Everything was going along smoothly with my washer and dryer until my parents visited in September and the machine was making really loud noises. My mom warned us that we were going to burn out the engine if we didn’t move the washing machine to flat ground. It had been balancing precariously on a ledge that is the perfect size for European machines. True to her word, the washing machine died on us a month later. The machine would fill up with water but wouldn’t spin. The clothes were soaking wet and soapy when I tried to put the in the dryer. I grudgingly went to the laundromat and caught up with Lily. As much as I like her company, I wasn’t looking forward to going there on a weekly basis again.
Understanding the difficulty in finding a repairman who spoke English and also getting the necessary parts to fix an American washing machine, we made the decision to buy new. Several hundred euro later, Paul came home with a shiny white washing machine. It fit in the back of our car, and he was able to hook it up easily. We were back in business!
I had heard that European machines are smaller, but didn’t realize just how much until I put that first load in. What a difference! An hour and a half later I went to switch the first load into the dryer and screamed in horror as the machine had pulled itself out of the wall and was lying face down on the concrete floor. We set it back up and tried again. The thing was clearly suicidal. It kept leaping off the ledge during the spin cycle.
I looked at the instructional manual and it stressed the importance of leveling the machine to the floor. Paul and our neighbor took care of that. It was rock solid. It wouldn’t wobble at all. Again, I came downstairs to switch the laundry and the machine was on its face. I couldn’t understand what the problem was. I looked at the instruction manual again. To prevent the machine from “wandering”, it also stressed the importance of removing the transportation devices. When I showed that to Paul he said they were on the back of the machine and weren’t causing the “wandering.” I was at a loss. I finally went to Media Markt where we purchased the thing and spoke with the customer service rep. He promptly walked over to a machine and showed me the four screws (aka transportation devices) that needed to be removed. We agreed that if they were removed and I was still having difficulties, I was to come back to the store.
Keep in mind that I am not the handiest of women, but I am very determined. It took several minutes to loosen the screws and replace them with temporary backs. The job complete, I happily put in a new load of laundry. Five loads of laundry later and the machine didn’t wobble, wander, or jump off the ledge. Success! (Until the dryer goes out . . .)
If there is a moral to this story, you’ll have to tell me. I just think it’s one of the pains of living in a foreign country . . .
