HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE
Submitted by Profoundly disappointed -
2/8/2019
Bought over $10,000 of appliances from KitchenAid to update our kitchen. All are still under warranty. Have already reported ongoing issues with the Oven. The Oven has not worked properly since we received it.
Now we are dealing with the Microwave, which is a countertop with trim kit installed in a cabinet, i.e., a built-in. The light went out in the Microwave after just a few months. It is not possible to just replace the light bulb. KitchenAid completely replaces the Microwave and trim kit (extremely poor design and hugely wasteful – is someone getting used parts in their original Microwave?).
They use J.B. Hunt Final Mile for the customer interface. Today we received an email from J.B. Hunt ready to deliver. HOWEVER, the J.B. Hunt notice shows that KitchenAid sent the wrong Microwave. J.B. Hunt has the GSS model (Stainless Steel) instead of our model, the GBS model (Black Stainless).
I got online for a quick live chat with KitchenAid for resolution and the agent said they could not resolve it online. The agent gave me a phone number to call. The call was finally answered after 40 minutes on hold. The line provides no updates of status, no call back service, no advisements about how much longer the wait will be. This is what I refer to as part of the HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE customer service at KitchenAid.
Another embarrassment, this one to my engineering education, is that KitchenAid engineers have designed a product where a light bulb cannot easily be replaced, causing complete replacement of the unit. Sort of fine while the unit is under warranty, but what about three years from now? Then the customer either microwaves in the dark or gets to spend another $600-$700 for a replacement unit. This saying nothing about how wasteful this is.
Now I learn that the agent at the phone number I was given cannot fix this. So, she must refer it to another group at KitchenAid and they will work the issue. She says she will call me when the order is fixed. When that will be is anyone's guess. All this even though the appliances had been warranty registered with the model number and serial numbers and in KitchenAid's system.
Something is desperately wrong in the design and implementation of customer service at KitchenAid. It is not the customer contact agents with which one communicates, they are very pleasant and helpful within the confines of a lousy system. And they patiently listen to customers like me express our profound disappointment in KitchenAid, a brand once known for its quality and service.
The issue is in the design and implementation of the customer service system and that is a management problem. This issue is owned by the customer service managers and executives at KitchenAid, and Whirlpool, and it may be time to replace that entire group.
Originally posted on Kitchenaid.com
No, I do not recommend this product
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