All Washed Up

We have been fighting with our dishwasher for over a month. Actually, my husband has been fighting with it. If an appliance doesn't work, I can't fix it. But, I don't want to buy a new one either. "Oh, Jeefff..." Yup. He's the resident handyman, and usually when he does battle with some malfunctioning THING, he wins - but not today.

Not long before Christmas the dishwasher - which we upgraded and had installed when we built this house four years ago - stopped cleaning. Jeff examined the mechanized box and decided we should call a repairman. If he says it's time to get professional help, I believe him. So, a GE technician appeared at our house, replaced a part, lectured us on water temperature and correct operation of an appliance that we had managed to operate well for several years, and left; but not before charging us $200 in parts and labor. We consoled ourselves with the idea that it would cost much more to replace the item, and we had made the right decision. Au contraire mon frere!

Over the ensuing month or so, GE sent a technician three more times, because the blasted piece of machinery still wouldn't function correctly. (Actually, we wanted our money back, but GE wouldn't refund it, only send someone else to fix it.) Each time Jeff spent 45 minutes or more arguing with someone on the phone about whether we should pay for another service call. (We did not, but only because he was so persistent.) Each time the technician arrived, made a minor adjustment, lectured us on water temperature and operation (must be something they learn by rote during training), and assured us the dishwasher was operating at its fullest potential. Each time, it worked for a few days, and then something else went wrong. Yesterday was the last straw. Jeff pulled the entire contraption out from under the cabinet, checked all the hoses and drains, located and tightened a loose connection, and pronounced it fixed. Happily we loaded dishes into the shiny, black box throughout the day, and switched it on after dinner. Unfortunately, when it went off just before bedtime, there was water standing in the bottom. (One of the recurring problems the techs hadn't been able to fix, either.)

Thus, we ventured out in search of a new dishwasher. The process entailed three stores and three hours. At one point hunger and frustration overtook us, and we stopped at Quick Trip for sodas and snacks. Luckily, we walked out having spent only $3.77.

Ultimately, we purchased a middle-of-the-road model, but some were so expensive that it would be cheaper to purchase slave-labor from a third world country to do the dishes. Seriously, $1500 for a dishwasher? For that price it ought to cook the dinner, load itself, and wipe the cabinets when it's done.

And then there were the low-end models. These were servicable, but were much louder and took more money to operate. My question is, if we have the technology to make appliances quiet and energy efficient, why build one that isn't? I can see paying more for bells and whistles like adjustable tubs and extra cycles, but why charge more to build something the way it should be built in the first place? Needless to say, the shopping experience was frustrating on many levels, not to mention the installation process.

Originally, my plan for today was to clean-out and reorganize the kitchen cabinets, so I took the opportunity to look over cabinet organizers at the home improvement store. Upon further contemplation, though, my husband pointed out that if we reworked the storage area downstairs, there would be plenty of room for my seldom-used-but-still-wanted appliances. We agreed to begin that project as soon as the dishwasher is installed. Now, I can't decided if I've been granted a reprieve from cleaning out the kitchen or I've been snookered into creating a man-cave in the storage room, complete with tool bench and pegboards. Hmm...