I Just Hate It WhenThis Happens…

… no, I REALLY hate it.

Bought a window AC unit for that never-cool-enough room. Long story. Unboxed and installed it. Plugged it in and followed the directions to turn it on, checking off the steps in the owner’s manual (cos it had a hi-tech remote sensor unit and a buncha other gewgaws and gimcracks and I wanted to make sure no one sneered at me later, “RTFM!” *heh*).

Nope. DOA. Ran through the simple troubleshooting checklist in the back that’s designed for people who are too stupid to even be able to read it. Nope, of course I had plugged it into a live circuit of the correct voltage and amperage rating. *sheesh!* Who did these people think they were talking to? An idiot?

After I got through being insulted by the troubleshooting page, I dialed the toll-free number listed right after the words, “If these solutions fail, call… ”

Yep. Nothing but an automated line directing me to call a toll line for support.

Now, I’m not just insulted but pi**ed off.

Rude cretins and beating down on me with a stupid support process.

So, I finally got some nice lil gal with a checklist to make sure I had already done allthe things in the insulting “troubleshooting” checklist in the owner’s manual. Finally, I had to tell her what was wrong, since her lil list ran out of things. The “reset” switch on the plug was dysfunctional. She offered me three “solutions” to that, and then deleted one for some inexplicable reason.

• 1. Send me a new cord.
• 2. Send me a new cord and make an appointment for a service person to come and install it.
• 3. Give me an RMA number for the AC unit.

And guess which one she deleted from the list? Right, just sending me the cord. I had to talk her back into that one. *arrggghh!*

So, the cord I know would solve the problem will be here next week. And? I already replaced it with one I had laying around. (I just had to recall I had it and go get it.) 20,000 screws (well, it felt that way *heh*) and some finicky and delicate plastic clips later, I had a functional unit. The cord I used had the same circuitry for line test and overload/reset, so it fit just fine. Now, I suppose I’ll just have a spare when the other one comes in. And since no provision was made for return of the dysfunctional cord, I’ll have that to play with (and probably repair when I get around to it).

But that was time I’d rather have spent on something else than a BRAND NEW DEVICE that came from the factory broken. Oh, and the dimensions on it were 1/4″ larger (height) than the listed specifications (both at the seller and the manufacturer–I checked). I had to disable the lift mechanism on the aluminum-framed window I installed it in–in addition to removing the storm window. If I’d had the 1/4″, I’d not have had to do that.

I just hate it when companies can’t get their products or their facts right and it costs me, with no real repercussions for the company.

Oh, Frigidaire. The unit had good reviews and ratings, but the company probably changed the production line after the reviews to save $0.25 per unit and invalidated all previous ratings and reviews…