On 2/16/09 our 4-year-old Kenmore front-loading washer (purchased at Sears, along with a warranty) started making loud banging noises & the fabric softener dispenser did not working. We scheduled a repair appointment with Sears for 2/18/09. The tech arrived on 2/18 & diagnosed a cracked drum and clogged dispenser valve--but had no parts with which to complete repairs. He ordered 5 parts (dispenser valve, steel drum, drum shell, belt, and 2 sets of anti-vibration shocks)---it took 3 weeks for all the parts to arrive! I scheduled an appointment for the repairs to take place on 3/9/09 and took the day off work. I called Sears @ 1 p.m. on 3/9 and learned that my repair appointment had not been "coded" correctly and there was no technician available. I rescheduled the repair appointment for 3/11 & my husband took the day off--the techs showed up and worked on the washer. They took the old parts away, informing us that the machine was repaired. They were kind enough to let us know that the repairs would have cost us $890+ if it had not been for the warranty we purchased previously. After they left, we discovered that they had not transferred the baffles from the old drum into the new drum when it was installed. Further, the new fabric softener dispenser valve does not work. As an added bonus, when we tried to wash a load of clothes we got a nice puddle on the floor in front of the machine (that's a new problem)! We immediately called the Sears 800 number on 3/11 to try and get the tech back to install the old baffles--no such luck! We had to schedule a 3rd repair appointment for today (3/13/09). Meanwhile we made numerous calls on 3/11, 3/12 and 3/13 in an attempt to get through to the tech to remind him that the baffles needed to be brought back. No such luck--again. I took a vacation day today (3/13) to wait for the tech. He called at 11 a.m. to say he would arrive in 30 minutes and wanted to know what kind of problem we were having--amazing that he had received none of the many messages we left! He called back again to say that--of course--he had to order a new dispenser "assembly" (not valve this time) and that the old steel drum and baffles had been discarded, so he would now have to order baffles as well. I am now scheduled for a 4th repair appointment on 3/17/09--I suspect the parts won't arrive before 3/17!

Sears has been a huge disappointment with regard to this issue. According to my warranty, we don't qualify for a replacement washer until we've had 4 separate service calls in a 12 month period on 4 different problems! Meanwhile, I'm trudging to laundromats and family members' homes to get my family's laundry washed.

DO NOT BUY APPLIANCES OR A WARRANTY FROM SEARS--IT'S NOT WORTH THE MANY HOURS/DAYS YOU'LL SPEND WAITING FOR SERVICE AND TALKING TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE AT THE 800 NUMBER!