Asko D5894SSXXL

Asko: does not live up to its promises – Purchased dishwasher, didn't even have it running for a month and it started playing up, the power kept cutting out in the rinse cycle, waited over a week before someone was able to come out and 'service' it... He didn't even test it before he left, a day later the same issue so call service department again have to wait another two weeks before he comes out with a replacement part... 3 days later same issue with the machine, I am understandably irritated and frustrated have now taken 2 days off work for them to fix the problem...

Call Asko service department speak with a lady who could care less about customer service, I tell her I don't have time for them to keep coming out and fixing the machine and I want my machine replaced she tells me it is not possible and another technician needs to come out in another weeks time to decide if it is necessary to replace the machine or not.. I know she is not going to be of any help to me and say fine, hang up and submit an online complaint through the feedback page on Asko website... Do not get a repsonse, take another day off to wait for the technician, guess what no one comes out, so I call Asko they tell me that a replacement dishwasher has been approved (thanks for telling me?!!) and someone will call to organise a day and time.. Anyway I get the replacement dishwasher it is badly damaged on the front panel the guy tells me to get in touch with the service department and they can replace it... I got in touch with them, three times now as they kept providing me the wrong email address to lodge photos and guess what - still haven't heard back from them.

So to end: Dishwasher is good at best when it actually works.. Although based on the issues and service provided when something goes wrong would not recommend or purchase another Asko dishwasher.

$2500 LEMON. Junk product quality, Absolutely pathetic warranty service – Our Dishwasher has been installed for just 2 months and 3 days. Paid for it in full, up front..... then had to wait almost a week for it to arrive. wasn't overly impressed with that. But this is how ASKO distribution work. You cannot buy floorstock from a retail store. Instead they just take your money in advance... Right from the moment it was installed, I should have questioned the products quality. Our plumber installed the unit and was surprised at how 'flimsy' the carcass was, when carefully sliding it into position. But everything hooked up fine and without issue.

The product worked as intended initially - i.e. it washed dishes, and they were actually clean, as you would expect a $2500 dishwasher should... so no complaints about that part, BUT the dishwasher has this touch-sensitive control panel on the top of the door - and right from the start it behaved erratically.

Open the door 'every other time' when setting the wash cycle and you had to hold your finger on it for over 10 seconds to turn it on just to get the display working, other times you could wave your hand over it from 3 inches away and *shazam* it would mraculously turn itself on, and then you had a hypersensitive screen which would scroll through programs before you could even set it to the one you wanted.

I thought it was just my fingers, that there wasn't a problem with the unit, until yesterday evening.

Well, it's now exactly 66 days into owning this $2500 appliance and It no longer can perform the basic intended function.

But the product is under warranty, right? Of course! - Which means there should be absolutely no problem.

How wrong you are to assume such basic consumer advocacy would be provided by this company.

Try contacting ASKO for assistance...

The Warranty hotline number autoprompt redirects your call to a 3rd party who reluctantly tell you they only handle the extended warranty and that "ASKO's 1300 number diverts to them for some unkown reason at random intervals" (despite you specifically stating that you did not follow the 'extended warranty dial prompt' - and they are rightfully quite annnoyed by this) and that "you have to ring the ASKO 1300 number again..... and wait for an operator to correctly direct your call instead of using the automated service". Wow, that's 2 phone calls and you haven't even been able to get the warranty department!

When you do finally get hold of the actual ASKO warranty dept, they are completely uninterested in providing any degree of customer service. But they do confirm in a disinterested monotone, that you are actually the person who purchased the product. This is most important to them (Maybe it's because they think you'll turn into Kevin Bloody Wilson while you're on the call... " Hello Operator, I'd like to make a call...." yep you all know where that goes... )

So what's the big deal?

When you pay $2500 for a dishwasher, you expect a certain basic level of customer service commitment from the Vendor and its staff as a minimum standard.

1. The customer service operator should be concise, polite and have a degree of empathy commensurate to the situation. i.e. when there is a warranty fault rendering an appliance completely unusable, they should make an effort to have it resolved in an expedited fashion.

They already work for the company, so they are quite aware of the retail cost of the appliance you purchased. With a warranty claim, they would also be aware of the more common issues and causes of failure through their direct customer facing role, So a little understanding rather than a dismissive customer service attitude would go a long way in maintaining customer satisfaction.

2. Their communication for resolving the warranty issue should not involve the word 'days'. It should be 'same day'.

Not a "I can't get an agent there until next tuesday" or similar statement. Weekend service under factory warranty should be expected. You just paid for their best unit, you should get their best level of customer commitment.

3. If there is a significant issue with the purchased unit, a replacement should be scheduled and on it's way, with the warranty service agent, in case the issue cannot be fixed onsite.

Instead, what ASKO customer service do, is put you on hold for an inordinate amount of time (after confirming they already know every detail about your purchase because they have it on the screen in front of them) while they organize / think of an excuse to provide you with an appointment date in 5 days time for their authorized agent to 'inspect' it - and no guarantee that there will be an attempt to have it fixed on the spot, or if the unit will subsequently be taken away even after you clearly explain EXACTLY what is wrong.

In our specific case it is the main control panel which has failed to function, this being clearly explained to the warranty claim officer - effectively rendering the entire unit useless.

I may add, that this is a known issue on many ASKO dishwashers. Previous models have had identical and similar faults, and that information is provided by the extended warranty service agents for ASKO.

WTF? ahh, Hello ASKO, get your act into gear. It's a known product issue. You have replacement stock for warranty, how about you ensure that your agents carry replacement parts if you cannot eradicate the manufacturing quality control issues.

And the customer service commitment - 5 days before someone rocks up to your door just to look at it? you better be bringing a replacement dishwasher or my refund of the full purchase price if that is the case. I will not have much patience for unnecessary and excessive warranty delays.

While you are dealing with this appalling standard of what would be best described as ASKO's 'IDGAF' -customer service attitude, you're still stuck on the end of the phone being aurally barraged by their on-hold Product Marketing BS - and that is EXACTLY what it is.

The spiel conveys a message of an elitist brand with the absolute highest reputation for product quality and post-sales service which will leave you confidently and completely satisfied with the product quality, customer service support and a 'feel good' message about the dedication of ASKO employees to their job. I've never heard such a contrived statement of utter garbage in my life. It's absolutely insulting to hear this garbage when you are on hold for a warranty issue, and staff are being less than helpful. the on-hold marketing is clearly borrowed from Apple's marketing philosophy and rather poorly executed- It's another case of a company stretching the truth to beyond believable, except by the most gullible.

If this is not motivation enough for you to seriously consider purchasing another brand of dishwasher, let me add this:

I bought this ASKO unit based on prior product experience and historic reputation. I have used ASKO dishwashers for nearly 20 years. 3 of them actually. The first 2 were made in Sweeden, They both performed flawlessly, and one of them still is, in another family members kitchen. The third was made outside of sweeden, Slovakia or Slovenia - I cannot remember which. It currently resides in my parent's house.

The 3rd unit, has had 6 warranty service calls, and has twice been taken away 'to the factory' (extended warranty service agent factory) for repair work, leaving the household without the appliance for WEEKS on end. Nonetheless, the actions of the asko service used to be of a high standard. That was over 6 years ago.

In the interim, the house I relocated to already had a kleenmaid dishwasher (still works) which until 66 days ago, was perfectly adequate, although noisy, and the ASKO unit was purchased as part of a kitchen appliance refresh.

On the most serious of notes, based on the companies current level of commitment to prompt warranty resolution, post-sales customer service and the fact that you are purchasing the second most expensive dishwasher currently available for the Australian domestic market (only a Meile is more expensive than the D5894SSXXL) I thoroughly recommend you either fork out the extra $1k for a Miele and have NO issues with their customer service or product quality, or you save yourself $2000 and go buy a cheap $500 dishwasher which will serve you well, and you can replace 5 times without being any worse off.

Product observations:

This ASKO product was manufactured in october 2014. The product quality is nowhere near what it used to be, when compared against the units made in sweeden. These units themselves are not as solid - they have thinned down the stainless steel sheet, the housings are now almost completely bare except for the thinnest insulating felt, and while they look like a high-end dishwasher on the front and inside, the product quality control is evidently now highly questionable, especially when a unit fails to function within 2 months of purchase. It is NOT the old 'made in sweeden' unit with exceptional robust build and reliability - So forget the glossy brochures, forget the telemarketing brainwashing and put your trust in pragmatic customer reviews like this.

If you have an ASKO and it fails under warranty, exercise your consumer rights. Write everything down. keep it on record. If you're not happy contact fair trading and Get your Money back. It is becoming quite clear in this day and age that companies will exercise every single advantage they can leverage over a customer base when it comes to reducing post-sales service and warranty costs. Rather than implement better quality manufacturing and control measurements, the shortcuts are delivered on the consumer end, through repetitive warranty repair and poor customer service.

This purchase was satisfying until the unit failed - even then, The understanding that 'stuff happens' is slightly less tolerable when you purchase the companies flagship top of the range unit.

What completely knocks it on the head is the absolute declaration of disinterest from the companies warranty customer service centre, in either providing a timely solution, or even a reassurance that your appliance will be fixed when the service agent attends. It appears ASKO think that the customer should drop everything and respond to their beck and call when their failed product requires a warranty repair.

This companies attitude expressed through their customer warranty service and product marketing experience by others reviews here as well as myself should be a clear and direct warning to any prospective purchaser. Caveat Emptor.

$2500 is a huge amount of money to be spending on a domestic kitchen dishwasher. When the quality proves the expense to be worth it - a long-term fault-free service life (decades) is what is expected, and what competing products guarantee in this price bracket. My advice is to either investigate professional commercial appliances or buy that Meile unit for the extra $1K if your wallet can take the hit.

Me? I'm less than impressed with ASKO now, and every consumer who has heard of the companies previous reputation for their sweedish manufactured appliances should certainly not consider any of their current offerings as they will not meet expectations or previously qualified statements citing exceptional quality, longevity and impeccable standards. It's clearly changed for the worse.

I simply urge any consumer to be aware that any previous reputation this company had for quality or reliability is clearly now not evident in their current products.