I have an Asko front loader washing machine which has only been in use for 1 year and has started leaking. So far it has taken almost five weeks, over two and a half hours on the phone with Asko (mostly spent on hold waiting for someone to take my call), and numerous calls to the local service agent trying to get the machine repaired.
When you call Asko’s 1300 number you are assured that a member of their team ‘will be with you very soon’. My shortest waiting time to speak to someone was 30 minutes and the longest 55 minutes. Suffice to say that I can almost recite their recorded message word for word. Besides spruiking their ‘timeless, minimalist, elegant’ appliances’ ‘design, function and durability’ etc, you are continually assured that ‘someone will be with you shortly’. That is a lie.
You are also informed that they have ‘over 300 service agents nationwide, ready to tend to your Asko needs’; their ‘professional, courteous, highly-trained Asko technicians are ready and waiting to serve you in all capital cities’. That is also a lie, as there are only two of these in the Hobart area and they are most definitely not ready and waiting to serve me.
Furthermore, ‘if you’re experiencing a problem with your Asko appliance, rest assured you’re never too far away from a solution’. Another lie. Twenty two days for a small part to be sent from the mainland and a further 11 days’ wait for a service call is pretty far away as far as I’m concerned.
Finally, ‘customer care is something that they pride themselves on’. If Asko pride themselves on how they treat their customers, they really need to take a long, hard look at themselves.
Welcome to the Community @mel7,
I too know how ‘good’ Asko is, but for a different reason.
Ever since when I needed an appliance I discount Asko from the get go.
Please keep your unfortunate saga posted as it evolves.
I try and buy Miele appliances if I can. They are expensive but my washing machine has lasted twenty years without a hiccup. Previous ovens and cooktops also performed well over an extended time period. I never consider Asko and certainly not Samsung after a hideous experience with a Samsung fridge.
I’m afraid we can’t assume that the way a brand was made yesterday is the way it will be made tomorrow.
I had an Asko front loader that cost a fortune (following the “you get what you pay for” adage) and it also leaked (but not within a year) and the drive rod broke 3 times. Asko did nothing, I got it fixed privately. It most definitely was not worth the money I paid for it. Replaced it with a Samsung f/l which lasted me about 15 years with not one scrap of trouble.
As Choice often finds, through performance tests and reliability surveys of a product is not necessarily reflective of the price. It is challenging to know what product will be a quality one or not…or if the brand is generally reliable but a particular model is a lemon.
I bought a companion pair of Asko washing machine and heat pump tumble dryer from The Good Guys in Brighton, Melbourne, five years ago. It cost me $3200 for the pair. In the five years of ownership, the dryer has had its warped fan replaced when it was just out of warranty. In the last year, the washing machine has developed a grinding noise during the fast spin at the end of the washing cycle, and may need its bearings replaced. We are thoroughly dissatisfied with the durability of these machines, and wonder whether the wider CHOICE community has also experienced durability problems with Asko products. We understand that Asko machines are now assembled in Slovenia, not in Sweden
Welcome to the Community @Ploojie
I merged your topic into this existing one. The answer seems to be ‘yes’.
We are now waiting for our rattly Asko washing machine to destroy itself before buying another make. We are not prepared to pay hundreds of dollars on repairs. Our Asko heat pump tumble dryer, which had its fan replaced one year after purchase, is now working properly…
