SwiftVets.com

[SpookGroup_Stache]

As Posted on SEVERAL Forums and Chat rooms ALL OVER the Internet:

Newlyweds August 12, 1989.
Buy a used pair of Maytag Washer & Dryer (Copper colored that they stopped making sometime mid '70s).
Had them through three moves and only replaced the Motor one time and had to clean and lube the motor tracks a couple times.
June 14, 2004. Finally had to replace the washer, and based on having a ten year old (or older) Maytag for fifteen years, we decide to buy a new Maytag $365.
June 28, 2006 New Drive Pulley and belt. Two year old PLASTIC Pulley wore out and chewed up the belt. $145.80
March 13, 2007 Broke Brake needs Drive Pulley "KIT" which includes the brake and the Plastic Pulley and Belt ("Sorry can't get just the brake by itself, it only comes in the "KIT") $183.
July 5th 2007 While on my little Vaca the washer quits again. Look underneath and sure enough there is a broken piece hanging out of the water pump. How do I know it is the water pump? Am I a trained technician? Well, there are three things hooked to that whazzit, a hose from the tub, a hose to the drain, and a belt around the pulley underneath it, I think it is the water pump.
Call Maytag 1-800-688-9900 and the first couple of minutes of voicemail hell you have to listen to notices about a couple of recalls on their products (this is building my confidence). One hour dance on the phone with Maytag explaining that I do not want to pay another $150 repair and have a three year old machine that I am not confident will keep working three weeks longer. I'd rather go spend $450 and get a new machine with at least 12 months warranty. Maytag says they will warranty the pump but I have to pay $65 service, to which I say OK. I further tell them to make sure their third party contract service provider shows up with the correct water pump for my model, serial number, and revision of machine (they have all the numbers) because I know it is the water pump.
July 7, 2007 3rd party service tech shows up. Looks under the machine, sees part hanging out of whazzit and says "Wow, I have never seen a water pump fall apart like that before. I hope I have a replacement on the truck.” One hour plus on the phone with several other techs and tech support and he decides he can use the pump he has even though it isn't exactly the called for part number. $218.35!!!!
$65 to come out, $70.18 for the part and an hour and a half labor of which one hour plus was the research to see if the water pump he had on the truck could be used on our machine. Maytag did NOT hand off the call with the note that it was definitely the water pump (A&E Service never trusts Maytag or customers diagnosis anyway). Also Maytag DID NOT provide an authorization number for the warranty on the part. Saturday and NOBODY is answering the phone at Maytag, not even if you try to press 1 "if you are in a store and going to buy a Maytag". It is either pay the $218 or he has to take the pump back out. I say take the pump and the washer both and get the hell out. WIFE says "If it is working pay him, I have to do laundry."
July 9th, 2007 I call Maytag and after several runarounds (I will not take NO from someone who does not have the authority to give me a YES) we finally get an approval to credit me for the part but I have to take it up with A&E for the labor. I also have to submit a letter and copy of the bill to get the reimbursement. Next call A&E to see about a credit for the hour and a half labor of which over an hour was the kibutz on whether he could use the part he had. She starts to get a little huffy with me when I finally lower the boom. "This was paid for with an American Express Card, you can either credit all but the $65 or I will protest the full $218.35 and you will get bupkis."
She agrees to credit all but the $65 and the part.
We will see what shows up on next months bill.
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Spook Group Stache
"In GOD we trust...
all others we monitor."
US Naval Security Group
www.SpookGroup.org

[DLI78]

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger over there. Three years ago we bought a house, needed all new stuff for the kitchen since the existing was antique crapola. Looked at the stuff at Lowes. All the best prices for the kinds of stuff we wanted was Maytag. Used to be a good brand. OK.

Stove sucks. Supposed to have a power boost burner for a higher flame. My old Zippo lighter had a better flame. Fridge? Don't go there. I regret not getting a Sears brand like the one I had before. The dishwasher is a great place to store dirty dishes until you hand wash them. The condo I had before this house had an antique GE dishwasher. I should have gone with that brand.

Nothing has fallen off yet, but they don't work as well as you'd expect from a name brand. Maybe what you'd expect from a used appliance store.

If only Maytag made vacuum cleaners. Then you could truthfully say you have a Maytag product that really doesn't suck.
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DLI 78
Army Linguist
1978-1986

[BuffaloJack]

This really is a problem today. NOTHING is made to last.
It used to be that you could buy a large appliance and it would last a couple of decades. Now figure on 3 years.
Cases in point: We bought a vacuum cleaner when we moved into our house in 1979. It lasted until 6 years ago. We replaced it with a Dirt Devil that fell apart in less than 3 years. Then replaced it with a Bissell that is now almost 3 years old and it too needs replacement.
Our Washer lasted 24 years, to be replaced by a piece of crap of the same brand that lasted 4 years and has been replaced already with something else.
Same for the dryer. 24 years original, 3 years for first replacement and 5 for second replacement.
I don't even want to discuss VCRs and DVD players. How long do they last? 2 years max? You can pile one of the recently deceased DVD players on top of a stack of 2 or 3 that each replaced each other in the basement. Same for VCRs.

Why is this? (my opinion)
When all the computer aided design came into use (and fashion), manufacturers said why should I pay an engineer to design this stuff when a drafter with a 2 year degree can pump out designs for much less money? - Yes they can, but they lack the skills of a degreed engineer to design something that works, works well and will last. They can hit the button to get a stress analysis, but they lack the insight to properly formulate the inputs to the analysis, consequently, garbage -in-garbage-out.

Also, we farm out everything to third world countries where the people assembling the products are uneducated and fulfill the function of a robot in an assembly line, but without the repetitiveness of a robot, they make mistakes.

Two years ago, we bought a cheap DVD player from Walmart the day after Thankgiving. We didn't open it right away, but put it aside. In late January when I tried it out, it wouldn't even power up. I took it and the receipt back, whereupon, I was greeted with, "Ah, that's where it is, we've been waiting for the last one of the shipment, every one of the units sold failed right out of the box, and we were wondering when it was coming home."
How can they sell stuff with a 100% failure rate upon opening the box and plugging it in? Answer, because it's cheap.
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Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71)

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Yeah, the only way to stay sane is to consider everything disposable. A new computer every two years, a new washer and dryer every five. Prices are so low that they really are pretty much disposable. They don't even make replacement parts for some appliances.

Glad you got the customer service people to see things your way.

I just bought a little computerized sewing machine - it's last year's model, so I got it cheap. It's made on an aluminum frame with nylon gears and drives. Weighs ten pounds. I will use it a lot because it makes buttonholes and fancy stitches automatically. It will probably be on it's last legs two years from now. Disposable.

At the same time, I bought a copy of the machine I learned to sew on - it weighs roughly the same as a refrigerator and cost five times what the new machine cost. (And incidentally, almost the same price as it cost, brand new.) But, I know from experience that it will sew through four layers of denim or sail cloth without a whimper or a missed stitch. It will do buttonholes and fancy stitches, but I will have to set it up for each one. The machine is already almost 60 years old, but it'll be 250 before it lays down for good. Not disposable.
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~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[baldeagle]

About 20 years or so ago, we needed a new vacuum cleaner. Money at the time was kinda tight, so I stopped by the local "New & Used" Vacuum repair store here in Mineola. Bought a refurbished Kirby, I have no idea what year it was manufactured, just that it was used and refurbished by the shop owner.
We are still using it with an occasional replacement of belt (twice in 20 years) and brushes (once).
Its the old type, though where you have to remove the bag every once in a while and empty it.
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"In a word, I want an American character, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this, in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at home." --George Washington

[Snipe]

I had a Sears freezer that I bought in 1975 when I moved to Oxnard while stationed at Port Hueneme. It died last winter. The War Department bought a Crosley. The guys who "delivered" it couldn't
get it down the basement so it sits hulking in my kitchen. They couldn't get the old one out of my basement so it sits there. Now that I don't need the freezer space, I'm trading with my #1 kid. My Crosley for her old small freezer. She has plans for buying a cow and a pig. So she gets the big one and I get a small one. Sounds reasonable.

On the other side of the coin, My five year old HP 'puter works just fine and with windows XP. The two Oreck vaccuum cleaners work just fine. The two old CRT tvs also work just fine. I'm thinking LCD HD tv lately, but there's so durn little to watch, it's kinda a "why bother". The Honda and the Saturn work just fine as do the GE washer and dryer. The water heater and furnace (air conditioner) also work just fine and are within 5 years old. The fridge is a Sears and just sits there keeping things cool. The stove needs more oomph, but aside from that works just fine. The Bunn coffee maker usually lasts about 8 years until the seal goes from age. Then it's time to trash it and get another. I did have an Admrial fridge that only lasted a year. It was made 40 miles up the road in Galesburg. The compressor went and that was replaced under warrenty, but the door linings were popping out. The trash folks took it away.

Nice rant.


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Tin Can Sailor

[Me#1You#10]

[Snipe]

Actually, I was thinking more on the lines of NASCAR...

Hopefully the prices drop around the Christmas season like they did last year.
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Tin Can Sailor

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

I'm hoping for that pre-Christmas price drop too - hubs loves NASCAR.

I can't remember the last time I watched anything on television. I usually have it on for background noise, but since I got an iPod, I don't do that, either.

I listen 24/7 to old time radio shows from the 30's and 40's - a lot more entertaining than the schlock that passes for comedy, today.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[BuffaloJack]

Wow EJ,
I didn't anyone but me listened to the OTR shows. They are really good and free to boot. There are a ton of internet broadcasts of them. I kind of like the CRIMETIME radio broadcast that goes 24/7.
Jack
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Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71)

[dusty]

A neighbor has the identical 52" LCD Projection tv I have. He pays Dishnetwork about $100 a mo. for their HD Receiver and the HD programming. Not many channels are yet broadcast in HD however.
It looks really good on the channels that are in HD.

I have the basic Dishnetwork package for $39.95 a mo. I also have an RCA Upconverting DVD Recorder/player. ($98.00 at Walmart of course)
Every channel and every DVD I play is sent to the TV at 1080i through the Upconverting DVD Recorder/player on a HDMI cable.

Neighbor is really p.o.'d. Every dish channel I get looks every bit as good as the actual HD stuff on his tv. We have watched both with the same movies, and DVDs, regular DVDs on mine and HD DVDs on his. Neither of us can see any difference.
Just an FYI for anyone wanting apparent HD quality picture without the HD price tag.
Purists will argue but this is my real world experience.

Dusty
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Left and Wrong are the opposite of Right!

[Snipe]

Hmmmm. I have just regular cable, however I have since gone to Broadband for the 'puter and got my cable hardware upgraded to the digital stuff. The upshot is that I got a marked boost in my reception especially on the lower channels that were really iffy before. I guess that I'll eventually go to digital cable but the thing is that the regular CRT sets work just fine (although not anywhere LCD). Reminds me of when the color sets first came out and everyone was buying them for big bucks. I kept my old B&W for the longest time.
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Tin Can Sailor

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Yep, Buffalo, I am crazy about OTR. Lum & Abner is my favorite, but I like pretty much all the old comedies. Fibber McGee & Molly, The Great Gildersleeve, Burns & Allen, Phil Harris & Alice Faye, My Friend Irma.

And My Favorite Husband, the precursor to "I Love Lucy," with Richard Denning as husband to Lucille Ball. Great stuff back then.

I don't care much for the "dee-tek-a-tiv" or mystery genres - no drama, actually, except for an occasional Gunsmoke and the Lux Radio Theatre which alternated comedy with drama. All the big-name stars from back then. I think I have copies of all the Lux Radio Theater shows that are known to exist. Same with Lum & Abner. The shows span the mid-30's to the mid-50's.

Dusty, I'd say, "Wow, how cool," but dayummmmm.... I'm not sure what it is that you said, there! I do get that a great picture is costing you about $60 less every month than your neighbor's?

$60/month would cure me of any inclination to be a "purist." When we get the old man's big screen, can I call on you for technical advice?

Have fun!
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[BuffaloJack]

EJ,
Lum & Abner are actually my favorites too. You do know that Lum & Abner actually made a couple of black & white movies, too. I think at least 4 of their old films can be obtained in the five dollar range from Oldies.com. I'll bet you didn't know that Casablanca and a few other favorites were radio plays before they were movies. There are 2 different radio versions, I think I actually liked the Alan Ladd version better.
Jack
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Swift Boats - Qui Nhon (12/69-4/70), Cat Lo (4/70-5/70), Vung Tau (5/70-12/71)

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Well... wonderful world! I wish I could go and live in Pine Ridge. I think Abner must have been one of my grandfathers - I certainly act like him, sometimes. One of my favorite people in the world and he isn't even real, darnit. Seriously funny stuff, that show.

I have Two Weeks to Live, So This is Washington and Bashful Bachelor. I bought the movies just for visual reference - one of these days, I'm going to sculpt 1/12 scale figures of Lum & Abner and put them into a little Jot'em Down store roombox.

No, I didn't know that about the movies - but it doesn't surprise me. Lots of things were done on the stage before radio came along, and on radio before television came along. I'll have to look around and see if I can find the radio versions, thanks.
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~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother