Calypso Washing Machines in a class action lawsuit?

We bought it 2004, is there anything else we can do? I;m having a
problem with this machine also.

I have the same machine and the same problem that you have too, which
I brought in 2001. Is there anything else we can do? Please let me
knows!!!

I purchased my calypso washing machine In 2005 and have always had
problems with it. The machine always leaked from the bottom causing my
laundry room floor to rot. When the service man came to fix it he told
me the hose was clogged and then got on to me about the soap that I
use. Well to Mr. Service man's suprise his jaw dropped when I pulled
out the thing of Tide soap made especially for these types of washers.
This washer is a piece of junk and I could probaly find a better one
at the scrapyard. I will never in my life buy Kenmore appliances!!!!

2 years ago, I went to the local Sears dent & scratch outlet store to
buy a washer & dryer..... I bought a calypso, and when they delivered
it and tested it... it leaked. So they brought it back to the store to
exchange it. I followed and would not let them exchange it without
first testing it. They tested 5 others, they ALL leaked. I finally
settled on a regular agitator style Kenmore Elite. I am not surprised
there is a class action on the Calypso, judging from my experience it
was a piece of junk!!

GOOD LUCK

I have heard nothing but bad things about this particular washer
series. I would caution everyone interested in them to really do your
homework online to see if Joe's experience is the norm or not.

In a class action lawsuit, only direct purchasers from the
manufacturer are allowed to file a claim and join the class action
lawsuit. So you as a consumer can't file a claim/join the lawsuit,
but the retail store from which you bought it can file a lawsuit.

Just something I learned while working on the antitrust price fixing
litigation of the big carpet makers in the Southeastern U.S.

How consumers get any money out of these things, I don't know.

It looks like there may still be time for you to file a claim:
http://calypsosettlement.com/

(See also: http://www.alexanderlaw.com/calypso/Notice.pdf)

But keep in mind (and as I always defer the last word to LadyMac for
ANYTHING legal here, I will again) in a class action suit, you aren't
going to get some HUGE reimbursement, but merely a fraction of
whatever is awarded to EVERYONE in the group - after legal fees.

It could also take YEARS for this to play out in the courts so if you
were thinking you could just file and get paid any time soon, it's not
likely.

I had one of the frontload Maytag Neptune washers that was part of a
class action suit a few years back because the stupid thing leaked,
all the seals in the door developed mold and finally it just died - it
would fill with water but wouldn't actually agitate the clothes no
matter what we did.

We filed and were supposed to get like $200 (on a machine that cost us
about $800) that we have yet to see.

Ironically, the original "old reliable" Maytag that was sold to us
with our house and was AT LEAST 20 years old when we moved in 15 years
ago, has NO high end features and looks like a dinosaur, works better
than that Neptune ever did (that & "old reliable" doesn't require
special (i.e. more expensive) High Efficiency detergent to wash the
clothes.

Thank God we were too lazy to try and move it out of the basement and
sell it when we bought the Neptune or we'd have had to buy a new one
when the Neptune stopped working!

Just goes to show that high end isn't necessarily better.

I tend to agree with Mike on this one (never thought that would
happen!) The information in this letter is lacking. If you have
warrenties and the company isn't living up to it's promises, there's a
problem. More likely though, you are no longer covered by a warrenty.
Mentioning that you believe there to be a pending law suite makes it
sound as if you would join in the law suite if you had the chance.
I'm not sure that I as the company would be proactive in fixing your
problem if I believe that you may jump on the law suite "band wagon".
I do hope that things are straightened out one way or another. And in
the future, Consumer Reports is good, but also www.epinions. You can
read reviews from people who have purchased the same models as you are
looking at purchasing. Then you can see if there seems to be a common
problem throughout the posts.

You may want to check on line but I believe the class action suit has
been settled and is closed to new claims.

I can sure appreciate your frustration Joe, but your letter brings up
several questions.

To begin with, what was the manufacturer's warranty on this equipment?
You don't state, but allude to the fact that it is no longer under
this warranty. You want to remember this warranty is a promise, from
the manufacturer, that the product should work free from defects for
this length of time. If it fails to do so, as it sounds like you've
had here, then the manufacturer assumes the cost of servicing it.
Outside of this warranty, however, there is no guarantee the product
will work correctly, if at all.

This brings up the second question; did you purchase an extended
service agreement with the appliances? Sears offers them, especially
with this type of product. This is a guarantee from the retailer that
they will back the product for an additional period of time, in some
cases ten years! If you elected to not pay additional for this
service, then you chose to accept the responsibility of these
problems. If you had paid for this service and the agreement was not
being upheld, you would then have a legitimate platform to complain.

Finally, you have the ability to contact the service center working on
this equipment. You commonly have a guarantee for the service which
extends from thirty to sixty days. However, you haven't mentioned
about contacting them again so they could continue to work on a
resolution to your problem. It sounds like there is a reason why this
hose is getting clogged, so although clearing the clog solved the
problem, further time may uncover the problem for this happening.

Unfortunately your request to have the machine repaired or replaced at
the manufacturer's expense, much less Sears' expense, has not shown to
be justified. Your request, I'm sure, will be denied. You would have
been more appropriate to contact the service center so they could
continue to resolve the problem.

If you decide to replace the washer and dryer, you may want to
consider Whirlpool's Duet. The Duet washer, model 9150, is currently
being offered for $899 and includes a 3.8 cubic foot stainless steel
tub. Quite a value and rated very well by Consumer Reports.