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KitchenAid Consumer Reviews

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Products Questionable and Customer Service Is an Embarrassment
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Rating: 1/51

We have had our appliances for a little over 2 years and ever since one has been service at least 1 time. We bought the highest end that they offered. When calling in to make a service appointment I am forced to sit and wait for a representative for at least 10 minutes. After explaining what I needed I was then transferred to a dead line and hung up on. I called back immediately and had to explain everything again only to have the representative tell me that I was not under warranty. I hung up and called back again and the third representative did verify that I had an extended warranty and schedule the appointment.

I took off work for 5 hours to wait for the repair company. I was home waiting and after an hour someone called and said they screwed up and had the wrong number and didn't show the extended warranty so they just didn't show up. I just called again and got transferred all over the place only to then have the final person say that they wouldn't cover the issue we were having. It is a total cluster mess and I am livid. I have a 2 year old stainless steel range top that is constantly covered in rust and they won't cover it?!? Not a happy customer at all.

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Lack of Authorized Service Repairmen When Under Warranty
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

VIRGINIA -- I live in a large metropolitan area and when my refrigerator freezer stopped working (under warranty period) there was only one service provider available who could service my refrigerator. They could come in 10 days then the part could take 10 days to arrive. New part put in and freezer still doesn't work. Will take another 8 days before a service tech can come back.

KitchenAid is totally indifferent that it is almost one month later and product doesn't work. "Sorry we can't make more service people available". I could understand if I lived in a remote area but only one tech for a very large metropolitan area really!!! I have learned a valuable lesson--find out if there are any authorized service techs in your area before purchasing an appliance.

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Frustrating and Expensive Dealing With KitchenAid. Abysmal Customer Service and Shoddy Product
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA -- I have a kitchen full of KitchenAid Architect II series products bought for my new house in 2008. Repairs have run $300 for the ice maker in year 2.5. Now I am faced with a bad motor and other items in the dishwasher $700.00 and a bad board and display for the icemaker/water dispenser in the fridge $900.00. I spent over 12,000 on the appliances. You would think KitchenAid is a quality product but after reading more recent reviews and through my own experience I realize that they have major QC issues.

The customer service line is apathetic also. You can get someone to place a service call ($) in a few seconds flat but actually doing something to take care of the customer beyond that is hard to find. When I wanted to register a complaint I was transferred to some line that just rang and then I got cut off. Come to find out there actually is no such line. They seem to know the drill really well. I wish I had known more before I purchased their products. Hopefully this will help someone avoid my mistake.

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Bad Bad Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

FLORIDA -- Ordered a full kitchen of Kitchenaid appliances from Best Buy. Oven was not in stock but was on Kitchenaid website. The attempted to order. It is a fairly new model. After 6 weeks Kitchenaid will not let Best Buy order the oven. The guys at Best Buy even check with the Home Depot. Kitchenaid would not let Home Depot order either. Calls to Kitchenaid customer service very unhelpful. They could not answer the simple question as to why this appliance is advertised by them but they cannot deliver.

Customer service rude and would not even try to find someone who knew why these big box stores could not get the appliance. Spent about $10,000 on these appliances and because I cannot get the matching oven or even an answer - all going back. I am switching brands. Never buy Kitchenaid. Very rude and customer service could care less about you.

Company Response 10/19/2017:

Thank you for posting regarding your Kitchenaid appliance and experiences. We are happy to look into your concerns but we will need your address, and date of purchase emailed to NAR_CustomerSolutions@kitchenaid.com .

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Order Delivery Problems
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I ordered a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer and accessories for over $500 on Dec 7, was told I'd receive it by Dec 20 and thought I was set for Christmas. The confirmation email said I'd get a shipping notification when it shipped. On Dec 15 still had not received a shipping confirmation. I called customer service. They said it would ship on Dec 15 but would take 7 to 10 days to arrive. I wanted to cancel the order and order via Amazon but they said I couldn't since it shipped.

On Dec 17 I called again since I didn't get a shipping confirmation by email. The customer service representative told me that it shipped that morning (Dec 17) at 9am and gave me tracking numbers. I tried the tracking numbers at FedEx ground and they come back as invalid. Called again and now the story is Fed X takes 24 hrs to update it's system. I feel like it's one lie after another and I have no confidence I'll actually receive anything. Last time I ever order from KitchenAid. Given the product warranty issues I've read about as I've researched them, it's definitely a company to stay away from.

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KitchenAid wall oven extended service warranty total disaster!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND -- Our 14 year old Kitchenaid oven caught on fire while broiling salmon. The fire was electrical in the oven and not due to cooking. The oven had been spotless before and was a disaster after the incident. I called Kitchenaid and told them what happened. They sent someone out twice from a totally unresponsive service company who denied anything was wrong with my oven, and tried to make me sign something saying they are not responsible for damage done to my floor if they damage it taking oven out of wall to look behind it. They damaged the kitchen wall below the oven, which had to be repaired.

Another company came out and said they didn't know what was wrong either. I said they should give me a new oven under the terms of the policy, but Kitchenaid refused to do this, too. After having no oven to use for 3 weeks, my husband and I finally went and purchased a different brand oven, had it installed, and the wall repaired. Kitchenaid refused to give us anything toward the cancellation of our service policy which still had a year left on it refused to give us prorated rebate towards new oven, or anything else. Feel like our money on the Kitchenaid policy was thrown out and wasted.

Even worse, Kitchenaid products are lousy and unreliable, and the Service dept is unwilling to resolve problems in a satisfactory manner. Lesson learned -- NEVER PURCHASE KITCHENAID APPLIANCE AGAIN ever!!!!!! Stay away from this lousy company!!!!!!!!

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Kitchen Aid Disgrace - Post Sandy Treatment
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I purchased all new appliances after having Sandy decimate my new remodeled home. I asked the salesman at Plessers a local appliance store. What he recommended as the best (I previously had Wolf) and he swore Kitchen Aid was the best. I asked him if they stood behind their product and he was emphatic that they did. Well, having experienced a total nightmare with the new side by side refrigerator/freezer I can tell you quite the opposite.

I came home ironically to a flood in my kitchen--not once but three times. Imagine having nothing but the clothes on your back and being displaced for 10 months and going through a major natural disaster and then having to deal with this. We called the appliance store who refused to exchange and who sent service. The serviceman was downright rude and said it was the ice maker. He was going to order parts and would be back the following week. I took the day off work and waited to no avail. He called me back at 4pm to tell me he called Kitchen Aid and that wasn't the issue and sorry but he wasn't coming.

I called Kitchen Aid to try to explain my dilemma--displaced for 11 months nothing but the clothes on my back and they were so cold and rude and just downright nasty--I have never been treated in such a manner before. Their Customer Service was deplorable and their Executive Group even worse and believe me cost was not an issue I would have spent 5 times as much all I wanted was good product.

I begged and pleaded with several people for an exchange because I don't want to have to come home to another flood in my kitchen, the young lady who claimed she was on the executive committee refused to help, was like a cold robot and told me sorry my final decision much of nothing for you. Disgrace!!

So now it's been over a week I have no appliance and no return phone calls. I even called someone in the media dept who said she would help and I have not heard from one individual. Shame on Kitchen Aid because I'm sure if Mr Fettig (CEO) had the issue that I had and found several inches of water in his kitchen he would want a new appliance.

Apparently all Kitchen Aid cares about is getting their money and then just too bad if you have a problem. I'm at a total loss. I don't know whom to call or where to go. But I have a non-functioning appliance. Good thing I was smart enough to buy a Wolf cooktop--I still have the double ovens with the plastic on them never even used and the dishwasher all kitchen aid. I will never purchase another Kitchen Aid/Whirlpool or any other appliance or product manufactured by this company. Does anyone even know who I can contact for some resolution or assistance seems like the consumer has no recourse. Thank you.

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Customer Service As Bad As The Product
By -

The following is a record of correspondence with KitchenAid. If you don't have time to read it, just skim through. I am writing to you after unsuccessfully dealing with various levels of your organization. I read with interest your comments on customer service in an article in “Inside 1to1.” I hope your general success is better than what I have experienced.

In early August I ordered a full set (Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Microwave, Range) of KitchenAid stainless steel appliances from a dealer in Phoenix, Arizona. Because the range was a new model, we understood the delivery of the range would be delayed for a few weeks. In September the range was still being postponed, so we took delivery of the other appliances.

In early October, a range was delivered which was damaged to the extent that the door would not even open. Needless to say I did not accept the product. On November 2, another range was delivered, this time with no visible damage. Very quickly we realized there was a heating problem when the oven temp is raised after the initial preheat. It would take 30+ minutes to go from 350 to 500. I contacted KA Customer Service and scheduled service with “Appliance Doctor” on November 22. Diagnosis “Bad Heat Sensor,” and the part had to be ordered.

While preparing Thanksgiving dinner, we discovered that periodically one burner would just not work. Heat sensor arrives mid December but does not fix the problem. New diagnosis, “Bad Control Panel." Control panel and heat element switch is “rush ordered.” Control panel arrives December 20; the new service tech is not aware of the problem history. The wrong part was ordered for the burner switch. The technician did not want to install the control panel because he did not have the switch to replace at the same time and he wanted to talk to the KA service technicians. And he was also trying to get out of town for Christmas.

Switch arrives January 8. The service technician installs both the switch and control panel, turns the burner on to establish that it would heat and leaves without checking the oven performance. He told me to call if it did not fix the problem. I contacted the sales person at ** who gave me the number for his customer service person at KA. I contacted **, who scheduled A&E Factory Service to come out January 13.

A&E spent 1 ½ hours only to say “I don't know what is wrong – I need to call KA technical service.” He left stating he or his boss would get back to me the next day. During the week of January 17, I left two messages for **, but never got a return call. With the help of a friend, I was put in touch with **, who assured me she would resolve the problem. On January 20 she said she had a call in to the engineer and would get back to me. On January 24 & 25 I left messages for ** but did not hear back.

On January 25 I called and ask to speak to someone in the executive offices to see if ** was in the office. The person I spoke to (unfortunately I did not get her name) said ** was on a conference call but either she or ** would get back to me that day. It is now 5 PM EST and still no call.

This letter was put on hold on January 26 because **did get back to me and put me in touch with ** in the engineering section. His team was able to reproduce the heat recovery problem I have been having. The control panel “fix” was turned over to ** who I believe is the project manager for the “fix” project.

On February 24 ** notified me via e-mail that the new control panel should be ready to ship as early as “next week.” At the same time replacement cooktop controls would be shipped, and a local repair person would do the work. On March 7 and again on March 14 I sent e-mail to ** with a copy to ** and ** to check on the status. As of today I have not had a response.

On about March 16 I had a call from ** to see if I had been given any information on the parts. I said I had not but was about to send a follow-up e-mail. She said she would check on it and get back to me. On about March 18 I called [higher-up KA representative] and left a message requesting a return call. As of 3 PM March 21 I have not had a call. Needless to say my frustration level is very high. I would appreciate any help you can give me which this situation. I can be reached 7 AM – 4 PM at **.

I have not been in touch with you for several months so, just in case you forgot who I am, I have attached a copy of the letter I wrote to [you] concerning the problems I had with my KitchenAid range. The reason I am writing is that I recently received correspondence inviting me to purchase warranty extensions for the suite of KA appliances I bought at the same time as the range. Since I hardly got a “Thank You” for all the trouble I went through with the range, I thought it would be very kind of you to grant me a three-year warranty extension on all the products.

I am writing to you once again to ask for your assistance but also to make you aware of a complete lack of follow through of your customer service organization. As I explained in my first letter, I had a very frustrating experience getting resolution on basic design flaws in my KitchenAid range. It was only after a letter to you that the problem was resolved. When I received offers for extended warranty coverage on my appliances, I wrote with a simple request to extend all the warranties for the three-year offer at no cost to me. I received a call stating that ** was no longer with the organization but ** would handle the issue.

** stated that there was no way they could possibly extend the warranty on all the appliances but they would be willing cover any repairs to the range to be reviewed on a year-to-year basis. I agreed to the offer but explained how disappointed I was with the handling of the problems from day one. I stated that it seemed as if I fell through the cracks at every turn. ** apologized for the previous problems and stated she would send me a letter stating what we had agreed on so I would have documentation to refer to. It has now been almost three weeks since the call from ** and I have not received the letter as promised. I am once again mystified by the lack of commitment to customer service of your organization.

I am once again writing to you to keep you abreast of the ongoing saga of my KitchenAid appliances. So I don't have to recap here, I have attached my previous correspondence with your organization. In July 2007 the refrigerator compressor went out, which was covered under warranty. However, I was charged $129 for Freon. In December 2006, the refrigerator startup capacitor for the compressor went out which cost $229.

In January 2007 we discovered a half-inch chip in the plastic handle for the microwave. I decided I could replace this myself and purchased the handle from a local parts dealer for $46. After some study I realized I could not figure out how to remove the chipped handle. When the repairman was here in July, I ask him to replace it.

After considerable study and calls to KA tech support, he/they could not figure out how to remove the handle. I later got a call from the owner of the repair company stating the only way to fix it is to replace the entire door at a cost of $300. At this point an additional crack has developed in the plastic handle and I'm sure it will eventually break. It is just my wife and I using this appliance, so it is not caused from abuse.

Sometime prior to December 2006, the range sounded like a helicopter taking off when in convection oven mode. Since it was still under the repair agreement your office extended, I contacted the person who took over for ** and they arranged for service. It turned out to be a loose nut holding the convection fan blade.

After the most recent refrigerator repair I received an offer for an extended warranty at a cost of $138. Because of the demonstrated unreliability of KitchenAid products, I paid for the plan. I am so fed up with these appliances that I would replace them with another brand if they were not so expensive. If I do not hear from you with an offer to fix the microwave door and restitution for my repair expenses, I will be forced to go to my local newspaper and television consumer complaint office as well as posting my experience on any Internet site I find under “KitchenAid Problems,” of which there are many.

Resolution Update 07/03/2009:

Resolution Update on 07/03/2009:
Within about a week after I posted two letters documenting serious problems with my KitchenAid Architect Series suite of appliances, I was contacted by the Customer Service Department at Whirlpool, which apparently owns KitchenAid. They offered to fix my appliances (I had a dishwasher problem after I wrote the two letters), reimburse me for about half of my out-of-pocket expenses, and replace the microwave door and stovetop free of charge. They were prompt, efficient, and helpful throughout the process.
Comment67 on 7/3/09

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Beware This Stove!
By -

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA -- I recently purchased a KitchenAid professional series stove KDRP707RSS with Steam Assist from Garner TV & Appliance, in Garner NC. (At the same time, I also purchased a KitchenAid range hood and KitchenAid drawer-model dishwasher.) The stove arrived with the oven door pushed to the far left side as far as it could go, and it was locked shut. Some components needed for installation, along with the installation instructions, were locked inside the oven. The door itself could not be moved in any direction.

I called KitchenAid and requested a replacement stove, since the stove that was shipped to me was not usable. KitchenAid Customer Service informed me that their warranty is for repair, not replacement, and placed a service call to A&E Factory Service. I then called Garner TV & Appliance and described the problem to them and told them I wanted the stove replaced. They told me they had to send a technician out first before anything could be done. They placed a service call to Appliance Connection.

On Monday, February 20, 2006, the technician from A&E arrived at 8 AM. He worked for two hours and although he partially dismantled the stove, he could not get the oven door to budge. He gave me a service ticket when he left which clearly states that the stove is badly damaged and the oven cannot be opened. Since he specifically said he could not repair the stove, I assumed it would be replaced.

At 4 PM the same day, the technician from Appliance Connection arrived. One of my friends let him in and ended up holding parts of the stove while it was being repaired. The technician was there for 2 hours. After an hour's work, he was able to force the oven door open and then exchanged the oven lock mechanism, which he said “looked defective.” After replacing the mechanism, the stove immediately locked again when it was powered on. It now displays an error code immediately after powering on and cannot be left with power because it beeps incessantly. It is actually in worse condition than before he arrived.

When he left he told me that the stove was “obviously DOA” and to give Christy at Garner TV & Appliance a call about an hour or so later to get the stove switched out. When I called Garner TV & Appliance and asked when a replacement stove would be provided, I was told that they would not provide a replacement and that they would place another service call. I have called KitchenAid at least a half-dozen times. When I spoke with KitchenAid, two different representatives told me that the dealer could provide a replacement stove, at the dealer's discretion.

When I repeated this to **, the manager at Garner TV & Appliance, he told me there was no way they were going to replace the stove. I had two choices: have it repaired, or return it for a refund less 25% restocking fee (which is $930.75). I told him I have no intention of providing their business with almost one thousand dollars with nothing in return, and that it will not be repaired. ** also told me not to call the store again regarding the stove (that is, his word is final and there is no further discussion about it).

I did not purchase a floor model, sample, scratch-and-dent model, or reconditioned unit. I paid the full retail for a brand new stove from the factory. I am not paying nearly $4,000 for a reconditioned unit, and with the 4 hours of work already done on this stove and at least 2-4 more (a modest estimate, since there is now more than one problem evident), the stove I have qualifies as a reconditioned model.

KitchenAid needs to stand behind their products. All I get from them is stonewalling and a run-around that the dealer is the one to help me, not them. KitchenAid made the product and it is obviously defective, so they should be the one to take charge of the issue and replace it.

I am mobility impaired and do not want a stove in my home that might prove to be a fire hazard. The stove is so defective upon delivery in my home that I do not want it here. I have asked both KitchenAid and the dealer to do the right thing and replace the defective unit. Neither will do so and both claim it's the fault of the other party. I have filed a lawsuit on February 27, 2006 against Garner TV & Appliance to recover the money paid for the stove, delivery, and so forth.

KitchenAid has failed miserably to do the responsible thing and replace a stove that came through my door obviously defective. After four hours of repairs, it is in worse condition than when it arrived. I do not want a reconditioned appliance, nor one that is obviously defective, in my home, and since I paid for a new appliance (which I expect to arrive in perfect working condition), I asked KitchenAid to replace the stove.

At this point, I want a full refund of the purchase price. I do not want a replacement stove because I will not have any further interactions with Garner TV & Appliance after being told not to call them further about a defective product that they delivered to me. I have no faith that they will not do some damage to a replacement stove because of the nasty, rude, and belligerent tone taken by their store manager. I want no further interaction with them.

I will be posting my experience with KitchenAid on every Internet website that I can find that offers a forum for consumer complaints. I am also spreading the word locally about the reliability of KitchenAid products and the fact that the manufacturer refuses to stand behind their product.

I doubt that this posting or my letters of complaint will provoke either KitchenAid or Garner TV & Appliance to do the right thing at this point. However, as a consumer, I will not sit back and allow myself to be fleeced when spending four thousand dollars to buy what I thought was a premium product - and then finding out that K-Mart would have been the better source for my new stove.

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Double dishdrawer model is unreliable and doesn't clean well
By -

I purchased a 2 drawer KitchenAid dishwasher in February of 2006 and have now replaced it with a standard model dishwasher (Maytag brand). The drawers came with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and in November 2007 the motor in the top drawer stopped working. A service repairman came out the day after I reported the problem and had to replace the entire motor unit, which had to be backordered - this took almost 4 weeks to receive and have replaced. I didn't purchase the extended warranty, now in June 2009, both drawers were beeping and the error code indicated that the flood switch has been tripped.

Throughout this time, I've experienced a considerable amount of water collecting in the top drawer when the bottom drawer is running, the touch sensors on the top drawer weren't working very well unless I had wet fingers, and the dishes just weren't getting very clean unless I prewashed everything.

I know that to have the service repairman just come to the door is going to cost me around $100, so I've decided to just replace the drawers with a standard dishwasher. I've never had such an unreliable appliance and this was my first experience with the KitchenAid brand. I like the concept of the drawers, as I was able to run a full drawer as needed and not waste water and energy on half loads (until I started prewashing everything).

However, as time went on after getting the dishwasher, the dishes weren't getting cleaned and a white, powdery haze was developing inside the drawers. I had to regularly take the insides of the drawers out to clean them. I eventually started using a product called Lemi-Shine, adding this to the prewash cup and this got rid of the white film and the water stains that were being left on the dishes. It also worked on removing the caked up detergent that was building up under the plate that the rotating arm sits on top of.

The first time this was repaired, the repairman told me this was hard water buildup - I have a water softener and this is the only place/appliance that this was a problem. I pointed out that the dried white stuff under the plate looked like undissolved detergent - which powder detergent is the only thing that can be used. I tried some dishwasher gel, but that created a lot of soapy bubbles and didn't rinse completely off. The detergent cups are to small for the packaged tablets.

After the motor was replaced in 2007, I did some research and found that there were a lot of complaints about the 2 drawer model. After I discovered the flood switch error, which requires a service technician, as that's what the user manual states and I couldn't find any information on the Internet on how to fix this specific issue, I decided it was no longer worth the hassles that I've been experiencing. I'm very happy with my new Maytag, but then it's only been a few days as of this writing. Just like with KitchenAid, I've never had a Maytag appliance before.

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1.3 out of 5, based on 22 ratings and
51 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
KitchenAid
Customer Satisfaction Center
P.O. Box 218
St. Joseph, MI 49085
1-800-422-1230 (ph)
www.kitchenaid.com
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