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Positive Customer Service Story (kind of long)

C

ctreelmom

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
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Location
Fairfield County, CT
Since we've all had our share of negative customer service experiences lately, I thought I'd share a good one. Our not-even-two-year-old GE Profile Microwave/Convection Oven developed a peculiar problem the other night--it won't turn off! I had to either leave the door open or unplug it (no small feat since it's built in to the wall).

I called GE and the rep said, "I don't even want to try to troubleshoot this over the phone; I have heard of this problem but only very rarely. I'll send a repairman out to your house and waive the $89 fee for the call."

Me: Okay, thanks. (so far so good)

Rep: Oh, this is just not acceptable.

Me: What's not?

Rep: We can't get anybody out to you until the end of the month. Would you hold on a second please?

Me: Okay. (thinking, "here we go")

Rep: Sorry for keeping you on hold. Write down this model number please. Please go to our website or a nearby retailer and look at this machine. If it's acceptable to you, I will have one delivered, installed, and we will take away the old one for $285 including tax and delivery (it's a $500 microwave), which I can almost guarantee will be less than the cost of repairing the old one, if it can even be repaired. This way, you will have a brand new machine in your home in about 5 days as opposed to waiting almost a month before finding out if the one you have can even be repaired.

She gave me a case number, said the offer is good for 30 days and we hung up. I checked it out online, and it looks anyway like the identical model. Now part of me thinks it's wasteful to just pitch the old machine without even trying to repair it, but I'm guessing they may refurbish it and resell it after they take it out of my house. At any rate, my whole point to the story is to commend GE on empowering their phone reps to make these kinds of offers to their customers. We are going to take them up on their offer, and I will look to them again when we need something they make. :clap:
 
I'm assuming the old one was out of warranty? This way you'll also have another year's warranty, and if you put it on one of the credit cards that doubles the Mfr's warranty, you'll have even longer! Nice!
 
I'm sorry - I don't mean to sound mean. But I really think this is an example of really bad customer service.

First of all, they could not come for a month? Not good.

Then on top of that, instead of getting a repair on the only two year old applicance you own, they talk you into spending $285.00 on a brand new one.

It's true that you got a new one at a great price. It's probably what they paid for it, and it served their purpose of not having to make a service call.

No wonder GE is getting out of the applicance business.
 
Installing a built in microwave is probably the easiest installation job in the kitchen. After helping my husband do it, I think anyone who can turn a screwdriver and lift a microwave could do it.

I would have said, "Sure, deliver the new microwave, but we will install it and dispose of the old one ourselves!"

When our microwave went out it was 8 years old and way out of warrenty, plus it was the 2nd time the magnatron had gone out on the same unit. My husband removed it and put it in my car and I delivered it to our local authorized repairman. He told me that the magnetron would cost over half of what a new microwave would, and he also was concerned that this was the 2nd magnatron to go out on the same unit. He said if it was him, he would buy a new microwave (and note that he does not sell microwaves, so he would have made far more money by replacing the magnetron.) He disposed of our old unit for $15 and he wrote down the specifications for us to shop for a replacement.
 
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[Everyone is allowed to politely express their opinion here, as the posters above have done - but personal attacks are not allowed. Please stick to the topic! - DeniseM Moderator]
 
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[Response to post above removed. - DeniseM Moderator]
 
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DeniseM said:
Installing a built in microwave is probably the easiest installation job in the kitchen. After helping my husband do it, I think anyone who can turn a screwdriver and lift a microwave could do it.

I would have said, "Sure, deliver the new microwave, but we will install it and dispose of the old one ourselves!"
Click to expand...

I know it's not hard, but as with most projects in our house, it would probably sit on the floor or on the counter until dh "got around to it," lol. This way, I'm guaranteed it will go in the hole the day it arrives and, I assume, all the packaging will go away with the old machine.
 
ctreelmom said:
I know it's not hard, but as with most projects in our house, it would probably sit on the floor or on the counter until dh "got around to it," lol. This way, I'm guaranteed it will go in the hole the day it arrives and, I assume, all the packaging will go away with the old machine.
Click to expand...

If this is the kind that goes over the stove, it's the hardest thing my husband and I have ever installed. It was very heavy to lift, and we couldn't hold it straight - we had to lean over the stove. Slots in its back had to be lined up with hooks on a mounting bracket behind it. We couldn't see the hooks or slots because they were behind the oven. We couldn't hold it up and maneuver it simultaneously, so I had to lean across the stove supporting the oven on my back while my husband tried to jockey it into place. I'm sure that's not the recommended installation method - but that's all we could figure out. Never again!
 
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No - it isn't over the stove. That doesn't seem to be a popular place to put a microwave in CA - Or maybe it's the building code in CA? Stovetops have to have a hood/vent fan over the stove here - our microwave is over the built-in oven. It was simply a matter of unscrewing the trim, plugging the new microwave in, setting it in the cabinet, and replacing the trim.

It is installed something like this -

ge-JKP90SMSS.jpg
 
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Denise,
Its not code, because AD Seeno puts micro/convection/exhaust hood units over their cooktops in California. I know, cause I had one. In NV, Del Webb/Pulte puts in micro/exhaust hoods over cooktops. Again, I have one. I would prefer that I didn't, cause I'm short and can't use my left hand well, so it makes it very difficult to remove some things (liquids) from the microwave. I think if mine ever broke I'd buy a separate hood and a separate microwave and put it on the counter somewhere.

Where you have the microwave I have a second oven. I have a large regular oven, and beneath it a smaller (2/3 size) oven. We use both around the holidays, and otherwise the lower oven always has a pizza stone in it.

Regardless of how "easy" it is to replace, there are many of us who wouldn't or couldn't do it.

Fern
 
Ctreelmom,
I think GE made you a good deal. They had a recall of some of their appliances awhile back, and they gave people the option of repair or credit towards a new unit. And these units were about 6-7 years old. So they have a basis for doing this. Its good business for them, and a good deal for you if you like their products.

I've had good responses with GE's repair people, too. My microwave handle broke awhile back. I wanted them to replace it. They told me it could be done. When the repairman came out he said he knew one guy who had some luck with that, but he never did. He told me that since they told me it was repairable, he'd order a new door and replace it, but he'd only charge me for what the repair was. He'd also not charge me for a second service call when he came back. I told him that since he was coming back, could he bring me the filters for my refrigerator? He told me that two of them were only about $2. more than one, so I ordered two, and he put one in when he was there and didn't charge me.

I've been very satisfied with the service I've gotten from them.

Fern
 
Fern Modena said:
Denise,
Its not code, because AD Seeno puts micro/convection/exhaust hood units over their cooktops in California. I know, cause I had one.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you are right, I was just speculating. Anyway, it does seem like it was really easy to replace compared to the over the stove type. Literally, all we did was place it in the cabinet, plug it in, and replace the trim. However, I'm lucky that I have a husband who is handy and likes to do things himself.
 
pjrose said:
We couldn't hold it up and maneuver it simultaneously, so I had to lean across the stove supporting the oven on my back while my husband tried to jockey it into place. I'm sure that's not the recommended installation method - but that's all we could figure out. Never again!
Click to expand...

This sounds like a script for the Three Stooges!
 
pjrose said:
It was very heavy to lift, and we couldn't hold it straight - we had to lean over the stove. Slots in its back had to be lined up with hooks on a mounting bracket behind it. We couldn't see the hooks or slots because they were behind the oven. We couldn't hold it up and maneuver it simultaneously, so I had to lean across the stove supporting the oven on my back while my husband tried to jockey it into place.
Click to expand...

Patri said:
This sounds like a script for the Three Stooges!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, definitely! DH and I specialize in Three Stooges home and auto repair :wall:
 
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