Customer Reviews

Summit Professional Series : SPWD1160C 24 Washer/Dryer Combo with 11 lbs. Capacity

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My wife and I live in a newly renovated condo building with all 12 apartments equipped with the Summit Washer and Dryer combo. So far this year 10 out of 12 units have failed. I'd rate this product ZERO out of five stars if Amazon let you submit a score that low.
Buyer beware:
1. The machine is LOUD.
2. The machine is very slow.
3. The capacity is tiny.
4. It WILL break.
5. When I dialed the first appliance repair company in the yellow pages, they instantly knew where I lived before I could even finish saying Summit Washer/ Dryer combo.

Please, please consider other choices and save yourself the headaches!

This machine is like that old Woody Allen joke about terrible food and small portions. The washer/dryer works terribly and then it breaks. Every single review on the internet I have found has been negative.

The trouble started at installation. During operation, the rubber gasket surrounding the door emitted a terrible, oily smell that filled the apartment and permeated the clothing. We checked--there was no plastic coating or anything of the sort on the gasket. It kept doing this for the first 20-30 wash cycles. I suspect that the dryer portion of the cycle getting the gasket so hot that it emitted the smell. It eventually went away, but not without sickening us for weeks. Other people in our building reported the same smell from their machines.

Speaking of the dryer cycle, clothes emerging from it are wrinkled and end up being covered in lint, in part because the machine has no lint trap! It has what the documentation calls a button trap, which has holes that are too large for lint, and which, when you clean it, leaks a good half-cup of water onto the floor because of its location.

After three months of poor operation, the machine broke. It refused to drain water. We called Summit Professional, who said they would call a service company. Twice within a week, we called back, and Summit said they'd call again; I asked for the number myself and when I called the repair service, they already knew about how terrible Summit Professional Washer/Dryers are. They ordered replacement parts immediately from Summit and those parts took one month to arrive. Another month and two W/D floods later (the replacement parts were defective and resulted in floods) and the machine still isn't fixed. I'm sure a replacement machine will have the exact same lifespan--three months--if not shorter.

You might ask why we stuck with this machine so long. Like others out there, this machine was installed in our apartment by a company hoping to sell the apartments as condos. If you see one in your prospective unit before buying or renting, put your foot down about not getting one of these. You will replace it within a year if you buy, or suffer for months like we have.

Buyer beware!

Before getting a combo washer/dryer, I did a bit of research, and found that Haier models were a gamble. I bought the Summit as it seemed a decent enough unit. If I'd looked further, I would have known that the Summit is a repackaged Haier, and very poor quality.

Our first one had a failed heating unit after several months, which was replaced under warranty. Then the condenser failed, creating hot, very wet clothes after a drying cycle. Replaced. Then the heater failed again. We requested a complete replacement appliance. The replacement worked for about 4 months, then the condenser failed; we're through with it, a complete waste of money.

all of the reviews here are SPOT ON. Washer is OK if it doesn't flood the area it's in... the "Button Trap" thing is useless and I have no idea what it even DOES since it just seems to collect water.

the smell one reviewer here talked about WAS IN. SANE. It lasted for the first month+ of use and made our clothes REEK. Thankfully that is gone, but might not be if I didn't use liquid fabric softener??

the "Dryer" cycles are a waste of time. Clothes 99% of the time come out wet, wrinkly, hot and covered in lint. To get for example, a towel or pair of jeans dry, you probably will have to limit the load to 3 towels/2pairs of jeans in the dryer at a time and run them through 2 or even 3 dry cycles. RIDICULOUS. I'm scared (even though it's a 'condensation' dryer) that the thing is going to start a fire!

*** Our new construction bldg was also supposed to be sold as condos and then flipped to 8 rental units. just thought that was funny, cuz it shows how developers/mgmt companies cheap out on finishes to get a quick tenant and the money coming in

Now we're just waiting for it to break honestly!

Run from this appliance. If space is the reason you are considering buying this product you would save money by hiring a carpenter to enlarge your space!! Nothing but problems and even when the appliance is working it is awful. It takes 1 1/2 hours for a complete cycle of washing and drying. Uses lots of electricity and clothes come out so wrinkled that it is like you left them to dry in a basket for a few days. And it is fairly expensive and built like a tin doll house. Afraid to use it for fear something else will break. So, so sorry that I wasted my money on this washer/dryer. I really don't give it any stars but 1 star was the lowest option. The best thing I can say is that the people that work at the company and repair the product are very nice and helpful.

Oh man, is this a whopper

I moved into an apartment building that came equipped with a washer and dryer. After we moved in, the management installed the summit 'professional' which immediately flooded 3 inches of water into our brand new unit. 2 mop buckets of sudsy water later, they finally they got it working. By working I mean they actually had to replace the entire unit. The building hallway is now littered with dozens of the rusting corpses of these horrible machines.

Clothes take forever to clean and when the dryer cycle kicks on, a horrible burning rubber smell fills the apartment. Maybe the rubber gasket is out gassing... After you open a few windows to air out your apartment, you are rewarded with the most wrinkled clothes I have ever seen. I mean you would really have to try to make clothes this crimped. Please do not waste your money on this hunk of crap. Unless you are a masochist, then by all means go for it.

Jan's hubby speaking. We have this machine and we dont know what's behind all the whining and gnashing of teeth in the other reviews. What are these people talking about? We have one of these in an apartment we've been renting TO COLLEGE STUDENTS for 6 years. Not exactly skilled appliance operators if you get my drift.

Today the tenant called to say she thought the dryer cycle wasnt working. Went and checked it and yes, the machine doesnt heat when it goes into dry cycle. No biggie. The element is probably out. I'll check it tomorrow but I bet the it just wore out. It happens.

Am I mad? Am I calling the machine and the company names? No. The fact is this is a mini machine designed to Euro standards where people dont expect to wash big loads then dry them to a crisp in an American style dryer. The thing has worked flawlessly in a rental situation for 6 years. I would expect something to go wrong with it by now. I have had worse luck with Maytag front loaders (that are supposed to be great...they're Maytags after all) with control boards and pumps failing in one and two year old machines. Not so with this little guy.

If I cant fix the dryer element (and I bet I can) then I will toss it because the way I figure it I saved a ton of dough by not having to run a 240 volt line to it and venting it 6 years back when I installed it...in fact what I saved was easily the cost of a new machine today.

All the woes these people are complaining about seem self-inflicted. Yes, open the lint trap at the bottom of the machine with a full tub and you will get a flood; it's a wet lint trap, not a dry one like we Yanks are used to. Even without the tub full a little water comes out. Maybe a cup. Catch it in a cookie sheet and you'll be fine. Stuff it too full and it will not dry...at all. No room for air to circulate.

I dont know what they're saying about noise. I personally watched ours run for 30 minutes today and you can barely hear it. Its certainly quieter than the Frigidaire front loaders we have in other units and in our house (that have not been without their issues too).

Bottom line: this is probably the best combo washer dryer unit on the market, and it appears reliable. Our experience with it proves it. We wouldnt hesitate to buy another.

UPDATE 8/8/11: Checked the washer out and found dryer motor worn out (easy to do...take top cover off and it right there). Called Summit in NYC-area and they had one for $50 plus UPS. I'll be back in business in no time.

I use a Summit Professional Washer Dryer, model 1470C. The washer function works great. The dryer stopped working after about a year and it took the technicians from the retailer several trips to figure out how to fix it. The dryer also takes a long time to dry and only has one heat setting. When clothes come out, they don't have static which is nice. It is nice because it saves space, but it does not save time. Since there's only one machine, you can't wash clothes and dry clothes simultaneously since you have only one machine. Overall, I would not recommend it because of the issues with the dryer functions.