Kenmore 94812 27 in. Super Capacity Electric Laundry Center Washer Dryer Combo

Kenmore quality OK; sears installation incompetent

By JimC  Dec 24, 2006 | 2 out of 2 found this Kenmore 94812 27 in. Super Capacity Electric Laundry Center Washer Dryer Combo review helpful

Pros: large capacity

Cons: sears team incapable of installing

I had ordered the Kenmore combo unit back in November and their first delivery attempt produced a warped & dented lid that had to be refused.
My home is small, so the unit fits in what would be considered a hall closet.
That said, after refusing the first delivery I also had to rebuild the platform in the WD alcove to accomodate what the installer found to be a 3"+ difference in unit depth.
When another team arrived a month later (at my request), the install team indicated they didn't think the the washer's discharge/drain hose was going to reach the (72" high) drain in my alcove.
Granted it was close, but I don't understand why Sears couldn't have a longer (accordian style) hose installed from the factory. The installer's indicated they couldn't swap hoses even if they had one because they were not allowed to open up the unit. (only a trained Sears technicial was allowed to open the panel)
I had them take it up to my 2nd floor location and leave it in the hallway, where I troubleshooted the situation myself (at the cost of my back getting pinched and being in pain for several days) and myself and a friend were able to join the factory hose to the previous one and finish the installation.

good news: It worked fine from the get-go.
bad news: though one of the acclaimed features was a quiet operation, Kenmore installed a hanger extension at the top of the dryer that vibrated violently and negated the value of the quiet spin technology.
I ended up taping the pulltab of the hanger extension onto the dryer to keep it from vibrating.

If had to do all over again, I would have made better use of my tape measure and then bought a similar unit (different brand) from a dedicated appliance center. One whose delivery policies don't handcuff the installers from completing what would have been a simple task.