Electric Dryer Problem: Fix Relay, NOT Start Winding

[stewartcs]

Well I figured I would post a recent problem I had with an electric dryer at home so that someone else may benefit from it.

I have a Kenmore Elite Quiet Pak II electric dryer. The other day it stopped working. By stopped working I mean once you pushed the start button and released it, the dryer would cut off. It would initially start and continue to run as long as you held the button down.

So my wife called a repair guy to come out and take a look at it since I didn't feel like fooling with it. The guy comes out the first day, flips the top up, looks at, flips it back down and presses the start button and it works. Service call was $50 bucks. Ok, the very next day it does the same thing again, so he comes back out, spends about two minutes on it (BTW, I wasn't home the first day, but I was the second time), and tells me that the start winding in the motor is bad. He then proceeded to tell me, that he would be glad to take the old washer away at no cost to me (as a favor) and sell me another one off of the back of his truck for $250 bucks!

After I picked myself up off of the floor from all of the laughter, I politely explained to him that I was an electromechanical engineer and that it was DEFINETLY NOT THE START WINDING!

Can you believe that guy?? I mean, even someone who has no idea what a start winding is would think, as the name implies, it is used only for starting...wouldn't they?! So if the motor is already started, but won't stay running, why on Earth would it have been the start winding? I asked that very question and he said "it's complicated, you wouldn't understand".

Needless to say, I escorted his butt right out the door.

Moral of the story, if it sounds stupid, it usually is.


Oh yeah, the must important part. It was the motor relay that was bad (after about 5 minutes of troubleshooting with a multimeter). It cost's $4.65 online and can be installed by teenager (no offense to any teenagers).

 

[Averagesupernova]

While you may be technical savy electromechanically, I'd say that the fact that the tech knew it was a $4.65 switch and seen a chance to make some money off of you has escaped you. That trick is the oldest one in the book. Service tech tells you something major is wrong when in actuality it is minor in order to unload a new appliance on you and make a cheap repair and unload your used appliance on someone else. The majority of the time it works because most people don't know any better.

 

[stewartcs]

While you may be technical savy electromechanically, I'd say that the fact that the tech knew it was a $4.65 switch and seen a chance to make some money off of you has escaped you.

Uhhh...no it didn't. That's why I showed him the door instead buying his stupid dryer.

I just wanted to let others know to look out for this kind of thing with regards to being conned and if they have the same dryer problem it might help them in some way.

I am out $50 bucks for the service call the day before though.

 

[Averagesupernova]

In my opinion, you told the story as if portraying the service tech not knowing his head from a hole in the ground. After all, you can escort someone to the door for being stupid as well as a crook. Sorry for any misunderstanding. You were quite right in doing what you did.

 

[russ_watters]

I wish it were possible to fine such people - you could call the BBB, though.

Averagesupernova, it looks to me like you misread. The service tech knew exactly what he was doing/saying (he knew what he was saying was wrong).

 

[stewartcs]

In my opinion, you told the story as if portraying the service tech not knowing his head from a hole in the ground. After all, you can escort someone to the door for being stupid as well as a crook. Sorry for any misunderstanding. You were quite right in doing what you did.

No problem...Yeah he has apparently done this before, it seemed well rehearsed. My wife gave him the benefit of the doubt and said maybe he just didn't know. I obviously didn't agree. The strange part is that I had used this guy before for another problem and had a good experience. Go figure...

 

[stewartcs]

I wish it were possible to fine such people - you could call the BBB, though.

That's a good idea.

 

[Danger]

I am out $50 bucks for the service call the day before though.

Why the hell did you pay it? Since it was an obviously fraudulent representative, the company would have no recourse to collect. If he hadn't come back and tried to con you, that would be a different matter, but his subsequent actions give you the benefit of the doubt that he also fudged the first visit.
By the bye, if he happens to be the respondent to your next service issue, wait until he's half-way through diagnosing your machine and then plug it in.

 

[stewartcs]

Why the hell did you pay it? Since it was an obviously fraudulent representative, the company would have no recourse to collect. If he hadn't come back and tried to con you, that would be a different matter, but his subsequent actions give you the benefit of the doubt that he also fudged the first visit.
By the bye, if he happens to be the respondent to your next service issue, wait until he's half-way through diagnosing your machine and then plug it in.

Unfortunately my wife had already paid him on the first day and then he came back the next when I was there to "fix" it again. He didn't really fix it the first time (but got his service call fee). Of course the second day he got squat.

 

[Danger]

Ahhh... I assume, then, that your system is different than ours. Here, the repair fee is added to your monthly utility bill (unless you bought the appliance from the gas company, in which case it's free). The repairman has no collection ability.

 

[Integral]

In my opinion, you told the story as if portraying the service tech not knowing his head from a hole in the ground. After all, you can escort someone to the door for being stupid as well as a crook. Sorry for any misunderstanding. You were quite right in doing what you did.

Really it is just YOUR assumption that the tech knew what his was doing. In either case, if he was to stupid to know, or if he was dishonest, he should be shown the door.

A few years back we had Sears deliver a new range. I stood back back and watched while the delivery/install guys unloaded the range and connected the new pig tail. I could see a jumper across 2 of the 3 power terminals and thought to myself, "that don't look right". Put the "knowledgeable" installers didn't give it a second look. Upon plugging in, my main power breaker tripped, shutting down the whole house. The installers were baffled, must be something wrong with the house wiring was their conclusion. I pointed to the jumper and suggested that they remove it. Then went and got my multimeter to show it was shorting the power cord. They had never seen nor knew anything about a multimeter! Needless to I filed a complaint with Sears about the training level of their installers. These guys are working with 220VAC they should know SOMETHING.

The range had been the floor display range, the jumper was so they could run the displays with 120VAC but not put power to the elements.
It (the jumper) should never have left the store.