service from Electrolux and, to the extent that they have no ability to force action, the BBB. I also consider my interaction with the BBB as closed. However, I am now researching Pennsylvania laws related to both consumer protection, and protection of the elderly for personal protection under the laws...

I am now 78. During the past few years, in addition to the threats of Covid, I have been hospitalized for four major surgeries: First, the removal of a brain tumor. Second, the replacement of my left hip, Third/Fourth, the removal of cataracts on both eyes. Additionally, I was diagnosed with Job Burnout and on medical leave years ago; however, PTSD has remained and becomes dominant when stressed. I am also medicated for total incontinence, which I had reported related to the need for a washing machine and constant use. At my last doctor's appointment, I reported that I was not doing well and identified that not having a washer for four months has been a stressor of my overall ability to function. She of course told me to act, which I informed her of what was happening. In other words, I had already told my story over and over and over... Unfortunately, this is not the only company that has acted in bad faith, which just increases  the overall stress level.

The response by the individual who gives only her first name provides the company's response from Electrolux. Supposedly, it seems to be her decision based upon her research...or...whatever... However, it is not.

It seems to me that in your approach to a complaint that goes back to last year, specifically October 9th, that on my own end, I would have been attempting to acquire service from your agency earlier if what your letter said was up-to-date. Yet you refer back to the first week of my acquisition of the washer as the basis for which you've decided not to act on behalf of my request. Note that it was I who notified the selling agent that I had filed a complaint. I do not know whether you contacted them or that they contacted you. However, that is irrelevant in my opinion. The fact is that your delaying tactic of accusing me of failing to provide information, which by the second response you then have, is a perfect illustration of the problem with your company! Delay, delay, delay, maybe they'll go away...just like our past president, isn't it? Lies, or half-truths...slow things down so that we get frustrated... Unfortunately it doesn't work. We see right through your title, in particular. Do you get $$$ for every complaint that you make go away? I find that sad, since I consider that most women work to help solve problems rather than play CYA...

Note that on your first response you simply asked for information, claiming you had no record for me. Ironically, I even received a letter from your company to offer extended coverage. Now, am I to assume that somebody else in your company was doing what they were supposed to do, based upon the information that they had that my purchasing date was coming up... Or that you really weren't doing your job, but pulled together something that is so outdated that, as I said, is irrelevant. I even  commented to the BBB that your request for this identification was the first that any other representatives with whom I interacted asked for that information. Please note that at the time of purchase, I was physically unable to take care of business issues and therefore did not send the documentation of the product information at that time.  However, upon having somebody here who could help me with reading the records, I read your response to me. And noted that the BBB said I did not need to respond. Then they wrote to me as if your response totally took precedent as the final statement from your company. I respectfully disagree inasmuch as a number of issues are clearly misunderstood ON YOUR PART.

Let's, then, review the entire picture, shall we?

You have already verified the purchase information; therefore, I will not repeat it. However, at no time, until after I had already washed rugs that had been routinely washed in my former washer from Sears, who had, by then, relocated out of my area, I chose to go to a local seller with whom I had had earlier interaction. Reese's Warehouse in Smithfield. You can be sure that I will not go to that company again. In retrospect, when I saw what the machine had done to the rubberized backing, I should have said, then, that I did not wish to keep the machine.

At that time, during the first week of getting the washer, I had been washing the backup of clothes that I had and then moved on to the rugs at which time, they jammed the machine... Somewhere along the line, I had been told that once I selected the right choices, in this case, hot versus cold water, I had accepted that as a programming capability. I chose cold water because I always wash in cold water. I do not know whether having the washer on hot resulted in the blast of materials by the machine. Please note, again, that was in the first week of acquiring the washer. I called Reese's, the Seller and they immediately came, saw the problem, which was that essentially, the backing of the rugs had been blasted into small pieces. Note that in my earlier washer, the backing merely came off, stayed in the bottom of the washer which I then picked up and threw away. Not once had these same rugs had the rubberized backing blasted to bits! Not once in using the Sears Kenmore had it stopped working when I washed rugs...

What Reese's had to do was to take the washer back to the shop. I guess they took it apart and vacuumed out the blasted bits of pieces and returned it. I continued to use the machine for all things, including rugs, until October, when the machine backed up and water would not drain. The door would not open...

Please note, again, that what you included as documentation for what happened in October really happened at the time of acquisition.

I called Reese's and only then was told that repairs were not done by that seller that I had to call the company which I did. At that time, I was told by the man who answered that there was NO SERVICE to this area. By that time, my home care helper was there and I asked her to call again. He then told her to pull the plug and try again... Well, I took over the call at that time, explaining my concerns about service seemingly not to be made available for the area in which I lived. In the meantime, she unplugged the washer, per that representatives orders, which opened the locked door, but still had water in the washer. I removed the rugs (which I later showed to the second man, to be clarified later) dipped out all of the water, but saw that the water was dirty. I then set to clean... The washer again could not be opened.

Remember this is now October 8 months after the original accidental washing of rugs and which I had not been using. I then went online to the Electrolux Site. I chatted with Jeffrey. Please note that all of this has been previously provided to the Facebook site as well. Jeffrey, on chat, was at least courteous as compared to the first man with whom we talked. I explained the issue and he said that he could not do anything but that he would forward the information to his superiors and I would hear from somebody within 48 hours... Nothing happened... It was then I first went on to Facebook to attempt to gain help. I sent a message, first, rather than post on the timeline. Nobody responded and later claimed that they didn't get it. I have to assume that either it was ignored or deleted. However, I continue to have that first message in my files. In any event, at that point, I copied the message itself...and posted on the Timeline. Instead of doing something or responding to help, I was told to message again, and again... Well, by that time, others had started to post their inability to get service, so I decided to continue to post to the public as well as to your site representative. Clearly I was not the only buyer who was getting shafted by a seller.

Finally, I got a call from A-1 Plumbing. He was calling, expressing, first, that in apology that he could not get to me quickly since apparently a large volume of requests had been sub-contracted to a Maryland company, but also assured me that he would have somebody local to help. At that time, I asked him one question: Were you told that my washer had been out for many weeks by that time. He quietly told me No. I said thank you. For surely, I would be quite happy to have service on Monday of the next week.

On Monday, the representative showed up as scheduled. Note that this interaction from the first call for service in October was totally deleted from the chronology of events that was presented to the BBB and myself in the supposedly close out of my complaint.

A representative came, unfortunately I didn't get a name but knew he represented A1 Plumbing.

The door had remained locked from the time I attempted to clean the machine and it became stuck again. Water sat in the washer and I explained that to the serviceman. He said he had a shop vax to handle that. I then went back to sit in the living room. However, quite a bit of time had gone by so I went back in. He had not been able to open the washer by that time. He asked if it had ever happened before. I explained what had happened during the first week I had had the machine and when I washed specific rugs. I told him that I had been washing rugs routinely since then, and went and picked up the rug that I had been washing when the washer stopped. I showed that they had a rubberized backing, and he saw that the rugs' backing was not loose or breaking. We went into longer discussion of what happened the first time. He then picked up from the floor a few of the blasted pieces... He then admitted he didn't know what to do and that he had been tightly scheduled and was already late. I verified that the blasted pieces were what happened in March. His response at that time was that where he had found the pieces was not in a location where drainage was occurring and that, in his opinion, it must be that the original cleaning had not been sufficient enough to totally clean out the blasted materials... 

Now the point of regurgitation of all that...again...is merely to let everybody know that misinformation or disinformation is at play here. The fact that I responded to not using the original "older" carpets, which are now being used as carpets for my cats on the front porch, is the crux of the issue. ONLY because the company representative has chosen to attempt to act on that first incident, ignore that the machine had been operational from March to October, at which time, a repair was needed, based upon...something... However, the serviceman with whom I interacted from A1 had heard the entire story and said he couldn't see how the blasted pieces from March could be relevant to the outflow, since the pieces he had sucked up were not in the drainage area. I will say that, in my opinion, the A1 company has attempted to act in good faith at all times and I believed the serviceman who said that he didn't think the issue was related to what was washed, since that had been dealt with... Again, when the washer was unplugged, the door had opened and in cleaning the machine preparatory to using, it again locked and could not be opened by the 2nd serviceman who was here.

Rather than belabor the issue of repairs further. I did post that I no longer wanted to attempt to use the machine for which the company refused to authorize further action. It sits exactly where it was placed in March when it was delivered and redelivered, assumingly to be fixed. I asked the site representative to tell the home office that I wanted my money back... and that, of course, assumed that the washer would be returned to the company... However, the letter I just received says this: Furthermore, Electrolux is unable to assist with a product that is no longer in the consumer’s possession...

It is indeed in my possession; however, just this week, I did purchase a washer which is to be delivered tomorrow. That will leave the Electrolux washer to be picked up upon receipt of a return of money.

One final note: This is directly from your letter:  ...advised that several bath rugs were in the unit and the material came off the rugs and clogged the drain system. It is important to note that external debris that cause damage to the unit are not covered under the one-year limited repair warranty.

Consider this: IF the rugs that caused a problem in March had been addressed and had been supposedly corrected by your representative, then since the washer had been functional from March to October... and that, further, your company's second contractor, A-1 Plumbing as a subcontractor, onsite, verified that  what he was finding using his vax was not found in the drainage area, then your premise upon which you've chosen not to help me should be considered invalid? Further, wrongly stated, is that rugs were not in the washer when the second individual came from A-1 Plumbing. Hearkening back to what happened in March where the accidental washing of larger rugs took place and which was then handled by the seller, is certainly not at issue. I did wash said carpets, just as I had been doing for years, changing my actions only to then use of YOUR product which literally blasted the backings into bits... To me, this issue seems a design problem as opposed to my using the machine incorrectly. For, surely, if your agency did correct the original problem, then it should not have again caused a problem?

Further, if, I had, by accident, placed something external into your washer that caused some problem... Well, could you define by warranty reference, in writing, because I cannot read small print, exactly what is external material... You mean, that clothes, sheets, bedspreads, bathroom area rugs, external to the machine; you know...what you expect to be able to wash in a washing machine and which I had been washing for months in this machine. Exactly how does a customer know what your limitations are that your machines will or won't handle? For the record, again, I had washed anything and everything in my Sears Washing Machine for over ten years, including the rugs that got blasted in the first week I had your machine... Further, if something goes wrong, what you are saying to me is that you are then unwilling to help in the repair of your product, EVEN IF IT HAD BEEN CAUSED BY ME BY ACCIDENT?

If your machines are so fragile that some mistake, say for instance, a child's toy was accidentally run through a washer, then you are unwilling to work to repair it? Because that is exactly what your company has been doing for nearly a year. Why is it that your customers are forced to fight for repair when it is needed... And you respond only when a formal complain was made?

You can be sure that I have become a better customer then when I got your product. In reviewing my issues with the salesman for a Whirlpool, he had to say several times that what I had been told was wrong... and then he proceed to not only provide me a written copy of the first year coverage but sold me a follow up insurance policy that the selling company handles.

The washer will be available for pickup, repair or whatever you all decide; however, I will be proceeding with an investigation for how my complaint as a senior citizen has been handled by all parties involved.

As an aside, I am a reviewer of products, mostly books, but I review all things that routinely cross my life. I will continue to share my review of this nearly one year overview of events to anybody interested. The feeling of relief I felt when I decided to go ahead and order a new washer this past Monday (and which is to be delivered and installed tomorrow), showed me that I cannot afford to allow this type of subterfuge be acceptable in my life. When I had to walk off the job, my doctor, then, told me that I had to choose between my job or my life... Now, I find, that I've had to choose between unprofessional companies and my life. You can be assured that I will not allow your lack of accountability in this issue affect me further. 

That means that I will wait for a pickup and a return of the money paid for the washer delivered to me, or I will proceed to seek help from the PA Attorney General's proper department. Please note that since the representative of the company and/or BBB failed to allow me to respond to what was last stated, I am using only online contacts; specifically Facebook sites, to provide this information. If the site representatives fail to act upon my posting, that is simply further indication of the failure to respond to their customers' needs. 

If any others who read this, feel that I have been wrong in my presentation in any way, I welcome feedback and further guidance... Many of my readers routinely see my open memoir whereby I acknowledged that I am Emotionally Damaged. The lack of customer support by Electrolux has placed me back into a depressive state whereby I am unable to routinely respond to daily needs and medical requirements. I acted to buy a new washer, which I will have to pay off gradually rather than by paying in cash as I did with Reese's Warehouse. The attempt to blame me is an unforgivable response in my opinion... All I've ever been asking for is help to allow me to wash my clothes on a routine basis needed for medical and mental stability.

GABixler

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Electrolux Major Appliances, North America

10200 David Taylor Drive

Charlotte, NC 28262

January 8, 2024

Glenda Bixler

RE: BBB Case Number: 21022548

Date Received: 01/04/2024

Electrolux Reference Number: 59697756

Model Number: ELFW7537AW

Serial Number: 4C22004240

Registered Date of Purchase: 02/24/2023

Dear Glenda Bixler,

We are in receipt of the above referenced Better Business Bureau referral. We were unable to locate a washer registered to you based on our review of the information provided in the complaint as you did not submit accurate information for review. Please be advised that a reimbursement of the purchase price is not guaranteed within the terms of the warranty.

Our records indicate that an authorized service provider evaluated the unit and contacted our Factory Technical Information Department regarding the concern. The authorized service technician advised that several bath rugs were in the unit and the material came off the rugs and clogged the drain system. It is important to note that external debris that cause damage to the unit are not covered under the one-year limited repair warranty. Furthermore, Electrolux is unable to assist with a product that is no longer in the consumer’s possession.

We apologize for not being able to provide any further settlement on this complaint. Thank you for referring this concern to us and for allowing us the opportunity to respond.

Best Regards,

Michelle

Electrolux Executive Escalation