Maytag Neptune™ MAH6700A Front Load Washer

I bought a Maytag Front Load Washer (and Dryer), with the optional stand/drawer (extra $150 for each unit) in September 07. I was impressed with the design and supposed ease of use, and with the historical Maytag quality image. The washer appears to be substantial in weight and the exterior metal cabinet and push button controls are well designed. With the washer up on the drawer stand, clothes in the washer are easy to access. I asked and found that this supposed improved model was not included in the washer recall which also was a factor in my decision to purchase.

But things went down hill quickly. The installer created leaks in both hot and cold water valves that leaked water on our wood floor and damaged items in the basement. Maytag would not fix the leaks, which cost me $140 to repair, and did not replace the damaged wood floor or the items ruined in the basement below. In fact they refused to talk with me about it.

From the very first moment it started the spin cycle, something was horribly wrong. Maytag did not tell me that this model had the same vibration problem which causes the entire house to shake. (I live in an expensive house with 2x10 beams on 12", not 16" centers)and I have two steel beams that support the floor as well. The washer walks about 3-4 inches every spin cycle and is too heavy for my wife to move back into place. I complained to the store and they dispatched a repair man to re-level the unit. However the same walking and vibration resulted and I was then told by the repairman (and later the original salesman) that these units should not be installed on stands and should only be installed on a concrete floor.

I then called the Maytag customer service multiple times and they kept referring me to different people - each time you had to type in your phone, model and serial number, then they would ask you for the same information when you got to speak to a human; customer service rep would not transfer me to a manager when I asked repeatedly; Manchester Missouri store manager berated my wife; when I complained to the salesman about the problems, he said I should have told him it was going on a wood floor - he said he had no obligation to tell me about the vibration and walking problems; said I should move the washer from our laundry room to the basement or garage so it could be on a concrete floor; and he suggested I pay a couple thousand to have our floor joists redone to support the washer.

Customer service did send out another repairman who confirmed that the unit was level and he said there was nothing they could do about the vibration/walking. I asked if I could put something under the washer to cushion it or something on top to hold it in place, but he said that would void the warranty.

We also found that we have to leave both the door of the washer and the detergent dispenser open to dry out after each use, or it develops a moldy smell.

In order to keep the vibration noise to a minimum (image a small plane taking off in your house) we have to use very small loads - about 1/3rd of a normal top loader load. Even then the noise is substantial. My wife also feels the laundry is never clean and smells funny. To read more horror stories you could go to a website called consumeraffairs and search for Maytag washers.

We will donate this unit to Habitat for Humanity, without the stand, and tell the new owner to install it only on a concrete floor and far enough away so the sound is tolerable. I will probably throw in the dryer too, so essentially $1800 down the drain.