We bought a 4.2 cubic foot Maytag MVWC565FW washer in September of 2019 and paid $130 for the 5 year extended protection plan (Lowe’s Service Advantage) for major appliances $400-699.

Note: if it takes more than fourteen days from first scheduled appointment to resolution, you may be able to receive a one-time $50 payment from your Lowe’s Service Advantage plan. Call the Lowe’s Service Advantage phone number at 888-775-6937 for more details.

Interactions with Lowe’s Service Advantage and their service provider

We called for Lowe’s repair service on August 24, 2021.

September 1, 2021 – initial visit from contract service provider. They diagnosed the problem and repair person said they scheduled a visit for September 15, 2021 after the part came in.

September 15, 2021 – called contract service provider after no one showed for the appointment I cleared my morning calendar for. They said that couldn’t get one of the parts (shift actuator), but I should call Lowe’s to see if they could locate a part.

September 15, 2021 – called Lowe’s, waited 90 minutes for a call back and requested they look for the part. They said it could be up to five business days before the business unit that did that might respond to them.

September 17, 2021 – called Lowe’s Service Advantage back to follow-up (90+ min wait for call back), the part was supposedly going to be sent out to service provider on 9/20.

September 20, 2021 – called contract service provider to see if they received any update from Lowe’s. They said would be at least September 24 before it would be sent/arrive (was not completely clear which end of the transaction it was).

September 23, 2021 – called Lowe’s Service Advantage back for follow-up (90+ min wait for call back). They said they would ask their supplier to give status on parts, with up to a 5 business day wait to hear back.

September 24, 2021 – reached out to Lowe’s on social media channels, and the response was to call Lowe’s Protection Plan phone number. Called contract service provider instead, and they said that they’re still waiting on a part, but that it supposedly got shipped September 23.

September 27, 2021 – received an email from Lowe’s that the part was delivered to the service provider.

September 28, 2021 – Called contract service provider, but they couldn’t make appointment because their systems were down but they’d call me when they came back up.

September 29, 2021 – Called contract service provider. Their first available appointments were 10/5 or 10/6. Scheduled for 10/6. $50 payment for delay was in today’s mail, which seems like a bit of a slap in the face at this point.

October 5, 2021 – Called service provider to try to confirm appointment for the next day. Robocall came through 15 minutes prior to their leaving the office for the day.

October 6, 2021 – Service technician was able to replace actuator, but hub could not be replaced without ordering a new agitator. Washer is now working otherwise.

It took 43 days to get back to a working washing machine.

So far, I’ve spent 5+ hours waiting for call backs, 4 hours waiting for service appointments that were apparently never made or canceled without my knowledge, and my wife has spent 12-14 hours at the laundromat and well over $100 (maybe even $200?) at the laundromat.

Not the First Time

This has been the second appliance/equipment purchase in the last two years that has subpar support. We also bought a Craftsman Cordless Electric Mower that we couldn’t get a replacement battery for.

But Wait, There’s More:

The washing machine needed repair under the extended warranty again! Again, we waited over five weeks to have a working washing machine again.

Conclusion

I don’t really have Lowe’s Service Advantage complaints. Lowe’s protection plan customer service was as helpful as they could be, and I was able to start the process via their Twitter account, but the reality is that with several weeks to order a part when something breaks, your money is better allocated holding money for an emergency used appliance and using the normal warranty and/or independent repair service once the manufacturer warranty runs out. At least then you can eBay the parts.