Welcome to Garden web I see you signed up just a day or so before this post.

First I would ask when buying your Miele did you do your homework to find out who did the local service for you?

Miele uses contract servicers and some are better than others but you need to work with Miele on getting someone out and make sure they have factory support from their Tech Help line.

I'm not a big Miele fan but I know that their customer service is generally to be considered as top end. Some may even say stellar.

Now please beware that posters that have just signed up and RANTED about an appliance are not treated with a great deal of respect here at GW.

But...
If you really are reaching out to the GW members they can give you several suggestions on how to fix your issue.

Give a little more detail such as what the error code is and when it happens (what cycle) and I'm sure someone here can help you.

I've been reading this forum for over 10 years, before we built our house back then. Haven't been on for years and email address have changed so had to create a new account. We had an all new house with all new appliances and didn't really need to engage in the conversation for some time.

We replaced F&P dishdrawers after about 8 years d/t problems and after reading here went with the Miele La perla unit.

Yes I did do the research - but it's not in my control if a dealer who installed it now refuses to drive out to fix any problems because it's too far away.

I don't care if you treat me with "respect" or not, and my posting was far from being a rant. Again, I was a member before you even signed up, but I don't obsess about this stuff so I generally only hang around when I'm actively involved with purchases or building, otherwise I'm too busy living my life.

At this point Miele has basically told us that they have no members of their service organization that are willing to come and fix our unit. Apparently d/t this they are no willing to "walk through" a non-certified repairman (but still won't give us ANY advice) through a repair, which will likely consist of replacing the same parts we already replaced and then waiting for it to fail again.

I didn't buy this off the internet and then complain about no support, I bought it from a certified dealer, had it professionally installed and then am left out in the cold by Miele after only a couple years with a very expensive and very dead dishwasher.

My wife has spent over an hour at this point on the phone trying to get someone to fix it and Miele has been most (!) unhelpful.

I had a top of the line Mac pro go bad just after warranty, Apple tried to fix it and when they couldn't they sent me a brand new one ($4500 machine) for FREE. Now -THAT- is high end customer service. I don't expect that from Miele, but Apple has me as a customer for life because of that. Miele on the other hand has basically turned me off of any chance of buying anything from them again due to their attitude and response to this situation.

I'll repeat my recommendation: if you buy a Miele DW, buy the extended warranty and only buy if you are in a big city or close to one. Otherwise my advice is stay away unless you're willing to risk having no support for any problems that may develop.

Hmmm.

I said something very similar in this thread. The closest authorized service person for me was over 100 miles away.

I definitely learned a lesson.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

Give a little more detail such as what the error code is and when it happens (what cycle) and I'm sure someone here can help you.

I'm occasionally very surprised at the level of technical detail some here can offer. So how about it?

Hmm, I've got the current top-of-the-line unit and it also has the auto close function. Now, I haven't had it long yet, but it does have a five-year-warranty with certified install, which I had. So, your unit SHOULD still be in warranty, unless this was a recent change, and if true Miele MUST fix or replace or refund the unit. (Their discretion as to which, but warranties are a legal contract and must be complied with, unless they can prove you somehow voided it.)

My only service experience to date has been minor, but spectacular. One of our adjustable dish rack tines wouldn't stay up and was always flopping down when we tried to use it. This had occurred since day one. We have two units, and this only happened on one. I emailed about the problem and Miele sent someone right out, even though we are also on the very edge (technically outside) of a service area. The service people were prompt and professional and said the alignment was just a bit off, so they bent it back in place and Miele sent me a new bottom rack, ASAP, since the area bent almost immediately developed some rust. I was really impressed with their service and ease of getting it.

I had a Miele lemon and replaced with la perla model. I was also concerned with the KISS principle. So far so good - check to see if something is impeeding closing the unit.
The first unit really wasn't a lemon but the local appliance store messed it up but we had the extended warranty and our $$ was replaced.
We now have the extended plan through Miele and they send the factory service rep- great service
The service tech gave us a copy of the error codes(old DW) - fortunately so far so good
Please call Miele again and ask them to send a service rep.

Apparently the model sold currently is new design and does have a 5 year warranty but ours (2 years old) does not.

To add insult to injury the part that we need is apparently "on backorder" because the dishwasher (again, it's 2 years old) is "no longer made" and parts are not available.

Just keeps getting worse.

The error code is "automatic door closing fault"

Right now we've managed to make it run by pulling out the dishwasher and applying a clamp from my woodworking shop to the door to keep a slight bit of pressure on it. So we've got a $2500 dishwasher running redneck style in the middle of our kitchen.

We've asked, begged, cajoled, but they will not send a tech out. We even offered to consider buying a new model with the new design and purchase the extended warranty hoping they would give us a good deal as we have a bad one, but still state they can't help us.

Did the first occurence of the door lock failure happen with-in the warranty period? If so Miele may be obligated to fix it under your states Lemon Law. You may want to write a letter to your state attorney generals office explaining your case and make sure you Cc Miele.

If this was happening to me I would write to the president of Miele in Germany. The name is on the website; I've lined the address. I would be polite and explain concisely what the issue is and give documentation of attempts to get this repair accomplished.

Miele is big but it is a family business. If the US arm doesn't respond, in the past the mother ship has with other posters.

The dealer must be pretty lousy and you might want to post their name and warn others not to deal with them. Around where I live they service what they sell or help getting Miele there for specialized problems.

At worst, they could do a diagonostic via Skype using a smart phone or a tablet.

Also, if you have called and they have refused help, it would be good to know what time of the day you called and in which time zone. There can be a difference in support and information depending on which office you've been dealing with.

Again, that information should be stated in the letter to them (which I think you might fax). It's not acceptable that you cannot get this repaired.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele Intl.

Are you in the USA or Canada ?

YOu should try to call the VP of Sales and explain the situation to him and see if he can help.

Post the fault codes like suggested and someone round here may be able to identify them.

Well, if nothing else, you made my day! I read these forums prior to purchasing, and JD is no label lover! He likes cheap! Period!

We avoided the high end, and got all stainless appliances, all kitchen aid (because we got a huge rebate for doing so), and everything is fabulous! No complaints!

At first I had a complaint that the DW wasn't getting the dishes clean. I soon learned, it's our hard water! It leaves a residue on everything (Even my diamond ring doesn't shine)!

This is not the fault of the DW. I am sorry you had such a bad experience after spending so much money!

Keep us posted on the outcome!
Suzi

I had to call a service man to fix the icemaker in our refrigerator. I wanted to know what brands of appliances he would recommend because he was obviously very expert at what he does. He said he would get a Bosch dishwasher. He used to be the service man for a high end store that carried them. I asked about Miele and he said good luck because the store where he worked is the local Miele dealer and other than him no service man in our area knew a thing about Miele. Sounds like a problem in small towns as someone said,(although our area has over 160000 residents it is small town in attitude and business.)

And the appliance guy we just had out said the opposite ... They won't even work on Bosch anymore because the company is difficult to deal with. Which is reflective of what we experienced with our Bosch dishwashers, which the Mieles recently replaced.

Talking top-of-the-line for both brands, I've found the Mieles superior in every aspect, including cleaning. The Boschs only advantage is that they held half-sheet pans on the bottom rack in upright position, but I don't think that holds true with new models, since they've also added a top third rack.

Obviously, your mileage may vary. And I would agree that Bosch is a more mainstream brand and more people will service because of that, that doesn't necessarily equate to getting good service though. And that's the sticking point.

I have an Optima 4 years old, and I'm on my second in-line water line; the first one I changed myself cost under $170, I had it mailed; the second time, I delivered it and it cost me $3xx.
I'm in a small town, and it is cost prohibitive to have the dealer come, he's over an hour away, and has since closed shop and moved further away). Hourly wage, travel time, shop time etc = not if I can help it!

I believe that I posted that story in another thread, where someone was asking for a recommendation which was after the first line change, and I said that I would still buy a Miele, now I may not give the same recommendation.
If you are wondering, city water, soft water, and 80 psi water pressure, and the inlet water line craps out??? I don't think so.

IMO As an engineer - who has worked on many complicated projects in the defense industry: dishwashers are really complicated pieces of equipment. Add to that it's a PITA to service them - pulling them out, disconnecting the water / drain, etc.

We have a Miele DW, and had a problem (after 7 years) with a pressure switch. Called Miele tech support - they told me how to read the diagnostic codes - and sold me the part. I was impressed that Miele did the engineering to build an DW with trouble codes.

I think any good tech should be able to fix an appliance, of whatever make. I fixed the our Miele, and I never worked an a DW before.

Geoffrey - your experience does not mirror mine. That's part of my complaint, Miele will give us NO information about any problem or codes over the phone. They refused to give any information to anyone but a certified installer (of which we have access to none) for awhile but finally after much arguing have agreed to speak with a tech when he's here. Still no parts available.

I'm going to try and find a contact for someone in upper management at Miele as several have suggested. At the very least they need to know this kind of poor service is going on.

@pprioroh: I just spoke with Miele tech support about 6 weeks ago!

The Miele people have tech's that will help you diagnose the problem - and Miele sells the parts. The tech number is: 1-800-999-1360.

They were super friendly, and compentent - I was really quite surprised.

pprioroh - ARE YOU IN CANADA or the USA ?

That could have a lot to do with things.

What about you Gefforey ? Assuming USA , since Canada doesn't have much of a defense industry.

This post was edited by xedos on Wed, Nov 20, 13 at 2:54

i'm in the USA

@xedos: LOL - on Canada's defense industry. I'm in the USA.

I didn't understand this thread from the first message -

pprioroh states: "We ordered a new door latching part and installed it ourselves the first time and it worked for a few months and now has failed again."

In another post pprioroh states: "That's part of my complaint, Miele will give us NO information about any problem or codes over the phone. They refused to give any information to anyone but a certified installer"

First she says they bought a part from Miele, then in a subsequent post, she says they refuse to give information.

Also I have a suspicion about this statement: "The dealer won't come out to service it,"

I've never heard of such a thing. It sounds like the OP made unreasonable demands.

Let me clarify for you: when we called the service people would tell us nothing about the error message, they stated very clearly they would not discuss any repairs or give us any idea on costs or parts or codes that they would ONLY talk to an authorized service technician.

My wife and I =ON OUR OWN= figured out what part was opening and closing the door, ordered a part for it from them and installed it =ON OUR OWN=.

Since then it has failed AGAIN.

Our "unreasonable demands" were: "please send a tech out to fix our dishwasher."

They will not send anyone. The installing dealer refuses to come this far anymore (it's about a 60-70 mile drive). Nobody will come.

Miele has given us no information, we have figured everything out on our own by taking the front panel apart and replacing a part which fixed the problem but now it fails again.

Whether you've "heard of such a thing or not" is irrelevant. I'm reporting my first hand experience, so you've heard it now.

@pprioroh: "Our "unreasonable demands" were: "please send a tech out to fix our dishwasher."

IMO, you misrepresented the communication by leaving out important info. The service people stated that you were outside their service area.

Well yeah, a 60 minute trip - that's 2 hrs round trip. At minimal $100/hr - do you want to pay that much - just for a trip charge? And since it will require a part, they will have to make two trips... $400. If so, I bet if you call them and say you are willing to pay the trip charges - they might look at the unit. Otherwise, get some local guy, I'm sure Miele will cooperate with him.

One other thing: Did you call the 1-800-999-1360 number? It worked great for me, just 6 weeks ago!

I didn't misrepresent anything. The dealer was fine to come out this far to install the thing, but then won't come to service it. I think that's Miele's problem to fix, but we may disagree on it. Again, I didn't buy this off the internet and install it myself, I had a Miele authorized dealer install it at full price but when I need service I'm told I'm on my own.

If you read my post, that's the point - service may be great in big city, but in small town it's certainly not and initially before a lot of argument on our part Miele would NOT talk with any non-authorized tech so we were caught in catch-22 (no authorized tech would come, but they will only speak with authorized tech...)

If you think a tech making a drive is worth $100/hr, well then I guess you've got a lot more money than we do, but regardless they refused to come at all - they didn't even offer to come at $x/rate.

At this point we've got a local tech coming tomorrow, hopefully with the "backordered" part for our "out of date" 2 year old dishwasher and will see what happens.

I've yet to ask my wife if she spoke with the same number you're giving me, I know she spent at least 30-60 min arguing with Miele to get any help at all but I want to see if that's the number she called. Have been too busy with other life jobs to have that conversation but will try today before (independent local) tech comes tomorrow

I really can commiserate. When we built, a dear friend warned me that I shouldn't purchase any appliance if the manufacturer didn't guarantee that there were authorized service people who were willing to come out to my rural area. For the most part, I followed her advice. However, since our build ( eight years ago) several of the techs who were certified have retired and no one has taken their place. So, I am kind of at sea on the subject of repairs. GW had a poster years ago-- I cannot recall name--who wrote to Miele's CEO in Germany and had a success story to tell. I second the recommendation to try that.

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Oct 13, 13 at 13:52

Gee, this was just getting good! Why the sudden silence? Good result? Bad result? SOS?
Pprioroh, you sound like a reasonable person in an unhappy spot, but your experience with Miele is surprising to many. I just called Miele service today (using 800-843-7231 and following the prompts) and spoke with a service tech who walked me through several fixes on my old Novotronic DW. He had my info from a couple of previous calls for other issues, and despite dealing with a model that probably hasn't been made for 15 years, he knew all about my machine. I needed a couple of small parts and in 5 minutes the Parts Department confirmed my order for $27.10 including shipping. I was more than impressed with Miele's customer service and their willingness to assist me, so their treatment of you seems very atypical.
What happened when the tech person came to your house? Is there still an issue with your dishwasher?
Did you get in touch with a senior Miele person?
BTW, if the issue is still unresolved, another GW poster got GE to take back a lemon appliance by contacting the BBB. You may not have a local contact, but there should be one in the closest big town (perhaps where your stick-in-the-mud dealer is located!) or somewhere in your state.
Please post a followup - Miele lovers and haters want to know what happened!
Good luck!

The local tech we had scheduled (not related to Miele) had to cancel because the parts Miele was to ship didn't get here in time. The part subsequently came (the same part we replaced earlier - the locking mechanism) and we ended up just installing it outselves because at this point it was going to be longer until the service person could come back and we were tired of clamping the dishwasher door with a woodworking clamp to make it run in the interim.

Since then the DW still intermittently gives door closing error codes and must be reset. kids refuse to load it because wife yells if it happens and everyone is very touchy about the whole thing.

I never did get in touch with anyone senior at Miele - my wife has made all the phone calls to them and I've reported what was told to her.

We remain very disappointed in our experience. We went to multiple stores to shop new DW but in the end are keeping what we have for now. Overall DW function and cleaning ability the Miele gets and A, but in the door closing department it gets a D- and customer service in a small town remains a big concern in my opinion.

I apologize for not posting my outcome, have been very busy with work and life and kind of forgot about it.