D'ere's Yurr Praw-blem
When we moved to The Pokeaway, a co-worker friend gave us a portable dishwasher. It is in my mudroom and has been one of my go-to tools to try and maintain some semblance of order here. It has seen many loads go through it and I always whisper a 'thank-you' when I use it.
About 8 months ago, we began having problems with it. When we hooked it up to the faucet, it wouldn't always grab the and soon, we found ourselves having showers when we went to start it up. The connection would explode. For a long time, we tried holding our tongues on the other side of our mouths to have more success. It worked sometimes. Other times, just as we settled into another activity we would hear the cascading whoosh of water spewing all over the mud room.
It got to be, that if we found a way to hook the dishwasher up, where there was no shower happening, we would leave it hooked up for days, without moving it. This sounds simple enough, unless you keep in mind, that the laundry tub is the only 'sink' I have. So if the dishwasher was in use like that, I couldn't fill up pots, wash big items, or rinse out anything.
As time wore on, and we were less and less successful in finding ways to make the connection stick, I got more and more frustrated. I muttered and sputtered and said a few words that I had to ask forgiveness for later.
Before I had a complete meltdown [which might have included making the dishwasher into roadkill] I decided I had to try another tack. I stopped at the store that sells these dishwashers. I talked to a consultant to see if there was a kit I could order to get this fixed. He gave me a 1-800 number and suggested I stop at a big-box store to see if they might have a different faucet end. I took his advice. I stopped at two big-box stores. I got another 1-800 number and two different faucets ends. Neither one worked.
Then, another day, when I had some time on my hands, I called the 1-800 numbers. Two different stories. Three different prices. Each one more expensive than the last. And to top it all off, if I purchased anything and it didn't work, I couldn't take it back. Or I could call a technician and pay him twice the value of the dishwasher to come and scratch his head and say "D'ere's yurr prawblem".
I was discouraged, but not ready to give up. Suddenly,I had a profound thinking thing inside my head. I looked up Appliance Repair online. I read reviews and then I called the top-rated one.
What followed was a delightful experience of customer service.
I gave her the serial number of the dishwasher. She said she'd call me back in ten minutes. Which she did. She looked up the symptoms, told me what the problem was, the cost of the replacement part and best of all, she would have it in stock by the next day.
When I said "You mean I only have one more day to swear at this thing?" , she said 'Yes, and you are to go out for supper tonight." I mentioned that I had some paper plates. She reiterated "No, I told you to go out for supper". So we did. And the next day, after I picked up the part, my husband installed it and let me tell you, it was a beautiful thing to sit in the living room and listen to the sound of the dishwasher filling up and know that any showers we had from then on would be in the bathroom.
It got to be, that if we found a way to hook the dishwasher up, where there was no shower happening, we would leave it hooked up for days, without moving it. This sounds simple enough, unless you keep in mind, that the laundry tub is the only 'sink' I have. So if the dishwasher was in use like that, I couldn't fill up pots, wash big items, or rinse out anything.
As time wore on, and we were less and less successful in finding ways to make the connection stick, I got more and more frustrated. I muttered and sputtered and said a few words that I had to ask forgiveness for later.
Before I had a complete meltdown [which might have included making the dishwasher into roadkill] I decided I had to try another tack. I stopped at the store that sells these dishwashers. I talked to a consultant to see if there was a kit I could order to get this fixed. He gave me a 1-800 number and suggested I stop at a big-box store to see if they might have a different faucet end. I took his advice. I stopped at two big-box stores. I got another 1-800 number and two different faucets ends. Neither one worked.
Then, another day, when I had some time on my hands, I called the 1-800 numbers. Two different stories. Three different prices. Each one more expensive than the last. And to top it all off, if I purchased anything and it didn't work, I couldn't take it back. Or I could call a technician and pay him twice the value of the dishwasher to come and scratch his head and say "D'ere's yurr prawblem".
I was discouraged, but not ready to give up. Suddenly,I had a profound thinking thing inside my head. I looked up Appliance Repair online. I read reviews and then I called the top-rated one.
What followed was a delightful experience of customer service.
I gave her the serial number of the dishwasher. She said she'd call me back in ten minutes. Which she did. She looked up the symptoms, told me what the problem was, the cost of the replacement part and best of all, she would have it in stock by the next day.
When I said "You mean I only have one more day to swear at this thing?" , she said 'Yes, and you are to go out for supper tonight." I mentioned that I had some paper plates. She reiterated "No, I told you to go out for supper". So we did. And the next day, after I picked up the part, my husband installed it and let me tell you, it was a beautiful thing to sit in the living room and listen to the sound of the dishwasher filling up and know that any showers we had from then on would be in the bathroom.
Comments
you brought tears to my eyes.
we think we lost our connection piece.
This translates into "Well, I guess we don't use this beautiful machine"
However, it makes a dandy Microwave stand, and is handy for storing lg. pots and baking stones in it.
And its wood like top suggests that nothing atop it, would make a great cutting board surface...
You inspire me to try again.
p.s. did you get the name of the woman who encouraged you to go out for supper...if that company had surveys of "how did we do today???" or "win $1000 for filling out our online survey"...you could have made a good case. As it was, your blog is your good case.
xoxox