On 7/19/2008 I purchased a Kenmore ELITE® ULTRAWASH ® HE Dishwasher [Model 665.13153K701] at SEARS in Lanesboro, MA. I was persuaded to purchase installation through “qualified SEARS technicians”, even though very expensive (total price $1, 476.35).<br />
The installers arrived more than ½ hour late; they pulled up onto our lawn in an unmarked, rusty minivan. Within minutes, our front yard was trashed with packaging material and old dishwasher parts. They were rude and unfriendly; they seriously damaged our kitchen tile floor. And since they were so late, but my wife had a medical appointment, we had to leave them with my 12-year old daughter – very scary. They left the kitchen in a mess and my daughter upset.<br />
It soon became clear that the dishwasher was not working right: It would cancel cycles, often with detergent still left in the dispenser, leaving the dishes unclean and wet. The green clean light is flashing 8 times – pause – 1 time – pause etc. <br />
When I called the “Parts & Repair Service Center” I was told that I needed to let the hot water run prior to starting the dishwasher; otherwise the sensor gets confused. This was obvious nonsense, but I obliged and followed this advice; to no avail.<br />
The second time I was told it happened because I wasn’t using rinse aid. Again, this was nonsense (the problem had occurred prior to my running out of rinse aid), but I re-filled the dispenser; to no avail.<br />
The third time I called, I stated I was getting frustrated, and I did not want phone advice anymore: I insisted on SEARS sending a repair technician to our home. The representative put the phone down.<br />
The fourth time I called, I stated that I was going to file a law suit against SEARS if no repair technician was sent to my home: Thereupon, Technician A was dispatched.<br />
Upon arrival he said: “I really have no clue how these modern dishwashers work”. He stated he could only order a new sensor and control board, and replace them.<br />
Several days later we received in the mail a generic looking sensor and control board; probably not original parts, but cheap replacement parts. <br />
During a second visit to our home, Technician A installed the new sensor and control board. To no avail: the problem persisted.<br />
I called the “Parts & Repair Center” again to schedule another technician visit. I requested a different technician, since Technician A – as he himself had stated – didn’t know what he was doing. I was promised a “Senior Technician”. <br />
Several days later Technician B came to our home. He immediately noticed that our dishwasher wasn’t level - the top of the dishwasher protruded 1 in. from under the countertop. He explained that, due to not being level, it wasn’t draining properly and triggering the overflow protection float. This made sense. He spent a long time righting the dishwasher; prior to leaving he asked us to call if we had any more problems, but he seemed confident that he had found and corrected the problem.<br />
At first it seemed that way; pretty soon, though, it became clear that the incidents of malfunction were still occurring - less frequently. Instead of having an incomplete cycle and green light blinking “8-1” every other day it now occurs once or twice a week.<br />
I called back and asked for another technician visit. I was told to call "One-Source": to replace our DW a technician had to confirm it's malfunction (apparently not in the record). I asked for Technician B to come back and asked not to see Technician A again. Yet, Technician A showed up at our house. This time he declared our dishwasher was fine and our water wasn't hot enough (it is 114 F). He left, problem unsolved.<br />
I wrote a letter asking for a replacement dishwasher, installed by proper service technicians, or my money back. Today I received a phone call: A new DW was offered, but my request for different installers could not be granted. I was told "we have nothing to do with installation". Also, I was asked to provide my credit card number - which I refused.