Customer service is dead.

So we replaced our old dishwasher in December 2017. We treated ourselves to a Smeg unit, a brand we've never owned before that is renowned for it's dependability... isn't it? As I was in my last month of employment with them, and they too are renowned for their customer service, I used my staff discount and paid John Lewis £319 for it and was informed that it came with a 2 year warranty. 

The installation went well and the machine seemed to be performing pretty well for 18 months when, in June 2019, it decided to spark loudly and brightly and then die. As this was within the warranty period, Smeg booked an engineer who turned out to be enjoying the summer sun too much. Our engineer let us down and failed to attend our property. When I spoke to him, in the middle of a freak heatwave, the familiar sound of a pub in the background was dismissed as the 'meeting he'd just come out of'. I checked his reviews on yelp to find this was normal procedure for him . Instead of rescheduling, we called Smeg again, who booked a much better engineer who attended and stripped and rebuilt the unit, but alas, this didn't fix the problem either. 

A week later I chased up what was happening and in July, he returned with a new timer, wiring loom and a bracket, which after a full day, fixed the unit.

In August 2019 the unit stopped draining and the same engineer was called out, he resolved the issue but advised us it was a common problem. 

In Feb 2020 the unit stopped draining. John Lewis let me add the extended warranty on to the item at a cost of £125 and we had another call out. 

In November 2020 some parts from inside wore out and were replaced, the same doofus from the pub turned up, despite us asking if we could have someone else, but he was in the house for under 5 minutes as the worn out parts simply clipped into place. 

In August, this year, again, the unit stopped draining. At this point I thought enough is enough so I contacted John Lewis customer care. I asked them if they thought that this product was 'of satisfactory quality' cut a long story short, even though we've got a repair or replace warranty, they offered me (as a gesture of goodwill) £126. I declined and reverted back to the warranty we'd bought. However, the warranty group is no more, It's either assurance or assurant (it's not clear on the phone and the website is no use either). So my email got ignored. 

The draining problem resolved itself. It tends to dry out after a week or so of inaction, it just stinks. 

So with no reply, we carried on until last Friday, when, you guessed it, it stops draining again. So this time I phone and speak with someone who promises an engineer will call. I wait, but nothing happens. On Monday, I call again to be told an email was sent back to them at 12:30 saying the Smeg engineer couldn't make it. However, that must have been Friday, as it was 11:30 when I was on the phone to them (I didn't realise at the time). In the time I was on hold to them, I drove from Holywell to Flint, walking to the beach to calm my nerves, I'm informed that an engineer will call this Wednesday. I advise him that will be great, so long as it's in the morning, he tells me he can't be sure. 

Later on in the day, I get another call. They can't do Wednesday, in fact, they can only get a Smeg engineer out at the end of October. But, because they're so great, they've found another company, who they reckon could do it, for a week on Wednesday, or as another option, I could find my own Smeg engineer and they would pay for them indirectly. 

They advise me that if that isn't acceptable then I could speak with a Team Leader. So I speak with a team leader and advise them of the problem, I advise them of all of the issues above, and they stand firm. There's nothing they can do. It's at this point the 'team leader's child starts screaming in the background (I think he was screaming "give them a new dishwasher for goodness sake") and I decide I've had enough of talking. 

I send an email update to my pal at John Lewis Head office, because it would appear he likes a good laugh and John Lewis Customer care seems like a joke.