I have some ramblings to add for future readers: The cliche "they don't make em like they used to" is not cliche with a lot of old line American brands. Kitchen Aid dishwashers used to be the gold standard but no longer are. WHen made by Hobart in the 60's and 70's they were bomb proof and expensive. Now, that division has been sold at least twice and the new suits are trading on the prior glory trying to build to a price point which is at or even below what your parents paid back then. They really don't care about high quality, they only care about feeding the machine to drive the financials upward to boost the stock price. Same with Maytag Washers and Thermador cooking products. No longer what they used to be. Re: this brand vs. that based on a complaint you read on the internet - No one makes perfect machines everyday throughout a model run. Just go ask NASA and the space shuttle program. Arguably the most complex machine on the planet with many of the brightest minds working on it with no share holders to perform for and a failed machine doesn't result in dirty dishes or a ruined floor , so the stakes are very high ! Still , even they had defective units !!! I don't think repair cost should factor too much into the decision. You cannot accurately predict financial outcomes of your appliance choice over the long haul by saying you'll be better off selecting GE's $115 service call over Sears' $150. What if you NEVER call for service? It's even hard for the manufacturers' actuaries to predict this stuff with certainty. Cooksnews' problems aren't because he chose miele, they are because he lives in Timbuctoo. This is true with any small volume product vs. a high volume one. Bet it's easier to get service on a Ford than a Benz out there too. If he'd gotten any of my three mieles from the last 15 years he wouldn't be squeaking at all because they've had zero issues. Wonder what his tune would be if he'd chosen a KA and it was one of the units that catches on fire, and it burned his house down ? He didn't , so it's kinda pointless to second guess , but people still do. This isn't limited to the sticks either. I live in a metro area with close to 6 million people. I can get on some in house techs scheds in one or two days , while other's take a week or ten days like Cook's and when they do show up they have the same holier than thou attitude as his DW tech. Its simply how the world works. Hey Cook , try and sched a Comcast technician and see what he says when he shows up at your place and then get back to us on that experience. The parts issue is easy - how much inventory do think that guy can physically store on his van? DO you think the manufs' give those parts to the techs ? SO, we have limited space for material, and a sizable outlay in $$$ for pump or heater or high pressure switch and now we get to the point where Cook's tech probably serviced 10 brands. Still think it reasonable for him to have a GE DW pump, a miele steam generator, a KAid oven control board, a Viking fridge compressor, and a maytag door seal on his truck just in case he gets a call from you for one of those ??? Bottom line is - if you choose a high quality unit you probably won't need service. However, should you need it you'd should make sure there is a technician in your area that has the ability and DESIRE to work on your machine. All manuf. have unhappy customers out there. If you truly want a a long lasting machine you need to look for one coming from a company that is privately held and not subject to the whims of the stock market. There are very very few of these around though. They will also cost a small fortune compared to their mass production competition. It simply costs more money to design , build and deliver a product with higher initial quality and a longer lifespan than it does a tarted up weekend promo that every Sears in the U.S. can sell every third Sat. for $399 along with a free delivery and a box of soap too. Another thing to consider is these manufacturers' are sometimes at the whim of their suppliers. No appliance company has complete vertical integration such that they can supply everything that goes into a fridge or a DW, not even GE. So, sometimes you get a faulty batch of copper pipe like sub zero or defective control boards like Kit. Aid ovens and DWs. How a company handles these mess ups tells you a lot. SZ replaces theirs no charge, while KA denies there is even a problem at all. It helps to have fewer units to replace , but it's the behavior that concerns me more.

Hope I'm not just "talking to myself". I went to HD and purchased the Chamberlain Model 955D at $50+tax. It appears to be an exact replacement for my (10 year old, thereabouts) Craftsman 139.53683. I also discovered in this process the "Smart" program button, it is under the front pop cover, no need to remove the three screws that give one access to the internals of the receiver. Well, this gave me a chance to check the old units using the new units and I was surprised to find that both the receiver and transmitter appear to be bad. The old remote will not program to operate the new receiver, and the new remote will not program to operate the old receiver: conclusion both the old remote and receiver failed at the same time. This seems highly unlikely, maybe the old and new are not interchangeable.

Hi, wow, thanks everyone for taking the time to read my post and respond to it. I came here for advice and other opinions on my situation and I sure got what I came for. One thing that keeps being asked is why she moved out. Everyone wants a clear cut explanation but teenagers are never that simple. The most obvious and probably the main reason is not hard to figure out. Tell me truthfully why do you think an 18 year girl old would want to live in her boyfriends house, hmmm... can't figure it out, could it be SEX. No couldn't be, she must've left because the evil stepdad makes her live under his awesome CONTROL. Please people, some of you have really hurt my feelings, do you really think I would be at a site like this, asking for help, if I was like that. Is that how you were taught to treat people who come to you for help and open their hearts for all to see? But what does that matter I'm just the evil stepdad, I deserve to be treated like dirt, right? But I do realize that none of you could possibly know all the details of my situation and you might fill in the gaps with things from your own experiences. Another reason she left is probably the same reason many young adults leave, they want their independance and freedom to do as they please whenever they please. No surprises there, just a typical teen. The last reason is probably me, I do take responsability for being part of the reason she left, however this takes some explaining and sets some of the blame back in hers and my wifes laps. But this also leads me to something else many have wondered about and that's why we don't get along so good. To explain this requires some background and explaining and a little bit of speculating. My wife was in an abusive relationship with her ex husband, he was a part of their lives until about 6 months before I came into the picture (kids were 14 (yes there's a brother, they are twins and I get along just fine with him)). The ex husband attacked her one time in front of the daughter, the daughter attacked the father and soon after my now wife obtained a restraining order against the father. That should not be taken lightly, I will say again, the kids have seen their real father abuse their mother. I should also explain that both my wife and stepdaughter suffer from depression and they both take antidepressants, nothing wrong with that just that they are known to have some extreme moods. My stepdaughter was also known for her temper tantrums, one example is, at a birthday party she spread her body over the candy that spilled out of a pinyatta (I don't know how to spell) so that none of the other kids could get HER candy. Picture this, a single mom raising two kids that she does not want to have a good relationship with their abusive father. He would give them anything they wanted to keep them in his life and then mom would do the same. To a teenager this must have seemed like she could run them both, anything she wanted she would get it from one or the other, she learned this early. Then comes the attack and the restraining order, she is cut off from her father. She started slipping away, I don't know why, I am no psychologist, she refused to go to school, withdrew from activities and friends, and worst she became aggresive towards her mother. Then I appeared, about 6 months after the attack, I met my wife on the internet in a chat room, we chatted, then phone calls till all hours of the night, we didn't know where the time went, until finally we met face to face and we knew we were in love. The daughter was not too happy about this, now she had to share the only parent she had left. The first words I ever heard from the girl was a very long email about how terrible her mother was and the awful things her mother had done to her (all lies or greatly exaggerated truths) and what a terrible person I was for even thinking about having a relationship with her mother. Her mother tried family counseling with no affect, until finally the daughter became violent with her mother and brother. I remember my wife telling me that she had to put a lock on her bedroom door because she was afraid to go to sleep at night. Soon she had her daughter enrolled and staying at, a school for troubled teens, all this done with the guidance and advice of trained professional counselors. She was not sent away and forgotten, my wife was a big part of her life, there several times a week and to take her out almost every week. While she was there she seemed to mature a little, but she also learned some wonderful things from the other girls, like self mutilation (yeah cutting herself to feel she was in control of something). My wife and I continued to date, long distance, two states away, for about two years. Then we got married and they moved to my state where we bought a house big enough for the four of us. (I should also mention that my wife is not so good with finances, we could not get a loan if her name was anywhere on the documents). I brought the family back together and made it clear from the start that violence would not be tolerated. Well, the daughter started right in trying to do whatever she wanted without regard for anyone else, she was not easy to be around. I really did try to have a good relationship with her but she would ocassionally express her disrespect (aggressively) and it would all fall apart. I know I am partly to blame here I am sure I could have reacted differently, any parent knows children can try you patience and being an inexperienced parent I guess I let her get me riled up. She had been used to telling her mother what to do and she would do it, now her mother would stop and say she needs to see if thats ok with her husband (some of you will try to twist that into controlling, give me a break, some decisions husbands and wives need to check with each other on). This new stepdad was getting in her way, now she really needed to get rid of me. My stepdaughter was in our house for about two years and that brings us to when she moved out. Not very eventful, she started dating this guy he was 25 years old and had his own house, she was 18 so she would stay with him most nights for about two months until she moved in with him. She knew exactly what she was doing and decided to give up living with us so she could be with him, she knew she was welcome to stay and she knows she is welcome to come back. But she also knows if she comes back she will have to follow a few rules and help out around the house. The way she has it now, she can come over and do whatever she wants when we are not home, not contribute anything to the household, then leave the mess and go sleep with her boyfriend. She gets the best of everything and none of the work or responsabilities. As for helping her with college, she does her homework at school, they have wireless at the library, and I should mention that my parents (her step grandparents) are helping to pay for her tuition. We do not provide her with food she works in a restaurant and her boyfriend is so cheap they don't have a full kitchen yet. Where all their money goes is a mystery, they both work, they heat with wood (in other words free) his mother bought the house they live in (no mortgage), no tv, no phone, I am surprised they have electricity. And guess what, drum roll please, she's pregnant. All the more reason I will not try to get in the way of her and her mother having a relationship, I guess I really don't mind her coming over when we are not home as long as she is respectful, the problem is that she is not. We do not even know she is coming and the only way we know she has been there is that things have been moved around, messes have been made and food is missing (yes she eats alot, she weighs about 250lbs). The time my wife told her not to come over when we were not there was when we both came home late from food shopping or something and we wanted to relax a few minutes and watch tv but the remote had disappeared. I know that I am welcome to go to my parents house anytime but I wouldn't dream of being disrespectful about it because I know they would tell me to not come over anymore. That's what my post is all about, my stepdaughter does not seem to understand that she has made choices and with every choice there are consequences. I was taught that parents are supposed to teach their children how to get through this world and be responsable, respectable adults. That's my real question is it better to let her do as she pleases or help her learn an important life lesson. It is not a matter of control it is a matter of an adult trying to help a child understand this world. Listening to some of your posts, I think it is way too late, and I need to let it go, so my wife can get to know her grandchild and try to be happy. Thanks again for all your posts, take care and god bless you all.

Here we go again! No idea what is going on yet people are making absolute statements of "fact" and not knowing what they're talking about. Unfortunately you asked the wrong people. What you need to do first is find out what you signed. Short of advice to find out what you signed, forget all advice that is given under presumption and guess. I'm glad to hear you're going to check on what you signed. KUDOS! I'm sure you learned your lesson to sign NOTHING without getting a copy. No copy? No signature. Period. Hospitals and clinics are amazed and angered often when I won't even sign until a duplicate is out. Also, don't take their word that they'll get you a copy afterward. I made that mistake once. Cynic Rule #4: No copy? No signature! And saying "...the HIPAA law protects you" is an ignorant statement in this case. HIPAA does not protect you if you sign a waiver, which is often the first thing you have to sign for medical care. For anyone to make absolute statements of what is happening or can happen is naive since we don't know what was involved. I would doubt that it's a scam since it's through the Dr's office and given their liability in the event of a scam, they're not likely to take a chance. However, they might think something is good for you that you don't think is good for you. You're doing the right thing by finding out what you signed. Then you can start asking intelligent questions and stand a chance of getting some at least somewhat educated answers. Good luck!