SS/NSS: Microwave failure

[Markel]

A while ago I had to replace the over-the-range microwave that I had gotten about 10 years earlier when we moved into this house. I found a Samsung "shelf" model (no box) at Best Buy (that had good ratings in Consumer Reports) that was a decent price. Well, this last Tuesday the replacement microwave was making an unusual noise and nothing would get hot. I couldn't find the sales receipt, but from my credit card records I could tell that I had bought it on January 29, 2006. Warranty: 1 year. Just great.... :( Well, when I was looking at things online, it said that if I registered the purchase, I would get a 3 month warranty extension - I did it, and the info said I had the extension. I then had my wife go to Best Buy to see if they could print off a receipt - sure enough, they could. I then called up Samsung to inquire about a warranty repair (which, for an over-the-range installation, would be an in-home service). They said it was covered (YAY!!! :)) and gave me a place to call. I called the place and they said that they didn't do in-home microwave service (booo! :(). I called Samsung and they gave me another place to contact and told me to wait until the next morning to call because they were faxing everything over to the place. :) Friday morning I call the place, and they say that I'm outside of their service area :((Samsung says 25 miles range, and I'm about 20 miles from the place). So I call back Samsung and tell them, and they say that they will have to arrange for a special authorization and someone will call us. So now we wait (with no microwave). I will say that the Samsung customer service reps have been extrememly polite and helpful :). It just seems that they are unable to arrange for service for someone in the heart of the third-largest metropolitan area in the country. :( (Their web site mentioned a connection with Maytag Service, but the phone reps said they had discontinued using them.)

[LPMiller]

yeah, that's a problem with samsung in general. If you just need a replacement, they are good about sending them out. But finding a service in your area that actually works on samsung is a major pain in the butt, whether it's for TV's or microwaves. Considering just how big a company they are, it's kinda sad.

Having said that, we just bought a new Sharp microwave (every sharp I've ever had has lasted 10 plus years) that is the single greatest microwave I've ever used. It has a sensor cook on it that autocooks the food, depending on what it is. I've never had a more perfectly cooked tv dinner or bag of popcorn in my life.

[renovation]

Here is what I have found in the past on a microwave oven and this is no bullcr-p. My wife and her mom both went out and bought brand new microwaves that were the same model number, make and looked the same. My father-in-law cleaned theirs one day and washed the keypad. Well he killed the touch pad-he had pressed the wrong buttons at the same time or something. About a year or two later we wanted to take our unit to a dump, so I said why not go check and see if the in-laws kept that old unit. He did like I figured (he won't trash anything). So I take our unit apart and then found the bad part. I took their unit apart and the two units were different internally. I was like wtf-the units were the same model number, make and bought at the same time. And they looked just the same on the outer shell but internally they were different. :( What a waste of my time! And a new unit only costed me like $100 (they had dropped from the $250 plus the wife and mother-in-law had paid)!

[Napoleon54]

That was a lot of back and forth between yellow and blue smileys!

Good luck with your repair Markel.

[Markel]

yeah, that's a problem with samsung in general. If you just need a replacement, they are good about sending them out. But finding a service in your area that actually works on samsung is a major pain in the butt, whether it's for TV's or microwaves. Considering just how big a company they are, it's kinda sad.
Well, your statement has proven quite true. Here is a "comment" I just submitted via the Samsung web site:

Dear Samsung,

On Feb. 8, 2007, I called regarding a failure on my over-the-range Samsung microwave (I suspect magnetron failure) which is still under warranty (due to the 3-month warranty extension as a result of on-line registration). Since then, I have called back nearly a dozen times, had 3 separate service authorization numbers (4001abcdef, 4001cdefgh, 4001efghij), and been told that even though I live in the heart of the third largest metropolitan area in the USA that Samsung cannot find a service provider who will perform in-home warranty service. Your support staff has been very friendly and courteous whenever I have called, but the helpfulness has seemed to end as soon as I hang up the telephone. At this point I don't appear to be any closer to a resolution than I was when I placed my initial call 5 WEEKS AGO! THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF "SERVICE"! I am regretting that I chose your brand for my purchase.

PLEASE TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER IMMEDIATELY!

Thank you.

Markel
H: 123-456-7890
W: 123-987-6543

[stufine]

lets hope the LG over the range i just bought last longer than a year or 2. My old microwave lasted about 20 years and we only replaced it to go with the over the range one. LOL i can see this getting ugly

[oblongmelon]

I barely use my microwave anymore. Mostly for popcorn and heating up my bag o'corn heating pad for when I need some constant heat on my elbow. It amazes me that I actually used to use the darn thing to cook with. It sucks. It takes up way to much counter top space (and it's a small model)..it's becoming one of those useless appliances that just sit around crying for someone to use it like my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Pot.

[renovation]

have you tryed sears or s&G applince repair they are from what i understand company service reps .for a lot of major companys

[DarkFury]

Wow... that's a rough break there Markel.

Honestly, I am still using the Kenmore microwave (I'm assuming that Kenmores are really "rebadged" Sanyo or Sharp.)oven that was given to me as a high school graduation gift (which was to be my microwave in my dorm room at college.)

This thing is almost 20 years old now (purchased in 1988) and it still works great. It's never been serviced and never ever done anything to warrant me replacing it. Pretty much it just seems like it is on that "indestructible" level with my old 19" Sears LXI (i.e. Sanyo or possibly Sharp again :D )college television that was purchased at the same time.

Hmmmmm... were those electronics really THAT good back in the day? They sure have held up against the test of time. :D

[johnnymk]

Wow... that's a rough break there Markel.



Hmmmmm... were those electronics really THAT good back in the day? They sure have held up against the test of time. :D

They were definitely made better then. About 5 years ago, I took a VCR which I purchased around 1982 to a repair guy I knew. He said that the old VCR was worth repairing because of the sturdier components compared to current models.

Same with an old Radio Shack cordless phone. The guy at the local Radio Shack told me to keep my ancient phone because of it's superior construction.

[Markel]

Well, after all this, I called up Samsung this past Monday, and they told me they were going to authorize Best Buy to give me a new microwave. A day or so later we got a call from Best Buy with an authorization number. Tonight I took the broken microwave in and walked out with a new one (equivalent model to the one I returned). Best Buy offered to sell me a 4 year warranty for $60, which I decided to get. I figured that the old microwave gave out in just over a year, so if something happens in the next 4 I'll be set rather than having to shell out $300 for a new unit. (The guy at Best Buy claims that dealing with their service is much easier than dealing with Samsung.)

At least installing the new one was pretty easy, since it uses the same mounting bracket as the old one.

[renovation]

glad it turned out all right for you !

[Markel]

Well, buying the Best Buy extended warranty has paid off. Last week the microwave ("new" replacement from last March) stopped working (the internal fan didn't run so the whole thing would shut down after running for a few minutes). Called Best Buy, they scheduled a guy to show up last Friday (4-7pm) but he didn't show (I called later Friday evening and got rescheduled for today). The guy showed up and fixed it. Glad I've got 3.5 years left on this warranty. :D

[Jcranmer]

Must be the year for microwave failure. Ours finally died (a few months ago) after about 8 years of use. Not bad really. I don't even remember the brand now.

I never really thought about how much we use the thing, until we didn't have one for a couple of days!

[InfiniteNothing]

I gotta find out who makes my mom's microwave. The thing is so old, it apparently predates spinny trays on the bottom. I have a 5 year old panasonic that I've been pretty happy with. The thing is quite powerful: 1300W

[DarkFury]

Well, buying the Best Buy extended warranty has paid off. Last week the microwave ("new" replacement from last March) stopped working (the internal fan didn't run so the whole thing would shut down after running for a few minutes). Called Best Buy, they scheduled a guy to show up last Friday (4-7pm) but he didn't show (I called later Friday evening and got rescheduled for today). The guy showed up and fixed it. Glad I've got 3.5 years left on this warranty. :D
Honestly, this sounds more like a reason to not buy a SAMSUNG microwave. (Another brand might not have all of these issues...)

Other brands might not have this high failure rate... or maybe your household is just "harsh" on microwaves. :D

[uncledaddy]

Once had an old Tappan about 20 years ago. Worked extremely well and I would probably still be using it today, but the damn thing weighed a ton and I got tired of having to lift it whenever I moved.

[Houdini]

Wow... that's a rough break there Markel.

Honestly, I am still using the Kenmore microwave (I'm assuming that Kenmores are really "rebadged" Sanyo or Sharp.)oven that was given to me as a high school graduation gift (which was to be my microwave in my dorm room at college.)


Back when I worked summers and Christmases at Sears, most Kenmores were Whirlpools. And most LXI TVs were Magnavoxes (or "Maggetboxes" as the service guys called them.)

[Markel]

I had a friend who worked for an appliance service company tell me that Samsung was a desirable brand. Of course, seeing that his job was repairing them.... :shifty:

[DarkFury]

Back when I worked summers and Christmases at Sears, most Kenmores were Whirlpools. And most LXI TVs were Magnavoxes (or "Maggetboxes" as the service guys called them.)
Whirlpool is one of the brands I trust. My current Fridge and Washer & Dryer are the Whirlpool variants of the Kenmore brand of a similar model. :thumb:


I had a friend who worked for an appliance service company tell me that Samsung was a desirable brand. Of course, seeing that his job was repairing them.... :shifty:


Ha ha... j00 got "set up". :heh:

[Markel]

Ha ha... j00 got "set up". :heh:
I had already bought the Samsung - he made the comment once when he was visiting my house (he's from out-of-town).

[DarkFury]

I had already bought the Samsung - he made the comment once when he was visiting my house (he's from out-of-town).
Yeah.. he was like "YEAHHHH!!!! 2 thumbs up!!!! You'll be seeing me soon!" :D