Highlights of the 2009 Laundry Appliances Study include:
When shopping for home appliances, many consumers will focus on a particular brand, style or price range—much like when shopping for a new car. After all, if you’ve had a positive experience with a particular brand, conventional wisdom suggests you’re more likely to stick with that brand. Conversely, if you’ve had a negative experience, you’re more apt to consider another brand, either in protest or merely in hopes of having a more satisfying experience the next time around. Perhaps you’re just tired of looking at that old, dull, 1970s-era olive green refrigerator and want to replace it with a nice new stainless steel unit. And maybe you don’t care what brand or style that new washer/dryer combo is, as long as it does the job and fits your budget.
While there is no right or wrong approach, a recent survey of consumers who purchased a major kitchen or laundry appliance reveals that value is increasing in importance during the selection process, and can greatly affect overall satisfaction.
“Consumers are scrutinizing the value of new appliance purchases much more carefully than in recent years,” said Dale Haines, senior director of the real estate and construction industries practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Fortunately for consumers, most major appliance brands produce highly reliable products, so good values can be found in a wide range of price points.”
Two new studies by J.D. Power and Associates, designed to gauge customer satisfaction with the performance, look and value of today’s major home appliances, provide some insights into what matters most to consumers.
Laundry Appliances
The 2009 Laundry Appliances Study measures customer satisfaction with clothes washers and dryers based on performance in six factors:
Clothes Washers
Samsung ranks highest in satisfying customers with clothes washers, achieving a score of 834 on a 1,000-point scale, Samsung performs particularly well in four of six study factors: operational performance; ease of use; features; and styling and feel. Following Samsung in the rankings are LG (818) and Kenmore Elite (812).
Clothes Dryers
Samsung ranks highest in customer satisfaction with clothes dryers for a second consecutive year with a score of 842, and performs particularly well in five of six factors: operational performance, ease of use; price; styling and feel; and features. LG (826) and Kenmore Elite (823) follow Samsung in the rankings. Kenmore Elite performs particularly well in the features factor.
2009 Kitchen and Laundry Appliances Study
Advertisement
