Frequency and size? If the problem is unknown maybe it's about traveling with the most common replacement parts and, based on what you told them, those that fit in the limited space, plus a few obscure items that would ordinarily take a very long time to order? My expectation would be for them to back up obviously high quality with good service but not the moon.

I've not had to call Miele to fix my 8 year old machines, and the others are too new (which means nothing really). I have had a lot of problems with my cable service and they told me the first visit is always troubleshoot, then another person has to come with an actual part. Miele isn't a utility company but I've never had the cable company come out the day I called.

Yes, Miele had an issue with the "felt seal" at the front of the drum opening between the cabinet and the drum. It was causing too much friction resulting in the drum to rotate slower that is should been due to the added drag. This might be the reason your belt wore out.

Also, they had the firmware recall; the fan impeller was redesigned to be quieter and move more air (this made a big difference on ours).

Update. Dealer informed us that the replacement belt will not be in until next Monday, 10 days after the dryer stopped working. They will not schedule a service appt to install it until they actually have it in their hands, so more days on top of the 10.

Given the number of problems (7 calls for service resulting in 13 service calls in 3 years) we've had on these most expensive appliances on the market, would it not be appropriate for the dealer to have had the belt overnighted to get us up and running again?

It's nice in Canada that we deal only with Miele. They deliver, intall and service their products themselves.

Not that this information helps you any but I thought someone else may find it interesting.

"It's 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, 2008. A woman in the GTA is making Christmas dinner when her cooktop stops working. She calls the manufacturer, Miele Canada, but is told that no technicians are available. So she tracks down the home number of the company's president, Jan Heck, and asks him if there's anything he can do. Heck calls the warehouse to locate a new cooktop, and has it delivered and installed in time for her dinner.

That story illustrates the advantages of the new business model launched in September by the Canadian subsidiary of the German appliance maker, which has been operating here since 1988. It's called the Miele Chartered Agent (MCA) system, and it turns the company from a manufacturer into something of a retailer as well. Customers still buy its refrigerators, stoves, laundry machines, dishwashers, coffee makers and vacuums at stores like The Brick, now known as authorized chartered agents, but Miele handles the delivery, installation and service. It's a system designed not only to improve the efficiency of the process but also to establish a closer relationship with the consumer. "It's revolutionary," says Heck, who joined Miele Canada 10 years ago after working in food processing for other German companies in Canada. "Because you're dealing directly with the manufacturer, there's no wholesaler, retailer or distributor involved. So it's quality control, not just from a product point of view but all the way to making sure the customer is satisfied. And if something goes wrong, we control that process too, so the customer doesn't get the runaround."

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele: The buck stops here