@jane- I can understand your concern, after all the set, represents a significant investment. It's important to do your homework as you have. If it's any comfort my Kenmore Elite was replaced at 6 months, it just died. Fortunately having the Kenmore name, Sears replaced the unit, matter of fact the next day. No problems, no service, no bullshit. The replacement has functioned Flawless! Moral of story is all brands could have problems and lemons. What is important is what level of support can you expect after the sale. And quite honestly most of us don't have the financial resources to change washing machine's at an eye blink. Buy something your gut tells you to buy!

Gotta let people do things their way. If jane2000 is like me, short-circuiting (ha ha) her decision process won't leave her more confident about her decision.

Larsi, thank you for sharing your experience. You are right, I hesitated too much :-). But dryer catching fire sounds dangerous. It's unlike other machine problems. I hope the manufacturer technically resolved the problem.

rpinfoman, thank you very much for your understanding and suggestion. It's good that Sears just replaced your Kenmore washer the next day without trying to repair it several times.

Suburbanmd, thanks for understanding people like me. I did make slow decisions for big heavy items impossible to be returned. I need to correct myself and shouldn't worry too much.

@Jane. Pay Attention to what store you're purchasing from.

Costco WILL take anything back, at any time for any reason. Target can do the exact same thing, at the manager's discretion.

I do know Home Depot is REALLY relaxed in their Appliance Return Policies but... I don't think Lowe's is.

Also... Keep in mind, Some Credit Cards like Visa Signature, Mastercard World, or American Express Centurion/Platinum/Gold also offer extended warranties and return protection, so it pays to look through, or call. They can really help you if something goes amiss.

*I know someone... who ordered flooring from Lumber Liquidators. The flooring delivered and installed was drastically different, and they ended up deciding they didn't want it. LL wouldn't even consider the possibility of a return, or partial discount. So... guess what happened? They filed a Dispute with American Express... and American Express processed a FULL refund to their card, no questions asked. They didn't even have to supply documentation, or return the flooring. Just wonderful customer service.

I was seriously considering an Electrolux w/d until I found the 2015 J.D. Power survey which had the washer rated highly by consumers, but the dryer below average. Could it be the previous fire issue, or are there other issues with the 2015 dryer?

That's strange because Reviewed.com rated Electrolux dryers number one a few years running (including this year).

I found the lawsuit info. It covered dryers manufactured between 1/1/2002 to 12/31/2011. It alleged that "The complaint reports that GE Appliances, which was buying the dryers under a contract manufacturing agreement with Electrolux, "insisted in 1998 that Electrolux fix the Defect so that ball hitch Dryers Electrolux manufactured for sale under the GE brand name would pass fire containment testing." The complaint claims Electrolux changed to plastics with fire inhibitors, but only for the dryers it made for GE."

I'm guessing since they had a solution for GE, Electrolux must have switched to the plastics with fire inhibitors in their models since the lawsuit....