Feedback on Whirlpool Duets anyone?

[erv917]

Well, I think the time has come to replace our washer and dryer. Just found this Whirlpool Duet set on sale at Costco this week:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11659703&search=WP0811&Mo=5&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=WP0811&Ntt=WP0811&ec=1&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&Sp=S&s=1
Seems like a really great price for such a large machine with all of those components (pedestals included, etc). Does anyone have any feedback on these machines?

Thanks!

[adamlau]

Sister loves her pair of Duets. The acoustics of her laundry room make turn the sounds of washing into that of spooling turbochargers.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ours are nearly 6 years old, but we like them. They are gentle on our clothes. They do require you to leave the door open so it can dry and to run a special bleach cycle monthly to keep them fresh. Ours aren't that loud, maybe because we have FLOR tiles in the laundry room.

[weech]

We have Duet Sports and really like them. We have pedestals (drawers) under each one, so they're at a great height and provide some storage. Never had a problem with them.

[cono0507]

We bought ours about a year ago. I do love them but we must have gotten a lemon because our washer needed a complete overhaul (replace the entire drum, ball bearings, etc) within 6 months of purchase. The work ($900 bill!) was all covered under the manufacturer's warranty but we were very surprised that it failed so quickly. That was fixed and it has been great ever since but it does make me wonder about their durability.

[daniele_ut]

I just bought the washer that comes with that set 4 weeks ago when our old Whirlpool Duet (8+ years old) needed an expensive repair that I didn't feel was worth it given the age of the machine. I had mixed feelings about my old Duet for several reasons and the main reason I decided to get another Whirlpool is because my washer and dryer are stacked and if I changed brands I would have had to buy a new dryer as well. I have to say, though, that I REALLY like the new Duet so far. It's got a larger drum than my old one and definitely uses more water, which was an issue with my old one. This one also has a sanitary cycle, which is great as I am considering cloth diapers for the new baby.

FYI, though, I only paid $699 for the washer in store, and the dryer was around the same price, so I would suggest seeing if you can find them locally before you order online.

[hoodlims]

DON'T DO IT! I have the Whirlpool Duet with steam and our machines are 3 years old. The bearing just broke off in my washer, which meant that the drum fell off where it was supposed to be. We called the Whirlpool customer service, and they sent someone out, who advised me to get a different machine. Why? Because just the parts to fix it alone cost...$1,400. The repair was about $200. The damn machine only cost be about 900 to begin with! When we called customer service to see what we could do about this, they said we could buy the extended warranty service for $130 for 1 year, and they would retroactively let us get our machine fixed under that. Of course, they said they would not service it until 90 days AFTER we purchased the extended warranty. I cannot and will not live without a washer for 3 months, especially since I have another baby coming in December.

If you read the reviews on Lowes and Home Depot, you will see a lot of people complaining about the high cost of parts. Heck, if you are in the SoCal area, we are selling our busted machine for $150...maybe you can buy the extended warranty and get it fixed.

DON'T DO IT!!! Oh, my dryer works fine...for now.

[BrandyM]

We are thinking about buying a new front load washer and dryer, but have some concerns. A friend of mine pours bleach into the dispenser like it says to do, but she is getting grease looking spots all over the white tshirts. I read about this, and somewhere it says this happens because the bleach directly spills out on the clothes instead of mixing with the water (like happens in a top load). Anyone heard of this?

[bandgsmama]

we've had our whirlpool duet for 6 years now... & it has been pretty good for us. the issues we've had are:

the dispenser cover broke off- no biggie, just aesthetic issue.

$$ a tear in the boot (the grey rubber piece that goes around & seals the washer with the door). i ordered the parts myself & tried to replace it when my hubby was out of town. i ended up hiring a service man.

there are often issues too of needing to clean out areas under the washer (socks & small things can get sucked in - i had a nursing pad block our washer from draining).

i know bosch & electrolux makes good products, but don't know how much $$ you want to spend.service parts are high for any brand i think.

[bandgsmama]

& charlie's soap rid our washer of that lovely odor front loaders are notorious for! (or a good vinegar rinse now & then will do the trick)

[stinkyfeet]

We had our duets from Costco for about 3 years now. We have been really happy with them. The only problem is that you have to learn to use them differently than a top load wash. You use just a fraction of the soap you would with a top load.

You cannot load the washer completely full bc the clothes need to tumble around to get clean. After you aree finished washing, you need to keep the door and the soap dispenser open to avoid mold and mildew. We keep these doors open at all times when not in use, and we do not have a problem at all with bad smells or odors. Despite following these instructions, we do get a bit of mold buildup in the bottom part of the rubber ring in the front door. To rid of this problem, I just put some bleach in the ring area and in the bleach dispenser and put the washer on "clean cycle" once a month.

I hope this helps! A lot of the tips we given to us from a serviceman who told us we were using it incorrectly (I put too much soap in the wash and it caused leaking--he said you only need to use 1/4 of the soap you would use in a top load washer and it HAS to be HE soap.

[AnnieW625]

My MIL has a Duet set for about the last 6 yrs. and she's been happy with it. I have used it and it's pretty easy to use.