Moffat - GE Appliances Dishwasher cleans floors and cost over $14,000 in damages Toronto Ontario

Here's the story in a nut shell for anyone considering a GE or Moffat appliance
I purchased a Moffat model MHSD210 dishwasher from Home Depot on July 13th, 2008.

I returned home from a business trip near the end of November, went to bed, then awoke around 4 am one morning to the sound of my wall unit crashing on the floor in my basement bathroom, shattering all the glass shelves. I found the basement bathroom flooded with water coming down the walls and from the ceiling. The damage originated from the dishwasher upstairs which had flooded my kitchen cabinets and made it's way downstairs into the bathroom.
It took 3 days, but a technician who was dispatched by G.E from a local repair shop did attended and determined it was the fitting where the water supply line goes into that had failed. He said there was water stains on the fitting and it had likely been leaking slowly for some time before it 'let go' and really started to flood. It would take about 6 weeks for the technician to return and replace the faulty part.

During this time I contacted Moffat/GE customer service. I was upset at the damage it had caused, and wanted them to cover the cost. I didn't want to put it through my own insurance as the dishwasher was almost bran new.

I left several messages for a manager to contact me, gave them my work, cell, and home numbers. Someone did call and left a message on my home number claiming to be a manager, let me know that they were not responsible for damage caused by a malfunction, and told me to call the 1-800 number if I had any questions. I called back and asked to speak with the manager, telling the person I would go talk to a lawyer if they really feel they are not responsible. The person who left the message called back in a few hours, apologized for leaving the message, let me know he wasn't really a manager and wasn't allowed to tell me what they are or are not responsible for. He told me he would pass along my information to a manager and they would call me back within 48 hours.

Several days went by and I was eventually contacted by 'Jackie' who says she is a Customer Relations Manager. It took weeks but she did review the statement from the repair person to confirm the part had failed and caused the damage, and said they would cover the cost up to a certain amount, or if it was a higher amount, it would go through their insurance. She asked me to contact a restoration company to get an estimate, which I had already done.

6 weeks went by and I called Jackie a number of times asking about damage. The reapir company didn't order a new part because they thought Moffat would replace the dishwasher with a new one. I asked Jackie if they were going to do this. She said they would not, as it was their policy to repair the faulty one. So 6 weeks after the technician removed the faulty part, a new one was ordered and he came to install it.

The restoration company was at my house a few days later (early December) and came up with a figure of just over $14,000 to repair all the damage the dishwasher caused.

Weeks passed and many phone calls were made to Jackie. I was told the claim was higher than they could pay so it was going to their insurance company.

I was eventually contacted by the insurance company near the end of February 2009. They advised me that there were sending someone over to take more pictures of the damage and get a statement. An adjuster showed up within days, took the pictures and got the statement. Jackie at Moffat had been telling me that the claim was already with them, but apparently the insurance company did not receive it until February 13th.

March 25th, 2009. The recently repaired washer leaked again. This time it was from the filler hose attached to the valve that ruptured the first time. The hose is secured by a piece of tape holding it into a filler on the side of the tub. The tape let go and the lose hose pumped water again under my cabinets and down into my washroom.

I called Moffat Customer Relations again and asked for Jackie. A customer service representative told me Jackie was on vacation and would not return until March 30th. I explained the situation and asked if she could put me through to another manager but was told that no one else there would be able to help me as she had my file.

I then called the insurance company again and eventually the adjuster came back to take more pictures of the new damage and take another statement.

It's now March 27th. The Restoration company that Jackie told me to call has been here twice to do estimates. The insurance adjuster has also been here twice now after each flood to take pictures and get a statement. No damage has been repaired. My dishwasher was repaired a second time when the authorized repairman drilled a hole in the bracket on the side of the machine and zip-tied the hose to it so it won't come out again. Another manager 'Jenette' at GE has said they would replace the washer with another of the same (with tape holding the filler hose in place), or I can pay the difference and get a better one with s design that does not include tape for holding a water hose in palace.

I've owned the dishwasher for 8 months now. It's caused two floods and $14,000 damage. Been out of service for two months. No damage has been repaired that their product caused to my house.

I've never dealt with worse customer service ever! 48+ hours for a call back from a 'Customer Relations Manager' is ridiculous. When you do call, even with the person's extension number you have to sit on hold for up to 30 minutes, then answer questions with a call center rep before they will transfer me to the person I'm calling. They had someone call me and lie about being a manager. And they tell me the second time it floods my house that I have to wait a week for someone to call me back about it because person working with my file is on vacation?

They have so far given me a choice of exchanging it for an identicle model (with tape holding the hose again), or I can pay the difference and upgrade to a better model with a better design.

Anyone thinking about buying these brands are aware of what you can expect as far as quality and customer service.

Kevin5069
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
Canada