Customer Service/Satisfaction
The Flower Child has fond memories of when Electric Power first came to Northeast Iowa in 1946. The first appliance his parents acquired was an Amana 11 Cubic Feet Deepfreezer. No more canned meat, and garden grown fruit and vegetables with a freshly harvested appearance. We would now be living in style.
The Flower Child has always been a dedicated Amana Appliance Customer, especially when it came to acquiring a Micro-Wave. When the Flower Child obtained a new home in 1992 they immediately obtained a new Amana which fit in to the space the builder had constructed. Of course, even Amana Appliances wear out when used frequently. Anyway, the second Amana Micro-Wave failed in January of 2008. On January 28 a new Amana was ordered. Because the vendor did not have the appropriate size, one was ordered. No problem, except that when it arrived we placed it into service immediately. Within a month it failed. A check by the local store's technician revealed that this New Amana needed a replacement Circuit Board. To make a long story short the situation soon unraveled. The Circuit Board may have come into the Vendor, but then other problems developed.
After a period of phone calls to the "Toll Free" non-responsive and uncaring phone technicians the local vendor finally ordered a New Amana to replace the one that was not being repaired, for whatever reason.
The replacement Amana Micro-Wave arrived on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008. It was picked up and brought home for installation and testing by doing our favorite Micro-Wave Food, Popcorn!!!!
The joy was short lived. Check out the photos below:
The lower right front panel was not aligned to the Micro-Wave.
The top of the Micro-Wave Door did not align to the heating space.
This is a view of the defective Micro-Wave.
A quick check of the packing material revealed that the shipping box must have been dropped during shipment to Macon, Georgia. At this point a quick phone call to the local vendor to ascertain if a full refund could be obtained. Yes, Yes!!!! The defective applicance was returned to the local Vendor and a full refund was obtained. 
A quick stop at an other appliance dealer revealed that other Companies produce Micro-Waves. We knew we did not want another Amana or even a Whirlpool in as much as Amana is now owned by Whirlpool. No need to subject us to future poor customer service from Whirlpool. We had already endured enough of that to last a normal person's lifetime. We were able to obtain a larger Micro-Wave with more power for less money than the first Amana we acquired on January 28, 2008. It is a shame that the formerly good folks of Amana and the follow-up owner, Whirlpool do not employ decent standards of "Customer Service/Satisfaction."
2 comments:
Dear Flower Child. I just read your Blog about Customer Service/Satisfaction. My Amana dishwasher, only about two years old. I got a recall in Nov. 2007. I immediately called and said I would take the part that is needed to replace it. The part came in January. My local Amana serviceman discovered that a smaller piece within the part that was sent was either broken or not there. He called the company to order the replacement. In March, I still did not have the piece. I called the company. They claimed it was delivered in Feb. and a woman signed for it. I said it wasn't this woman. After investigation, they asked me if my address is Springfield. We determined it got delivered to a wrong address. They would send out another one. Several weeks later, still no part. I called again. The part had not been sent out because it was sent in Feb and I got the same story. I got a bit nasty and they said they would send it out again. It did arrive by the end of the week, the local Amana Technican installed it and so far it is working.
Even my local Hardware Store Vendor says that the Whirlpool customer service is very poor. After My Current Service Technician retires I will no longer be a dedicated Amana user. You know that the Amana plant in Iowa closed and displaced many workers.
My dear Readers,
Within 36 hours of sending my Blog to the Good Folks at Amana I received this response. Unfortunately the horse was already out of the Barn. I copy it here for your information. Maybe these good folks will learn that Customer Loyalty starts with a responsive Customer Service Department.
"Thank you for visiting the Amana Website. We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to contact us.
We apologize that you are experiencing a concern with your Amana microwave.
We understand the disappointment you must feel and apologize for any inconvenience this concern may have caused you, and are sorry we did not meet your expectations.
We apologize for any inconvenience this concern may have caused you.
Thank you for giving Amana the opportunity to address your concern, for we value you as our customer. For future needs please visit our website, or call our Customer eXperience Center at 1-800-843-0304 weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Amana offers several online customer service resources 24 hours a day 7 days a week. These resources include the ability to retrieve product literature, installation literature, and local authorized service companies. You may also schedule your own service call, purchase products and accessories, and register your Amana appliances.
Sincerely,
Barb C.
Amana Customer Loyalty Team"
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