Washing Machine Mold Settlement: Maytag and Kenmore Suit

[Guest guest]

We had some moldy washing machine posts earlier in the year, I recall...this

is a settlement for that!

From _www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_

(http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and)

_home/washing_machines/reviews.htm.

Updated November 2004

Consumer Reports' roundup of washing machines is the most credible

independent review we were able to find. The magazine has tested dozens of

models

within the past year, washing maximum loads of mixed cotton items with various

types of soil and assigning ratings based on washing ability, capacity,

efficiency with both water and energy, and noise. This year, gentleness was also

a

factor in Consumer Reports' testing, and now the magazine rates washers on

that criterion as well.

Two particular models have been called into question lately, the

Kenmore/Whirlpool Calypso and Maytag Neptune front-loader. In response to

several class

action lawsuits, Maytag issued a settlement in September 2004. According to

the suit filings and Maytag's settlement statement, consumers are having

mechanical and electronic problems, and some are having problems with water

drainage and mold. Although Maytag says the problems are confined to models

manufactured prior to March 2000, the settlement includes a long list of model

numbers, and covers purchases made from April 1, 1997, to Aug. 9, 2004.

The settlement terms include reimbursement for repairs, and in cases where

customers had to buy a new washer to replace a defective front-loading Neptune,

Maytag will issue a $500 payment (or voucher to defray cost of a new model).

If you own a Neptune front-loader, you won't automatically receive any

benefits—you have to file a claim with the company outlining your problems

and

present proof of repair or replacement expenses. The terms and conditions of

the

settlement, as well as claim forms, can be found on the Maytag Web site

(http://www.maytagfrontloadsettlement.com/index.html).

Maytag says the water problems regarding the older Neptune models were

related to the older front-loader design, and that the top-loading models and

newest front-loaders are not affected. In fact, Maytag's top-loading Neptune is

one of the best-rated models on the market. We did not read many complaints

about Maytag's Neptune top-loaders, which use two short arms to tumble clothes

within the washer. Reviewers say this technology works very well.

Laundry, it appears, has suddenly become controversial, and the Maytag

settlement was not the only litigious news we found. Due to a large amount of

consumer mail complaining about the Kenmore Calypso's problems with lint,

Consumer Reports ran a new test this year. Editors washed a load of white towels

and

black T-shirts to test four competing models for lint left behind on the

clean wet clothing. Editors say they are considering testing all washers for

lint in the future. The limited test here does not appear to have been a factor

in Consumer Reports' overall ratings. Some models, which performed poorly in

the lint test, still top the ratings chart.

The Calypso has a unique agitating technology. Instead of twisting clothes

around, it bounces them up and down and showers them with water. One owner

wrote to us about a lengthy ordeal involving four repair visits. Repair issues

with the Kenmore Calypso (also sold as the Whirlpool Calypso) are born out in

over 150 postings in ThatHomeSite.com's appliance forum as well as on

Epinions. Owners report clothing working its way below the basket (one user

reports a

handkerchief made it all the way to the sump pump), and others have problems

with electronic error messages and clothing that comes out too wet or

lint-covered.

Interestingly, there's a class-action lawsuit in the works regarding problems

with the Calypso. Mark Tamblyn, a lawyer with Kershaw, Cutter, Ratinoff and

York, LLP of Sacramento told us that the main issues appear to be with the

control board and U-joint, along with water leakage and drainage problems (the

first case and request for class-action status was filed in late June in

Illinois state court). In a previous version of our report, we featured the

Kenmore/Whirlpool Calypso as a high-efficiency top-loader. In some tests, it

still outperforms other models. However, given the number of consumer complaints

we read on Epinions and ThatHomeSite.com, we're not placing it in

ConsumerSearch Fast Answers for this version of our report.

We contacted Duthie, Manager of Global Communications for Whirlpool.

Duthie told us by e-mail that " We have no knowledge about a suit, pending or

otherwise, and no reason to believe there will be a suit. " Duthie offered no

further comments on the Calypso's repair record.

At this point, it's hard to conclude what all these lawsuits mean for

consumers, but news of impending litigation combined with comments at the

opinion

Web sites indicate that reliability of new-technology top-loaders isn't what

it should be. In the end, we're hoping the bugs will be worked out of the

systems.