ᐅ Siemens Studioline – Have I received all the defective units?
Created on: 13 Jul 2023 10:03
Y
Yaso2.0
Hello everyone,
I’m feeling a bit frustrated and need to get some thoughts off my chest.
We have been living in our new home for one year now and received a new kitchen. All the built-in appliances in the kitchen are from the Siemens Studioline series, except for the refrigerator, which is from the standard series. The appliances were delivered after a very long wait in October 2022.
From the start, we have had problems with every appliance except the steam oven and the extractor hood. Siemens customer service has already been here several times, but the issues are often not reproducible at the time (demonstration effect?), or the technician fixes something, but as soon as they leave, the problem returns.
By now, I’m really fed up with all these faults and would prefer to replace the appliances, but that’s not so easy (especially financially).
For some issues, I even recorded videos of the faults and showed them to the technician to prove the errors, but since the problems don’t appear while they’re here, they say no fault could be found.
Here’s a list of ongoing issues:
Dishwasher: It makes extremely loud “water pressure noises,” as if too much water is hitting a too-small valve. According to customer service, this is now a known problem. On the first visit, they drilled a larger hole—no improvement. Two weeks later, the valve was completely replaced, with the statement that this was a recognized issue and the valve swap would fix it. However, the machine still makes other louder humming noises, which they now attribute to the zeolite drying system and insist are normal. But in an open living area, this is quite annoying. Later, I found reports online suggesting that a clip or something similar would need to be replaced, but the service technician said he couldn’t do anything about that.
Additionally, for some time now, even after switching dishwasher tablets, half of them remain undissolved in the compartment. In 23 years of using dishwashers, I’ve never experienced this before, and now it happens constantly.
Cooktop: The full-surface induction cooktop automatically detects pots and their position. When I take a pan or pot off the stove— for example, to flip a pancake or pour something off— and then put it back and try to change the temperature, the cooktop does not respond. The display shows the new setting (e.g. level 8 instead of level 3), but the heat stays at the previous setting. I have to turn the cooktop off and on again to adjust the temperature properly. I recorded this issue, but the technician said it was not visible in the cooktop’s error log (which only stores the last 8 cooking processes). Of course, the problem doesn’t happen all the time.
Microwave: During the first use, the microwave made a very loud humming noise. Customer service was called out and found that the fan was defective. It was replaced and worked fine until recently. For about two weeks now, it intermittently makes the same very loud noises again, both during active use and the cooldown phase.
Refrigerator: The fridge works as it should, but after a short time it develops yellowing marks in places where rods or similar parts seem to run along. They suggested this might be caused by a cleaning product I use, but I don’t think so—I’ve used the same refrigerator cleaner for years without issues.
How would you proceed in such a case? Keep pushing customer service until they can reproduce the faults, or just give up and replace the appliances?
The kitchen salesperson sympathizes but can’t do anything and said, “Oh man, it seems like you got all Monday models.”
Sorry for the long text, but I’m really at my wit’s end.
I’m feeling a bit frustrated and need to get some thoughts off my chest.
We have been living in our new home for one year now and received a new kitchen. All the built-in appliances in the kitchen are from the Siemens Studioline series, except for the refrigerator, which is from the standard series. The appliances were delivered after a very long wait in October 2022.
From the start, we have had problems with every appliance except the steam oven and the extractor hood. Siemens customer service has already been here several times, but the issues are often not reproducible at the time (demonstration effect?), or the technician fixes something, but as soon as they leave, the problem returns.
By now, I’m really fed up with all these faults and would prefer to replace the appliances, but that’s not so easy (especially financially).
For some issues, I even recorded videos of the faults and showed them to the technician to prove the errors, but since the problems don’t appear while they’re here, they say no fault could be found.
Here’s a list of ongoing issues:
Dishwasher: It makes extremely loud “water pressure noises,” as if too much water is hitting a too-small valve. According to customer service, this is now a known problem. On the first visit, they drilled a larger hole—no improvement. Two weeks later, the valve was completely replaced, with the statement that this was a recognized issue and the valve swap would fix it. However, the machine still makes other louder humming noises, which they now attribute to the zeolite drying system and insist are normal. But in an open living area, this is quite annoying. Later, I found reports online suggesting that a clip or something similar would need to be replaced, but the service technician said he couldn’t do anything about that.
Additionally, for some time now, even after switching dishwasher tablets, half of them remain undissolved in the compartment. In 23 years of using dishwashers, I’ve never experienced this before, and now it happens constantly.
Cooktop: The full-surface induction cooktop automatically detects pots and their position. When I take a pan or pot off the stove— for example, to flip a pancake or pour something off— and then put it back and try to change the temperature, the cooktop does not respond. The display shows the new setting (e.g. level 8 instead of level 3), but the heat stays at the previous setting. I have to turn the cooktop off and on again to adjust the temperature properly. I recorded this issue, but the technician said it was not visible in the cooktop’s error log (which only stores the last 8 cooking processes). Of course, the problem doesn’t happen all the time.
Microwave: During the first use, the microwave made a very loud humming noise. Customer service was called out and found that the fan was defective. It was replaced and worked fine until recently. For about two weeks now, it intermittently makes the same very loud noises again, both during active use and the cooldown phase.
Refrigerator: The fridge works as it should, but after a short time it develops yellowing marks in places where rods or similar parts seem to run along. They suggested this might be caused by a cleaning product I use, but I don’t think so—I’ve used the same refrigerator cleaner for years without issues.
How would you proceed in such a case? Keep pushing customer service until they can reproduce the faults, or just give up and replace the appliances?
The kitchen salesperson sympathizes but can’t do anything and said, “Oh man, it seems like you got all Monday models.”
Sorry for the long text, but I’m really at my wit’s end.
xMisterDx schrieb:
Of course, the first step is to try fixing the issue. A new unit costs around 2,000 EUR (approximately $2,200), and the technician from the factory service department is free of charge since the visit is covered under warranty or goodwill if they find a problem.
What can the seller do themselves in this situation? Handling it is the responsibility of the factory service under the warranty. If the kitchen installer tries to repair it independently, the warranty will be voided.
... The key difference lies in who requests the service call – the customer directly or their studio/supplier.
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Buchsbaum14 Jul 2023 16:13Often, people choose appliances based on brand or trend. "Oh, I have Siemens," or "Oh, I have Neff..."
That’s all nonsense. The appliances mostly come from Eastern Europe, and the components like pumps, heaters, control boards, or wiring harnesses come from China.
The internal parts are almost always the same, whether it’s Bosch, Siemens, AEG, or any other manufacturer.
Five years ago, I chose a Bosch dishwasher. Unfortunately, it broke down badly twice. Once the heating pump and once the wastewater pump. Both failures occurred after the warranty period. So, after 3 years, two total breakdowns. And this was not even the cheapest model, but a supposed major brand product.
These kinds of failures happen very often with nearly all manufacturers. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. The error codes on the display clearly show what’s broken. You can usually find countless videos on YouTube with repair instructions and part numbers.
I was quite surprised to find out that there is essentially only one heating pump used across all manufacturers. All except Miele actually install this same pump. So you might as well buy a no-name product; it contains the same junk inside.
The problem is the installation and removal of the appliance. For any repair, it must be taken completely out of the cabinet. That does not improve the kitchen at all. I find it outrageous. You buy a Bosch or Siemens appliance, and it’s all cheap Chinese parts inside.
That’s all nonsense. The appliances mostly come from Eastern Europe, and the components like pumps, heaters, control boards, or wiring harnesses come from China.
The internal parts are almost always the same, whether it’s Bosch, Siemens, AEG, or any other manufacturer.
Five years ago, I chose a Bosch dishwasher. Unfortunately, it broke down badly twice. Once the heating pump and once the wastewater pump. Both failures occurred after the warranty period. So, after 3 years, two total breakdowns. And this was not even the cheapest model, but a supposed major brand product.
These kinds of failures happen very often with nearly all manufacturers. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. The error codes on the display clearly show what’s broken. You can usually find countless videos on YouTube with repair instructions and part numbers.
I was quite surprised to find out that there is essentially only one heating pump used across all manufacturers. All except Miele actually install this same pump. So you might as well buy a no-name product; it contains the same junk inside.
The problem is the installation and removal of the appliance. For any repair, it must be taken completely out of the cabinet. That does not improve the kitchen at all. I find it outrageous. You buy a Bosch or Siemens appliance, and it’s all cheap Chinese parts inside.
A
Allthewayup14 Jul 2023 16:27We have also experienced many failures of major household appliances and therefore negotiated a 5-year warranty for all kitchen appliances when buying the kitchen for our new house. This way, there are no additional costs for failing devices for at least 5 years. How the handling works in case of a claim is always uncertain. We have already experienced everything from overnight service to washing clothes at the parents’ place for up to 4 weeks.
It is always frustrating, but as I have mentioned several times, Bosch, Siemens, Neff, and others don’t seem to differ much in failure rates. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
I have even picked up new cars with scratched rims, dents in the fender, and damaged interior, and this was almost $90,000 in the premium segment. It seems that hardly anyone in the industry puts in real effort anymore.
It is always frustrating, but as I have mentioned several times, Bosch, Siemens, Neff, and others don’t seem to differ much in failure rates. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
I have even picked up new cars with scratched rims, dents in the fender, and damaged interior, and this was almost $90,000 in the premium segment. It seems that hardly anyone in the industry puts in real effort anymore.
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Buchsbaum14 Jul 2023 16:38My dishwasher is screwed in place under the countertop, attached to the cabinets on the left and right. The front panel also needs to be completely removed, as well as the kick plate. However, after removing it three times, the screw holes are already stripped.
And I’m not keen on installing new appliances every five years.
We shouldn’t be surprised. The only thing that still fits is the German retail price for this junk. I have since switched to LG appliances. They seem to have at least somewhat better quality, at least from my experience.
And I’m not keen on installing new appliances every five years.
We shouldn’t be surprised. The only thing that still fits is the German retail price for this junk. I have since switched to LG appliances. They seem to have at least somewhat better quality, at least from my experience.
xMisterDx schrieb:
Otherwise, just contact the manufacturer directly, express your disappointment, say you will never buy Siemens again, nor recommend it to anyone, and so on.
Wow, 3-4 times over the weekend is quite a lot. That’s hard to argue away.
As for the refrigerator, as long as it functions properly, I don’t really see much chance of success. No one replaces a 2,000 EUR (about 2,150 USD) appliance just because it is slightly yellowed somewhere. I once came across an ad for exactly our dishwasher on social media and left a comment underneath. The Siemens customer service then contacted me directly via private message. Naively, I really hoped they would do something 😀 Anyway, they asked me to provide a detailed description of the problem and I even sent them recordings of the loud noises. Their reply was, “in this case, please contact our factory service at...”
They told me the same about the refrigerator as well – its function is not affected.
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
The crucial difference is who commissions customer service – the customer themselves or their kitchen studio/supplier. I contacted the kitchen studio with my first complaint, and they immediately referred me to the manufacturer.
Buchsbaum schrieb:
Often people buy based on brand or trend. Oh, I have Siemens, oh I have Neff... In our previous two kitchens, we always had Siemens appliances from the standard range and were satisfied. That’s why we assumed we probably couldn’t go wrong with the Studioline appliances, after all, they should be of higher quality, right??
With these devices, we were convinced by the easy operation, the flat surfaces without control knobs, and the new technologies. It’s nothing essential, but I really like that our extractor hood switches on automatically as soon as we turn on the hob and switches off by itself after a fan delay once cooking is finished.
Like I said, not something you absolutely need, but nice to have.
Allthewayup schrieb:
We have also experienced many failures of large household appliances. That’s why, when buying a kitchen for our new house, we negotiated a 5-year warranty for all kitchen appliances. So at least for 5 years, there are no additional costs for failing devices. How the process works in case of a claim is always a question. The 5-year warranty was a promotion from Siemens at the time we bought our kitchen, so we still have about 4 good years left to use customer service 😀 ...
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