frustration with Miele Canada service, anyone else?

6 years ago

Hi all,

I am encountering some ongoing issues with Miele Canada and I'm about at the end of my rope now. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same problems and how you resolved them. Here's the scoop. I really need to vent so this will be long, sorry and thank you so much if you read even just a bit of it.

- bought two ovens, cooktop, vent hood and countertop coffee maker all in January, total cost around $25k CAD

- ovens and cooktop went in without a hitch, I love them

- vent hood was challenging to install but the technician was a rock star and got it done, except that the Con@activity feature doesn't work and he can't figure out why. He went off saying he'd do some research and call me within a few days. Never heard from him again. Have called Miele Canada once a week ever since (this was 2 months ago) and each time I'm promised that they will have a technician call me within 24 hours and we'll get it fixed. Nobody calls. I wait a week, call Miele back, they are surprised and apologetic, make the same promise, I foolishly believe them because they are so nice on the phone, repeat...over and over and over...

- meanwhile, coffee maker made the most delicious coffee ever for 2 months till it stopped abruptly in early March. Miele promptly sent a repair tech out who took the machine away, promising to have it back within 7 days. That was the last I saw of him. I have his direct contact info but he doesn't respond ever. I start calling Miele about it, they promise to follow up, you get the picture here... On one call, they told me that the required part had been sent to the technician and it would be fixed within a day or two. A few weeks later I was told that the part was actually backordered and never sent out, no idea when it would be available. I now consider the machine to be stolen and requested my money back. They refused but did agree finally to send me a replacement machine. But they haven't.

- lastly, I ordered an additional pair of telescopic extension glides for my steam oven and paid for them over the phone. Meant to be exactly the same as what came with the oven on the bottom rack, so that I could have second set in the middle. The lady on the phone seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. What arrived in the mail was the wrong model and just one (when you need a right and a left, DUH). Added this to the list of issues I phone them about. They insist that they sent the correct part and are confused by my confusion. Finally the lovely lady on the phone agrees to give me an email address so I can send photos of the telescopic racks that my oven came with with along with a photo of what I received in the mail, obviously very different. Do I ever hear back? No of course not.

I am completely baffled and feel like I'm losing my mind. No idea what to do. My last phone call to them was 1hr 53 minutes on Monday, when I was promised that everything would be fixed or replaced within 24-48 hours. NOTHING. My husband and the sales rep who sold me the stuff both say its time to blast them on social media but that's not my style. I guess this post is my first step.

Would love to know if anyone else has had problems with Miele Canada service follow-up or if my issues are isolated. I absolutely love my ovens and cooktop but I'm now terrified of anything going wrong with them. I give up on the rest of the stuff, am writing it all off.

Rant done. Hrmph. Please be honest with me if I'm missing something here and the problem is mine.

Featured Answer

future_retiree

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

One thing I learned clearly and consistently in dealing with Miele US service and the US Concierge installation group -- those are two different groups -- if a person ever says "someone will call you back .... in 24/48 etc. hours" (substitute whatever time for 24/48 etc. hours ) or "someone will call you to schedule back blah blah blah" that call back almost never happens. I can't say 'never ever' happens because once or twice a call did happen, but the overwhelming majority of time it did not.

You'll end up having to call them, explain the situation and re-explain whatever was supposed to happen in the follow up, such as another scheduled service call, or an install or whatever, does get scheduled and setup.

If an install technician ever says someone will call to scheduled follow up work, that call never happens. IME I had to call and call and call again.

If a service technician says someone will call to follow up, that happens maybe 50% of the time.

Miele touts their Concierge department as offering white-glove -like service, but in most of their follow ups to promised phone calls they fall flat.

It is frustrating in dealing with a luxury brand like
Miele the follow through on calls leaves one hanging in the wind so
often. I've never used their email to contact their service dept because of the unreliability of the in person follow throughs.

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Comments (10)

linus2003
6 years ago
So sorry to hear this, can not really help as I am in Sweden. But had an issue with a part for my dishwasher in my old house. As I live close to the Swedish border and It takes a few hour by boat or car to Germany I could go and be back in about 24 hours and Miele said the part would take 2 weeks I got mad.

Called the switchboard and recvested the manager in charge of service. Told him my mind and after that the part came withing 24 hiurs and with no charge.

Go higher up to management and I hope that they listen or even go to Germany headoffice.

Best of luck //
jesslake
Original Author
6 years ago
I'm a sucker for punishment so I called back again today. There doesn't seem to be any way to get "higher up" in management with the Canada 1-800 line, or I just don't have the negotiation skills to get higher up. However, I almost started to cry when I said that I was embarrassed to have spent so much on appliances when I could have fed a family in need for two years on the amount. That seemed to trigger some kind of action instead of the usual "we'll call you back tomorrow, promise!" Supposedly the replacement coffee maker will be on its way to me tomorrow and a technician (a different one) is booked to come finish the vent install on Monday. I've heard all this many times over in the past two months but what else can I do but believe them...?
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linus2003
6 years ago
I dokumentet Hope that this is the time you get everything fixad.

I Googled Miele Canada and also found the 1-800 number but if you got to Miele professional you will find a different number for the same location. Maybe try that number next if this does not work out.
linus2003
6 years ago
I Googled Miele Canada Phone number now and found this:

905-532-2290

It was under the 1-800 of number to Miele Canada
jesslake
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks linus2003, I also have that number as well as another one that goes directly to the service folks. Ultimately though all the lines end up in the same office.

Today a friend told me that her Miele fridge has leaked since it was installed 4 years ago. After 2 years of trying in vain to get it fixed, she gave up and now lives with a bucket and towels behind it to catch the drips. She's no push over so I'm seriously worried now.

I'm learning the hard way that one has to ask more probing questions than simply "are there service technicians in our area?" when considering different brands of appliances.
nerdyshopper
6 years ago
If you paid by credit card, it is time to put the charges in challenge. You must first send Mielle your list of complaints by registered mail. If you get a weasel response you can use that to have the credit card company on your side---fix the stuff or return the money.
Brett F
6 years ago
This is upsetting since we are about to start a kitchen a reno and was hoping to buy a few miele appliances. I've always read that Miele has one of the lowest repair rates in the industry. @jesslake are you in Toronto?
Brent McFarlen
6 years ago
I hear your pain, I purchased my dishwasher with the bonus 5 year warranty and it died two weeks later. So no problem, I will call Miele cause I am sure they have excellent service! After 3 days trying to reach someone I finally got a servicer person who sent a service tech one week later. He fixed my machine (or so I thought!) and less than a week later my machine is down AGAIN. So here I am going on 4 days trying to get in touch with Miele service by phone, OMG. I have even called Goeman appliances in Stoney Creek to see if they can reach Miele service, here's hoping. I sent them a scathing customer survey after my first ordeal and they sent me some free dishwasher tabs and rinse agent, nice touch, but I perfer a working dishwasher and someone at your company who will answer the phone!!! I have the Miele built in coffee maker and now a Miele dishwasher, I hope the dishwasher wasn't a huge mistake.
houzzmouse
6 years ago
Sorry. Also venting. Long post warning...

Add me to the list of extremely surprised and disappointed Miele customers. This is my first (and last) purchase from Miele. I purchased a dishwasher a month ago. The sales person entered online, and then at my insistance confirmed by phone with Miele, both the delivery and installation for a given date a couple of weeks out. The date was important because my current dishwasher didn't work and I was expecting a house full of company a few days after the delivery/installationdate. Instead, the day before it was scheduled to be delivered/installed, I got a call from the delivery company that they wouldn't be able to install it Thursday, it would have to be Friday. Fine, they turn up Friday but don't take the old dishwasher and don't install... what? The delivery guy acted like I was an idiot, "We dont install or take the old one away. You should have called a plumber"... Fine. Later that Friday, I get a call from the installer. He can't get to me for another week! I guess I lost it and he ended up agreeing to come after hours on Monday (I had houseguests due Tuesday) to hook it up. When he unpackaged the dishwasher, he just shook his head. They had sent me someone's uninstalled machine! It was dirty and had a rag stuck in the hose, the manuals were soaked, there was a scratch on the side... you get the picture. The installer was a good guy, not his fault, and he ended up installing the used machine to tide me over until my company left. I crossed my fingers
it would work and not flood (who knew why it was returned). That was 2 weeks ago and I have not been able to reach them by phone. I know the same delivery company have scheduled delivery for this Friday (3 weeks after the original delivery date) but I can't reach anyone at Miele Canada by phone to confirm installation. I have another set of houseguests coming through on Sunday. I, too, had heard how reliable the product was. I wish I had known about the terrible customer service. If you use subcontractors for your delivery and service, you should be doing quality check as they represent your brand. And no excuse for not having a customer service number that people can actually get through on. I told my appliance store I would not be dealing with them (the appliance store) again since they are representing a brand with 0 customer service...

If anyone has another phone number to try, let me know. I'm in BC.

frustration with Miele Canada service, anyone else?

future_retiree

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linus2003

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