This is a long summary of troubles with our FP dishwashers. We've had no end of trouble with 2 sets of DDs. We first got a DD602 which needed multiple service calls starting after a year or so. As the issues continued, F&P graciously replaced it free of charge with a DD603. Unfortunately, we've suffered with this one for four or five years. It worked well for the first year and a half, then gradually began failing. For some reason, the lower rinse aid reservoir leaks. We've had it replaced twice - finally I just let it run dry. The upper drawer stopped drying well after a year or so. The service guy came multiple times to see it, but it never improved.

Despite these issues, we used the unit; the lower drawer actually dried the dishes, even plastic cups, well even without the rinse aid. The upper drawer was a pain in the neck, as we had to shake the water from cups and bowls and leave them out to dry.

In the last 2 months, the lower drawer started leaking water in our sink cabinet. The leak came during the drain cycles. It wasn't too bad, so I'd lay newspaper before a cycle, and change it after for the next run. I had another service man come to look at the DW, and he told me to buy another one. It needed all new tubes, 2 new motors, and other parts that I can't recall. He didn't bother writing it up, as he was actually there to look at our SZ refrigerator which hasn't been working.

Because of the repeated trouble with the FP DDs, I thought it was time to move on - I decided to go with a Miele Optima. My friend/appliance salesman told me to first see if FP might give a deal on a replacement unit. I contacted them, and they repeatedly said they had to review the case, finally stating that they were not responsible.

My only real beef is that FP service is pretty awful. Their documentation of the visits and problems was inept. FP was unaware of visits that occurred, even under warranty. FP was also in the dark about the previous history of the replacement unit, saying that I had no proof of purchase. They were surprised when I explained that I had no receipt, as they had it installed through their dealer.

Despite our horrible experience with the reliability of the DDs, the concept is very appealing. The 2 drawers allowed us to limit the number of dishes/bowls/glasses we keep, as one drawer is always running. With kids who go through dishes all day, the DDs are very convenient.

FP really needs to work on reliability and service. Actually, the customer service was always nice to deal with, as they are very polite, albeit not always dependable (never return calls as promised). Maybe the problem with service calls isn't limited to them, either. Because of multiple failures to repair our SZ refrigerator, the company is replacing it (it's 10 years old).

Anyway, hopefully our new Miele Optima DW will be trouble free.