We purchased an Amana NAV5800AWW top-loading washing Machine which ran fine for about 19 months, then it began to vibrate violently when it went into a high-speed spin. I went thru the "leveling" procedure, although it didn't need it; and when that didn't help called the appliance repair man.

The repair man tightened screws, checked that my floors were solid, and then checked the tub itself. He found that the inner (stainless steel) tub was loose, and upon closer inspection found that the stainless steel tub was severely "cracked" around around each of it's 4 mounting bolts. This was allowing the tub to move around, thereby creating an out-of-balance condition.

He indicated that the "fix" would be to replace the tub, which was still under warranty; but I would have to pay the labor for installation ($90 + tax). He suggested I might call customer service and see if they would pay the labor.

I called Whirlpool's customer service dept (Whirlpool bought out what used to be Amana). I spoke to the customer service agent and after explaining the problem suggested that since the problem was clearly either a manufacturing defect or an engineering design flaw, that the customer shouldn't have to pay anything. He (although courteous) said that the warrantly clearly stated that only the part (and not the labor) was covered, and that Whirlpool would not pay for the labor charges.

That's when I pointed out that it didn't project a very good image of a company (Whirlpool) when it would not bear the cost of fixing a problem clearly not of the customer's making. Moreover, I assured him that I would never purchase a Whirlpool product again; and that I would make certain that my experience found it's way onto the internet.