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Happy birthday Nathan “The Superhero” Gray!

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Beyond the Byline: Is it hot enough for you?

<p>Few things make me happier than helping a reader solve a problem, and right now I&#8217;m feeling pretty good.</p><p>I recently received an email from Linda Fettig, of Plains Township, who, in late 2012, purchased an Electrolux washer and dryer from Voitek TV &amp; Appliances. The high-end, front-loading set cost about $3,000, including a five-year extended warranty.</p><p>&#8220;I thought, we&#8217;ll get a good set so we&#8217;ll have no trouble with it,&#8221; Fettig wrote. &#8220;Boy, was I wrong.&#8221;</p><p>Within two weeks, Fettig said, the washer and dryer &#8220;destroyed three full loads of laundry,&#8221; leaving snags, tears and pulls. She contacted Voitek TV &amp; Appliances and asked to have the set replaced, but was assured the problem could be fixed with a service call.</p><p>In almost four years since purchasing the set, Fettig explained, she&#8217;d had nothing but headaches and service calls.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve had repairmen to our home for this washer and dryer at least 15 times, and have been to the laundromat well over 20 times, due to this very expensive washer and dryer not functioning properly.&#8221;</p><p>As Fettig explained it, &#8220;not functioning properly&#8221; meant the washer failing to empty or fill, the dryer motor breaking down, the dryer doors locking up for long periods, and clothes mysteriously getting torn up by either or both machines.</p><p>Most recently, a technician went to her the house and filed down some sharp edges in the washer basket. That solved the problem temporarily, said Fettig. Soon, however, clothes were again getting shredded.</p><p>&#8220;A new swimsuit, Under Armour golf shirts, and at least 15 pairs of Under Armour and Nike shorts &#8212; one pair I just paid $46 for,&#8221; Fettig told me. &#8220;My son&#8217;s baseball uniform was ruined. I really think they should have replaced this the second week I had it. I didn&#8217;t spend that kind of money to need repairs all the time.&#8221;</p><p>Hard to disagree, right? I called David Voitek, Jr., co-owner of Voitek TV &amp; Appliances, who promised to &#8220;get to the bottom&#8221; of Fettig&#8217;s problem and get it fixed.</p><p>I also got in touch with Eloise Hale at Electrolux North America, who thanked me for the heads up and put the company&#8217;s consumer team on Fettig&#8217;s case.</p><p>The next day Fettig called me, elated and showering me with gratitude.</p><p>&#8220;You are remarkable,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Mr. Voitek just called, and they&#8217;re giving me a new set &#8212; Electrolux, their newest models. So it did work out very well. I can&#8217;t believe it. I have the goosebumps right now. I can&#8217;t thank you enough.&#8221;</p><p>I immediately emailed a thank-you note to Hale, who responded that Electrolux was &#8220;pleased to quickly resolve Ms. Fettig&#8217;s concern.&#8221;</p><p>Next, I called Dave Voitek and thanked him for his help.</p><p>&#8220;Between Electrolux and us, we wanted to get it resolved,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re glad that Mrs. Fettig is happy, and we want all our customers to be happy. Now, we&#8217;re going to look at those machines and see if we can figure out what happened.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Christine Young at consumerwatchdog@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Consumer Watchdog: Customer’s troubles are washed away by Voitek, Electrolux