Viking Dishwasher
Written: Nov 18 '08
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Pros: Gas Stove works well. Even heat and great convection features.
Cons: Dishwasher is very problematic and failed completely after one year.
The Bottom Line: Stopped working after one year, repaired and failed again.
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| pjh986's Full Review: Viking Professional DFUD140 24 in. Built-in Dishwa... |
We purchased three Viking Appliances in April of 2005 which included a Refrigerator, a gas stove, and dishwasher. We so far have had good success with the stove. It has worked well and we have been very satisfied with how it cooks and bakes. We especially liked the convection feature.
The refrigerator so far has only stopped working once. Turning it off completely, using the power switch, apparently reset the on-board controller and it returned to working. It did have and ice build up problem once which eventually caused the bottom loading freezer to ice up so badly that it wouldn't open. This forced us to shut it off for a day so the ice would melt that allowed us to open the freezer drawer. It turned out to be a seal problem involving the door and once that was adjusted it no longer ices up. The refrigerator does keep food very cold and the food lasts longer and is fresher overall so I'm more satisfied than not with the refrigerator.
My major complaint is with the dishwasher. After only one year it stopped working requiring a service call. We learned that since we didn't buy the dishwasher from the Viking Distributor in our area that they wouldn't come out and fix it immediately. We would have to wait for two weeks. No problem since that was the only Viking Authorized Dealer in our area. After the wait the serviceman showed up and was unable to fix our dishwasher. He made frequent trips outside to call on his cell phone to someone for advice. We later learned he was calling a more experienced repairman from another Viking Dealer. Anyway the first repair guy ended up taking apart the dishwasher and replaced one of the pumps. That didn't work so he put back the old pump (which he took apart) and then claimed the "control board" was the problem. He couldn't fix it so we were back on the phone with Viking and they arranged to send out a second repair guy from a different dealer. The second guy came out and we learned that he was the guy giving advise to the first guy and that the first guy shouldn't have taken the pump motor apart and then put it back in. He also said it wasn't the "control board" but did say it needed another pump motor which he didn't have with him but because he was going out of town he needed to take the dishwasher with him. He promised to fully repair it and it would be "better than new" when he brought it back. He did return a few weeks later with our dishwasher and it worked. All of this was facilitated through Viking who assured us that this would all be done under warranty. Repair guy number two returned our dishwasher he tried to bill us $350 for "repairs." Naturally we refused to pay a bill that the manufacturer agreed to cover and we are anticipating litigation. Since that time, the dishwasher has just stopped working again. I suspect it is the same problem. Something to do with one of the pump motors.
Bottom line- We had extreme difficulty first finding someone who would even work on a Viking appliance, secondly there appears to be a major disconnect between Viking and their dealer network. Third, Viking Dealers don't seem to cooperate or work with each other and are very protective of their territories. Fourth, Viking doesn't seem to train their repair personnel very well. Fifth, prices for repair or replacement parts are excessively priced. We were quoted $600 to replace the " control board" when the original purchase price of the whole dishwasher was around $1200. Not to mention that there was nothing wrong with the "control board." Lastly, major appliances should last for years without breaking down, not months. Especially appliances costing double or triple what everyday brands cost. Viking reminds me of American Car companies in the 1970's all claiming to be innovative and producing high quality goods when in fact the opposite is true.
I guess I should consider myself lucky in that I only got stuck with a bad dishwasher. From reading other posts, a lot of folks have had problems with Viking Stoves and Refrigerators as well. I can't recommend Viking to anyone looking to upgrade their appliances. An appliance should last more that a year before it stops working.
PJH
Anacortes, WA
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 1200
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Epinions.com ID:
pjh986
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Reviews written: 1
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