Great machine and customer service – When my old Dishlex dishwasher broke down last month, I went out looking for a replacement. I checked the usual brands - Dishlex; Fisher & Paykel; Westinghouse; etc. But I was shocked at how flimsy and cheaply-made they were. For example, the latest Dishlex models seem nowhere near as durable as my old Dishlex which was purchased 10 years ago. The washing rotors were all plastic, and the handles and controls on the machines seemed flimsy - almost coming away in my hand as I tested them in the store.

I then looked at a more expensive brand, which was Asko. It looked to be much better made, and the sales assistant in the shop said it should last for 18-20 years, compared to the cheaper brands which would give about 10 years service (which was exactly how long my previous dishwasher lasted.) So I paid $1099 for a new Asko model 5424 and was told it would be delivered in 2 days time.

Two days later I received a call from the delivery driver saying that he would be delivering the machine within 2 hours. Then about an hour later I received another call from him saying that he was very sorry, but he had arrived at the warehouse to load up his van and there was no stock left.

I rang Asko and they were very apologetic. They said there had been a computer error - the computer was reporting that stock was available in the warehouse but in fact there was none there. They said that this hadn't happened previously. They promised to phone me back as soon as they had more news.

At this point I wasn't terribly impressed. But within 30 minutes Asko rang back and said that they would give me the next model up in the series (5434) and that it would be delivered the next day.

They did deliver it the next day, and I now own a model that should have cost $300 more than what I paid. And I'm delighted with it. It looks very sleek, has simple, robust controls, and is amazingly quiet when it runs - far quieter than my old Dishlex. And it gets my dishes, pots and pans really clean.

Credit to Asko for really looking after their customers. They resolved the problem at (probably) considerable cost to themselves, and were proactive in their actions. I'm very happy with them and the machine. Excellent cleaning action; quiet; customer service