Frigidaire Stainless Steel Fully Integrated 24 Inch Dishwasher PLD4555RFC
by Frigidaire
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Our Price: $688.22
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Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: FrigidaireBrand: Frigidaire
Color: Stainless Steel
Product features:
- IDry Intelligent SaharaDry System
- 12 Easy Clean Electronic Touchpads / Digital Display
- SilentDesign Sound Insulation Package
- Dimensions: (WHD) 24 X 33 3/4 X 23 In.
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Frigidaire Stainless Steel Fully Integrated 24 Inch Dishwasher PLD4555RFC
Customer Review: Design Flaw + Horrible Customer Service = Nightmare!
Summary: 1 Stars
NOTES ABOUT DISHWASHER PERFORMANCE:
In May 2008, my husband and I purchased and moved into a home that had a remodeled kitchen equipped with brand new Frigidaire (Electrolux) appliances. This dishwasher was part of the package. In September 2008, the dishwasher malfunctioned and was virtually inoperable. Two major (expensive) parts had to be replaced on October 3, 2008 (I had to wait for the parts to arrive; the dealer didn't have the parts in stock): the electronic control board and the touchpad. After the dishwasher malfunctioned again just three days after this repair was made, I contacted Frigidaire and requested a replacement (instead of another repair). The reason I did this was because the service technician blamed the malfunctioning parts on a design flaw that allows moisture gets into the electronic components of the machine (the control board and the touchpad) and short it out. You'd think that Frigidaire would know how to design a dishwasher (an appliance that gets WET) properly, so that the electronic components stay DRY. How long has Frigidaire been in business? Long enough to know better, I'd say!
A new (replacement) dishwasher was installed yesterday (November 5, 2008). The new model PLD4555RFC3 is identical to model PLC4555RFC except that the electronic components (the control board and the touchpad) have been redesigned to prevent moisture from getting in and damaging the machine. The service technician showed me the newly designed parts before popping the door panel in place. That way, I could see the difference. It is my hope and prayer that the new dishwasher will not give any trouble. For peace of mind, I purchased extended warranties for the 3 major Frigidaire appliances in my kitchen that have digital controls: the dishwasher (model PLD4555RFC), the single wall oven (model PLEB30C9FC), and the side-by-side refrigerator (model PHS68EJSBO).
In addition to the above-mentioned problem, this dishwasher has had other issues: [1] the door started flopping open (wouldn't stay shut) and the service technician had to repair it. [2] Several plastic parts came off, and I had to snap them back into place. While I was able to make those "repairs" myself, it was annoying to have to do this on a brand new, expensive dishwasher. [3] This dishwasher does not do a better job of washing dishes than any of the regular (much less expensive) automatic dishwashers I've owned and used in the past. And for what it's worth, this is the first dishwasher I've owned that's given any trouble. This is probably because the old dishwashers were not equipped with repair-prone electronic controls.
On the plus side, this dishwasher is extremely quiet. Because our water is soft, we only have to use 1 Tablespoon of powdered dishwasher detergent per load.
Frigidaire only recommends powdered dishwasher detergent (no liquid or tablets) and has only tested its dishwashers with Cascade.
NOTES ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE:
I am very unhappy with Frigidaire Customer Service. They were supposed to fax the authorized replacement to the dealer. When the dealer didn't receive the fax, she contacted Frigidaire to let them know that the fax didn't go through. They kept sending faxes to the dealer, but the faxes never got through. After waiting an entire month for a new dishwasher, I finally decided to contact Frigidaire customer service myself to find out what was going on. It turns out that Frigidaire did not have the correct fax number on file. It amazes me that after the fax didn't go through the first time, no one bothered to contact the dealer to confirm that the fax number they (Frigidaire) had on file was correct. ROLLEYES To add insult to injury, when the dealer (owner of the appliance store where this dishwasher was purchased) called Frigidaire to give them the correct fax number, the representative answered, "That's not the fax number we have on file." The dealer replied, "I've been in business for many years, and I ought to know my own fax number." She then proceeded to explain to the Frigidaire representative that the fax number that was on file was incorrect because of a typo; 2 of the digits were transposed.
Another problem was that each and every time I contacted Frigidaire Customer Service (I made several phone calls), I was told something different. First I was told that the authorization had been approved and that it had been faxed to the dealer, then I was told that the authorization was "still under investigation." Some representatives tried to take the easy way out by instructing me to contact the dealer directly. Knowing that the fax had not been received by the dealer (I kept in regular contact with the dealer for several weeks, both by phone and by e-mail), I finally asked to speak with a supervisor to get the matter resolved.
I won't go so far as to say that the Frigidaire Customer Service personnal are incompetent, but I will say that they are poorly trained and that Frigidaire does not appear to care about their customers. Because of this bad experience, I cannot recommend Frigidaire to anyone. A company can only be as good as the people who work for it. I did not receive good customer service, and I don't want to go through this again... EVER!
UPDATE (11/12/08):
The new dishwasher also has a design flaw. The door does not latch properly, and therefore does not make the proper contact necessary to run. The service technician said he has to order a door latch, and that if that doesn't fix the problem, he is going to have to call Frigidaire to figure out what to do. Meanwhile, I'm still without a dishwasher. In order to get the dishwasher to work, I have to keep opening and shutting the dishwasher until the door makes proper contact. It sometimes loses contact during the wash cycle, so I have to watch it while it runs so I can push the door in again to get it to resume the cycle. Needless to say, it takes a lot less time to wash and dry the dishes by hand than it does to babysit the dishwasher so it will work! At this point, I have absolutely NOTHING good to say about Fridigdaire.
UPDATE (11/25/08):
The door latch was replaced. The dishwasher works fine except that detergent dispenser stays closed (won't open) and has to be replaced. What next? I wonder...
UPDATE (12/5/08):
If it were possible to give this blankety blank appliance a 0 rating, I would! MAD During the week of Thanksgiving, this dishwasher's performance was "hit and miss." Sometimes it would clean the dishes perfect, but sometimes it wouldn't clean at all. MAD The display would say that the dishes were clean, but when I opened the door to get the dishes out, I'd find the powder detergent still dry (even though I was running the dishwasher with the detergent dispenser door open because it is defective and has not yet been replaced) and the dishes still dirty. A service technician came and determined that the lower spray arm was not attached. EEK He repaired it and it is now running properly, but I am still waiting for the detergent dispenser to be replaced. I called Frigidaire Customer Service this morning. They are ordering the part for me, but it is on backorder and will not be available until 1/16/08. This means I will have to keep running the dishwasher with the detergent dispenser door open until the part arrives and the service technician installs it.
UPDATE (12/8/08): The dishwasher is running perfectly and the detergent dispenser is now opening like it should. However, the control panel no longer remembers the cycle, so I have to select the cycle each time I run the dishwasher. (It is supposed to remember the cycle so that all I have to do is press "Start" to run it.) The service technician says it sounds like a problem with the control panel. (DUH!) He says that it's likely that the reason the detergent dispenser was not opening is because it was not receiving the signal from the control panel, and that the memory problem we're now dealing with is also related to the control panel. (Interesting: Earlier he said there's no in between with the detergent dispenser; that it either works all the time or doesn't work at all.) He's ordering a new control panel today and is going to install it as soon as it comes in. I personally think this particular Frigidaire dishwasher model is a lemon. I'd rather not have to spend all my time dealing with this malfunctioning piece of junk. However, since it's still under warranty, I have to give Frigidaire and the appliance dealer the opportunity to fix it.
Description of Frigidaire Stainless Steel Fully Integrated 24 Inch Dishwasher PLD4555RFC
When you select a home appliance from Frigidaire, you've chosen a product of exceptional performance, convenience and style; an appliance that has been designed to work in harmony with the way you live. The Frigidaire Professional Series is perhaps their most beautifully designed collection of home and kitchen appliances ever. Crafted in durable brushed stainless steel, each piece promises to add class and artistry to the heart of your home. And of course, all their appliances deliver the superior performance and solid craftsmanship Frigidaire is famous for. The new Frigidaire PLD4555RF Dishwasher has all of their newest features, including iDry Intelligent SaharaDry System, which dries your dishes 70% more than conventional drying systems.Kitchen & Housewares
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