About to head out to spend my lunch hour buying a new washing machine. Less than a week before Christmas. Bah, humbug. Here's a warning for those heading to Sears — if you are considering a Kenmore frontloading washer (417.43042200) then consider ours lasted a measly four years. A repairman came out from Sears yesterday and said the basket needed to be replaced and quoted us $408 dollars, which more than the washer is worth. I would not buy this brand again — as I would assume that for a large appliance like a washer, a four-year life span is pathetic.
<b>UPDATE:</b> So after a long wait at Lowe's, once one of the assocates finally managed to rustle up a salesperson for the appliance department, a very sleepy young woman spent a few minutes explaining the merits of a Whirlpool Duet that happened to be on clearance. Unfortuneatly, it turned out to be dryer. So I cut my losses and ended up back at Sears, and I have to hand it to them, despite the bum Kenmore of four years ago, they know how to staff the sales floor, and they had a pretty good selection. And the guy who helped me was knowledgeable and patient. We may be doing laundry again before the week is out! And that's pretty crucial with three kids five and under. Maytag may make washing machines, but it seems Kris and I have produced three high yield laundry machines!
