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D. Sanoy –

  

I have been the happy and impressed owner of the two previous models of Maytag portables in this same class (full size portables). They generally outperformed everyone’s built-in’s that we knew of.

Our last one needed some rack replacements and my wife wanted white. To put parts on the old beast (which had never had a single service call) would have cost around $250. So who wouldn’t look at $500 for a new one and do that? I should have listened to my wife!

On day one the door made odd noises and didn’t go down all the way. After 3 months and many calls it was finally working as it should have. The tech explained that our old unit had a metal tub and the new models have plastic and they bend more easily.

We are 4 months short of the 2 year mark and here are the problems:
*) Chipboard top is disintegrating over the steam port due to exposure to steam – previous two models NEVER did this.
*) Leaks from front left side
*) Does not drain about 1 out of every 10 washes
*) silverware rack is giving out on the bottom. We never put sharp knives in our racks and the previous two units the silverware rack lasted 5+ years.
*) Door now sags about 3 inches lower than it should

I called Maytag “Customer Experience” – and it take forever to get anyone on the phone (just don’t answer any voice prompts and after about 3 minutes of pesting to push buttons, you will get a human). They don’t acknowledge any service problems or quality issues – but the guy knew I knew otherwise because I told him I’m a third time buyer. Since it’s out of the 1 year warranty, they won’t do a thing.

Our extended warranty does not cover “cosmetic” things – which apparently includes silverware racks! Don’t rely on the comfort of an extended warranty – you still have to spend way too much time calling, following up, being present for maintenance – very painful – extended warranties do not compensate for product quality.

If you start to have these problems inside of one year -address them immediately – maybe you’ll get to the magic “lemon law” limitation of 3 service calls for the same thing and they have to replace it.

Maytag – you have effectively taken me from being an impressed, bragging rights client to “will never purchase again” in one sale.

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Shannon Adams (Millburn, NJ) –

  

I, like the previous reviewer, had been extremely happy with my previous Maytag portable- it probably saved my marriage. With the previous one, all we had to do is scrape our dishes into the trash and load them. No one had to “do” the dishes- we NEVER rinsed. The dishes came out gleaming. Pots and pans looked like new every time they came out of the machine. I had to rewash something perhaps three times in five years. I used to sincerely thank God for our dishwasher because it was one of those appliances that truly saved me work and time. And then one day the arm stopped spinning- probably a motor problem, and with a $250.00 to $300.00 service call ahead of us, we made the same decision as the previous reviewer: let’s just buy a new one.

In comparison, this new Maytag model just could not hold a candle to the old. The first time I washed with it, I thought I was just loading it wrong. I re-read the directions (incidentally and ironically, the manual tells people NOT to pre-rinse, in spite of what I am about to advise) and tried different loading patterns. I checked that the machine was full of the right detergent and rinse aid. It just was not cleaning like the old one. Finally I called Maytag and they sent a repairman out.

The repairman tested the machine and then gave it to me straight: the machine works just as it was designed to do. UNFORTUNATELY, in the past few years since Whirlpool and Maytag became one company, and the government has encouraged companies to design machines to be more “energy efficient”, the level of “effectiveness” has taken a dive; and there isn’t any great competition out there to improve the technology again. (I asked if there was some other machine out there I should have purchased instead.)

In other words, if you have an old machine that has always cleaned beautifully, spend whatever cash you can to fix it, because the technology is actually better. Or go to Canada and bring back one; kind of like the people who travel up there to bring back toilets that actually flush the first time you push the lever. (Anyone who has a “water saver” toilet knows it takes two flushes to do the job. Does this actually save water?)

If, like me, it is too late for you (and I actually cried when I realized I couldn’t get my old machine back) the repairman said something interesting that has helped a lot: “It would take this machine running three times to clean as well as your old machine.” So… energy efficient be damned… we run it on the “rinse only” cycle first, then run it on the “heavy” cycle, even if it is just plates, bowls and spoons, and then we check- and if there is still crust, we run another “rinse only” cycle. That seems to do the trick.

Start the process right after dinner, and you should still have clean dishes to put away in the morning! Though the pots and pans won’t gleam like the old days…

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Arden (St Louis, MO, United States) –

  

We have owned a Maytag protable for 1 1/2 years and have had 3 service calls for the same problem. The washer that connects to the faucet starts leaking and sprays water all over. Now, if I could just have the washer replaced it wouldn’t be so bad, but the whole hose has to be replaced. This costs $130 even with my extended warranty. Buy anything else!Maytag Jetclean Plus Series MDC4809AWB 24 Portable Dishwasher – Black

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