.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The machine was chosen on the basis of its 7 kg capacity, but, more importantly, the time taken to complete a basic white or coloured wash. The machine, bought on 14 September 2006 at the retailer Krefel, has never functioned as specified. There have been three separate visits of technicians sent by Samsung service on the 6th (two technicians) and 27th October 2006 (a different one) and 26 January 2007 (the same technician as previously). In all cases, since both myself and my wife work, I have had to take three separate half days of my annual holidays to wait for a technician (technicians in Belgium do not work at weekends and cannot seemingly specify the time of their visit - only whether it will be morning or afternoon - but this is not specifically a Samsung problem, except when the proposal of sending technicians becomes excessive, as it had become in this case). Looked at in terms of my salary foregone waiting for technicians, the three half days leave taken would have just about paid for an equivalent replacement machine! Despite these visits the machine never worked properly and had the unfortunate characteristic of walzing around the room. This was constrained by actually bolting it it to the wall. Nonetheless it still does not work as advertised and is totally unpredictable as to whether a wash will ever finish. No effective help has been received from either the manufacturer, Samsung , or the retailer, Krefel.
The waltzing machine originally against the wall. Full image 6/11/06, full image 25/11/06, full image 19/12/06
First visit - 6th October 2006: I telephoned the Samsung repair service in the week of 25 September. I was to be contacted within 24 hours. In the absence of this contact, I went to the store where I bought the machine twice during the next week and they actually arranged for the visit of a technician (perhaps to get me out of their premises). I took a half day's leave. Two technicians came as foreseen, they carried out a few tests. But afterwards, as expected, nothing had changed. My wife telephoned the technicians on 11 October. They said they had made their report to Samsung, but there was nothing else they could do. I awaited contacts from Samsung. None came.
Second visit - 27th October 2006: An email was sent to info Samsung on 19 October stating that the machine had never worked properly since purchase. I also telephoned the Samsung repair service on 19 October. A Samsung technician phoned me twice. He said there was no point in recontacting the repair person who had previously visited and I must contact the Samsung repair service each time. He also noted that the repairman should not have said that there was nothing they could do. Samsung considered that it was a problem of correctly placing the machine in a properly balanced way. I expressed my extreme discontent that the machine was so sensitive that it needed to be balanced a third time (i.e. at installation, first "repair", and now again). But he said that a technician would contact me, which he did not. In the absence of the promised contact, I telephoned the Samsung repair service again on 25 October. There was no trace in my file of the contacts of 19 October and there was apparently only one repair request rather than two. It was agreed that a second technician would come on 27 October. He came and adjusted the feet of the machine and looked at it briefly in operation. He said that it was normal that the machine took longer than foreseen. We used the machine twice that day after his departure and the delay was 12 and 15 minutes over the time specified on the LED panel. Subsequently my wife used the machine and sent me the email in English which was forwarded to Samsung (full text). She "had had enough of the machine" at this stage and wanted a definitive resolution of the problem since "the machine was wandering around the room". I wrote a registered letter to Krefel on 8 November.
Third visit - 26th January 2007: My mail
of 3 November to Samsung with main text saying that after
two separate technical interventions the problem still
existed and the machine has taken to self-propelling itself
around the room. My wife had enough and wanted the machine
to be gone as soon as possible. On 6 November I received
thanks for my mail. Samsung stated that on the basis of the
information supplied they could not offer an immediate
solution. We were asked to call their service telephone no.
They would then be able to determine "whether the
creation of a repair dossier was necessary";! They
"hoped there reply was useful"! Subsequently I had
written a further registered
letter to Krefel on 12 December saying nothing had been
solved and instancing later logs of washes showing that
those between the 13 November and 13 December had exceeded
the predicted times by 25%. Samsung on the basis of another
call said that they would visit on 8/12/07 (sic). I was
away on 8/12/06 and did not receive this mail until after
my return. After further contacts and a reply from the
retailer, Krefel, on 13 December advising that Samsung
would contact me at the beginning of the next week, I
advised them on 21 December that I had not been contacted
and was departing the next day abroad for Christmas and
would not be back until 7 January. On 8 January I received
a message in my letter box on my return from work in Dutch
saying that a technician had come at 12.30 and there was no
one at home. After several further contacts it was arranged
that I would be home to meet a technican on 26 January.
Problems were again explained: 1) all cycles exceed the
time indicated by at least 10% but often 25%, 2) There was
always soap left at the end of the last rinse suggesting
that the machine was not spinning effectively, 3) The
machine moved on average once in every third wash, which
makes any balancing adjustment made pointless.
The technician looked at the machine and concluded that
there was nothing that he could do. He would submit his
analysis to Samsung and it was for them to decide on the
follow-up. However, nothing was ever heard subsequently
from Samsung. Neither did I receive a reply (even an
acknowledgement) of a letter addressed on 8 November
2006 to the Chairman of Samsung.
Subsequent contacts: Samsung was contacted
again on 1 February 2007 as follows (in translation):
"Dear Sir, Following a third examination by your
technicians of the defective Samsung WFJ1454V washing
machine, I would wish to have your proposals for the
solving this case which has now lasted for 5
months."
The reply received was as follows (in translation):
"Dear Madam, Thank you for your email. We have passed
your question to the appropriate service. When the service
in question will have the response to your question we will
contact you again. We hope this information has been
useful. If you have other questions do not hestitate to
contact us. Best wishes, Romain, Samsung
Electronics."
Krefel (Ms. Carmen Verbeurgt) was also contacted as follows
(in translation): "Dear Madam, Given that there has
been a third examination by Samsung technicians of my
defective washing machine finally on 26 January, I would
like to know, please, the follow-up which will be given to
this affair. Thank you."
I do not have the record of any further reply from either
Samsung or Krefel.
So much for the worth of a guarantee from this firm or retailer!
Given the incapacity of the maker or retailer to solve the problem, I adopted damage limitation measures by bolting the machine to the wall in three places and constructing a wooden surround of the base attached to the floor to prevent wandering behaviour. This has only restricted the machine from wandering around the room and issues of over-long cycles and unpredictability, as to whether a wash cycle will ever finish or not, have existed since then. The machine cannot therefore be classed as an automatic washing machine - sometimes it attempts to be, more often than not it does not manage it.
DIY restraining. Full images base, full image bolt locations, full image bolt holes, full image final plinth, full image finished
Washing machine: Samsung WFJ1454V 7kg.
Purchased Krefel (Brussels, Auderghem): 14 September
2006.
Delivered & installed: 23 September 2006.
Client number (Samsung): 2800433701 + 2800448587 +
2800508412.
Repair Number (Samsung): 3003485046 (one of probably some
duplicates).
Samsung WFJ1454V French language webpage which opens in a separate
window.
Obviously for the company it is preferable to use a web
form rather than giving an email address to contact, since
the form is able to specify the information that may be
required. However if one looked at the Samsung Belgian site
(in French or Dutch) at the time I did, you would have
found 'Household appliances', with the options
'Refrigerators', 'Microwaves', 'Vacuum cleaners', but no
'Washing machines'. It has changed now and washing machines
are there. Maybe my complaints have had some slight impact
:) On the international web site you will find washing
machines, but not the model number sold in Belgium. The
only contact option seemed, at the time, to be "Others" on
the form. This seemed to throw the system into disarray,
since I ended up as a different person with different
repair numbers and client numbers. Neither does there
appear to be any means of receiving a copy, for my file, of
the communication sent to Samsung, other than by me cutting
and pasting what I put into the form and saving it
separately. A send should ideally reproduce what has been
sent to the email address of the person sending it. But
maybe this is too much to expect.
It would also be helpful to have an actual address for
written correspondence to Samsung Belgium, Netherlands or
whoever is responsible for sales in this country. I have
spent an hour on the Belgian, Dutch and global sites
without finding the mailing address of Samsung in Vilvoorde
or Samsung in Delft. The absence of an address probably
does have the benefit, for the company, of cutting down on
the number of registered letters received by them from
angry customers!
(machine translation from the Dutch) "Beware: if only little is in the machine. Starting the program is not difficult. But three rinses can, instead of taking 15 minutes, take an hour!!!!!!!! You should be warned. The Samsung technician has confirmed that all machines have this problem. It has to do with a kind of built-in security against vibration. So small washes: take longer than large ones. In empty or full loads, there is no problem. " Although I am not sure whether empty loads are particularly useful in practice:)
If you have had similar problems with this machine you can e-mail me at home or office and I will add them to this site. Snail mail to Ken Lennan, SPA2 2/112, CE, 200 Rue de la Loi, 1049 Brussels, Belgium.
Irish Railwayana
Prices Site
Skynet
Irish Railwayana Prices mirror Site
Scarlet
Irish Railwayana Prices mirror Site
Irish
Railwayana Company Site
Lennan
Genealogy Site
Search Engine Submission - AddMe
