We purchased two KitchenAid appliances last year: a dishwasher and a low profile over the range microwave. While we haven't had any problems with the low profile microwave and like it, at 10 months the KitchenAid dishwasher had a problem where it wasn't draining. It was still under warranty so we called for warranty repair. The repairman said it was a drain motor issue. He mentioned he had seen this issue with other KitchenAid dishwashers. One month later, we still don't have the new part and don't have the use of the dishwasher. While I like the huge capacity of the dishwasher and the third Flex Rack, it is disappointing that an appliance less than one year old would have such a problem. We didn't have one service call for our 10 year old Kenmore dishwasher that we replaced. I probably wouldn't consider KitchenAid appliances in the future.

This is reminding me of this very interesting & somewhat disturbing report I heard recently from Marketplace.org: "...The cost of sexual harassment to businesses is well documented in the form of settlements, lost work time and loss of business. But what about the economic and career costs for the people who experience sexual harassment? Heather McLaughlin, an assistant professor of sociology at Oklahoma State University, is one of the few people who has looked into this. She studied the economic and career effects of sexual harassment on working women and interviewed them about their experiences.... ...O'Leary: Well, what did you find was sort of the most immediate cost for women who had been harassed? McLaughlin: So, most immediately, we found that a really large percentage of women quit their jobs. That's not all that surprising, unfortunately. At the time of our research, we were looking at women who were in their late 20s. A little over half of women started a new job in this two-year window that we were looking at. But for those who experienced more severe sexual harassment, it was 80 percent... ...McLaughlin: So women were quitting their jobs either because of the sexual harassment itself or because of the way that the sexual harassment was handled. They were quitting their jobs and they were also reporting more immediate financial stress. O'Leary: You also look long term and you found that women who experience harassment actually saw their wages stagnate. What was going on there? McLaughlin: Yeah. We found that a lot of women who quit their jobs were starting over in new careers entirely. So some of them were able to find comparable jobs in the same field. But many of them, this really affected the types of jobs that they were looking for. So they wanted to work in a field where, you know, for example, they thought that sexual harassment was less likely to occur... ...O'Leary: I have to ask — someone could listen to this interview and say, "Well, yeah, but quitting is voluntary." What would you say to that? McLaughlin: Yeah, I think that this is a less than voluntary decision. People are forced out of these jobs when you have the decision of whether or not to go into work today and experience these types of behaviors again. So, do I really want to get up again this morning and go in and experience unwanted touching? Or staring? Or leering? Or comments about my body and what I'm wearing? ..." https://www.marketplace.org/2017/11/03/business/how-women-pay-economic-price-after-sexual-harassment

EXACTLY! After throwing a fit, I finally got my appliances ordered last May on October 18. They substituted a SHarpe microwave because the LG is now on back order at Lowes! (the microwave IS available thru LG website however) And they substituted another model for my LG Range. It was a slightly more expensive model, so we didn't gripe, but it came with no racks, no installation package, no warranty info, no user manual, no air fry tray, no built in thermomter. I spent hours talking to LG AND to Lowes. Finally had to order the installation package myself at $71 and Lowe's is supposed to give me a gift card for that amount. Lowe's optional solution was to order a completely new range (which is out of stock now and not expected til after the new year). They OBVIOUSLY robbed Peter to pay Paul. During this whole process, I have spent 2 hours with my Lowe's designer selecting appliances that were "in stock" and endless hours on the phone reporting delivery damages, missing appliances, and trying to rectify errors.

I also loved A Town Like Alice. It’s the only novel by Shute that I have read and have been meaning to try some others so with your recommendation, Bunny, I will look for Trustee in the Toolroom. I have been taking my time reading Betty by Tiffany McDaniel. It’s a coming of age story of a girl growing up in the Appalachian foothills in Ohio but it’s full of dark, depressing events so I have been reading in small bits. I went on a college visit this weekend with my son who is graduating. It was a long road trip which ironically took me right through the area in which Betty is set. It was very stressful drive, especially when crossing the mountains, as it was pouring rain the whole time. I downloaded Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlin to listen as I drove. It was perfect for the drive with an interesting story, albeit somewhat predictable. It held my interest and kept my mind totally preoccupied, making the weather/driving much less stressful. While I did enjoy it, it would make a good beach read but it’s not a book that I would go out of my way to recommend to friends. I’d give it 3.5 to 4 stars for its genre, which I suppose is a mystery of sorts. Edited to add, I just checked on Libby for Trustee in the Toolroom. My library has the audio version but not the kindle copy. I actually have a 4 hour road trip again tomorrow (going to get my first vaccine dose 2 hrs from home!). I’ll give the audio version a try but may look for a readable copy also (some books I prefer in print or kindle).