lucky me, the problem-prone washer of mine crapped out again... got one wash out of it before it errored out at the beginning of a cycle.

guess there are no expert techs on this forum. in any event i found a button combo (thru more trial and error than before I wrote my question) that unlocks the door. (and I still await a call from the repair company...)

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

You are scaring me. I just bought Samsung washer WA50F9A8DSP and a Samsung dryer but they haven't been delivered yet.

decordummy, don't be scared, every brand has satisfied and unsatisfied customers. One person will rave about their machine and the other will curse the same machine. All you can do is pick through, look at trends, weigh complaints and buy that extended warranty through a reliable retailer.

I had one kenmore (was whirlpool mf) that was great, the next kenmore (again whirlpool mf) was an absolute nightmare washer. Current samsung washer has been a dream machine but someone else on here recently asked for advice because their samsung had been a complete disaster (different model/type than mine and this poster's).

Some models of one brand seem to be more reliable than others of the same brand. If you have any doubts in that return window, send the machine back and get a different one.