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Staber Washer

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Drew of Kelso WA (5/17/04):
My wife and I purchased a washing machine from Staber Industries, after my researce indicated that it was rated a consumer best buy. The first washer they sent us was not able to complete one wash cycle due to manufacturing defects. They hired a local repairman to try and fix it, but no repairman in our area had ever seen a Staber washer and admitted that he had no clue as to what he was doing.

The company then sent us out a second washer to replace their first defective unit. We immediately began having cascades of water on our floor during each wash cycle. Additionally, during the spin cycle, almost our whole home would shake as the machine shook violently. Further, we could not wash light loads of delicates because even more water would run from the unit on to our floors. When we contacted the company, we were repeatedly told that the machine was not designed to wash delicates and that we "must be using it inappropriately or else it would not leak water so badly".

We have owned this machine for just over a year now and it is out of warranty. During this time, we have had daily flooding, violent shaking, the rubber apron outside of the outer tank has come loose from the unit, the motor grinds, the belt drive leaves small balls of burned rubber on my floor, there is standing putrid water in the bottom of the tank, there is over a half a cup of a "jellied" mold and mildew type substance under each 3 inch plastic housing hub within the main inner tub, the rear shaft assembly was diagnosed as broken and our clothes smell horribly after each wash.

By the way, the broken rear assembly was the cause of the violent shaking. This was diagnosed by the company's technician after the product was out of warranty. The company advertises on their website that their product is designed to be "end user repairable" They state that is the consumer can "use a screwdriver" they can walk them through fixing any problem over the phone. This statement misrepresents the "fixability" of their machine's problems.

After filing several complaints with the company, they did send me out free replacement parts. Following their instructions, I spent nearly six hours trying to fix their defective product. The scope of the repairs called for tools much more involved than a simple screwdriver as their website identifies in their FAQ folder. In the end, I ended up stripping the bolt on the rear shaft assembly (the part that was the main culprit from day one) and now my whole machine is completely useless.

I contacted the company to complain and demand a refund. Not only did they refuse to even consider my request, they have refused to respond to my complaints in writing. They refuse to acknowledge that they have knowingly misrepresented their product to the consumer and I believe that they are trying to protect themselves from legal action by not communicating to the customer in writing.

This entire ordeal has been a nightmare. All I wanted to do was purchase a machine that would be environmentally friendly and serve my family well. It appears that I will have that opportunity as I now have to spend more money out of my pocket to purchase a new washing machine. I do not yet know which washer I will buy, but I do know that it will not be a Staber.

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May 17 2008

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