I owned a Maytag washer for over 20 years with never a problem. When it started to "die" I tried to use a general home warranty that guaranteed to fix or replace any appliance registered with the company. They passed the job onto Sears. It was a nightmare. The repairmen showed up late, if at all, and would tell me that it needed a part that they would have to order. This scenario literally went on for 2 months--little or no work done, just endless excuses and missed appointments.
I finally called a local Maytag dealer and he told me the part allegedly needed was inexpensive and readily available so I went and purchased it and demanded that Sears come asap to do the repair. When the repair man showed up 6 hours late (and they would never call to let me know there would be a delay), he decided it needed a new transmission but said he was sure the warranty company would not agree to replace it but would decide to just give me a cash payout toward a new washer. Nope, the company insisted that Sears replace it becauste that is what their contract with Sears requires.
So another man came about a week later and took the transmission out. He left a ton of pieces all over the basement floor and told me not to touch anything. Two weeks later someone else came to install a rebullt transmission. After hours of work, they could not get it to work. So, finally the warranty company agreed to "total it out" my machine and sent me a paltry check to use toward a new washer.
One of the many repair guys told me "off the record" that since Sears had taken over most aspects of Maytag sales and warranty work, the job had become a nightmare for the repair crews. Many had left the job, even after 10 years of employment, because conditions had become intolerable. They were grossly understaffed and would be given more work than could ever be handled. So the men were forced to make up excuses to customers each day about having to return with "parts" at a later date.
I subsequently saw numerous complaints about this on consumer forums and heard it first-hand from people I know socially. I vowed not to buy any Sears or Maytag appliances. But you know how that goes--bad memories fade as time passes. So, last year I purchased a Sears microwave-convection oven on-line because it was top-rated by Consumer Reports. I was later told by Sears that there would be a 4-6 week wait for delivery, even though I had received a confirmation on-line that it would be delivered a week later. I was told that they had a few in stock at the store if we wished to pick it up. Well when we arrived, no one could find it. Then I received almost daily automated phone calls that my order was ready for pick-up but each time I called to confirm it, phiones would go unanswered for a long period of time and if answered, I would be transferred from one department to another (like jewelry, toys, etc...) and if I ever made it to the pick-up department, I was told that they had nothing there in my name.
I finally sent an Email and received a call from a CSR who apologized profusely and said they would deliver the oven to my home two days later at no extra cost. Well guess what--no delivery, no one could tell my why or when, the automated calls kept coming each day telling me that my order was ready for pick up, they double billed my American Express card for the oven AND the non-existent "free" delivery that never happened. Similar complaints are all over the web.
After over 40 years of patronizing Sears, I will NEVER buy anything from them again. According to stock market analysts, Sears business is off badly because of these problems. I recently wandered into a Sears store while in a mall, not realizing that I had entered enemy territory. The store was in such poor condition, I thought it was some poor no-name store going out of business.
Please think twice about purchasing anything from Sears. "It just ain't what it used to be". And neither is Maytag.
After much research, I purchased an LG washer two years ago from Home Depot. I am sooo pleased with it. It does an amazing job cleaning the laundry, and has many useful settings that are quite easy to understand. The reviews are very positive. I have met strangers who rave about it too, including a woman from Canada with several children and grandchildren who iis not a TUGger but happened upon my rental ad on TUG last year rented one of our units.
