Dishwasher Drama

Our dishwasher died. Well, technically it’s still alive, but hanging on by a thread. It’s begging to be put out of its misery. I know this is uniquely a third-world problem, but I really like my dishwasher. It's been telling me for quite some time that it needs to move on, to go to the big dishwasher heaven in the sky. The plastic on the whirly thing that shoots out water from the top has been broken forever, soon followed by pieces of the racks falling off, which happened around the same time it wouldn’t run unless you held in on the door. I didn’t want it to give up, even though we had to rig up several heavy items to hold the door shut so it would run. But when the door stopped nicely opening and began free-falling to the floor each time it was opened, I knew it was time. It gave us nearly three decades of clean dishes, it was time to let it go.

Enter Black Friday. Great time to snag a deal on a dishwasher. Add in the fact that I could shop for one online, read reviews, compare models, and finally choose “the one”, right from the comfort of my own home. I found a decent one for a great price, so I decided to buy it and also splurge for the delivery, installation, and removal of old faithful. It was well worth the money to protect our domestic harmony. If you’ve been married for a long time, I’m sure you’re tracking here.

They provided the delivery date when I placed the order. It would be delivered between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm on December 10th, less than two weeks from when I placed the order. I couldn’t forget the delivery date because I received many emails reminding me of it, along with a checklist to prepare for installation. I was surprised to see one of the checklist items was there “must be a clear path to the installation area”. I mean, dishwashers go in the kitchen, as a rule. Hoarders aside, why would anyone have to clear a path to their kitchen? But, a checklist is a checklist, and this rule follower was prepped and ready to meet our new dishwasher. 

I expected a call or an email the day before, narrowing down the broad 8:00 to 5:00 range with a more precise estimate. I didn’t receive either and that’s when I started to feel the first stirrings of worry. I know, worrying is what I do. And I’m damn good at it too…I’m like a worrier extraordinaire. But I told myself I was worrying for nothing, reminded myself that most things we worry about never come to fruition. 

The morning of December 10th came. We hadn’t made any plans to leave the house that day, but I still hoped for a more precise time range estimate, in case we wanted to. There is something unnerving about being held hostage in your own home waiting on someone to show up. What if we wanted to run a quick errand? What if I wanted to run around the house half-dressed? (Okay, I never do that, but what if I wanted to?) After checking both my emails and text messages, I was sad to find no new messages from the store or the installer. My worry meter cranked up a couple more notches.

By 11:00 am, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I called the store. The man who answered the phone was difficult to understand, I’m pretty sure he was trying to speak with a broken jaw. I could only make out bits and pieces of what he was saying, so I just kept repeating myself. “We’re expecting delivery and installation of our new dishwasher today and haven’t heard anything. I’m getting worried.” He asks for my phone number and confirms he can see my order. He can also see that the dishwasher hasn’t been picked up by the installer yet. This is after I tell him I’m not picking up the dishwasher, the installer is. (My worry meter moves up another notch). He seems confused and asks me to hang on while he talks to someone else. That someone then gets on the phone and confirms what the first person told me. I’m a little more at ease as the second guy is a bit easier to understand, but he doesn’t see a time range either, so he transfers me to “appliances”.

After a couple moments a lady answers the phone with, “Appliances. How can I help you?” I repeat who I am, what I’m looking for, and again provide my number on file. After a few moments, she tells me she can’t see anything other than it’s scheduled for delivery and installation today. But, if I’d like, I can call the installation company myself. She kindly provides their phone number and tells me if I don’t get an answer from them, I can call her back and she will call them herself. I’m not sure why she just didn’t offer to call them on my behalf right then, but I guess sometimes my customer service expectations run too high.

By now it’s almost noon. I dial the phone number she gave me for the installation company. Once again, I provide all of my information, tell the lady who answers the phone why I’m calling, and share my concern that we haven’t heard anything from the installer. She tells me she can see my order and asks if I can hold while she reaches out to the installer directly for more information. I agree and wait on hold for 18 minutes. 18 long minutes during which my worry meter continues to tick up several more notches. She finally returns to the phone and proceeds to tell me the original installer couldn’t make it, so she’s contacted their service department to see if someone else could deliver and install the dishwasher today, and someone will call me back. She tells me she’s sorry. I tell her I know it’s not her fault and thank her for her time.

Well, as I type this it’s now nearly 5:00 pm. Nobody has called me back. No texts. No emails. My worry has morphed into impatience. I gripe to my husband with “nobody does their job anymore”, and I know that I sound like a crotchety old woman when I say those words. And lately, I say them a lot. I honestly believe that customer service is not what it used to be. Customers shouldn’t feel “lucky” if things actually work out the way they’re supposed to. A job is just a job to people nowadays, nobody takes pride in their work. (Oh no! I really am a crotchety old woman!) So, dear readers, stay tuned to see how my dishwasher drama plays out!

December 11 - Nobody called or showed up yesterday. So today, I waited until 1pm for a call back. When none came, I called the installation company back again, went through all of my information, why I was calling, etc. After another long hold, the representative tells me I’ve been rescheduled for next Thursday, December 18th. She also informed me I could stay on the line to complete a brief survey, as did the lady I spoke to the day before. Are you freaking kidding me? I know it’s not the representatives’ fault, not directly. But ladies, you really don’t want to hear what I have to say at this point. I mean, I’m so frustrated I’m writing an entire blog post about the experience. Trust me. You do NOT want me to share my thoughts with a brief survey. 

December 17 (Day before our scheduled install): I wait until 2pm to call the installation company because…call me paranoid, but I haven’t received a call from the installer yet with the narrower time frame (it’s currently scheduled between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm). The lady that answers the phone tells me not to worry (clearly she doesn’t know who she’s talking to), that the installers usually make their calls in the evening, providing a 2-hour window for the install. If I don’t hear something before 6:20, I can feel free to call back and they can reach out to the installer. (Insert eyeroll here).

At about 4:30 in the afternoon, I received a call from the installer. We’ll call him Tim. (Because that really was his name). He tells me he will be here between 1:00 and 3:00 tomorrow to install my dishwasher, although they often run early. Great news!  I cross my fingers, light candles and rub my lucky rabbit foot.

December 18th - Tim and his helper show up at 12:30. The old dishwasher is removed, the new dishwasher is installed and they are out the door by 1:03. They were polite and efficient. The actual install was the only part of this entire experience that was smooth. But alas, our dishwasher drama is over and we got our happy ending. Me and my dishpan hands thank the dishwasher Gods above. 

Happy Holidays to you and yours. Thanks to all my loyal readers for taking time to read my chaotic ramblings throughout the year. I truly appreciate you.